2.8
Quality3.5
Difficulty29%
Would Retake117
Reviews29%
Would Retake
117
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
21
4
29
3
21
2
11
1
35
What Students Say
“I will never take another course from him again”
303 - 1.0 rating“You have to pay close attention in his lectures to make sure you are understanding what he is saying to study it for his test”
HIST110 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
64%
Textbook Required
68%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.49 avg changeRatings by Course
HST303
5.0
(2)HIST
5.0
(2)HST110
5.0
(1)HIST30SOMETHIN
5.0
(1)HIST482
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
303
5.0
HIST111
4.2
HIST101
4.0
PNWHISTORY
4.0
HIST112
3.7
Reviews (117)
His classes can be very quick paced, but he's funny
Cool dude.
hilarious professor, would take any class with him
He's quite hypocritical, and often contradicts himself. He doens't allow the students to speak their minds, even though he pretends to. He often cuts students off in mid sentence, even if they agree with him.
I gave him a low clarity cuz he has an accent and is sometimes hard to understand. Other than that, don't expect too much from a 100 level class
He is so funny! The class moves fast and he has an accent but I would take a class from him again.
Freaking Halarious!! His stories and expressions are awesome, he makes the class very interesting!! :)
Very dedicated professor
Zhu is a good teacher. Old folks (bag on wheel type) don't like him because they cannot ramble on about their kids or pets, but Zhu overall is a good prof. He knows his stuff, and his humor is great. Don't take his class if you like Bush or your old.
Tough class! He is more than fair and extremely informative.
very interesting teacher with reasonable demands
He represents Liberalism like no other. Don't take his class if you can't hack someone slamming on Coservatists. Show up everyday, take notes, review notes periodically, and you will do fine. Funny MAN!
his lectures are not boring
I recommend this teacher to anyone interested in US history. He is very fair. Good class.
great teacher, have fun and be prepaired to read often
An acquired taste. Fair exams and reading. Funny and often brash in his delivery. Bring earplugs if you plan on sitting in front. Don't expect reason and understanding.
Sometimes hard to understand, funny, fair in his expectations of students. Lots of reading, but if you do it, the class is easy. Take notes and show up to class!
He's very hard to understand, he isn't clear, and there is so much reading. I get so bored!!!! I just don't like history. He is funny though; he's very liberal, hates WSU, likes alcohol, and has a bad mouth!
Dr. Zhu's class was always interesting. His Texas/Bush jokes were to die for, and his hatred of the South was very apparent. His accent is very, very strong however, and often interferes with the message. He is usually ready to help if needed, and is very knowledgeable.
Great prof.
dr zhu is kind of hard to understand at first because of his accent, but he is a really good teacher. he is funny and that helps his lectures go by. his tests are easy if you go everyday and take notes. not as hard as you would expect for a history class.
"That's right that's right." We see the Dr. Zhu is a funny we say the teacher. What we say he sometimes says tests and quizzes will be 'simple like this' but they aren't simple like nothing. I love Dr. Zhu...but sometimes the multiple choice aspect on his quizzes screws you over even if you did do the reading. Simple like this Zhu is funny.
What a charachter! A great professor. Even if you disagree with his viewpoints, he is hilarious and incredibly honest. I have an enormous amount of respect for this professor
He's pretty knowledgable but difficult to understand. His brand of humor doesn't sit well with half the students but he's okay. He's brash and maybe a little arrogant. A half hour after his lectures you want to hear them again. Now I joke..
I enjoyed his class. Although deciphering his accent was difficult at times it also forced you to concentrate that much more. I was a post-grad when I went through EWU and I enjoyed his sense of humor although many younger students did not get it. Some of his pronunciations of NW places have become inside jokes with my wife. Very good teacher.
He Rearry made me raugh! His jokes are hirarious! Even though I hardry ever understood him, I stirr roved him as a teacher! I STRONGRY recommend him!
He keeps learing about history interesting. You need to be prepared to show up to class and work hard.
