keeps class interesting without straying off topic too much, i enjoy it, but it's still early in the semester, so i may end up lovin' his class, or hating it

very good teacher, feels like an english class with the amount of criticism from essays though...heard he grades hardest of two but for me it was okay. i got B's throughout the semester. he got a bit emotional during Civil War part (like broke down a bit) really explains stuff well and through. lots of philosophical thinking

he's a good seminar professor...his lectures are the most interesting in the group of AmS professors...he's really blunt which can get on ppls nerves, but i enjoy his openness with us...overall he's a funloving guy and clearly loves teaching

Rating below is accurate. The class was a lot of work. There is one quiz a week based on reading assignments (approx. 50 pages per class) and they're rather hard. The mid-term and final are pretty easy if you attend class regularly. Todd is cool. He expects students to be hardworking, so slackers should stay away.

One of the best classes/ professors I have ever had. Make sure you do all the reading. This prof really knows how to make you challenge your own beliefs and make you think. I would recommend this class to anyone. Ormsbee rocks!!

He is amazing and a wealth of knowledge. There is a lot of work but he is hilarious!

This was the most interesting class that I took so far.Too much reading for a short summer period, but the books were amazing, and I learned a lot. Todd is a great prof, very intelligent and full of knowledge. Although he looks like though at the beginning of the semester, he gives you a good grade if you participate class discussions.

Great class - high expectations, very challenging but worth it. He requires a lot of work and focus, but I would take another class from him in a heartbeat. Best professor I have had at SJSU

Todd is a good teacher that toughly knows his subject. I would recommend him only if you have a light school schedule. His summer class required considerable amount of effort. Every class we had a quiz, midterm, or final, which always required extensive amount of studying. Over the course of 6 weeks we had to read about three books many PDF files.

Hard teacher must be commited to subject or have a LIGHT load requires many hours of studying/reading. However learned alot and challenged reading writing skills

Great teacher + very interesting material.

Hard ass. Haha but he's hard, doing the reading is key to passing quizzes, hard grader. I hope I pass.

Hard grader, interesting class, lots of reading.

Great Professor! Ive never really liked humanities but after ormsbee i might consider a minor. He is funny and laid back, but his best quality is he offers interesting views on American Culture. My only warning is that hes a difficult grader. It was very hard to get a 5 out of 5 on the midterm quotes. He always gave me 4.5s... Overall good prof!

This was actually a class I liked this semester. Everyone says he's hard, but his teaching style is very clear and easy to understand if you pay attention. Requires only 1 chapter of reading prior to class, but mandatory if you want to pass the unannounced quizzes. Strongly encourages critical thinking and argumentation skills.

Nice guy. You will not find an easy ride here. This class took up most of my time. MUST READ. Daily chapter readings/quizzes, Research paper, Take home 5-pg Essay midterms/final. Group project, must use an entire session to teach the class about a chapter. Many elaborate/difficult to answer questions. Interesting class, BUT is a nuisance. Got a B.

whoa. that's too much work for a silly undergraduate class mr ormsbee. no thanks. material is interesting but the amount of work is outrageous.

Awesome!!!

Cool professor. Just keep doing your work and you will do fine in the class. if you work hard and study, your work should be paid off.

Loved the class and found the material very interesting. Professor Ormsbee is very engaging and willing to discuss with all willing participants. I enjoyed the projects and papers, but the myth paper was not clear and the group team teach was excessively aggravating to languish through week after week. I enjoyed the class and feel he grades fair.

Daily quizzes which hardly anyone gets a good grade on..probably an F/D is the class average... extremely large number of readings... one individual project... one 55 mins presentation. midterms and final...comprehensive essay. anal and critical grader.. Requires alot of notes. Overall this class is ridiculously hard. felt like i was in HELL

This professor is really demanding. He expects you to remember almost everything you read and you will get quizzed quite rigorously. make sure you know the main ideas of each text and the names of the authors (midterms will test you on these). Try to take another professor for AMS 1A and 1B if you can!

