Can be boring but fair and very intelligent - I took him twice.

He's not the easiest prof., but I found he laid out the information in a very understandable way. I was intimidated at first, but by the end of the quarter I thought he was the greatest!

Dr. Harder is extremely educated in economics and economic history. The best thing about taking classes from him is that he knows and will tell you about the history of ideas and theories, even in 206. Notes = exam material. Write every word.

Very smart! I am in his class now and the quarter grade is based on 3 exams. After two exams I have a 102%. He is not as hard as the comments suggest. He gives a few bonus points on the tests. I think that the people who have trouble either don't like his teaching style or just don't like Econ.

Excellent professor! Challenging material, adult in nature. Helpful - recommends the proper resources to the people w/problems. Answers questions in class, and offers reasonable office hours. Insists on reading the material. Extremely clear with expectations – few concessions. Very kind to animals.

Very interesting prof. Easy to keep attention, even if you aren't interested in the subject. Read the text thourally to do well on exams. Only complaint is that exams weren't consistent. One was over concepts, the next would be on details of examples. Just make sure you read very closely. Cool guy.

Good prof. His tests are a bit more difficult than I expected at first, but if you actually pay attention to the reading you should be OK. The textbook was very good as well, one of the few books I've kept and read again.

Great guy, very intelligent, however he expects a lot out of you. I recomend taking other classes to get a firm concept on basic econ before attempting any of his upper division classes. I have learned more from him than any other teacher.

Harder is the man, the only thing is his tests are kinda strange ... one will be a bunch of definitions and concepts, and the next one will be about details and statistics. Take this class!

Harder is great. I had him for 3 classes, one B and 2 A's. Finals are optional. He'll help you whenever you want. His stories are interesting and funny.

MAKE SURE YOU TAKE NOTES ON HIS EXAMPLES IN CLASS BECAUSE HE WILL ASK QUESTIONS ON THE TEST ABOUT THEM! example: which example best fit the blah blah blah principle? -or- what was the shape of the graph when i polled the class about buying watches? -or- ho

He is a pretty good teacher. he seems to know his stuff when i t comes to economics. He has quite a bit of insightful information that i found fasinating. His tests aren't that bad as long as you know what graphs do what and how the lines move on the graphs. And remmeber his examples from class because they will be on the test

This class I felt was awesome. I wasn't looking foreward to it, but Harder is an excellent professor and helped keep me interested. Do not skip class or slack on notes or reading though. As long as you put in the effort you will get the grade. Not an easy class but a very interesting one.

He was great. It was pretty easy to understand his teaching compared to what i heard about other professors

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Very good teacher. I liked his stories and they connected to economics. everything he said made sence and his tests came from what he said and the text so you need both.

Professor Harder is the best teacher in the whole econ department~!! He's so funny and he gives rweally useful examples and little stories~!! TAKE HIM TAKE HIM TAKE HIM~!!

just go to lecture, skim the reading, you'll be fine. this teacher is pretty cool. he knows what he is talking about and for econ, its sort of entertaining.

I had him for two classes at once and still didn't get tired of him. He's got a good sense of humor and a very clear presentation. If you try to get by without coming to class all the time or just skimming the text, you won't do well on his tests. You have to read the text.

Just like the other comments, you need to go to this class. If you are one to skip alot, i wouldnt recomend him. If you go to class and take good notes, and study for his tests you can get an A. Hes an awesome guy, great personality, and unbiased. If you are a flaming liberal or socialist you wont like him, he speaks the truth!

He is the best teacher I have ever had. He is most likely the funniest teacher in the entire school. As long is you know how to "talk dirty to him" about graphs you will do great. The class I am in is 1:20 minute classes 3 times a week all lecture, and i am never bored, or regret going. I would STRONGLY recommend getting him as a teacher.

Great teacher. Fun and loved the class. Hard but made you think.

The most amazing teacher ever. His passion for the subject really comes through. Although it's lecture based, you come away feeling as though you know so much more than when started. Tests aren't hard if you pay attention. One of the best times I've ever had in an econ class. Take him at every chance you get. He will rock your socks! :)

Amazing teacher! So enthusiastic, incredible life experiences, and extremely funny (and not too snobby to make a dirty joke, either). I read two whole pages out of the textbook and got a B+! The exams are a little difficult, but based almost entirely on class notes, so show up to class, and you're golden. The paper was a snap, too.

I've taken 5 classes with Harder and received an A- or higher in all of them without doing any of the reading. To do well in his courses you must show up to EVERY class and take DILIGENT notes. Study your notes for 2-3 hours before the exam and you will do well. Harder is one of the best lecturers at WWU. You will enjoy being in his class.

Harder is an amazing teacher. His passion for economics is clear. His tests are hard but they prepare you for grad school. To pass up on Harder is to pass up on the heart of economics.