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I also had him for American Hist. LOVE HIM! Changed my major from Chem to Hist! Very knowlegable, not just facts but significance to events. Never had a problem understanding him, but you HAVE to go to class, take good notes, and read the books. Not an easy A, but not hard either. Great Professor!
I've enjoyed Dr. Zhu's American History class a lot! He does have an Asian accent, but that does not hinder your ability to understand him at all. Can be very funny, often referring to George W. Bush as the "dumbest president ever!" HAHA! Make sure you read the book though, and ATTENDING CLASS IS A MUST!!! He gives random pop-quizes every so often
Dr. Zhu twists American history by equating the Deist founders with modern-day atheists -which he is proud to be. He's foul-mouthed, unsympathetic, and he purposefully goes out of his way to offend as many people as possible --he actually states this at the beginning of his class. He slams people and their beliefs, but won't be corrected himself
Zhu is the man!!! I love when he offends the sensitive, I take myself seriously crowd. Esp. ROTC students - Lol. He's just weeding them out - exploiting them, if you will-but seriously-show up take good notes-you dont have to read the text at all, just go by his notes-gives attendence pts. easy to get a 3.5 in his class-but do read the other books
A highly opinionated liberal with poor understanding of economics (surprise surprise). He actually proposed that minimum wage be increased to $15/h. This class is about his political views as much as it is about American history. If you're okay with having leftist propaganda shoved down your throat every day of the week, you'll enjoy his class.
at first i was nervous...he was hard to understand, but he turned out to be good. enjoyable lectures, and easy quizzes and tests
This guy is hilarious! The way he teaches history is interesting. But you do have to study for his tests. Come to class every day and go over the lectures and you'll be fine. He says he tests main ideas but he puts tiny details in his tests that are pointless sometimes. Interesting instructor, but beware, hard to understand his accent...
Great professor, only need to lightly read the books, but be in class every day. One of the best professors I've had so far!!
I loved Zhu and recieved a 3.5 in his class. Attendance and taking notes are mandatory. On tests he gives you extra opportunites to recieve full credit, and there is usually a fairly easy quiz once a week.
Going to class and taking notes is highly recommended. There are a few pop quizes, but if you have been in class they're a breeze. He gives extra opportunities to get full credit on tests. If you actually apply yourself a little, you can easily get a 4.0 in his classes.
You really have to pay attention, study and read for his class. That should be expected though, you're in college. He's an effective teacher but if you don't have a good sense of humor, you're gonna get really offended.
Good teacher, has a wild sense of humor. I learned a lot in this class and I am very glad I took it.
Attendance is mandatory. 2 tests and I think we had 12 or 14 quizzes. Quizzes based completely on lectures or movies as there was no text book. Then there are 3 book quizzes for the 3 books we read. Zhu is hilarious and pretty forgiving on his quizzes. Don't argue with him unless you have evidence to back it up. Overall, a great professor.
Very fun and informative class. He can be hard to understand sometimes, but he writes everything on the board anyways. Make sure you attend every class because there will always be a pop quiz every week. The tests are easy and he gives plenty of extra credit opportunities. Great sense of humor, but if you don't have one, he'll offend you :P
love zhu. fun fact: he ran hurdles in college and judges badminton at the Olympic level. never would have guessed it. one of my favorite teachers at ewu- huge personality
He is hilarious. Without even meaning to be! I love him, great professor. Don't take his class unless you plan on studying a lot.
Very funny man, not afraid to share his opinions. Lots of knowledge on subject. Class consisted of about 8 quizzes on lectures, 3 book quizzes, a midterm and final. Not a harsh grader, usually will give you the benefit of the doubt
Unrtunately although he seems dedicated, he has such a thick asian accent you have no clue what hes talking about. He is very offensive and uses no technology. When trying to contact him abuot my struggling in the class he was comletely useless and no help whatsoever. Not to compromise my 4.o, I dropped this class. Also,waste of money on the book.