He is an awesome teacher, funny, does not care what people think. He brings up interesting facts and is always willing to talk and understand situstions. If your work is gonna be late, let him know and you'll be fine. It is a hard class, but your in college tough up. I think its well worth the work.

Prof. Ormsbee is an intelligent and very amusing professor. He grades tough, but you end up learning a lot in the end! Attending his class was always a pleasure.

People are way too critical of Ormsbee. Yes he has a tough exterior, but his sarcastic sense of humor keeps his seminars interesting. I feel for a 6 unit class he is a fair grader. I definitely enjoyed his seminars better than I had expected from the other reviews.

He's a tough teacher although fair. One textbook used was fantastic, the other two . . .He's approachable if in a good mood. Often sarcastic and will humuliate if provoked.Very intelligent but at times likes to show off his knowledge. Not at all humble. I've learned a lot from him. Class interesting.

I really enjoyed having Ormsbee as my Seminar Professor. He has a good sense of humor and still makes sure we know what we need to know for the test. He may seem like a tough grader but if youy actually put in effort you can do okay

He is a good teacher with a very strong understanding of the subject matter. I learned a lot in the class but hated this class by the end of the semester. His exam, although take home, are ridiculous. I spent more time on this class then my other 3 combined this semester and am praying for a B. This is one of my GE classes.

I really enjoyed Prof. Ormsbee's class, though it was probably the hardest GE course I've ever taken because of the comprehensive quizzes/exams. The readings were all very interesting, and I definitely learned a lot. I enjoyed his teaching style, as he pushes the class towards answers instead of just lecturing at you. However, be prepared to work.

Tough grader but honestly if you can take the facts you learn in lecture and seminar, group them into themes and ideas you'll do fine in that class. You can't just vomit facts on exams or essays. You have to prove that you know how those facts relate to american history. You also need to participate in class. if you're shy this class is not for you

Love this man! Hilarious, random, extremely intelligent. He is a hard grader, but fair. He assigns a lot of essays and the topics are difficult, but I learned so much. Mandatory reading and weekly quizzes on it. I would def. take him again

This class was excellent... Mr. Ormsbee has a lot to offer to his students. He expects a lot, that helped me learn and step outside the box :) I wish more professors were like him in many positive ways. Excellent teaching strategies and he has a good understanding of how to help the class members contribute. Good luck P. Ormsbee:)

He is very hard. But he challenges you mentally to think outside of the box. Very straightforward when it comes to information he knows and when he doesn't he'll actually admit it. Overall awesome teacher, easy to approach, very clear with what he wants from take home exams. TAKE GOOD NOTES!

AWsome teacher. Realy makes you think gets u to go abstract with your thoughts.hard work tho you have to read and take good notes do not be afraid to ask questions and give your own twists to ideas

He is a great teacher who actually makes you think about the concepts related to American history. Some people find it he is too hard but just put some time into the class and you should be fine.

I am currently enrolled in the Senior Seminar class. The first part of the semester is spent exposing students to four types of research methods. The second half is a 20 page research paper on any topic of your choosing. Tough class, but as others have said, this is a college course! Ormsbee is very helpful and friendly.

Dr. Ormsbee is seriously the best professor I have had at SJSU. We need more seminars like this. He's a tough grader, but he's fair. If you put forth the effort, you will most definitely be rewarded. I use to hate history, but American Studies is easily my fave class yet.

Professor Ormsbee is a fantastic teacher. I heard really bad things about this class before I enrolled, and realized they were all wrong! He IS very difficult, but the work is necessary to understand the complex concepts and perspectives he is teaching. He challenges your way of thinking and there hasn't been a dull moment so far!

He is a great professor and knows a TON about his subject! He is funny and sarcastic and I really enjoyed the class. Do the readings and you will be prepared for the quizzes and exams. He lets you use notes.

Definitely the best class I have taken at SJSU. Yes there is a lot of reading, and yes their is a lot of critical thinking work to be done but I was challenged in a way that helped me understand the content in ways that no other teacher at SJSU has done yet. Demand more classes from him!

