Petrocelli is crystal-clear about what she expects, well-organized, and challenges students to actually think. I have not had to memorize any trivial crap. For the first time I'm enjoying a history class. She's flexible/made adjustments with assignments so we can succeed. Her assigned readings and time in class for analysis are always interesting.

She really knows her stuff. She puts a ton of reading on the syllabus but doesn't make you do it all. I only read about half of it. She gives a bunch of extra credit. It was pretty easy to get an A.

History can be a boring class but with this professor it's not. She actually made me like history more and made it even funny sometimes. The work load is up and down but she tells you exactly what to do before each one so it wasn't hard to get through and there's all kinds of extra credit which really helped.

She is a great professor, a little intense, but that's what makes you learn. She's very knowledgable and very kind. Do the reading and listen to her feedback on writing assignments. Use office hours! She will help you with your writing assignments.

Her midterm and final are based on the books and they are more on the difficult side. She does do PowerPoints (none of the info is on the tests) but she doesn't require you to take notes. There is one essay which she grades quite fairly. You definitely have to work to get an A or a B.

Honestly took this class during the fall, it was amazing, i definitely am not a history fan but the way she described the events were really interesting,i never wanted to MISS a class, she really wants the students to suceed. Open books and notes for all the test, and she is very descriptive on whats on it. Loved her, would take again.

She comes off as a tough professor but shes really not that bad. As long as you follow what she asks for you should get a good grade. Her class is fairly easy and laid back.

Took Hist 101 online with Petrocelli and I enjoyed it. 8 weeks and she opens the whole 8 weeks which is nice to work ahead. Lots of reading as there is really no lecture but the 2 essays, some quizzes, 2 responses are based on the reading and was easy to complete just by reading. No problems. I suggest Rachel for Hist online!

I wish I took this professor sooner because history is really interesting with her and I feel like I learned so much. She gave me lots of input on my work before I turned it in and that helped make it easier to get a good grade on the essay especially. Extra credit helpful too.

Great online course, there is a lot of reading but if you do the work its an easy A.

If you do the reading then the essays should be easy to answer. She gives a lot of feedback on it too. Easy A if you read. She is a fair grader

This 4-week online course had 2 quizzes every week that incorporated 2 chapters each. When I didn't know a quiz question, quizlet helped me out. The midterm and final are written essays and you have to use the book and paraphrase everything. I tried my best, but winged it at the same time and got B+'s. I got an A in class cuz it depends on quizzes

Easy A, gives a bunch of quizzes and some essay exams. But she opens the whole class at one time so you can just get through it fast. You need the book, but I just found the chapters online.

I took her summer class and its definitely fast but easy if you have the book. Finished the final early and got my grade half an hour later. She grades the essays harder than the discussions and you cant miss anything.

I took her intersession class and honestly its all tests about the book. The discussions are just basically essays too. She grades thing fast so I could finish this class and focus on my other final. Recommend if you need a class that isn't a hassle.

This was a hard class just because she makes you use the book and all the sources she gives you and doesn't budge from what she puts in her directions which are really long. My first essay score was bad but she tells you what to change for the next one. Quizzes kept my grade up too. The recorded lectures actually really help so listen to them.

Dr. Petrocelli is one of the best professors I've had. It's a real college class. She makes it about places like Africa and Middle East that you don't get to learn about in other history classes. You read the whole book and long stuff on Canvas so be ready. The essays are a task. But her feedback is so useful and defintely helped me get an A.

The biggest issue with her is if you dont like to read. Honestly I read 20 pages every day so I was fine. Essays are intense and I spent 5 hours on one. But you definitely learn more about history. she gets back to you right away and is helpful. I had a zoom meeting with her for an hour and it definitely helped.

Serious professor, very hard. Take if you really like history and want to feel like you're at a big university and not community college. Otherwise avoid.

This is my third class with Dr. P and I would take more if I weren't transferring soon. She puts a lot of effort into doing reminders and announcements; sometimes with a few in one day. The feedback is always so helpful and I definitely benefited from it. FYI she takes the discussions seriously almost like essays so that's basically what they are.

Listen to her announcements!! She makes it so easy, tells you every single thing you have to do. Also good about emailing. You can tell when you go do the discussions who is getting a good grade and who isn't because its like there's half the people who did what she said to and the other half of people just winging it (not a good idea with her)..

Great professor! She really cares about making the course something you'll learn from, doesn't just put youtube videos. Her lectures are so interesting. I wasn't expecting to learn so much especially since I really never loved history but I did. The essays can be tough and to say she wants you to cite is an understatement so they take a while.

Best class I've taken but not the easiest. I really appreciated how she made the instructions for essays basically a list of things we needed to do because sometimes professors don't give you anything and you have to guess. Lectures are good but she just wants you to read - luckily the readings are interesting. Discussions help your grade a lot!

I appreciate this prof because of how everything is explained up front. It is not hard to get a A (actually says if you do this you'll score like this). Also grades everything right away so you know where you stand. Personally I wanted to learn more about Europe but she wants you to write on other places, still, a good choice for a history class.

Mrs. Petrocelli is a good teacher. The class is asynchronous and online so I did not to get meet her. But she replies to emails fast, and she is supportive and helpful. Take her if you wanna do history during summer/intersession!

