He pushes hard, but you learn a lot.

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Amazing. One of those professors that "stick" with your intellect forever......

gives a lot of work, brilliant, wealth of knowledge, he will challenge you,

he was challenging, but interesting, helpful and funny

challenging, but worth the effort..you'll learn alot from him, he's funny too

I think he mentioned he is the chair of the history department oh everyday

Go to class, and reead the text. You'll do well.

must earn your grade, very critical,but you come away with a wealth of knowledge

Difficult, yet interesting class. LOTS of reading.

Class has quite a bit of work, not a bad prof, but does think he knows it all

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Jeez, I have 3 other HST classes this semester, when am I going to be able to read the *TEN* books he assigned, plus hundreds of pages of handouts? He grades papers like he expects a doctoral dissertatyion from you.

Expect 250-300 pages of (very dry) reading per week and a homework question for each class. Aside from the part about hating students, he's a joy to be around... Prepare to die at the hands of The Smithernator!

Reading assignments are quite extensive, but they are fair for an upper level history class.

Expect to read a lot. Be interested in subject if you aren't get out quick like he tells you. Best class I had this term. Very helpful to students but you can not be seeking answer from him, he will be your sounding board.

C'mon - "Smithernator"??? Read, write, and basically, BE A STUDENT, and you'll not have a problem. I know it's a lot to ask, but KNOW THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. 10 books is nothing - at least for real schools that care about humanities

Alot of reading, but could B.S. your way thru some of it.Helpful with papers, just ask.Gets to the point when you do a paper, knows what to look for, which means you can't fake your way thru the papers.

I found that once I proved that I was a serious student, Smither was very helpful, supportive, and (gasp) nice. Go in and talk to him every time he assigns a paper, even if you're feeling pretty confident.

This guy knows his ****. Just keep up and you will suprisingly find yourself learning quite a bit.

Good Prof. Hard on writing assignments. Whole grade is four papers, after reading eight books. It's a bit unclear on how he determines your grade on your writing assignments. Does mock students occassionally.

Very difficult professor, but if you want to learn how to write more cogently he is your best choice for 300. 4 papers, from 8 books + class participation is your grade. His seriousness and expectations turn many people off early, but if you persist, your writing will improve because of it.

Hands down the best prof, and the hardest I have ever had. He comes across like a hard*ss, but if you go to his office hours he will help you more than you can imagine (I still got an A- in the class). If you get a chance TAKE him, he will challenge you, but it it is worth it.

If you are actually serious about becoming a better writer Prof. Smither is the best. I am currently in law school and am doing well because of the writing skills I learned from him. Going to his office hours is a must as he is extremely helpful. Brilliant man and very good teacher

He's not bad. But there's a reason he's not a full professor. He doesn't publish. Where's his book? (yes, this IS a big deal). He's too interested in bureaucratic departmental BS to really be an intellectually credible professor. Nice guy and all, but it's time for him to back up his (admittedly amusing) arrogance with academic

Not my favorite, but you can expect the Chair of the History Department to be a little more difficult than others. He's kind of arrogant, sometimes made me feel he thought his students weren't very smart because we don't have the knowledge that he does. But he does help you to be a better writer so maybe it evens out...

A good professor, but very hard grader of papers. His lectures are quirky but informative and presented in an interesting manner. He really helps you be a better writer, but don't expect it to be an easy road.

A good professor that is very knowledgeable in his subject area. Interesting lecture style, a bit quirky, but entertaining. Tough grader of papers, but always available to help you rework them to get a better grade.

He is a merciful god. His class is extremely difficult, the readings are insane, and your life will no longer belong to you. But if you've made it to your junior year, then you shouldn't be surprised. Bottom line: His classes will prepare you for whatever else may come, assuming you can pass them.

Great lecturer, but a brutal grader. Assigns a huge amount of work and reading. Grades papers hard but gives plentiful opportunities for rewrites or extra credit. If you can keep up with a heavy work load he is an worthwhile professor.

The class was a lot of work but probably worth it. He is more than willing to help if you see him during office hours. The class was better than I thought it would be. He's a good prof. to take.

This was one History prof that made me do my best. His lectures were sometimes a little off as you were just getting his version of what you were supposed to be learning. Was not sure of what I was getting into here, but he helped me to become a better writer and encouraged the best from me.

To keep up in his class is a monumental task, and the papers require a lot out of you. But, that's what you would expect out of a 300-level history. It's definitely the most challenging class I'll take in history, but it's worth it. Open dialog with him when you need and start reading EARLY. Very rewarding class, but exhausting at the same time.

Dr. Smither was a awesome guy to have as a prof. he has a dry humor, but when you catch it its actually hurmorious. he is willing to help you out any time you come with a question and tries to make the class as intresting as possible. A LOT OF READING! if you dont like to read dont take this class. papers are long and require a long, over all good.

Smither is a great teacher for lecture. His dry humor keeps you interested and he is an incredibly smart man. However, the amount of work this class entails for a theme class was ridiculous. This class had more homework than all of my major classes... combined. I would avoid the class unless you are used to tons of reading between classes.

Professor Smither was an overall good prof. He has a dry sense of humor, and he really knows his stuff. I learned so much cool stuff in his class that I didn't know about before. There are 3 big papers, and daily optional homework. If you do the homework it helps to boost your grade at the end. I suggest doing it! Also offers extra credit.

