One of the best professors at CSUSM. Very nice and very clear during class/lectures. Grades fair and explains everything he expects from you. If you don't love history, he'll make you change your mind.

One of the best professors at CSUSM! super chill, and his lectures are very interesting! take good notes, study and you will easily get a B or better on midterm and final! two essays, midterm and final and thats about it. Recommend this class!

My favorite teacher so far! He is so down to earth. He is funny at times. He tries to make the three hour class the least boring as possible. I would definitely recommend him! He will give you as much help as you need. If you read the chapters and take good notes you will do well on the mid term and final

Awesome professor. Easy going, but takes attendance every day. Only 2 exams and 2 essays, but super easy. He gives study guides too. The only time I ever needed to read the textbook was for the essays, and I still didn't use it that much. I am terrible with history, went in expecting to fail but came out with an easy A. Definitely take his class.

He is super nice and very helpful! Everything on the tests are covered in his lectures. Essays are easy and his class is interesting. Take this class!

REally nice guy and funny. You need to go to class. Only a midterm and final with 2 essays. Class is easy. Make sure to talk in class.

Prof. Bechtol is a super cool, young guy that loves history. But don't let his coolness fool you!! He is a very strict grader and expects a lot from his students. You will learn a lot in his class though. Just be prepared to put your all in his assignments.

One of my favorite professors of all time. All around great person. Great structure to his class, and you will learn a lot.

Great professor! He made history interesting, and kept us laughing. Go to class and use the study guide!!!

The lectures are kind of boring, but he is funny at times. The tests are very easy if you do the study guide and mention the historical significance (which is essential to get a good grade). He is a tough grader when it comes to essays.

He was teaching his first semester when I took him. He did a great job and I would have never guessed he was new if he didn't say it. Pretty effective lectures, covered what will be on the test and assigned readings very thoroughly. With good notes, you should get an A.

Great professor, go to class attendance is taken. He makes lectures interesting and is pretty funny sometimes. Make sure you participate it can make a difference in your grade. 2 essays not long. 2 test and a digital assignment not a lot of work. great class overall.

His personality makes the class. He will work with you if he knows that you're trying. 2 papers that he grades harder than many would, a midterm and a final with a study guide for both. He's a good guy and just wants you to read and participate. He also does a good job at connecting the past to now so it makes class interesting.

I Love Bechtol! Best history teacher ever! He makes history fun with visuals, if you participate often thats an automatic pass. He will give you chances on your essays but don't take advantage of him. Hes super chill, midterms are easy to study. Gives you a study guide that is EXACTLY what the midterm is about. Bechtol is the best!

He is a really nice guy, and he tries to help every student out as much as he can. His tests are pretty easy, and his essays are pretty straight forward. But he is a tough and fair grader. I would say that it is a easy pass class, but you have to work hard for an A. Participation is important, and is 20% of your grade.

Bechtol is one of the best professors to offer Hist 130 at Cal State. However, he is a tough grader and gives only two exams for which a long study guide is provided. The good thing is that he's very helpful and will check your essays if you go to his office hours. The study guides will be reviewed in class a day before. Textbooks are a necessity!

Very great professor! So nice and extremely helpful. Never any homework, and only 3 essays throughout the semester. His tests are very easy. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

really tough grader, Tests are not hard. I don't recommend.

History is not my favorite subject but I got a B in the class. He assigns 2 four-pages essays. You should definitely work hard on the essays because they will help your grade a lot.

BEST PROFESSOR IVE TAKEN ALL YEAR!!! he seriously is super chill, he's a graduate of San Marcos so he understands his students. He's funny, love his personality. helpful when you ask for help. He assigns 2 major essays (which are like 4 pages long or so), 1 digital assignment (Super easy), and a midterm and final. He also gives extra credit.