Very liberal. Overall I learned a lot. Funny here and there. 6/10 Overall
Love Zhu! Attendance is crucial to pass. Expect a pop quiz weekly and 3 book quizzes. Take lots of notes and expect a topic to be on midterm or final if he mentions the significance of it. Class was two days a week and we watched several full length movies. Good class. I enjoyed it and got a 3.8.
I took several of his classes at all levels and loved them all! Yes, I admit his accent is often difficult to understand, but you'll understand him easily with a little time. If you're easily offended, stay away. If you can appreciate some off color (but hilarious) jokes, you'll love him. ATTENDANCE IS A MUST and expect a fair amount of work.
Dr. Zhu is funny but he doesnt really set his students for sucess. You cant understand what he says and he goes off subject..He doesnt give study guys and will teach a 100 years of history in 5 days!! expect a quiz on monday..now ima fail this class and have to retake it with somone else. DONT TAKE IT WITH ZHU...U PROLLY WILL FAIL
Dr. Zhu has been my favorite instructor so far. He makes lots of jokes during his lectures and is very inappropriate, which makes things much easier to remember.It was great starting off my morning with laughter. You do not need to buy the book for history 110, he does not quiz on the book or assign reading. It's simply a reference that can be substituted with google. Pop quizzes about every 5 or 6 lectures. If you show up and review your notes the class is very easy. I got a 4.0 no problem.
He's a great professor and is very entertaining. Even though attendance for his lecture isn't mandatory, you'll definitely want to go everyday because he gives out random pop quiz's; which is also the frustrating thing about his class, you never know when you're going to have a quiz so you always need to make sure you are always studying!
Funny guy. He has pop quizzes about ever 7 lectures so you never know when they are and always have to study. Also is super fast in the material doesn't repeat things no class discussions and is hard to understand. I wouldn't recommend him. Also there is no book reading so it's all up to how good of notes you take
Great professor, just show up every day and you will ace the class. A lot of people say he is hard to understand. I firmly disagree. He had been speaking english longer than I had been alive at the point of taking the class. Sure he had an accent but unless you need to be talked to like youre an infant, youll do fine.
You have to pay close attention in his lectures to make sure you are understanding what he is saying to study it for his test. He talks really fast and says "weseeda" all the time he is really funny, but i didnt like his class because i couldnt understand what he was saying ever.
One of my favorite profs! he can be a little hard to understand but i promise after the first week you get used to it. Hes really funny if you go to class and take notes youll do good! i missed several pop quizes cause i skipped so dont miss class and youll be golden!
Great personality. Funny, and friendly. Passionate about his topic.
At first I was worried I wasn't going to understand him and do badly due to his thick accent but you DEFINITELY get used to it. He's also really funny. As long as you pay attention, take notes, and study for the quizzes you'll do fine. There's no homework and only a few quizzes and then a comprehensive final. I learned a lot in this class
He is more interested in his "Academic Freedom", offending every student before the quarter is over, and calling subjects of his lecture any form of vulgarity than he is teaching history. There is zero interaction in this class. I will never take another course from him again.
Worst class I've ever taken
You have to read and have a full understanding at all times because you never know when your what you'll be quizzed on.
I still don't understand his accent. Pop quizzes are worth 40% of your grade. No interaction at all, just lectures. Study every term he lectures on. Doesn't like student talking at all in class. Very educated and funny. Mid term and final are 10 terms, write a short essay on 5. Easy class to 4.0 if you work hard, he curves a lot but awful teacher.
I have never really interacted with an Asian, yet have little to no trouble understanding his English, I think he has a great sense of humor, and has earned the right to be a little critical. He does not give out home work but you better be sure to read all assigned materials or you will sink.
So many pop quizzes and it's hard to know what is going to be on them. Show up every class or you're going to fail. He can be difficult to understand at times. Upper level courses are harder to understand him since he is lecturing about complex topics. Really nice guy but a tough professor.
Zhu is very friendly and gives amazing lectures, I've never learned so much about the U.S. He gives a pop quiz every week but if you stay on top of reading you will be fine. He is funny and likes to bring lots of historic artifacts to class. If you like history then you will enjoy his class.
