VERY knowlegable! has a suprising amount of 1st hand experience in the middle east and actually speaks arabic. kind of a snooze at first, but learned to appreciate him for his subtle or not so subtle humor (not necessary to read, going to lect. is money)

Juan Cole is God. No more, no less.

I'll second the Juan Cole is a God comment. He really is an understated Genius and he's got the wit of a standup comic. Never had a better lecturer in my life, highly reccomend.

Cole is awesome. Clear, precise, and funnier than hell dry humor.

Great lecturer, and this guy really knows his stuff. The lectures are very interesting and entertaining. Tests were pretty easy also.

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Cole is not dishonest or biased. He is an amazing professor and if people would listen to him, they might learn something. There is something else at work concerning the claims that he is somehow a bad professor. That's simply not true.

I agree with the last post. Cole may have fairly liberal views but he backs everything up. He is a great lecturer and his dry humor will keep you entertained all semester.

Fair minded

i think that prof cole is trying to give us all a truth...which some of us refuse to see...sad.......who is so perfect? let them throw the first stone...

Cole is brilliant in the field of Middle Eastern studies,knows what he is talking about,however his lectures can sometimes go off on tangents that have nothing to do with the material on the exams,and it can be quite boring,overall a decent teacher,a lot of reading for this class,however interesting

Very well organized and lots of facts (dispite what some posters say). I left his class with thorough knowledge of the subject matter. Yes, he is VERY left, however, as a person from the political right i still found him to be tolerable and able to accept oposition.

excellent!

lectures are very clear. good sense of humor about history and it's many blunders.

Cole's lectures are really interesting and he's funny too. He knows his stuff...he's a great prof...

great class- i actually enjoyed going. interesting lecturer. if you go to class and study your notes before the test- there is no reason why you shouldnt get a solid A.

Prof Cole is the most inteligent history prof I have ever had. My class was on the mid east and the west and Cole had a amazing amount of knowledge and personal experiences and had acutally studied in the area and gained his experience first hand. Not the most engaging prof ever in lecture but he throws in jokes and keeps the lecutre moving.

Very intelligent guy. He really knows his stuff. Somtimes his lectures can get boring but for the most most part it was very interesting. He has a lot of personal experience on the subject. There is a lot of reading though and it is important you get a good GSI. A little hard to get an A. But one of the best history classes ever!

Cole is one of the most interesting and intelegent professors i have ever had. He knows his stuff and his sarcastic humor during lecture keeps everyone interested. Great class, even better professor.

Awesome class and even better prof.

Fantastic lecturer who has a lot of interesting personal stories that make lectures amazing to listen to/watch. Sometimes the readings are dry, but he breaks the information down pretty well. He has very apparent personal political beliefs (e.g. the Iraq War) - but backs them up with historical references and facts. He's really funny, too!

This is one of the best classes I have ever taken. I loved going and I learned a great deal. He always made serious historical contriversies funny. I would look to take more of his classes in the future.

A really great and knowledgeable professor. Interesting subject and lectures. I did mediocre in the class (blame the gsi), but I'm still glad I took it.

Best social science class at Michigan. If you want to actually learn something about why the world today is the way it is and how that can be different, you must take this class. True, he's biased. But if you aren't open or discriminating enough to take in facts and make your own conclusions you shouldn't be in college.

He is extremely knowledgable in his field. He is extremely far left so take what he says with a grain of salt. But the breadth of his knowledge makes up for his biased presentation. Take History 241.

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Keeps lectures interesting and engaging, although they aren't mandatory and you could probably learn everything from the text.

Best teacher at the university. if you want to learn a ton, take this class. true he is a little biased but i as a republican loved his teachings even though it is leftist

This is the best class at the university hands down. Juan Cole is the smartest person I have ever met, while I do not agree with his opinions, just being in this class broadened my horizons and made me a more complete person.

A truly interesting professor and class. Decent readings, really good lectures - you will learn some very relative information.

I wanna give him a bad rating, but I cant...he's hands down an amazing teacher, and will teach you a lot. His lectures get boring at times, and his readings lul u to sleep, but taking this class is worth it.

Hands down the most interesting class I have ever taken. Everyone should learn about the current topics that he discussed in his class. Unfortunate that it had to be spoiled by boring readings and confusing tests, but the lectures were outstanding. So cool to say that one of my teachers was on the "Colbert report" !!!

