Nice guy, but his marking is ridiculously hard

Pretty interesting Lecture. Nice prof. But too much reading and hard marker.

Iteresting stuff, but he is just way too hard core for his or anyone else's good

Great lectures, but too much reading. Exam essay topics can be deadly boring.

Lectures are fun, but quite a hard marker, great deal of material in the course, but not the most I've seen in a 200 level history course..

A quirky guy, lost in his intellectual world, both cynical and playful. Marks tough, but fair. Interesting style, participation based, not much lecturing. You have to do the readings, or else he can get frustrated with the class.

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I don't know what everyone is complaining about...he may be tough but he's fair and this is University for heaven's sake, not kindergarten. I really enjoyed his class, he's an engaging prof who challenges you to deepen your understanding. i loved his clas

If you're worried abour ruining your precious GPA, don't take a class with Professor Pabel. If you want to be educated (and actually learn a little bit about the world you live in), do take a class with Professor Pabel.

Do not take this class if you do not want to work. Some of the readings were boring and some of the assignments were kind of pointless. But if you're willing to put in the effort and learn/red lots then Pabel is willing to help.

Informative, interesting, and clear. Has a bit of an attitude, but overall he's a great prof.

Pabel is a good prof, despite the comments below. If you want to take a class where you will be challenged then he's your guy. Lectures+Tutorials are interesting if your willing to do the readings and be involved.He is a hard marker but his courses are worth taking even if your GPA does take a hit.

I don't know what you guys are talking about. If you do the work and are enthusiastic, Dr. Pabel is so helpful. He has a great sense of humour. He's brilliant. Yes, if you slack off, and have a hard time with honest marking systems, you won't like him. But if you want to learn and be challenged, Dr. Pabel is number one.

a great prof. very organized and engaging.

He's a great guy...but he's a little condescending. Hist 223 is a good course, but you have to work really hard. Midterms are easy, but papers are marked with severe scrutiny. If you ever want a class to laugh in, take this one, especially if you have a retard sitting beside you.

Entertaining, engaging, challenging. A word to the wise: you CAN get a good mark in his class, but ONLY if you can write. I'm good at essay writing, and thus I got an A-; don't listen to those who say it isn't possible. This guy really makes you think, and that was what *I* thought university was for, don't know about the rest of you guys.

i took a course with him and thought he was a great proff. i leart a lot and he was extremely entertaining and humourous. but i ended up with a crappy mark. the next semester i took another history course with him. just as funny and knowledgable, just as clear. he expects decent effort, and your grade will reflect how much you gave.

A great mind & lecturer. He really challenges you and I too like to think and be challenged. He expects 150% and this means a LOT of work. If you're taking 4+ courses and work a course with Pabel will be too much. But the experience of learning under him is a treat for those who care about expanding their minds & thinking more than GPAs.

It would be great if the standard Hilmar envisions were a reality in public Universities, but it is not. I am not encouraged to continue in history, though I have succeeded with other instructors and still have all the interest I had before. In spite of his ability, I can't help thinking that the pedagogue should inspire interest not dread.

Oh yeah he is so hard. He makes you actually read and think about things. He expects you to show up for class prepared and he even expects you to be able to read and write in english.

After a short lecture, he just went over the readings. Made the class very boring. I don't learn well by reading, so I'd never take another class with him. When he bothered to lecture, it was fine.. Wish he'd just do that, and not rely so much on readings!

Be warned--his marking scheme is vicious (i.e. unrealistic expectations from students). Don't be surprised by an "F" on one of your assignments in his classes... Shudder...

Great Prof! Very hard marker but absolutely wonderful teacher! Very interesting funny and passionate about his subject. Willing to help but you must be willing to do the work! If you are at all interested in his courses I recomend you take him!

Took both 2nd & 3rd year courses with him. Prof. Pabel is a highly intelligent teacher who takes you seriously and who expects you to take him seriously as well. Readings can be heavy, but you aren't paying uni fees for kindergarten levels. He'll give you an A if you deserve one. Put a decent amount of work in, and you will.

Most people who have complained that he is too hard likely expect easy As in university. Thus when they are expected to read and discuss material every week and write coherent and well researched papers they are horrified. If you're not very bright or are lazy, avoid this class. If you enjoy learning and are reasonably disciplined, youll enjoy it.

Prof. Pabel's class was certainly challenging and required a lot of time and effort, but unlike many other history classes I have taken, I actually feel I truly learned a lot about the course content. He has a lot of knowledge on the topic of European history and his lectures were always thoroughly prepared.

Hard marker but extremely nice prof, who is also extremely smart.Knows everything about what he's teahing. Explains things very clearly, and is the type of prof who actually seems to care about the students, and actuaolly takes his job seriously (I like the fact that he wears a suit to class everyday-shows hes a university prof not a grad student.)

great!

Best class and best prof I've ever had at SFU. Make sure you visit him in office hours during the course he provides immensely valuable insight and resources. My ability to think critically sky-rocketed after taking this course! Highly recommend.

Best history prof at SFU!

It was an absolute pleasure to be Pabel's student. His lectures are captivating; instead of giving you boring details about history, he delved into the culture and mentality of early modern Europeans. His marking is on the harder side, but his comments are really helpful to improve on future assignments. I plan on taking further classes with him.

Dr. Pabel makes a somewhat dry (and very info-heavy) topic (the Reformation) engaging, and assigns various types of papers which keeps it from getting repetitive. He actually uses Canvas(!), gave me technical and historical feedback on my papers, and provides a great syllabus. Really available for asking questions or discussing ideas.

Passionate professor. He wants you to be a better student and makes the material engaging and interesting. He gives great feedback, but its easy to take his comments too personally. He does not mark at an undergrad level, and is definitely the hardest marker In my entire history major. Loved the class, cried over assignments. Lucky to get a B.

Taking Hist 288 with Hilmar was a pleasure. He shows knowledge and passion for the content in engaging lectures. The class is well-structured with no difficult exams, and the amount of reading is reasonable for a textbook-free course. He has a blunt sense of humor which some may interpret as being obnoxious or rude, as per reviews, but I disagree.

Hilmar is an excellent professor. Yes, the way he grades is tough but he spells out his expectations very early in the course so there are no surprises. He also does not give final exams and his tests are not cumulative, so that means less work!

Pabel is difficult but not as difficult as others make him out to be. To succeed you need to demonstrate that you did the readings through your participation; he is not supremely interested in our personal opinions but instead our ability to analyze and apply knowledge from the assigned texts.

Professor Pabel has a reputation as a tough marker but to be honest, it felt pretty in line with what a third year course should be like. He does assign a pretty significant amount of reading, but all of it is accessible for free (or at least was for our class). Participation is important too, but we were given multiple ways to get those marks.