If you are willing to show up consistently and pay attention in class, this course will be a great learning experience. I thought Professor Zhu had a profound grasp on US History and taught such with smooth, easy to understand transition throughout the quarter. Would definitely request this professor again!
I really liked his class, he was funny and had a really good grasp on U.S history. He does have an accent but I didn't think it was very heavy. Just show up to class, take notes, read the book, read your notes you will pass. He is very generous with his grading style. The only problem I had with this class was that there wasn't a canvas page.
He is old fashioned. He uses an outline of the topics and terms and discusses them, but not with enough detail when testing comes to play, so be ready to go on google for the info. He has a heavy accent so its hard to understand him. He never says when a pop quiz will happen and his lectures are full of terms that he ends up skipping.
I did not like this professor.... you cant understand what hes saying because he has a heavy Chineses accent. He doesn't really care about his students and what you have written down in your notes from lectures is what you get to study.
Hard to understand. He does not care about students and if you understand or not. Hes a nice guy but his teaching is confusing. If you take his class good luck because you definitely need it. He is very old school and his lectures are everywhere... meaning he sometimes skips or moves on before I finishes what he first started teaching.
He doesnt post grades until the end of the quarter, leaving the student with no way of telling what their grade is. He also will specify that you dont need to remember certain people or dates, then he puts those dates or people on the midterms and final. I would not take any of his classes again.
An awful professor. Did not teach well at all. Was hard to understand and did not speak up. Never taking his class ever again.
His class is only made up of 4 assignments all worth 25% of your final grade. The exams are difficult and dont really show what youve learned. Definitely wont take him again.
By far one of the most stressful and useless classes I've ever taken. He does not teach and instead says to "read the textbook" which is full of the history of the entire world. He is not helpful and you will never know what exactly you're supposed to be learning about. I heard almost everyone fails so I am considering dropping his class.
One of the worst professors I've even had. He gives little to no direction and like to play "gotcha" on tests and assignments. The average grade on every test and assignment was was a D to D-. If you get this guy, do yourself a favor and drop. He has ruined many at Eastern.
Zhu only gives you 3 300-400 word papers to write, a midterm, and a final. The papers' prompts are so unclear and vague After it was due,the average was 12/20 and he told the class after "the prompt could have been more clear" and basically "better luck nexttime". The highest score was 16/20, I confronted him and he told be "do better next time"
Never clear about papers or tests. Worst class I've taken. You're asking to be failed.
Good luck if you take him. Not very clear directions for anything and grades fairly hard.
I ended up not dropping his class after all and decided to tough it out. Glad it's over now... I said it once and I'll say it again, he is a horrible lecturer. He isn't ever clear on what we're supposed to be studying and the directions for the papers are even more vague. Final is easier than midterm. Avoid his class if you can! It's just stress
I don't want to be mean, but just don't take this class. I am a straight A student and I decided to drop it. The first paper had no prompt and I got a 10/15 which really put me in a terrible place from the start. When I asked for better feedback he was vague. I feel like he wants to make it hard to do well. Lectures are hard to understand!
I am in this class right now and it is the absolute worst class I have ever taken. This professor relies on the book to teach you. His lectures are vague and not helpful. There are only 5 assignments in the whole class and he grades extremely hard. I really wish I would have switched out of this class. If you get this class get out! Itwillruinurgpa
Do not take this class! He is an awful professor that lacks any instruction, and when you ask for help he doesnt. Going to the lectures isnt mandatory, but he then grades you bad for class performance which makes no sense because on the syllabus it clearly states it is not mandatory which he also said himself. save yourself the stress
Do not take this class, or teacher. Prof. Zhu is the worst teacher I have ever had. He would not respond to emails so I had to reach out to advisors to get into contact with him. He doesn't give A's, and I wish I could upload an image of canvas and the average grades he gives. He gives an average of 7.8/15 for papers and said he doesn'g give A's.