Very knowlegeable Professor, who presents both sides in every discussion. I did not feel he was anti-Israel, he simply acknowledged that both Israel and Palestine are to blame for the current situation. This is a great class and I learned alot. I highly reccomend it!

The most interesting class I have ever taken. Highly knowledgeable and fair professor with little bias. He is not biased against Israel, he simply acknowledges the fact that both Israel and the Arab countries are to blame. I highly recommend any class Cole is teaching, he is a luminary in his field and you will really learn.

One of my favorite professors at UM. His lectures are fantastic and interesting, time seems to fly in his class. I do not think he is biased, it is just a controversial subject. Very heavy reading which can get old but I still feel his class was worth it. I highly, highly recommend him.

Cole is an awesome lecturer. He presents facts, while rarely throwing in his opinion. When taking this class, remember how controversial the Middle East can be. The readings are lengthly and almost useless, but lectures cover exams completely.

He is very helpful when you ask questions, I don't know why I rated that he wasn't just now.

He is not biased and doesn't throw his opinion into lectures....that is if you are a fanatical liberal who thinks Republicans are responsible for the world's problems. However, if you are sane, i would not recommend this class due to the boring lectures and difficulty of material.

Despite the fact that he has lived in the Middle East for 10 years and spent the vast majority of his time here on earth studying said region, I think Juan Cole is wrong because his factual analysis contradicts my previously held political beliefs.

if you dont like Juan Cole you are too afraid of new viewpoints to be a Michigan Student. As a diehard conservative I learned things that challenged me and opened my mind to a new perspective, Juan Cole is the best professor at the University... as long as you are not close minded enough to confuse being anti-israel with anti-semitic.

Not bad, but I'd like to see him keep his political viewpoints out of lectures and stick to the facts - even though I happen to agree with most of his opinions. Lectures are good, but we had a lot of truly godawful guest lecturers this semester, often for important topics. Verdict: good, but not great. Overhyped. Had a terrible GSI too.

Very interesting class, and Professor Cole is a very good lecturer. The readings can get dull, but as long as you pay attention in lecture, you don't really need to do them. The exams aren't too bad, just look over notes starting a few days before and you should be fine.

Prof. Cole is brillant. He is also a great lecturer, although he has a pro-Arab bias that seeps out during lecture. Despite this fact, any class with him is worthwhile. The GSI, Ali, is possibly the worst I've had at UM; does a real disservice to Prof. Cole's course.

If you live in the 21st century you will benefit from this class. Cole has stong opinions but supports them with facts. He is a great lecturer with an encyclopedic knowlege of the Middle East. He will make you THINK!

HE IS WONDERFUL! Great professor really makes you think! Eye opening class!

Best professor at Michigan. Has an amazing knowledge of the course and a great sense of humor. Cole makes the class extremely interesting and fun to go to.

Juan Cole is extremely knowledgeable about modern Middle Eastern history. He is an engaging lecturer and very open to questions and debate. He does a good job of presenting both sides of an issue.

I have never had a better professor. Juan Cole is one of the most knowledgeable people on the Middle East, and is an incredibly interesting lecturer. He is somewhat biased and a little bit pompous but the man knows his stuff. Kind of the epitome of earning his Michigan arrogance.

Cole is an expert in every sense of the word. He has field experience in most of the countries he lectures on, and provides lots of interesting asides on the course content. Readings are mandatory, but interesting. Test questions are given ahead of time, and you pick which ones you want to answer. Overall highly recommend Professor Cole!

Took this class last year, and seeing it on the course guide now reminded me of how much I truly got out of it. So I still don't agree with everything he taught, but I think it was good for me to really question certain beliefs Ive always held— and I guess that's what education is about, right? Replacing our beliefs with..you know, facts. good prof

He's a legend and an inspiration. I highly recommend his class.

Experienced not just in academia but also practical application of history and Arabic in the 'real world.' Opinion is evident in lectures, he is up front about his slant on history, honest and transparent. Very interesting reading materials. Grading expectations were eh. but that was the fault of the GSIs

Juan Cole is probably one of the most amazing instructors I've ever had! Take his class! It's hard work but definitely worth it!

