omg, wow. amazing prof...simpliest the best I have had at McGill...its a shame his lectures are only 50 minutes, i could listen to him all day. definitely take a class with this guy, even if you are only somewhat interested in history...

best prof at McGill.take this guys classes even if you don't like history. thank you jesus for bringing this man to McGill.seriously take his class!

Such an interesting class, and an amazing lecturer. Whether you know little about US history, or you've taken it before, it is worth your time to take this course! He approaches the material in a very unique way, and really gets you interested in the material! The exams are tricky, but it isn't too hard to do well-- well worth taking his class!

Best Professor ever! His classes are very well organized and he makes the material both humorous and engaging. Taking his class!!!

As an engineering student taking this class for an elective credit, I had zero interest in the subject material, but I loved Prof Opal's lectures. He makes everything clear and interesting and actually made me want to come to class every day. Take his class, you won't regret it.

Great prof. Extremely clear, knows how to wrap up his lectures and the overall material. Obviously loves and knows what he's talking about. Interesting social approach to history. Friendliest guy ever. I wish that he'd be on TV sometimes, I would definitely watch him on History Channel-goes-Comedy-Central, as he's also very, very funny.

Like my fellow students on this board, I think this prof is amazing. However, I will add a word of caution, though his lectures are widely entertaining, he does tend to favour anecdotal stories over hard facts. Still, overall, I am very satisfied with this course!

Just to put this all into perspective, he got a standing ovation on the last day of lecture. Needless to say, it was much deserved!

He's personable, friendly and even charismatic. Furthermore, his lectures are entertaining and engaging. It's an opportunity to learn a lot about a vast time period in American hist portrayed in a comprehensible fashion by a great professor. Sign up before it fills up. I would vote for him on any presidential ticket...unless he ran with Glenn Beck

Loved him until he said he was a Redsox fan. Now not sure what to think. But seriously, I'm with the comment below... Opal ought to throw his hat in the ring for 2012.

Professor Opal is simply the man

Great professor. That's all there really is to it. But its worth mentioning the textbook became pretty useless. The midterm and final are based on his lectures (which are so interesting) and the primary source documents he posts online.

Only went to a few lectures but found the professor very engaging and informative. 5 stars.

The best prof I had in 1st year. Hands out lecture outlines at the start of class so you know what is important (a ton of info in every class and writing it all down a near impossibility). Engaging, very coherent lecturer, and very fair marker. Midterm and final exam were difficult but open-ended. Likes demographics and evaluating typecasts in US.

Amazing. His passion for the subject is quite evident. His lectures are engaging, informative and clear. He skillfully mixes the broad events with specific anecdotes to appeal to all students. The textbook is good background information, but the readings are far more important. The exams are more than fair. Plus, he's adorable.

The American History before 1865 taught by him is wonderful. Extremely fine clarity with engaging topics. You would not feel boring when you are in class at all. His reading is moderate, but is fair. The exam is also moderately challenging, but even I did not read any books (but i got the readings done), I scored fine in the course. Pick him!

By far my best teacher of the year. He is extremely clear and uses funny anecdotes in his lectures. His grading is fair, just make sure you actually read the readings (duh) because if you do there'll we an essay question on the final that's pretty much a freebie.

JO does an amazing job lecturing. Unfortunately there was some kid who sat at the front and constantly interrupted his lectures with dumb questions. Overall though, Opal is an amazing prof who actually wants you to learn a lot and do well. McGill has found a true gem and hopefully will have them in their history department for years to come.

Greatest prof ever, take his class

Amazing professor! His knowledge is extremely extensive and his lectures are organized, interesting and engaging.Lectures can be funny and very entertaining. Exams, readings and essays are somewhat difficult (very specific and factual questions), but he makes learning very enjoyable. Attending lectures is a must to succeed.

He is the most amazing prof ever. Take his class, you wont regret it. He makes you love what you are learning about.

Wonderful professor. He structures his lectures incredibly well. He knows his material. He makes fantastic use of Web CT, and is a very moving speaker. Truly one of the most articulate professors I have ever met. My favourite course so far!

One of the best professors I have ever had. You will look forward to every lecture and leave far more knowledgeable than when you arrived. He makes the material easy to understand without oversimplifying and speaks objectively. He respects the intelligence of his students and clearly enjoys teaching. Take his classes, even if its just an elective.

Definitely one of the best prof I ever had at McGill! He makes you want to get to class and is extremely helpful if you have any questions. I would recommend taking one of his classes in the blink of an eye!

He was one of the most amazing professors I have ever had. Eloquent with a fantastic speaking style that enables you to understand material (even if you have never heard of it before). I adore him in every way and will take every class he offers - and will go to every class. Amazing individual.

Prof. Opal is awesome. He talks quickly during lectures, but you can always back him up at any time. And he says, "Bless You" every time somebody sneezes. Every single time, no matter how important his talking points are. It's pretty funny actually. He's just the greatest.

My favourite prof this semester! He is absolutely amazing; granted that his papers and midterm were slightly challenging, they were fair if you study a decent amount for them. He speaks very fast so sometimes you might not catch what he says. Although 8:35am is a brutal time for class, Opal is worth it!