Lectures are super long as well as the chapters that we have to read in order to prepare for the lecture but if you don't read it's hard to follow along. Participation matters a lot he gives points for it you can only miss 4 classes until he starts to hurt your grade other than that I think he makes History super interesting

Very easy class, everything is doable. Definitely try to participate during class though (20% of your grade). You have about 5 papers throughout the semester, however, Bechtol's grading eases up after a while. You have 2 midterms which are relatively easy, in which have both short and long answer components.

This class is really easy if you pay attention and go to class. He assigned 3 short essays that are easy if you read the books. I really enjoyed being in this class, he doesn't assign very much homework so when he does you should actually try on it.

Hist 102 online was clear cut and to the point. As long as you put a genuine effort into the class then you'll get an A. Professor Bechtol is lenient on grading as long as put forth the work which includes a couple of essays and weekly posts.

Professor Bechtol was awesome! Lectures were interesting, even though it was history. I really enjoyed this class. The tests were relatively simple, just a usual amount of studying needed. The papers could be difficult and lengthy, but were easy to do well on if you visit the writing center. I would definitely want to take another class with him!

Very nice guy. I had him for history 131 and I really enjoyed that class. No tests, just essays, projects, and participation so putting in effort will lead to a good grade. He is a tough grader but if you spend time with him at office hours or email him, he will give you everything you need to get an A. He works hard to be available for students.

No tests or quizzes, only 3-4 essays throughout the entire semester. There are two group projects that were pretty easy. Be sure to read the book, theres a lot of important information on there to know to write the essays. Overall, very interesting class, just wish I hadn't taken it at 7:30 in the morning.

This is my first semester at Cal State San Marcos and Mr. Bechtol really made me feel like I was going to have a good semester with him as my professor. He's very caring towards his students and really puts forth information that will help students get a good grade on his essays. Very easy going and approachable if needed to ask questions.

Chill teacher. He is very approachable and easy going. He tells you what he looks for.

My first written project was brutal, very low grade, so I contacted the professor and he explained. His assessment of my project actually helped me to receive the top grade for all written projects in my 4 other classes, this semester. I still didn't fare well in my subsequent papers in History but I am better because of his class.

Second time I took his class for a different history class and he changed up the way he does things. No lectures or tests, just 3 essays and 3 primary source projects to do but he was a super tough grader. Make sure to attend lectures & participate because it's worth 20% of your overall grade.

He is the best teacher in this school, I took his HIST 130 and Hist 102. He is very helpful if you have any question feel free to ask him. One suggestion, go to his office hour, you can get a lot of advice about your paper.

Best professor I've had at CSUSM. Super funny. Cares about his students. Respects his students. Tough grader but really helps you with anything you need. No quizzes or test just three essays.

What a sweet Professor! I've had him for Hist 131 and Hist 101 and he truly cares about his students. He may be a tough grader on essays but always makes it known he is available outside of class to help. He's super funny too! Definitely would take again!

Bechtol is a super chill professor. His lectures are interesting, and he tries to make really old history someone interesting. There is no homework, however he has three essays which are the majority of your grade (60%), and he is a TOUGH GRADER!. Still he is open for office hours. Book is absolutely necessary. TIP: SITE EVERYTHING !!!!

He is a very laid back and nice guy but he is a tough grader when it comes to grading. There are three essays for the course. He will be more than happy to hear you out or answer any questions. If you miss class more than 6 times your grade drops a letter grade so make sure you go!!!

A super chill professor but if you miss more than 5 days your grade will hurt! Make sure to read for the 3 essays because they're very specific prompts, many in my class would get around C's on every paper.

He is a good lecturer, but he mostly reads off the slides yet adds a bunch of little background info. He is a VERY tough grader and are graded on 3 essays and 3 digital assignments. You have to work hard to pass. You should skim the textbook, come to class and use his lecture as the info you need to find in the book for the essays.

Professor Bechtol is by far the best professor I've had so far as a student at CSUSM. He is overall a really great guy and really cares about his students. His class is pretty easy, no tests, just mainly essays. As long as you put in the effort and show up to office hours, he will happily help you. we need more Bechtols as professors! Your awesome!

