Take 20th Century Europe with him in the summer

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Knows more about European History then the textbook itself. Great Prof! Take HST 40 with him.

Agnew is amazing! he knows literally everything about european history.

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Good prof who knows his stuff, and perhaps to a fault; some may find him boring because he knows too much. but a good, smart and caring person who actually tries his hardest to teach.

Awesome! The best class and professor GWU has to offer! Always answers your questions even if it requires him to do research and tell you in the next class.

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Lags on sometimes, but great prof

He's cute

He loves Catherine Zeta-Jones.

An intelligent and well-prepared professor with a good sense of humor - when he lets it come out. He encourages independent research and in-class discussion. Pleasant and well-mannered.

Man. I have to say that I love this fellow. Considering that he has gillions of students to talk at, I'm quite amazed that he still keeps things interesting. I tell you, if I had a chance to take this fellow again for anything, I'd jump at it straight away.

I love this man. He's very enthusiastic and helpful. He does get off-topic and, therefore, behind, but he doesn't test on anything he doesn't cover and his diversions are really interesting. Although I don't know all of the TA's, I do know that Helena (if you are able to choose her) is amazing.

Class was ok. The teacher gets so far off topic and ends up falling really far behind as a result. Discussion groups usually get weeks ahead of lecture and start becomming busy work. Class is just ok.

Agnew is great...he knows his history, and he does a good job of not making it too boring. Like he always has fun little anecdotes, and he has a witty sense of humor. Be careful about your TA though...mine (Kilian-Kevler), while nice and easy, was not that great.

One of the most intelligent professors I've taken a class with. Lectures were interesting and necessary to pass the class! I loved this class!

Hugh Agnew is the smartest man alive!!!

The archetypical history professor (complete with patches on the elbows of tweed blazers)! I adored the class and learned so much about European history. He was incredibly enthusiastic, as well as entertaining and informative.

Great professor, very smart and knows too much of everything concerning Europe. Try and get him as your discussion leader bc the TA suck and get really ahead of lecture. Tests aren't bad if you go to class and do the yellow book readings.

Great Professor and great person.

What an articulate and ingenious man! His lectures are always riveting, which makes up for the excruciatingly boring discussion sections (then again, maybe my TA just sucked). His tests are very fair... Just make sure you attend lectures AND read all the books.

he is the best, period. anyone who doesnt like this guy is deranged and lazy. he is freakishly knowledgable about anything historical, not just europe. he's funny, a fantastic lecturer, yes he goes off on tangents but they're quite funny and interesting. he's actually been to many of the places he lectures about, highly reccommend him to anyone!

Normally I think this site is pretty accurate, but these comments are ridiculous! Agnew is not at all pompous. He knows his stuff cold and lectures are well organized. Yes, he digresses, but it's a welcome break in an hour 15 minute lecture. It's a fair class, he's a wonderful professor and I completely recomend it!

Anyone who says the word "devishly" should be disregarded. Hugh was by far and away the best lecturer I've ever had here at GW. He always did his best to engage students in class, and although he diverges rather often, his tangents are interesting. A warning discussion is a waste of time, and beware of Helena as your TA - I wasnt a fan.

He is an awesome guy. Really understanding and fair. Lectures are interesting and you can tell he really loves history and teaching. I loved this class and Agnew!

Good prof and brilliant man. If you go to class you will learn a lot. Hes great if you love Hist, euro Hist, and esp eastern euro Hist. 2 tests, paper, and weekly HW assignments. Can be tedious but worth it because you will learn. Dont pass Disc section and you fail class. Get a good TA if you can (orGET Him as TA) Must do HW. Hard A not hard B.

Let me be the first to say that the TA's are the worst for this class. Basically agnew doesnt grade anything so your at the mercy of your TA. Most of them are arrogant and pushy. Agnew is a great guy and his lectures were off sometimes but good overall. What killed teh class was the TAs. HARD HARD to make an A.

