Kristen is probably one of the sweetest teachers at JMU. You can tell that she loves history! You are required to read 7 books and write short summaries for like 2 points on them, but I didnt pick up one reading and I have a HIGH A in the class. She grades really easily! TAKE HER IF YOU CAN!!!

Boring class, cool teacher. I have never really done any of the reading, and I have an A. She grades really easy and she is always willing to help if you need any. She also doesn't give tests, which is a huge plus. You have to write a bunch of summaries, and 2 papers. Definately take her!!

She is the best teacher EVER!!! TAKE HER!!!! She is extremely passionate about what she teaches. She is a new teacher this year, so she may make some adjustments next sem. NO TESTS! A few writing assignments...but they are so easy. PLUS she's a very relaxed grader. This woman is so awesome.

Wonderful lady-very CA chill:)Knows her stuff when it comes to S.America--discussions were not always so exciting, but overall she's not hard and she's def interesting.

She is the best teacher I have ever had...No tests whatsoever! She is a very friendly grader. Take her if you can.

She's a great professor. She is very easy going, no tests in her class, just reading, and even then usually you don't even have to read it, she'll show you a video on it. She's great, very helpful and more than reasonable on the grading. Taker her if you get a chance!!!

LOVE HER!!! Best teacher I have ever had at JMU. Really easy grader, gives LOTS of extra credit and NO TESTS! Also she's soo sweet and shows lots of videos. I maintained a high A in the class all year and she tells you exactly what will be on the final exam. Take her if you can!

I really like history so that may influence my rating...she is a moderately easy teacher, we had to do an oral history project, and about two papers. You have a final cumulative test...really enjoyed the class and she does know alot about Latin American history

Take her! She is one of the nicest and most helpful professors I've ever had here. Always has funny stories to tell and is always willing to give you any help she can, just be sure to do the readings and participate. Two papers and a multiple choice final about student presentations.

Out of anyone who teaches Critical Issues in Global Hist THIS is the professor you want to take! Only a final exam and little papers along the way with some oral projects. Make sure you contribute in class! She's helpful, material may be extremely boring but it's easy to get at least a B, even an A!

Easy grader, very nice and understanding. Class gets boring and there is a lot of reading but you don't really have to do it. All lectures are powerpoint and online. Likes class involvement. Graded assignments are short response papers, two big papers and a oral history interview assignment. All assignments are pretty easy. Good teacher to take.

She's very nice and seems to show her passion for history.but as another rater mentioned sometimes she doesn't know the answers to her own questions and sometimes doesn't read all of the articles and books she gives us to read.If you like to skip classes and be a lazy student, sure take her, but if you came to college to a reason, don't.

never read, missed class about 10 times, got a B. good for lazy people like myself.

McCleary is a decent teacher but a good person its rather easy to make a solid B in her class but u have to try for the A. Her sylibus has changed and is considerably harder then what others from 2005 said i do however reccomend her as a teacher oh and be prepared to read allot.

This was a good class--two papers, two tests, fairly graded. she likes class discussion so you want to speak up. I recommend her.

Class can get boring at times as she uses a lot of Power Point slides, but she does encourage discussion and questions. Reading material is not bad. A decent class overall.

The best teacher I have reviewed so far. She is funny, and "loopy" if you will. Even if she wasn't a good teacher, the content stands on its own. Recommended.

Good class, but the readings are long and you have to print them out your self. Hard to keep up with them towards the end of the semester, pretty easy grader, you need to participate but classes can be pretty interesting

She's a good teacher who's interested in getting to know her students. The class involves a lot of reading which you have to print out yourself. But other than keeping up with readings its not too hard. If you like discussion based classes, this is the teacher to take. There are 2 tests, 2 papers a some random assignments.

Discussion based class for sure. Interesting, but different than what you might think. Not covering current affairs. Seems to be a feminist, but isn't too strongly imposing on those beliefs. 2 Midterms, Occasional reading quizzes (2 or so) and maybe 3-4 papers. Mainly discussion and thats how she determines grades, it seems. Worth taking

Better than average for a GE class. I like the discussion focus and she keeps it moving.

very nice, easy class

The class is alright. There is a lot of reading compared to other GHIST classes. There are also 2 major papers, 2 exams, and an interview thing. It's definitely not the hardest class, but if you can find a more interesting, easier teacher I would.

I took this class with another professor and failed (oops), then got an A with her. Super easy class, all about civil rights if you're interested in that subject. She's a bit of an airhead and the powerpoints are boring, but just show up and do the easy papers and you'll be fine.

no attendance policy but u do wanna go to class n take notes on reading analysis. Readings due every class and a couple of novels. Couple of journals due and essays for midterm and final.