Really great professor who cares about his students and the subject matter. His lectures are interesting and funny and made Ancient Civilizations relatable to present day. He is a very tough grader, but is willing to go over any rough drafts or outlines to help you get an A in the class. Participate and ask for help and you'll pass the class!

As long as you can write essays you'll do fine. He is completely open about what he expects on his essays and projects, and will work with you to make sure you will get a good grade. Uses free/discount textbooks. His lectures are funny and anything but boring.

3 essays (make outlines to do good on them, and go to office hours), 3 digital assignments (powerpoint, video, or prezi) 5 minties long on primary source. Every week you do primary source discussions in groups. Funny lectures and no textbook for HIST 130. Would recommend easy class

He is a great professor, he cares about his students an is willing to work with you. There are no exams just four papers and two presentations. He jokes around too making history jokes.

Professor Bechtol doesn't give any tests or quizzes, only three five-page essays for the whole semester. If you go into office hours, he'll proofread your essay and tell you exactly what to fix.

Professor Bechtol is a tough grader, but he only gives three essays the entire semester, and three digital assignments. Get your work done early, GO TO HIS OFFICE HOURS: He will tell you exactly what he wants to see and what you need to change to get a better grade. If you participate, show up, read the textbook, you'll do just fine in his class.

This professor was no help all semester. He gives guidelines for papers, and then gets mad when all of his students follow it. I passed my GE writing courses with As, and I always followed the prompt yet still ended up getting bad grades along with everyone else. Hes no help if you ask him what you did wrong. One of the worst professors Ive had.

He only grades 4 essays and 2 powerpoints, but he is willing to help you. Great guy

Overall a really great professor he makes the lectures interesting and fun. The class is not hard Or stressful until you have to do an essay but if you go to his office hours he will tell you exactly how to improve your essay. Highly suggest taking him!!

Bechtol was a great professor for me. Grade is basically based on 3 essays, 3 digital assignments and participation. But you have a lot of time in class to work on them and ask questions. Hes very clear on what we wants. Funny and approachable person!

there is no tests for his class however you do have three essays(4-5 pages) and three short essays (2 pages) that's it! If you want that A GO TO HIS OFFICE HOURS/ email him and show him your essay before you turn it in. As we transitioned to online for particpation had to was write 200 words as a forum posts that you can use for your essay.

There are no tests, but three big essays that should be taken very serious. He is a tough grader when it comes to essays, I've tried to get one of them done the night before and didn't go well. However, he stresses the importance of going to him for help, so if you are stuck definitely give him a visit and show him what you got. Text is free.

I went into this class not being a fan of history and I came out loving history. He has a way of making history interesting and teaching it. He uses humor appropriate to our age group. I would add that the 3 essays we are assigned are alot if work however you receive adequate support to receive an A. He is always available to students in need.

ASK FOR HELP! He is more than willing to help! No tests. Use the info he tells you to during lectures on your essays and you will do just fine. Offered extra credit here and there. Also, cite, cite, cite. 3 major essays and 3 digital assignments.

Professor Bechtol was my favorite professor last semester. His class is tough and you have to work exceptionally hard, but it's worth it. His lectures are fun and he is very accessible whenever you need help.

He is a very kind professor! I liked that he was very open to communicating with me about any concerns or questions I had about assignments. He is very accommodating when it comes to submission mistakes. The work is very easy just make sure to hit all the requirements asked and you should easy pass. Overall a great professor!

I can't believe this teacher doesn't have a better rating! He is super hilarious and a really good teacher. He uses an online textbook so you don't have to buy it. As long as you read the chapters (they aren't very long) and do all the assignments you'll get an A. Always watch the lectures too. They're short and he offers a lot of extra credit.

With all the stress from my other classes, Bechtol's class was enjoyable. short weekly assignments, forum discussions, and NO tests/final. Some of the weekly assignments were drawings. I'm not a fan of history but I enjoyed his short lectures and seeing his cats. 4 chapter responses which are graded a little more strictly. Choose this professor!