Greatest professor ever. I had him also teach my discussion session and even though it was an 8 am it was worth it. Tests are very fair, not too hard, but you need to know your stuff. IVery helpfull overall, f you need help he'll be always glad to provide you with as much as you need.

Professor Agnew is the best! I have the impression he knows everything there is to know about history. Lectures are quite ancedotal and a little tedious, but this class is still great. I had a horrible TA, but the tests come almost directly out of the textbook (vs. the slides.) Made me like history!

Easy class. Never need to go to lecture. Get Lindsay as a TA, she is awsome and is soo helpful with reviews for test and help with the only paper. Document readings are tough, but with a good TA, you'll get the best out of it. No need to link discussion with lecture. Tests aren't too bad. Got an A- and only studying for 2 hrs for final.

He is a great lecturer but his exams kill you. I hope he curves it because believe me, he will sink your grade. He is good though, and very knowledgeable. GPA sinker!

May seriously be the smartest man alive. I hate History - love Hugh Agnew. Lectures are packed with incredibly interesting asides, great passion for history, and SO. MUCH. KNOWLEDGE. I have a serious man-crush problem. Actual conversation I overheard: Q: "How many languages do you think he speaks?" A: "All of them." Probably right, too.

Amazing lecturer and a nice guy. Tests are very difficult, and you definitely need to keep up on all the readings and get your papers looked at by your TA before submitting it. The exams are all essay based, and he grades them all himself, just make sure to pack in tons of facts and relevant details.

Very smart, but not engaging enough to hold my attention at 9:30 in the morning. Make sure you like your TA and visa versa- your grade is completely up to them.

It is such a pity that such a genius prof teaches a course like this. The course is a catastrophe, far too much information and jumpy, but its not Agnew's fault. Too much reading. Exams are not easy, plus I had a horrible TA. Love history, love Agnew, but didn't like this course.

Unfortunately, I didn't go to class enough to get to know him very well. From what I remember though, he was very interesting and clear. I loved the class anyway. There's a lot of reading but it's all interesting. My TA told us what the midterm and final was going to be on. The papers and tests were all very easy (but a little unclear) Great class!

Extremely intelligent and passionate professor. He digresses often, but these asides are often very interesting or entertaining. Scary knowledgeable. The class is not very difficult, and if you are at all interested in European history it is certainly worth taking this class. Agnew is the man

He's a great professor, I took him for HIST 38 and he's the nicest guy. Super smart. Goes off on tangents but he's overall very clear. Attendance is not mandatory, I barely showed up. We had 2 map quizzes, a group wiki, and a take home final 10 page paper. He's a pretty lenient grader so long as you show you put in effort.

I love professor agnew! his balkans class was fairly easy and so interesting! really a wonderful lecturer and just a sweet man. One of my favorite professors at gwu.

Agnew is a fantastic professor! I really enjoyed his course. Although he tends to go off on tangents, he really knows what he is talking about and is super enthusiastic about the subject. He is also very approachable and cares about helping his students. Take the course!

Agnew is great, but I can't say the same about his world history class. It wasn't him as a lecturer, it was his test style. The midterm was unreasonable and didn't reflect the ideas of the class. The rest of the course (paper, discussion, and final) was just. I got a grade in the A range, but this wasn't the best class, but I really liked Agnew.

Professor Agnew was very helpful! He always answered my emails promptly (like within the hour) and was very detailed on how I could improve or what I had done well. He genuinely cares about teaching, and wants his students to succeed. Highly recommend Prof. Agnew!

Agnew is a very kind man who is passionate about Eastern European history. I'm not sure why he teaches an introductory course, though. He goes on very long tangents about irrelevant details about European history. Probably 35% of lecture time is wasted. The usefulness of this course depends on your TA. Midterm/Final are somewhat challenging.

Prof. Agnew is incredibly passionate and his lectures are always interesting. You don't have to go to class because he puts them online. Definitely go to discussion and read the primary documents. Overall, incredible teacher, incredible class, even at the intro level.