Took her for HIST 489 online during summer session. Our subject was Latin American History Through Film. A lot of movies to watch and a lot of readings to do. But for a 400 level class, it was not bad at all, I definitely recommend her for an easy way to get a 400 level out of the way.

Great class, awesome teacher. Her lectures are interesting, and she's just a lot of fun in general. So much outside reading, but it is a GHUM after all. You really learn a lot in the class. Your grade consists of weekly online quizzes, and 5+ page papers. Take notes since they'll help you on the final paper, but don't stress over them.

Excellent teacher. There is a lot of reading which can be a bit tedious at times but it's all doable. You learn a lot and the notes you take help a lot with your midterm and final (both essays). I highly recommend Dr. McCleary.

She has such a California attitude, and is so passionate about what she teaches. I love going to this class. Everything we read (although it's a lot) is so interesting. Midterms are papers. Easy, easy, easy! Love her!

She is so nice! Loves her subject and has a laid back personality that makes learning easy and fun. There is a lot of reading and your grade mainly consists of papers (there aren't many).

really nice and helpful in class, alot of extra credit that will boost your grade. there are alot of readings but if you do study guides for online quizzes you will be fine.. only bad thing is the research paper. i would take her again

She is not the most organized, but she's def. enjoyable to have as a professor. She knows a ton about the subject and loves teaching so it's hard for her to narrow things down. Def. take a lot of notes on what she SAYS and don't fall behind on the readings, b/c those will save you during the midterm (take-home) and final. Def. recommend!

She's a great teacher. She knows a lot about Latin American History and explains it in an easy-to-follow way. Daily readings but nothing too heavy, midterm was half multiple choice and essay. Go to class and participate, not hard to get an A or B.

Annoying that attendance is mandatory but very little, easy assignments. Lots of reading but i would definitely take her!

Fairly easy to get an A. Shes a genuinely nice person. Whether you contribute to discussion or not- her class is discussion heavy, she will still know your name. It's incredible. So far two main papers, a midterm, a final and other small reading assignments. Do the class readings if you wish to do well in discussion.

Really easy, just show up. She assigns a lot of readings, so skim those right before or during class. She wants people to discuss, so participate. She's very disorganized,and takes a while to give back grades,but she's very flexible on course work- she pushes back deadlines if the class asks, and she often will change projects/papers if class asks.

She is super nice and the class is decently easy. There are a few readings due before each class, but it is very manageable. You will get a lot more out of her class if you participate, but it's not the end of the world if you don't. The testsquizzes are also pretty easy. Would definitely recommend!

Professor McCleary is a great professor. The class is interesting and you learn a lot. There are a lot of readings (most are short, but some are pretty long), but she generally gives you plenty of time to get it done. Her midterm was easy, as are the assignments. She's also very nice, and likes getting to know her students, so talk to her!

A lot of reading, but as long as you show up to class she reviews it. Make sure to take good notes and the tests will be easy. She's really passionate about this class and will always be willing to help you! Gives extra credit if you attend Latin American film festivals. A couple of papers, but nothing too hard.

If you're interested in Latin America this class is cool, Dr. McCleary is pretty laid back. Lots of reading but you can usually get away with just skimming it. Participation grade is important though so definitely speak up in class, plus she gets annoyed when no one participates in discussion. overall pretty easy A with minimal effort

Dr. McCleary is an overall decent choice. She is somewhat disorganized and sometimes I wasn't sure what exactly she was trying to convey in class. With that said, she cares about students and is flexible to you. There are many assignments that are a part of your grade. If you need to take HUM 252, she's a good option to take.

Took her for 252 and it was honestly an easy class, I never opened the textbook and have an A. There's a lot of in class readings, not too heavy. Her lectures are interesting but make sure to show some participation. All the tests are online, take home (even the final). There's minimal homework, 2 essays and one group project. 10/10 recommend

DEFINETLY TAKE DR. McCLEARY. I took her for Hum 252 and her assignments are Really Easy! The test are kind of hard and and the readings are super long. If you study you will DEF be good and pass & probably get a good grade. Take my word for it and DEF take Dr. McCleary for HUM 252.

I loved Dr. McCleary! She's passionate about the subject, however she is lecture heavy and reads off powerpoints. She grades pretty easy and is easy to talk to after class, if you put minimal effort into this class you will get a B. Participation is a grade. No tests and one final paper at the end of the semester, and both midterms were online.