Great teacher. One of the best I've had. He's very clear, patient, and you can see he loves what he does. The workload isn;t heavy at all. Opal rocks

Amazingly engaging teacher! Knows American history so well and teaches it wonderfully. He tends to speak about themes just as much as events, which really creates a strong sense of the period he is talking about. Highly recommend!!

Great teacher. Very clear. I recommend him!

I took ALL of Opal’s classes when he taught @Colby. He is BY FAR the best teacher I’ve ever had – Seriously! He makes class discussions super interesting & engaging. He's very available for extra help, so you have no excuse to get a bad grade. You’ll learn a TON & be left wanting more when class is over.

I took Hist 327 and Hist 211 with Opal. He's an amazing lecturer. And he grades all midterms and finals himself, so the grading is standardized. And he makes a real effort to know your name. Amazing professor!

Amazing teacher. Very climatic and engaging lectures. Always there for his students. Grading is also very fair.

Prof. Opal is great. Lectures a super straightforward and easy to follow. Not a lot of readings which is atypical for history classes at McGill. Two papers and no midterm. The TA for my section was great and super helpful but I heard varying things about the other ones. I would take another class with Prof. Opal again for sure.

I'm in love with Prof Opal. Took his 8am lectures and was wide awake the entire hour even if I hadnt slept the night before. Engaging class & not much reading. He's very willing to provide extra help (basically gave me two lectures again in office hours because I missed them the first time); also very accommodating with marking and late submission.

Don't take this as a bird course, it's really not. Lectures are at 8:30 and Opal talks fast but he's animated and charismatic keeping the material interesting. DON'T get stuck with Alex Ketchum as your TA, she's terrible and your grade will suffer. Overall, course is worth taking as a Poli/Hist major

He is an amazing Prof, with a lot of knowledge on the subject. The course is very simple to understand and his lectures are very concise. I would recommend him any day.

He is a great prof who is extremely helpful! Offers a thesis for every class with an outline of his lecture. Made me love the subject even though I didn't do that great. Will definitely look to take more classes with him in the future.

One of the best profs I've ever had. He's incredibly knowledgable, gives great lectures, and is really easy to talk to. The exams are suprisingly not too hard, given the huge amount of material he covers.

Okay.... I don't say this often, but this professor is amazing. He's a quirky and fast-talking little dude who seems to know everything about American History. He is HILARIOUS, engaging and really great to talk to, and if I could take every single one of his classes I would. Pretty easy midterm, long paper and final, which was a good balance.

Fantastic orator and intensely captivating. The structure of his lectures gave a broad overview of the topic at hand, nicely fit into the chronology of the course, and also provided specific excerpts or interesting facts to solidify his points. No text based slides in class but the lectures are so interesting, it's no problem. Opal Love!

Great Professor, best I've taken at Mcgill.

Great prof, clear, repeats important points, very focused and organized. Funny, helpful and basically no reading (in 200 level class). Only thing is slides have only pictures so type fast and you'll be fine. Very nice, endearing, doesn't look down on you and treats you with respect if you have questions or problems.

Professor Opal is one of the best professors in the history department. He is very knowledgeable on the material he teaches and is extremely interesting. A lot of readings but he is an easy grader. Definitely would take his class again.

Definitely one of the best lecturers I've ever had. He just stands there, without any notes and tells you a story... a historical story, but still a story nonetheless. There are few reading assignments for this course, so, if you don't attend class, make sure you get the notes from someone else. Also, make sure you can write extremely fast!

Loved his lectures! Very interesting, and clear. This class made me so interested in anerican hist and made me want to pursue it further. He is very helpful outside of class. He Makes sure readings arent long so you can really focus on the ones you do get. He is my favorite Hist prof at McGill by far. Would recommend!!!

Best History Prof at Mcgill

Great speaker, storyteller. Lots of notes. Few readings. But does not expect much from you to think critically. Engaging, but not participatory. Covers lots of material, makes boring stuff cool. However, you cover more than you discover. Nice guy though, cute kids, cool dad.

Professor Opal is amazing!! Each of his lectures is like watching a movie, with so much information but presented in such an artistic and captivating way. He is very approachable and really wants you to learn. The midterm and paper were very fairly marked. If you go to his lectures and stay engaged(not-hard at all) there's no reason not to get an A

Frankly one of the most skilled lecturers I've ever encountered. He's interesting and dynamic but really takes care to contextualize historical concepts. Beware though, he speaks very quicklysometimes it's hard to keep up. I actually had to record lectures on my phone to make sure nothing was missed. It's a tough class, but also really interesting

Easy tests and one essay. Easy to get a B+, a little harder to get an A.

Opal is super knowledgable and happy to speak to students outside of class. To do well, you MUST attend the lectures. He does not use a textbook and supplements lectures with only weekly conferences and light readings. He's funny, nice, and a very fast speaker so be sure you can type/write quickly.

Opal is the best professor I have had so far at McGill. Not only is he perfectly competent in his knowledge of American history, but his invariable enthusiasm as a lecturer is without compare. Clear, concise, and inspiringthree qualities that are inalienable from this man. Show up to his classes, and you will not regret it.