I took him online last summer for world history. Just put in some effort on the assignments and an A is doable. He is helpful if you ask for his help. Not an Easy A but hes fair

This class is not a GPA booster but it is not a hard class at all. It really depends on the TA that you have. Bob, the TA I had, was fair and interesting and overall a great guy. Very willing to help and really cares about the students. The lectures are boring. He posts the lectures online though. Overall, take the class, put in effort, and pass.

I took world history online last summer. It wasnt an Easy A but it was totally doable to get one. All you had to do was put effort in on the tons of assignments he gives you and study for the midterm and final. His grading is very strict, I had an 87.9 in the class and he gave me B instead of a B+.

If you're willing to put in the work, it is very easy to perform well in this class. Agnew's lectures are straightforward and his assignments are not too hard. Sometimes his lectures get a little dry, but they cover the information.

Professor Agnew is the nicest teacher and man I have ever met in my life. His World History class wasn't always the most interesting but he was very passionate about history which kept my interest. He would email the class "not to nag but to look out for our well being". Eager to help students that seek him out. Can be boring, but great professor.

I liked Professor Agnew as a person, but I found the class very dull; I wouldn't completely blame Agnew for this, however, as the course material is so broad there's no time to delve into the interesting details. Candice was a solid TA; discussion section focuses on primary source readings. Online midterm was very easy, final was more challenging.

Professor Agnew is a true academic and he acts and dresses the part. He is probably the most eloquent lecturer I have had at GW. Showing up to class is important, and if you do, you really don't need to do the readings (he also just makes you want to go). We didn't have any tests; just online quizzes and essays, and he was a very easy grader.

I loved Hugh's lectures. He's very knowledgable but gets sidetracked easily, so you'll learn a lot about Czech history in the World History class. How well you do will mostly depend on your TA and their policies on gradingparticipation.

Professor Agnew is brilliant. He knows so much, and really wants to share it with his students. He is a really nice man. The lectures get long, but the class isn't too hard.

Lectures are long, and it's easy to become distracted by other things; however, Professor Agnew's knowledge is almost inhuman. He is brilliant, being well-versed in many languages, history, sociology and philosophy, and politics, among many other things. I'm convinced he is a walking encyclopedia. He has a great personality - wonderful professor!

Although I think he's really nice, funny, and a great professor, the lectures are still for the most part difficult to sit through.

Professor Agnew is one of those men who is brilliant beyond belief. However, it is my firm opinion that he should not be teaching an introductory class (unless it is into to European History). He knows too much in some cases leading to tangents that have nothing to do with anything. However, he records lectures and your not required to attend.

I took him for the History: 1500-Present course required for Elliott students. It was fine. He has lecture slides and a study guide for finals which is good. You don't really need to go to every lecture.

Easy A. Lecture attendance is not required, but Agnew's a nice guy who is passionate about the subject. There's a midterm, final, article critique, timeline assignment, and weekly online readings. Everything is graded by your TA. Agnew is very approachable and encourages you to meet with him during office hours, although not necessary.

Professor Agnew is a very sweet man and cares a lot about any issues that arise. Even though his class is super easy, his lectures are very long and boring. Throughout the semester, I only had two assignments not including the midterm and final (which were easy). I would recommend taking this intro class.

I took the online class this summer for his World History class and loved it. His class was very interesting besides some technical difficulties I overall loved it. Would definitely take a class with him again!

He's the best! He truly cares about his students and you can tell that he loves what he does. Only thing is that your grade depends on the TA you get (so ask around about the TA you get!!)

Professor Agnew is one of the best lecturers on World History, particularly Central and Eastern Europe. This is an excellent survey course of the region that features several guest lecturers. Highly recommended.

Professor Agnew is a good lecturer on Central and Eastern Europe. He is respectful and kind and readily answers questions via e-mail. 1 in-class midterm (was a little more complicated and no review session), a journal on a certain part of C/E Europe, a final take-home paper on that part. He cares about students and wants to help them do well.