Worst teacher at EWU. Doesn't care if his students are struggling. He only has 5 assignments for this class but grades hard for no reason, no rubric, and the average grade for a paper was a failing one in my class. I had a zoom meeting where he said he doesn't give 14 or 15's out of 15 on papers. He is a total joke as a professor.
Hardest professor I've ever had. There was only 3 assignments for the whole quarter; a midterm, a final, and a final essay. Only gives 30 mins for tests and theres no rubric for the class. He doesn't give you a prompt or outline for the essay. No study guides, very vague in lectures, and hard to understand sometimes. I wish I would've dropped out.
Hes terrible. At first I thought it was just me, but once when he didnt show up to a zoom the rest of the students started ranting too. We raise concerns and he ignored them. Average grade on the final paper was 11/20. Not specific and tough grader, tests had trick questions, lectures are unintelligible. I should have dropped it.
Although I found the class a little difficult, it was very entertaining! He's passionate about what he talks about and I had fun listening.
Nice professor but the quizzes made no sense, said there was extra credit and several quiz drops at the end of the quarter but only received the credit and claims he doesnt remember. I can understand accents pretty well but I know other students cannot. Lectures are all over the place, take a different class or a different professor.
Class is very lecture heavy, and there were only 4 tests the entire quarter, and they were the only 4 graded assignments. He helps the grade with a boost if you have good attendance at the end, but the tests are largely irrelevant and do not relate to the lectures. Not too hard if you listen closely and have lots of notes, but extremely boring.
Dr. Zhu was awful. He made a student seating chart at the beginning of the quarter and has us all sit in that same seat for the entire quarter. The readings were very doable, but prepare to do them multiple times if you want to end up passing. The quizzes were very hard. Asking questions during lectures were not allowed.
I really enjoyed taking his class, he made history fun again for me. Though he does speak with a heavy accent which can be hard to decipher at times. Attendance isn't mandatory but highly encouraged because you go through a lot of information in just one lecture. He also gives out extra credit at the end of the quarter for attendance.
Dr.Zhu grades on the few pop quizzes and exams through the course.
Very few assignments all with massive credit towards your grade. Nothing within this class is exploring what you're learning. All you have to do is memorize and copy-paste information to your tests and quizzes. Very fast-paced and crammed lectures. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU CAN NOT "STUDY" WELL.
Terrible class, heavy accent which can be hard to understand. Very lecture heavy and only had 3 graded exams and extra credit if you got that. He allowed open note and open book on exams but was very vague what we should study. Exam was very confusing, avg score was below 50% for our class and we were the higher scoring class according to him.
Avoid at all costs. Can barely understand him with his heavy accent and your entire grade is off how well you take notes. Only 3 tests for grades so if you do bad on even just 1 your grade is not going to be great. Very boring lectures as well. Tests often had a lot of stuff he just barely skimmed over during the lectures themselves.
If everyone in the class gets a D or an F on a test, it's the students that can't study or the students that aren't smart enough to take the class and he won't curve the grades no matter what. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!!
Professor Zhu is semi hard to understand, as he speaks with a thick accent. If you show up, listen carefully and take good notes, you can easily pass his class. Don't recommend taking this class at all if you cannot understand accent.
He has a very heavy accent, couldn't understand him. He has 3 grades he puts in so don't fail one. He yelled at students, would not recommend to take class.
Not a good professor, sets up the first exam to make everyone fail and pay attention in class. When you fail the first exam you automatically cannot attain an A, because he only has 3 exams and that's it. His lectures are choppy, his sentences are unfinished, his lectures are not chronological, and he does absolutely nothing to help his students
Being in class is the only way you'll pass the class. The tests are difficult despite being open-ended. He has a heavy accent, which can be hard to understand at times. He explains things well, just have to pay attention and takes good notes. Only three tests throughout the quarter which can really mess with your grade.
Extremely hard class! To get a good grade, I'd recommend finding a study partner to make sure you got all the notes, and STUDY before the test. Despite being open-note, you should still study since you won't have enough time to go through all of your notes during the test. Despite telling you not to worry about dates, you should make a timeline.