There was a lot of reading for this class, but most of it was very interesting. Homework is optional and counts towards "class participation." The papers are difficult but can be re-written. Extra credit is offered. His grading system rewards those that do the work and participate in class. I would take Dr. Smither again.

No idea how he can do so much and still function. Tons of reading for this course, and it's not easy stuff. Very tough grader on papers but gives much opportunity to redeem your grade including revisions. Will give you an insane amount of feedback and suggestions for your paper drafts. Probably not even human in my professional opinion

This class involved a lot of reading. However, I didn't read anything, just went to class and took notes on his lectures, picked some random quotes from the books for the papers and could use my notes on the final. It looks like a lot of work, but if you actually go to class, it's not that bad.

Thought that it was the worst History class I had ever had, didn't do good on the papers but because of his generous extra credit walked out with an A. He rewards those who do the work.

Very straight-forward Prof. Tells you exactly what he expects, and if you deviate from that at all in your papers, your grade will be affected. By far the most work I have ever had for one class. Daily reading, and 3 large papers due, each of which, if done correctly, would easily exceed 12 pages. Overall, very difficult, but he's very helpful.

Horrible amount of homework. Definitely not worth taking. More work than an entire semester of other classes combined. Very difficult grader, did not enjoy.

Professor was extremely strict in his writing guidelines. Incredibly difficult. Although taught the class well, more work than was worth. DO NOT TAKE! Horrible amount of homework/level of grading.

He's difficult and requires you to do alot of work. I enjoyed him personally but he is no easy A.

Incredible amount of reading and writing, could be expected for a writing history class, but it was hard to keep up with all of the work. Will call you out in class if you are wrong about something. This class wasn't horrible, but it was definitely not easy.

More work than you will ever do in any two combined undergrad courses. BUT.. If you put in the effort, you will learn an incredible amount, and even then an A isn't guaranteed. If you walk away with a B you've done well. Smither is from another planet, his brain works differently than anyone I've ever met.

He is a very challenging teacher. He expects a lot out of you. If you don't want to do a lot of work change your schedule. He was a hard prof but he gained my respect.

Great teacher who really knows his stuff. Can be challenging if you dont keep up with the homework and the papers are graded tough, but he allows rewrites to fix the mistakes. If you are interested in warfare, he is your guy.

He is really helpful and is NOT strict on due dates. He really knows his stuff so this isnt a class you can just say things in papers to throw words in. You don't have to turn homework in but if you do hw you dont have to participate reall. The class is three papers, homework/participation, and one exam. He's pretty easy just pay attention.

Good professor, very helpful and flexible! Even offers extra credit. However, if you are not willing to work your behind off you definitely do not want to take one of his classes. I had him for two classes this semester and the workload was unbelievable. definitely the toughest history professor I've ever had.

Dr. Smither was a really good professor. Sometimes his lecturing was kind of boring,but I did learn a lot from him. You can tell he really knows his stuff. He is also very willing to help you outside of class or correspond with him via email. He also lets you re-write your papers if you are unsatisfied with your original grade.

LOTS of homework. Very lax with due dates. You can wait until the week before the exam to turn in all homework if you want, but I wouldn't recommend it. Set aside some time every week to do the homework, do an occasional extra credit assignment, re write your paper at least once, and you'll get an A. Put in the effort and you'll do great.

Super smart dude, knows exactly what he's talking about, and you can definitely tell he cares about what he teaches. Everyone here is saying he assigns too many reading assignments and homework, but honestly if you're not prepared for 4-6 hours of reading and answering questions per week at a 300 level class, then you should probably change majors.

Professor Smither is extremely knowledgeable. The class is front-loaded so it becomes easier as it moves on. The homework seems extensive but its very interesting subject so its not bad. Due dates are relaxed and hes very approachable. He grades fairly and if you do your work you will be fine.

I graduated in 2016 and am currently a 2nd year Law school student. I took 3 classes with him, did my Thesis with him and interned for him. While his classes are the hardest I took at GVSU, they were also my favorite. His classes have prepared me for law school and are the main reason I've been deans list/honor roll 4 terms in a row in law school.

His class is what college should be. Challenging, but he is very clear in how to succeed. He grades exactly how he says he will, and offers help in clarifying expectations for assignments. I learned a ton in this class. Even though homework appears to be a lot, he offers extra credit. If you can afford a harder class, absolutely take this one.

His class is very lecture heavy but he knows what he's talking about. His lectures are all from memory and he tends to go fast so taking notes can be difficult but notes definitely help with the papers you have to write. Had assignments due every class but they weren't that difficult as long as you did the readings he posts.

Great professor. However, he always feels the need to bring Donald Trump up in every class which has zero relevancy to the course, and he constantly feels the need to spew false information about conservatives, he knows his history, but if you take him he makes his political views quite clear.

Overall, he is very knowledgeable and passionate about the material. He has high expectations but lays them out clearly so as long as you follow the guidelines and rubrics, you'll be fine.

Professor Smither was great!, he was a little boring when it came to lecture but he was very nice and leniant when it came to grading papers. just meet his expectation and you'll do good.

Great professor. His research seminar class was amazing. Very helpful when I had questions. He was easy to reach as well. Very respectful.