He is genuinely an amazing professor. He gives a lot of extra credit and is very caring. He always encourages his students to reach out for help. His lectures are amazing and you learn a lot. His lectures are fun.

Professor Bechtol was a super dope. His lectures were never boring he always trys to make them interesting. When he talks about extra credit listen to him. Extra credit is so helpful it can basically give you extra points on your essays. 100% would take again

he definitely made the lectures easy to understand and interesting and there wasnt alot of homework for this class it was just weekly summaries of every weeks lecture. Overall he was really chill, and a cool teacher make sure you do your essays and extra credit when he offers it and he required a textbook but he gave us a pdf of it so it was free!

Professor Bechtol is a good professor. It's just I didn't participate in his class and doing the readings and participating in his class plays a big part in your overall grade and especially in the essays he makes you do as well. Don't depend on the extra credit to help you when you don't participate because it doesn't help you get a good grade.

Entertaining and great professor! No tests, and every assignment done in this class is meant to prepare you for papers, so no busy work. He wants you to succeed and will help you as much as possible. Textbook is given to you. For papers he gives you outlines and goes over them many times-definitely bearable.

Professor Bechtol was AMAZING! He was so funny and so caring, he was very understanding about anything. No tests or final just 3 essays and 3 digital assignments plus your weekly work that is extremely doable. Gave tons of extra credit opportunities. He is a pretty harsh grader on essays but you can still get a great grade if you fail all of them.

Professor Bechtol is the best!! He actually really made history enjoyable. He's very chill and is very helpful to helping you understand something you might not have understood.

Professor Bechtol was the best! His lectures are funny, short, and if you pay attention he literally assists you with sources and things to use on your essays. Your grade is decided by 6 major assignments but with all the extra credit getting the grade you want is very doable.

Professor Bechtol is very understanding and a very easy class , many opportunities to get extra credit which are easy and although it may seem like a lot it really isn't . He is there to help and has a great ,fun energy in class.

His class was pretty easy for the most part. The hardest was writing the essays because he expects you to use over 10 citations for a 3 page essay. He is very generous with offering extra credit and make sure to take advantage of it. I did not have to write the final essay bc of how much extra credit I earned. His essay prompts aren't clear tho.

Prof. Bechtol made history awesome. He explained the subject matter thoroughly and answered questions. He really helped me in office hours and was very accommodating. He was very funny and let us out of class early all the time. He never assigned tests only essays. I definitely recommend his class.

Really amazing Professor! He was clear with what he needed and only hands out 3 papers for the whole semester, which all have premade outlines. If you ever need help don't worry, just email Professor Bechtol, he will help you work through what you need to get a better grade. He is really fun to talk to and a great teacher overall, 100% recommend.

Bechtol is awesome! Really does his best to make the class as easy as possible, designed for everyone to pass. He offers a lot of extra credit opportunities; TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM. This class is pretty much BS proof but it's very straightforward, and he makes it tolerable and occasionally entertaining. He's a great dude, would recommend!

History is not my favorite topic however professor Bechtol made this course interesting. I am not the best when it comes to essays, but Bechtol made himself accessible. I never felt judged or intimidated for asking questions. I 105% recommend professor Bechtol.

Professor Bechtel was the best! Definitely would take again! He is very caring and understanding. He also gives out extra credit often and I recommend doing it because it will boost your grade if you do all. Not very much homework assigned just 3 essays. No final exam :) just little class presentation that you can do on your own or with classmates.

Professor Bechtol is great! He explains the material very well and provides a ton of extra credit opportunities that I HIGHLY recommend you take advantage of. I did all of them and I did not have to do the final essay or the last presentation (crazy, right?!). He wants you to succeed but you must reach out first, participate, and show some effort!

Professor Bechtol is very caring towards his students and truly wants them to succeed! We would have one meeting that would be the main lecture then the next would be a group discussion which are very fun to participate in. The work load is doable, three papers due throughout the semester which are easy. Take his class! He is the best professor!