Your grade is made up of 3 tests and some freebees. Overall very nice guy but has content rich lectures and teaches at a fast rate, and if you don't take great notes you will fail tests. It is worth taking the class, because you learn so much but be aware of exams being real threat even if prof. says otherwise . would recommend with caution
The only things graded in the whole quarter are 3 exams (30pts each). He gives you reading to do every week (they long asf and I NEVER read ANY of it). While it will probably help you undertsand the content better it wasnt worth it to me. All exams are open book/note. Finally, HIST 112 is much easier than 111, so if you have the option, take 112.
Everybody complaining about his accent is an idiot, he's very understandable if you're actually engaged and willing to listen. He appreciates it if you sit in the front, but not so much if you ask unnecessary questions like date or name clarifications. Take great notes, only three open note midterms, don't be stupid and you'll pass no problem.
The only graded items in the class are 3 tests based solely upon his lectures. Meaning that even though he doesn't take attendance, you MUST attend in order to take notes and pass the tests. He always says that names and dates don't matter for the tests, but then he makes some questions based on names and dates, such as putting events in order.
This class is very difficult as your grade consists of only 3 tests, and an "attendance" grade. Passing is not hard if you simply attend class and take good notes. You definitely want at least one other person to compare notes with though incase you miss anything
The entire grade is based on 3 exams, but they are open book/notes. As long as you attend lectures and take notes, you will be fine. Regarding the reading, you have to read the small book but don't worry about reading the large history textbook. 95% of the exam is in his lecture. All of his exams also have a couple of extra credit points.
Excellent teacher who makes sure all of his expectations are clear. The biggest thing for him was attendance, and he even threw in some extra credit for people who attended on certain days. There is a lot of material, so not taking good notes is not an option.
This was the easiest class of my my life. I never studied and he changed his horrible lecturing to an easy class now. I 1000% recommend if you struggle with studying or staying focused or attending class. Please take him as I would do it 100 times over. Jk. It was a hard class.
Some people find it difficult to understand his accent, but I personally didn't have a problem so long as I paid attention and followed along with the slideshow he presented us. Midterms are open note, so take good notes and you'll pass. The quizzes are also very easy, just study your nots regularly. Overall, good note taking means you will pass.
He was great, easy to understand, but you've got to study a LOT!
Lectures were long and boring. Sat and stared at slides the whole time full of text. Though computers and taking photos of slides are allowed, it was hard to retain information because of how much was shoved down your throat. Told us that at least 15 percent of us would fail his class. Exams were open note.
I loved my experience with Dr. Zhu, and I am taking his class again this fall. He has extremely clear grading guidelines, and you can use your notes on the tests. He has 5 pop quizzes throughout the term, but they are generally pretty easy. Every test and quiz has extra credit opportunities, making passing easier.
Very amusing lectures, although they would go by pretty fast and it could make it hard to takes notes. That being said, if your notes are good the open notes midterm and final will be very easy. Expect a small closed note pop quiz every two weeks.
Liping Zhu is an amazing lecturer, as long as you take good notes and study 15-30 minutes per day, you should be able to pass his class with flying colors.
Took this class a couple years ago and had to withdraw. Tons of PowerPoints he refuses to upload to Canvas unless you beg. Three brutal exams, with half the questions only covered verbally, never in the slides. I know at least three others who dropped. AVOID him – take Michael Conlin. Easily the worst teaching experience I had at this school ever.!
He will give out pop quizzes! He doesn't answer his emails you need to go to his office hours. He does know his stuff but gives very little explanation.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
64%
Textbook Required
68%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.49 avg changeRatings by Course
HST303
5.0
(2)HIST
5.0
(2)HST110
5.0
(1)HIST30SOMETHIN
5.0
(1)HIST482
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
303
5.0
HIST111
4.2
HIST101
4.0
PNWHISTORY
4.0
HIST112
3.7