I love Professor Agnew. He is incredibly knowledgeable about the subject, but perhaps too knowledgeable to be teaching an intro level course. His lectures can be overwhelming at times, but his tests are pretty easy. They just go over the main themes covered by the course, so if you go to class, you'll be fine.

Either read the textbook or go to lecture. One of the best professors, very knowledgeable and incredibly willing to explain things. Occasionally goes off on very interesting tangents, but always comes back around to the point.

Hugh Agnew is the best thing happened to me this semester; he is a true gem who you will FALL IN LOVE WITH. His lectures may be sometimes boring, but come to class, and he will love you. My friend and I only showed up to class and he came up at the end of the last class to thank us for always coming. He is like the democratic grandpa I wish I had.

Professor Agnew's World History class is an easy A if you have any understanding of world history at all, but even after taking a world history course in high school I was still able to learn a lot from Professor Agnew. He's a very likable guy, but he does go off in a lot of tangents during lectures. You don't need to attend lectures to get an A.

He was a good teacher, the only major problem with his lectures were that he was spoke a little bit quietly and he was sometimes monotone, where I lost focus sometimes but overall, he really cares about his students and really is trying to show you how interesting history can be. There are only 4 grades Midterm, Final, Timeline, Document Essay

Very easy to do well in this class. I showed up to lecture 3 times: syllabus day, midterm, and final. He posts his lectures online but honestly, you don't need to read them- just focus and memorise the study guides he gives and you will be perfect. The TAs were chill, just show up to discussion!

Prof Agnew gives good lectures but no attendance is taken so honestly if you do the readings you never need to go. He is really nice if you ever need help and he really wants you to succeed.

Professor Agnew is a brilliant man who made a very broad world history class interesting to me. I attended almost every lecture, but I wouldn't say it's mandatory to attend. He clearly cares about what he is teaching, and adds really interesting historic tidbits that he won't put on the test into the lectures just because he's passionate about it.

Very knowledgeable/passionate about the material and clearly cares about his students. I dreaded having to take an introductory history class but ended up loving it (and am now double majoring in history/IA). Was understanding in transitioning to online material and made lectures into asynchronous recordings.

Professor Agnew is such a kind man and is so understanding of any difficulties students might face esp. during COVID. You can tell he is very enthusiastic about what he teaches which makes the class more interesting. The assignments are laid out well in the syllabus and are not overly difficult.

Prof Agnew is the BEST. He prioritizes learning over grading and is knowledgeable about history. Agnew always relates material to present day and also is very considerate.

Prof. Agnew really knows his stuff regarding Russia and E. Europe and really made an effort to not make the class very heavy. Only one midterm with essay and MC/short answer, and semester-long essay (7-10 pgs). There were also weekly journals that you got to choose the topics of. Overall, class was really informative and he's super caring!

Prof Agnew is truly one of the nicest men I have ever met. He is well informed on the subjects taught in class, albeit he goes on many tangents. You can skip the lectures, but the discussion sections are mandatory-- they could make or break your grade. I wouldn't say I'd take this class again, but for the gen-ed, it was worth it.

Hugh is great! This class was really interesting, he does a great job to keep the material as engaging as possible and has a lot of experience in the region. He's a kind prof and really cares about the success of his students.

Agnew is so sweet and kind! His lectures can get a little boring but he tries his hardest to be engaging and make it interesting. He made one of the big assignments an online timeline project which was interesting and rewarding, and he provides lots of resources for his students. Discussion section is a part of the grade, but I really liked my TA.

He's super nice and caring, he replies to emails extremely fast and he's very helpful. Online midterm and weekly assignment+multiple papers+timeline project. Be ready to read

Agnew is very sweet and knowledgeable, fair grader and willing to understand your situation and extend the deadlines for you if needed. exams and papers are relate to lectures and readings. weekly assignment and monthly paper/project. Tons of readings tho.