The man is an expert in what he teaches. You will learn more in this class than all your others combined if you do the readings and attend lecture, unfortunately you need not learn at all for a good grade in the class. 2 finals and section makes up the entire grade and study guides are presented in advance. Would be a great class with more structue

If you're willing to put in the work, this class is great. Cole is brilliant and truly knows his stuff on the Middle East. There is A LOT of reading, but if you actually want to know about the topic, its worth doing. You can get away with not attending lecture but only if you do the reading. Exams weren't too difficult if you paid attention.

Dr. Cole is an expert on the Middle East, and I would highly recommend taking the class. While it's certainly difficult, the amount you can learn from attending his lectures and doing the readings is incredible. Admittedly, he assigns way more reading than anyone can actually do, and study guides make the exams much easier to prepare for.

Juan Cole, is a great professor and lecture; he's renowned by his work in the feild of Near Eastern Studies and he'll sure make you aware of it. Additionally, professor, Cole makes teh class engaging and intriguing, Indefinitely recommend taking the course if you have an interest in contemporary Middle Eastern politics; however, a lot of reading

Cole is one of the most knowledgeable people out there on the Middle East, but his lectures can get confusing bc he goes off on tangents and then skips by slides quickly. There's TONS of reading (150pgs a week) and reading notes are collected in section. The class is super interesting, but be prepared to study on your own to keep up with lecture.

Meanders in his lecturing a bit too much, but the knowledge is there. Learned a surprisingly high amount in his class, even though the lecture quality drastically goes from amazing to unnecessary. Sometimes he also overdoes the humor and sometimes it feels a little inappropriate/misguided, but at least he's always willing to listen 1 on 1

What everyone is saying is accurate. Tons of reading and he tends to go off topic. However, professor Cole is so incredibly knowledgeable, so if you are truly interested in this topic, the readings will not (usually) be a drag and it becomes fun to listen to his tangents. So if the topic sounds interested to you, I can 100% recommend this class.

I took this F20 so it was online for COVID, so there were no tangents like people are saying in past years bc it was prerecorded lectures. This dude knows everything and is always like "yeah i remember when I needed to advise President Bush on this" and I think it's so cool. If you want to learn more about this topic, TAKE THIS CLASS

Took this as an undergrad so my experience might be unusual. That said, I can honestly say it is the best class I have taken at UM. It was a challenge, but readings are fascinating and Prof. Cole is an incredible instructor. I felt supported and seen as a student. Written feedback was always straightforward and unweighted. Highly recommend.

he was the most knowledgeable teacher i have ever had. would take another and i learned an insane amount. does not like tests, only assigns essays, which are useful.

Lots of reading but worth it if you're interested. Guy has lived in like every mideast country, has advised government leaders, and was on the ground there during many revolutions/major events so lectures are very interesting. Discussion section is important, all assignments and grading are entirely up to the GSIs. Check out his wikipedia page too.

Professor Cole is so insanely smart and knowledgeable about the topic, he has lived in pretty much every country in the Middle East and has some insane stories. He is the moment! There is a ton of reading, but it's all super interesting, and you 10000000% need to do it because you need to quote the readings in the exam.

Juan Cole was an amazing professor, he has an amazing past and credentials. You could tell he knew a lot about this time period and had amazing stories. Lots of reading to do for his course but most of it is pretty engaging. Was graded mostly on a midterm and final, however, they were curved.

Professor Cole is really knowledgable and tells really engaging stories about course events and his talks with diplomats/military officials. His lectures are a little dry, especially at the start of the semester. GSIs are great. Lot of reading but you can skim. Short weekly assignments.

This isn't an easy class for quick credits. Some weeks, we were required to read from between 100-200 pages. If you fall behind, good luck trying to catch up. I don't recommend taking this class as an underclassman. It's hard to balance with other content-heavy classes. However, I learned so much about the ME and am so glad I took this class.

he's okay

Cole has a good, dry sense of humor and is a pretty good lecturer. He loves to answer questions and knows just about everything that happened in the ME. Tons of reading, but you can skim and get the big ideas. The 3 main books should be read to help with the exam. GSIs were super helpful and, overall, a good, doable class with a lot of work.

The content was super interesting but lectures can be a little rambly with monotone cadence. Lots and lots of readings, didn't get to them all. I enjoyed this course because I liked the material, but if you aren't interested in the material or have a terrible attention span this course probably isn't for you.