Professor Bechtol was perfect. He was the perfect mix of lecturing and communicating with students. He REALLY cares about his students and will help with anything to help you succeed. He does not have any test but does have a few essays as his version of testing. He offers a ton of extra credit which makes it incredibly easy to save your grade.

Professor Bechtol is a great professor. He explains the material well and the structure of his class is amazing. Definitely try to do all the extra credit because the extra credit could help you get away with missing a couple of assignments.

such an easy class to pass!!! primary source analysis everyweek, 4 quizzes, no exams, 2 essays. there is so many opportunities to do extra credit which helps you not have to do the last essay.

Professor B is the best! Total of 4 quizzes, no exams, 3 digital assignments, a primary source analysis every week, 2 essays, and lots and lots of extra credit. I recommend doing all the extra credit, its super easy and if you do it all, you can miss doing the essay, which is def worth it! Take his class!! Best choice for a history professor!

very clear on what is expected, 6 excused absences, class discussions will CARRY your grade (plus u get out early), take advantage of extra credit - 2 presentations 2 major essays, no in-class quizzes or tests. professor genuinely wants you to learn and does it in a fun but also simple way. you will gain a lot of knowledge from the textbook.

Take his class. He is the best professor ever, making learning History much more fun.

I took History 131 this fall and highly recommend it! The professor is caring and wants you to succeed. Attendance is important. One day is lecture, the next is primary source discussions, where speaking earns points. The grading is straightforward with essays, quizzes, discussions, and digital assignments. Show up, participate, and you'll do great

Loved this class, the prof gives great, funny and engaging lectures. Its heavy on the textbook but its all pretty doable (ctrl+f is your best friend!). He can be harsh about essay feedback, but overall super reasonable about grading. There are 3 presentations, 2 essays & 5 quizzes. DO THE EXTRA CREDIT it will save you from doing the final!!

Bechtol's class is pretty easy as long as you stay up to date with course material. It is easier to just pay attention to his lectures as he goes over everything in the book on those lecture days. Small weekly assignment that consists of you talking, but nothing to fear at all. Quizzes and essays are online and fairly easy. Two presentations (easy)

Professor Bechtol is the best. He truly has a passion for history and loves his students. Very understanding and kind. His course materials are free and he's easy to access outside of class/ office hours. No final, two easy essays, and two short presentations.

In this class, exams are replaced by papers and presentations. There are around three papers and two presentations to do. The grading criteria is a little different from most classes but it is easy to follow. Expect to participate at least once or twice a week. He is a really chill guy though. He is funny at times and is easy to get along with.

Professor Bechtol's class is a great option - the workload is manageable if you stay engaged. Utilize available resources like the free textbook, study sessions, and tools like unstuckstudy to excel. With some effort, you can earn a solid grade in this interesting course.

He is super understanding and really knows when one will tend to abuse his class. Its super easy, work is light, he is a tough grader when it comes to essays but the rest should be a breeze.

he knows what he's talking about, and gives lots of extra credit opportunities

Pr Bechtol is truly passionate about teaching. He's always available to answer questions and is very supportive. I also really appreciate that he offers extra credit opportunities.

Professor Bechtol is one of the best history teachers I ever had. His lectures were super informative and the way he teaches actually made me want to learn about history which is something I never liked. The assignments are super straight foward and he provides all the resources. He also gives students plenty of extra credit opportunities. 100/10!

Great professor you only need to show up 2/3 days a week, essays are easy topics and you do a presentation at the end. Offers extra credit is super polite and accessible would take again.

Loved this class and professor. I just took this as a general ed requirement and 100% recommend. He is a great professor and has no tests and a lot of extra credit opportunities.

He was a good professor. Homework is easy and pretty much every week is the same. First class is lecture day and the second meeting you share what you learned from the weeks reading. There are two test, but you are allowed to have a cheat sheet.