Good professor, keeps his ideologies out of the lecture (or at least tries to). Too much work if you're just trying to satisfy GE requirements though. While I am a minority and this class was aimed at analyzing different minorities' American Dreams, I find myself caring even less about the issue than I did before.

This class is amazing if you're trying to get the absolute best out of your education. Ormsbee will challenge you to think critically and question everything. Readings are dense, projects demanding, payoff immense--if you do the work. Way more time than a normal 3 unit class. I worked my butt off for my A. Incredibly rewarding class.

College is not supposed to be easy. Yes, Orsmbee challenges his students, but that is a GOOD quality. The readings are dense, but the lectures are Interesting (more like mind-blowing). If you want an easy A, then don't go to college. If you want to learn something that you will remember and use for the rest of your life, then take this class.

Read everything. Take good notes. Everything from the quizzes and papers are based on comprehension of the material and in class lectures. It can be easy if you make it easy for yourself. He's pretty lenient on due dates if you need an extension.

After taking several courses from him, I can attest that Prof. Ormsbee is one of SJSU's TOP TIER and super CARING professors with a rare GIFT for teaching at an incredibly RELEVANT & INSPIRATIONAL level ("mind-blowing" as others have stated). He'll introduce you to concepts that will make a HUGE personal impact on your understanding of our world.

I've taken a few courses with Professor Ormsbee. He's a bit challenging, but I feel that he is one of the best professors I've had at SJSU. He has a good sense of humor and tries to get you to think critically.

Probably when of the best teachers I have ever had. His discussions are really enjoyable, plus they're very informative. He is very stern about in-class etiquette, which can be annoying sometimes. In regards to how to get a good grade, make sure you attend every class and have at least a simple understanding of what goes on in the books we read.

His lectures are amazing. One of the best lecturers I have had. However, can grade a bit hard. Have to participate during seminar.

Professor Ormsbee was the best professor I've ever had at SJSU. His lectures are fire and he makes you walk out of class looking at the world differently (in a good way). He is a professor that focuses on learning more than the grade. He is a hard grader but if you want to learn he is the professor for you!! He is a professor everyone should have!

I love this guy! He really works hard to get students to think outside the box. I think his grading is fair, even though a lot of other students thought he was being too rough. He gives great feedback to make sure his students improve throughout the semester. Overall, I enjoyed his class because I learned so much and have improved as a student!

Don't hesitate to take any classes w/ this super nice professor. I ended up learning things that really matter in this world and why I should care & I wasn't expecting that. He's NOT a hard grader (detailed HELPFUL feedback is NOT hard grading) . If you just DO THE READINGS you will coast in his classes - quizzes were online and open note.

Great person who's very wise and passionate about what he does. You really don't have to read if you attend the seminars and make an attempt to listen and understand what other students say (you still have to read sometimes). A lot of papers because of the class, not because of him. He will remove points if you don't participate a lot.

Ormsbee is super nice, his style of teaching isn't my favorite. Sometimes the way he phrases things makes us students feel dumb, just because his ideas are sometimes super complex. Even in Queer Arts, I feel as though he's making it harder than it needs to be. Lecture only, no powerpoint. Relaxed grader (credit/no credit), but the reflections suck

Great professor and a very smart one at that. Class was very hard but he makes the effort to help if you need it. He is a nice person and pushes you as a student. These ratings should be higher but he is a hard professor to pass if you cant handle it, so I can see why.

I think he had great feedback when it came to essays and general writing assignments. Lots of reading and critical thinking but overall I enjoyed his class. He's understanding and tries to work with you to succeed, you just have to reach out.

Professor Ormsbee has been the best lecturer I've ever had. His lectures are very intriguing and the way he phrases questions allow students to think critically for ourselves. He's very forgiving when concepts are not understood and tries his best to help. Assignments were simple and only 2 essays and 1 project required. He was also funny (to me).

Professor Ormsbee's AMS1A is a challenging but rewarding class. The lectures are engaging, and he provides great feedback to help you improve. The workload is heavy, but using resources like unstuck study can make study prep a breeze. Worth taking if you're up for a thought-provoking experience.