Agnew himself is the nicest person ever. Experience with this class however will likely depend on your TA as they do all of the grading, and grade a large participation chunk. Agnew's lectures can be long and monotone at times, but you will learn a lot, over hundreds of years. Assignments are sparse, but are bigger assignments when they come up.

Prof. Agnew is one of the nicest, most genuine people that I've ever had teach me a class. He is rather awkward, but clearly passionate about his field. His lectures can be very long and monotone, and there is often large blocks of text to copy down, but slides are posted before class to allow for students to follow along and not get left behind.

Very knowledgable

Professor Hugh is a wonderful and passionate person. He is very lenient and wants to help the students learn about Habsburg history in the class. The class grading is based on two quizzes, a timeline assignment and book review as your final paper. The lectures are sometimes a little dull but if the region interests you at all its worth it!

Dr. Agnew is incredibly knowledgeable but his lectures could be a little dull at points. Grades in this class really depend on your TA so hope you have a good TA. Grading is made up of a few quizzes, and 1 paper 1 project and final. Overall fairly easy class but can be boring and also pray you have a good TA.

He may be a bit awkward but he's very passionate about history, if you don't like history u will be bored. Comes down to ur T/A on the few projects/papers grading. Go to class for Agnew and b/c what he says not on lecture slides goes into quizzes. If in Elliot, helps set a good foundation that connects to IA. Class is easier than other Prof options

Such a nice professor, super knowledgeable about history. Lectures can be a little tedious and often goes off on tangents.

Professor Agnew is a very interesting and great professor, as long as you like history. The lectures may become boring at times, however I believe Agnew did them very well. This class depends on your TA, so look for a good one with easy criteria. Make sure you do the quizzes on Macmillan.

Agnew is one of my favorite profs on campus by far. He's caring, knowledgeable, and helpful. Brought in lots of guest lecturers. Occasionally, he goes off on tangents explaining a niche political joke in Czech or something, but that doesn't take away from his teaching. Some readings, 2 midterms, 3 journals, 1 research paper. Great professor.

Professor Agnew is one of the sweetest professors I have had. He cares about what we are learning and wants us all to do well if we show little effort. He is very reachable during office hours and is always willing to help. The quizzes in this class were easy as long as you knew the themes of the lesson. No need to memorize dates or people.

Hugh Agnew is truly a GW treasure. To start, he is the definitive expert on Czech history so he is incredibly knowledgeable on the region. His lectures are detailed and filled with art & political jokes which adds a unique nuance to the class. He cares a ton about his students & goes above and beyond to help his students succeed.

The class is pretty easy, the lectures are very boring though. Hope you don't get a bad TA though who actually grades like you're a PHD student and have vast knowledge about the subject because you won't get an A.

Agnew is an extremely intelligent professor who adds nuance to his lectures. However, there are no exams in this course and the lectures, although interesting, sometimes feel like they are not the most enriching. He is not an exciting lecturer, but you will certainly learn quite a bit.

Prof. Agnew is a great professor. While the lectures can be boring, he goes into depth on all concepts, and it's easy to follow with the textbook reading. Discussion class gets graded, but the discussion makes understanding the material easier. This isn't a hard course; just put in the work.

Really nice guy and knows his stuff. His lectures, while long and boring, can be interesting, and if you get a good TA, you will enjoy the class. The three main assignments are basically just busy work and can be done in a couple of days if you focus. Overall, it was a solid class.

He is extremely knowledgeable and knows the answer to every answer. He is very caring and respectful and very accessible outside of class. Agnew's class is very low commitment and graded by 2 assignments and some discussion posts. You get out of it as much as you put in. HIGHLY recommend!

Hugh Agnew is an amazing professor who LOVES what he does and teaches. He does not expect a lot from you (as other commentators have already mentioned): a project, paper, and weekly discussion posts. I gained so much extra knowledge far beyond what was outlined in the syllabus. I would definitely take another class by him!