Harder is the best econ teacher at Western. Don't bother reading the book unless you don't understand something from lecture but go everyday and take GOOD notes and you will ace the tests. Take this prof

I've taken a lot of classes with Harder and he is one of the best lecturers at WWU. He is an amazing story teller and he's old so he has a lot of fun experiences to share. Take his class. Note: His classes are not hard like some people have posted here, but you MUST ATTEND CLASS and TAKE SOLID NOTES and you'll get an easy A. No reading whatsoever

Peter does a very thorough job of teaching the contributions of past economists. His tests are quite challenging and require you to know details about economists and their contributions to economics, so take very diligent notes in class. I found going over my notes after class to be more helpful than reading the book. The paper is long, but doable.

If you love economics and are willing to put the time into it, TAKE HARDER! He is an incredible teacher, and an unbelievable wealth of knowledge. Yes, his tests are brutal, but he is very fair and really wants to help you. It is true that he has high expectations and that is not a bad thing. Don't take this class lightly—it's NOT and easy A.

One of the fairest teachers I have ever had. He likes to incorporate theory of economic systems to show real life examples of that economic system. Great class, tests were hard, but very fair, and easily guessed what would be on it. Loves Adam Smith, so pay attention to his ideas. Take 303 before hand, they overlap a little bit.

Harder is a great teacher. As long as you go to class and take thorough notes you do not need the book. He is super helpful in office hours, which cleared up all issues for me. His tests are pretty difficult, but weren't impossible by any means. Overall I really enjoyed his class and wish I could take more from him!

Professor Harder is a great professor. The lectures can be a bit pedantic at times, and if you don't think economics are cool, you will be bored. But if you do like economics, he is a good pick. He has an old school style which I like. Tests can be quite difficult but he will grade on a curve and with extra credit. 100 percent is possible.

His lectures cover everything you need to know for the tests. If you read the chapters in the text before you go to class, then life will be easier. His lectures are very similar to the text. The Term paper looks hefty but it is doable. Good class, pretty hard to fail if you take notes.

Best professor I've had at wwu. Gave great lectures and engaged the class, if I could I would take him every time. He is very clear as to what you should do to succeed.

One of my favorite teachers. His lectures were actually interesting and he geared it toward not only the class but popular interest. One thing about him though is that you do really need to attend his lectures to do well but his lectures are actually quite entertaining. GREAT teacher I loved him

I went to class everyday but three times. Got an A-. I skimmed every chapter, took hella notes in class.. and I STUDIED HARD FOR EXAMS. You need to. He gives graphic analysis portions where you have to learn to make 3 graphs by heart from a list of 10. He gives you said review sheet maybe five days before if you're lucky. Grades hard on the graphs.

His lectures are long but incredibly interesting

His incredible knowledge of facts and statistics, as well as life experience and insight are simply amazing. If you are here to learn Econ, I can't think of a better professor. His tests (3 of them, 100% of your grade) aren't hard if you just learn your stuff, I easily got through the class without reading the textbook and minimal studying.

Definitely need to read the text, as he expects you already did before coming to class. (He will ask questions about it) 3 exams, no cumulative final. Lectures "free-style" which means he has no PPT to support it and occasionally writes/draws stuff on the board, so make sure you listen. Attending lectures can be helpful, even tho he likes to ramble

Ten page paper on randomly assigned topics taken from The Wealth of Nations, manageable but don't wait till the last minute. Lectures are long, mostly dry, but he can be humorous at times. Take notes, lots of them, both from the lectures and the book. Then take notes of your notes. His tests consists on questions from both. Medium difficulty class.

Best professor I had at Western. Because of him, I changed my major to Economics. I would never have thought I would love Economics so much. He used to be the department head at Western, and he's a wealth of knowledge. He gives so much extra credit- so if you get a 65 that's a C. Just read the textbook and you'll be fine.

Amazing teacher! There are no powerpoints so class consists of him talking and occassionally drawing graphs on the board. He is really good at putting stories, that may seem off topic at first, along with the material giving you real life scenarios. Read and take notes before class and you'll be ahead of the game. Practice the graphs!!!

He taught me things that I still remember today, 25 years later. He also tried to warn me away from reading David Ricardo in his writing intensive class, but I didn't listen. Ouch. Still, a couple of years later, he mentioned my determination in a letter of recommendation to graduate school. Thank you, Dr. Harder.

Although the class may not seem very helpful in the long run, Harder does a good job of keeping it interesting. There is a LOT of information to cram into your head between tests, but try not to loose sight of the big picture. It is really important to pay attention in class and take good notes! Overall, a pretty good class.

One of the most inspirational professors I've had. He is a retired professor that came back "for the love of teaching." Very old fashioned; his syllabus looks like it came out of a type writer. He expects you to take your own notes. Tip: Outline your notes after each class period and study in groups. And, he gives out a ton of extra credit.

Peter is a very smart person who really cares about economics. He doesn't use any technology so if you're someone who needs to refer back to a powerpoint, don't take him. I thought his lectures were easy to follow and as long as I came to class having read the book, I understood what was going on.