I LOVEEEE professer McCleary. She's super funny and doesn't pressure you too much on homework. The class mostly consists of discussion boards and discussions in class about whatever reading we did the night before. The lowest grade I've received from her was an 88. TAKE HER CLASS. Easy A you won't regret it. low-key interesting tbh

LOTS of readings, but they're all interesting, and she doesn't throw them all at once. Class is discussion based, and has a lot of "online days" where you watch a video or take a quiz. exams and quizzes are always online. Attendance not mandatory BUT not coming will lower your grade (unless you explain to her an illness)

Loved her!!!

I would definitely recommend this taking this course with McCleary. Although her classes are lecture heavy/boring, it is an easy A. She's pretty unorganized, but is very accessible if you have questions. She grades so easily, and as long as you show up to class and take notes, she basically hands you the answers to her exams. Extra credit offered.

She's a genuinely nice person, and cares that you do well in the class. She has a tendency to talk a lot and can be disorganized, but makes sure it won't affect your grade. The class itself is super easy, and the lectures are interesting. Would definitely recommend for an easy and relatively interesting class.

Dr. McCleary is a great woman. She is super accommodating with deadlines and cares about her students. She is a little disorganized and tends to ramble on, but she usually has some pretty interesting things to say. The only thing is that she expresses a decent amount of her political opinions which is fine, but I didn't necessarily always agree.

I took Dr Mccleary first semester of my first year which was really rocky due to the pandemic & moving everything online. Throughout the course she made it obvious that she really cares about her students. She is very understanding & flexible and always there to help! The class was easy but lectures can be a little unorganized & lots of group work

McCleary is just a really nice lady and she has a nice cat too. She is very passionate and knowledgeable about what she is teaching. Sometimes guidelines for projects could be confusing but she was very accessible and quickly cleared any confusion up! Definitely recommend this class and this professor.

Dr. McCleary's class isn't the most interesting, but for a gen ed class it's a solid choice if you want a GPA boost. It's not hard to get an A in her class especially if she likes you. She's also really sweet and really loves the subject she teaches which is awesome.

Dr. McCleary is a solid choice for this class but she is a little disorganized and her assignment descriptions are long (read all of it). She is flexible with deadlines if needed and is passionate about what she teaches. The class is more project-based and we read about 5 books (3 graphic novels) throughout the semester but it was manageable.

She is very flexible and changes things as she goes. That being said, she asked us what we wanted. If you need structure, this may not be your favorite class. None of the projects were hard, but they took a lot of time. She offered a lot of extra credit.

Dr. McClearly is such a sweet woman, but I tend to have found her lectures a little dull. She's very understanding though. The class seemed a little disorganized, but nothing terrible to get through. There is a lot of reading (but it was honestly fascinating), and the course is projects heavy. Still an excellent choice for a gen-ed!

Dr. McCleary is a nice professor who is very accessible for questions and outside class help. She spends most of class talking about upcoming assignments and grading criteria which can become mundane, but reading homework is very reasonable and as long as you complete assignments for the interview project (focal point of class), you will do fine.

The whole class is based on individual/group projects and is a fairly easy class. Dr. McCleary always brings the energy to class and makes it worth going. Towards the end of the semester is where the course really picks up in the readings and assignments but overall if you do the work she assigns, it should be an easy class.

This was my favorite class I took this semester! She is super-intelligent and her lectures were interesting. The workload was very light and easy. Attending class will help your grade! Always write notes during her lectures and take notes on the readings she assigns. She appreciated participation so if you have something to say during class say it

10/10 recommend this class for a gen ed. It was so easy, and very interesting. Not that many outside of class assignments, and only a couple of readings that are easy. she is super nice, gives good feedback on assignments, and creates a discussion-based class that is fun

Dr. McCleary is extremely nice. Although it is a history class, she makes sure that it is engaging and interesting to her students. Barely has any outside group assignments. Very easy gen ed, take her if you can!!!

Dr. McCleary was an AMAZING professor. I took her course in the Spring 2023 semester and I loved it. She really helps people come out of their shell and talk in class discussions. Her lectures aren't boring and she gives a lot of feedback if you ask. Participation is really important in her class so make sure you're paying attention.

The class involves an interview process as well as background research about your topic. It's fairly easy to get a good grade as long as you take the time to put effort into it. She gives constructive feedback, but the assignment outlines can be confusing or non-specific. It was an interesting class with moving readings about social change.

This is the easiest class ever. The whole class is based on an interview and you publish it to a jmu website. There is barely any work, and the interview assignments might take a while, but there are like barely any of them. There are reading and "quizzes" in class but I didn't read one book and did fine. Only thing is that lectures are so boring.