I rarely ever attended lectures. Just make sure you read the readings that are assigned weekly and do your discussion post that are due weekly too. Discussion classes grade your attendance. There are 3 assignments: a timeline, a document analysis, and a final paper. You're randomly assigned a TA too, some grade strictly, some lightly but no sweat.

Professor Agnew is an amazing professor who truly care that you succeed in his class most of the work that you will be done in discussion an few major assignment. In general this class is very chill & easy class to pass & fulfill your GED requirement

Would jump through a brick wall for this guy. Super lovable, kind, great lecturer, and an easy A.

While you do not have to attend lectures, his are very interesting and he is super passionate and kind. There were three classes, my TA was a generous grader but I guess this depends. He only grades final project and as long as you follow criteria you'll be good. I loved Professor Agnew and would recommend taking this class.

Hugh Agnew is a grandpa-style storyteller, though his lectures were boring sometimes, I still learned a lot from them. TA grades everything, try to get Shikuang as your TA if you can, a very generous grader and also a brilliant discussion leader basically knows the history of every part of the world.

Weekly discussion class that is mandatory, otherwise actual lecture no one goes to. Super sweet professor, very few assignments but they are super easy if you read the descriptions. Highly recommend taking Prof. Agnew for HIST 1011.

This professor was very easy and manageable. Lecture isn't mandatory but discussion is and only depends on TA. Mine was awesome so that helped! No tests or quizzes, only projects that are easily done. Great professor even though no one went to lecture.

Very sweet and clearly passionate. Your TA determines how the class is for you and I was lucky to have an amazing one.

Second class with Agnew. He is a very sweet and caring professor. However, this course was a bit disorganized and hard to follow along but regardless he is very accessible and grading is very lenient. If you pay attention in class, assessments shouldn't be an issue. He legitimately cares and isn't too demanding. Content was 10/10 and I recommend.

Dr. Agnew is a super nice professor and is very kind. He is so knowledgeable and has great real life experiences that relate to class. It is lecture heavy and is very history based. It provides a good foundation for later studies of the region.

Dr. Agnew is a great professor whose love for history inspired me to pursue a double major in the subject. The class is lecture-heavy with a lot of content, but he explains material clearly along with bringing in many guest lecturers. Although the first test was tough, he was lenient with grading and gave us extra help to improve on the second one.

Professor Agnew is great. Very straightforward class and clear grading criteria. Julia was an excellent TA as well, and gave helpful feedback.

I'm ngl I rarely attended lecture so I can't say much about his teaching methods, but everything is posted online. Graded by a project, midterm paper, final reflection, and performance in discussion. Took this class to fulfill GPAC humanity requirement, so if you're looking for an easy low maintenance gen-ed, this is the one.

Professor Agnew is an incredibly knowledgeable guy, and you can tell he really cares about the subject. Outside of lecture, your entire grade depends on your TA. Julia was a great TA who was super flexible and made the discussion portion of the class really straightforward and easy.

Professor Agnew is a caring professor who genuinely wants to share his knowledge with students who attend lecture. While his lectures can be boring and sometimes go off on tangents, making them hard to follow, the TA experience is hit or miss. Mine was fine, but sections felt repetitive week to week.

Agnew is an amazing guy and is definitely passionate about history. Your whole grade really depends on the TA you get and if they grade lightly. Your grade is based on a project, midterm, final reflection, and your performance in discussions. I recommend this for any intro-level history class.

grandpa style lecturer and super knowledgeable and passionate about history. super nice guy and my TA was very sweet and a generous grader. graded off of a project, midterm, and final (which aren't specific content-based and more about general themes). if you go to the discussion sections and do decent on the tests you'll get an A

Class is veryyyy dependent on TA (my experience was vastly different than my friend with a different TA so be cautious) but the professor himself is very nice. Attendance is not mandatory, although he appreciates seeing people go to lectures. Graded on a project, midterm, and final which are both writing-based and reflective.