Best class and professor hands down. His lectures were beyond interesting; best class I have ever taken. Professor Opal is amazing, hilarious and engaging, do yourself a favor and take his class you wont regret it. P.s. Hes super hot.

Definitely top 2 best history professors at McGill, still cannot decide between him an Leonard Moore. This course was unbelievably interesting and well taught by him! He makes you want to attend every lecture because he is so informative and entertaining!

Best professor at McGill.

Incredible professor, up there with Jerry Cain in terms of extreme passion for his subject. Lectures are a treat to attend and are comparable to watching a Ted Talk on american history. The essay and exams are very theme/fact based and quite honestly fun to study for.

Amazing lectures and the content of the course was incredibly nuanced and interesting. Opal is well spoken, charming, and very honest when he talks about controversial/touchy subjects in history. The assignments and grading structure is also very fair. Would recommend HIST211 to anyone remotely interested in history. J-Opes is the man.

Great lecturer, great guy. Absolute beauty.

Simply amazing!

One of the best teachers I have ever had, let alone just at McGill. The support and kindness that Opal shows to his students is unparalleled. Sitting in class is genuinely enjoyable. His lectures are engaging, fascinating, extremely educational and often humerus. Don't miss the chance to take a class with Prof. Opal, I took 4 and loved all of them.

As a student who is in the science faculty with no prior knowledge of American History, I managed to excel. The class is pretty straight forward with 2 essays (which are harshly graded, but u can still manage to get an A- on both), 1 Midterm and 1 final (same format and pretty easy if u UNDERSTAND concepts and how they are linked and know few dates

Excellent lecturer. Keeps class interesting and engages students. Work hard and you will be rewarded. Papers are practical for an introductory course.

Amazing lecturer, he makes the coures very interesting. Contents are well organized. The two encyclopedias are to hard for me to write and get good grades. Definitely not a bird course.

One of my favorite professor at McGill. His lectures are super interesting and funny and cover diverse topics. You truly feel his passion for the material when he teaches. He also wants you to succeed and is accessible outside the classroom. The exams and papers are fairly graded, but I think it is difficult to have a really good grade.

Really fun and entertaining lectures. Easy material if you go to class and follow along, fair exams.

Basically influenced me to do a history major. Professor Opal is an incredibly engaging lecturer, who made any and every topic interesting. It ended up being my favorite class. Highly recommend! Note that he had an interesting system of assigning upwards to 300 pages some weeks and little to none others. I have only good things to say.

Professor Opal is such a passionate and engaging lecturer -- and a genuinely kind, caring professor. He is always there for his students and is super encouraging of them. Prof. Opal, if you happen to be reading this, please know how much your kindness and support mean to your students and how much we appreciate you.

Very engaging. I had a great time in this class and he was super understanding.

Professor Opal is truly a gem. Even though this is not an easy class, he made it so worthwhile. He is passionate, caring, accessible, and nurtured my love of history. Even though attendance is not technically mandatory, he made it so lectures were important-- you can't get away with just reading the slides. He made the lectures important.

Best professor I had in my life (I'm a u0). You don't want to miss any of his lectures. They are so fun and entertaining. The two 3000 words assignments are not to hard (even for an engineering major).

Prof.Opal is a great professor, he's very passionate, funny, and a great lecturer. Consistent attendance is necessary to do well, as he provides a lot of info in the lecture that is not on the slides but relevant to the exams. He also talks fast, so you'll need good notes. Grades on papers depend on the TA, but not too hard to do well on.

He's literally the best lecturer I've ever had, the way he crafts each class had me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know what happened next (especially when talking about pandemics). His passion was infectious, the way he tied subjects into the wider spectrum of American history was masterful. Going to take as many classes with him as possible!

Even though I'm not really interested in American history and took this course as an elective, Opal made the topic interesting and fun. It was hard to do really well on papers/exams without knowing specific details from readings but it's definitely possible to get good marks

Opal is an elite prof. I once had a friend tell me he was the best lecturer he ever had and after taking one class with him I was not sold, though I still really liked him, but my TA really soured the experience honestly. I took him again this year and maybe he slowed down or I improved at note taking but he is 100% my favourite prof. TAKE!

Great prof, interesting class and letures, highly recommend.

I LOVED prof Opal's class. He really knows what he's talking about and somehow made a 3 hour lecture entertaining and engaging. His grading is fair and his slides cover a good amount of content. He structured the class in a way that is easy for people with different learning/evaluation styles to do well in. 100% recommend!

This was my only history class I have and will be taking for my degree, but wow, it's caused me to rethink that decision entirely. Professor Opal gave the most interesting, clear, organized, and most importantly, deeply entertaining lectures.Grading was super fair too: two exams, attendance, and one easy group project. Fun story time type class.

Prof. Opal is the best professor I've had at McGill. I couldn't recommend someone take his class enough. On the last day of class, you could hear a pin drop when he'd gotten to the end of his lecture, and about half the class went up to shake his hand/tell him how much they'd loved his class afterward. That should tell you all you need to know!

Treat him well OSU, the loss of McGill history department's GOAT is your gain...rats rule!