I really liked her. Was online, but you could work ahead and she graded stuff if you turned it in early sooner. Make sure to read her instructions for every assignment, she lists some things she wants you to do and I got a good grade on every discussion/essay but triple-checked her "rubric." She knows her stuff and you learn to cite well.

I took teacher Rachel Petroceli for 8 weeks course, read her syllabus carefully, and don't forget to quote because it would deduct too many points. DB needs to be well structured; otherwise, she will deduct too many points. The good news is that she grades immediately. The final test is just two questions about the book. You will need a book. Ques

I needed a class to finish up GEs and am so glad I took her because it couldn't have been easier. Dr Petrocelli knows exactly what she's doing when it comes to online - gives all the directions for what to do and says how to get an A on each thing up front. Online book. Got thru the course no problem and she grades right away. Take her.

So helpful and responsive! Answered every email I sent a few minutes later. Also Prof Petrocelli gives grades right away unlike some other professors who wait until the end of the class and you have no idea what grade you're getting. You have to do what she says to get a good grade but it's not hard since she is very clear - easy A.

Take her. Grading is clear and you need to follow requirements to a tea and double check. No timed tests and can use online textbook. Took about 2-3 hour exams- theyre written- easy prompts, just use analysis. 4 discussions- mostly opinionated and easy. One of the easiest classes. No homework besides discussions. Highly recommend. Fast grader.

Great professor that knows I'm not working on their class all the time which is what I was looking for to get this requirement done. Everything laid out clear without extra pointless work. Discussions so easy you can can almost write anything as long as you put in citations like she wants. Grades super fast, also emails back right away. Take her.

I've taken two of Prof Petrocelli's classes (online asynchronous) and they were exactly the same except on different subjects so it's easy to get a high grade. I actually got 100% in the second class because I learned her system since she tells you what to do. Will take a third. Beware - makes you cite but online book easy to term search. Take her.

HIST102 with Dr. Petrocelli is hard if you didn't do exactly what she wants but after one DB I realized it so I did the course to her rules and got As on almost everything. Modules are interesting, lots of non-West topics. Excellent (long!) audio lectures are common and you can tell she's smart, knows her stuff. But you have to read and cite a lot.

Took History 101 and 102 with Prof. Petrocelli and she was great! I especially love how she responds to canvas messages quickly and grades quickly. Be prepared for a lot of reading and writing in this class. To do well, make sure to answer her prompt fully in discussions and essay exams, have a focused thesis, and give global examples.

I took this 4 week course and I have to say it was a lot of reading. She gives you the readings for each week and you need to have read them to pass the midterm and final. The discussions are easy points and the textbook is a pdf. Read the syllabus and assignment rules very clearly or you will not pass. No prompt beforehand for essays. Tough class.

Dr Rachel Petrocelli is a great professor for world history. She gives a lot of comments when she gives you your grade, it makes so much difference because you know exactly what to do next time. Also I've had professors who don't grade until the end of the semester but she gives things back right away, huge plus. Very organized and professional.

I took the 2023 Intersession course, and I will just say this: Be ready to read. You will cover multiple chapters with each week, and it is critical that you take notes with page numbers. Aside from this, the professor is somewhat strict with her citation but gives good and quick feedback with each paper your write. Just stay on top of your work.

This professor only cares about citations but I figured that out.Since everything's online term searching was super easy. I don't even think she was reading my essays. I plugged citations in after almost every sentence without even really reading all the homework she gives (which is a lot but no one probably is reading most of it) and got As.

Took Dr. Petrocelli's HIST 121 class over the summer online, it was a lot of reading but 100% doable if you keep track of time. I would've gotten a better grade if I hadn't used an outside source on the midterm so don't get scared off by my mistake. As long as you follow the instructions and read/watch all of the materials, this class is a doozy.

Petrocelli's 102 class is a short class in the summer. The assignments include discussion posts which arent too bad but the midterm and final are where it gets tough. You do not get a prompt before starting the final but once you begin, you do. You must finish the final in the session you began it. It's a doable course but be ready to spend hours.

Definitely a tough class with LOTS of reading, but as long as you stay on top of the work, it's completely doable! I never spent more than 3 hours on a final, but even that's a lot of time to require in one sit-down period, especially when students taking an online class might have other obligations.

She's very (overly) specific but so helpful. It doesn't make sense not to get a good grade in Prof Petrocelli's class because she just tells you what to do exactly. I sent her every discussion essay ahead of time for review and she told me changes to do, so I did and got A's. She has a LOT of rules but following them does the trick. It's foolproof.

Dr P is very passionate about history and you can tell she wants others to be there with her and so it makes the class a major commitment. Personally I learned a lot esp about religions. While it was difficult it definitely was clear and consistent. Her essay and DB post criteria are predictable after only doing one or two. Intense but good class.

Petrocelli's lectures are so good and her knowledge of history (esp Africa) is impressive but the class just isn't what most would call easy. There's some corners you can cut but it's still a ton of reading and long discussions. I didn't find it too hard because her system is clear and ended up enjoying it more than I thought. Great prof.

I am actually surprised by the bad reviews for this professor since I came to write my positive on and figured people had the same experience as me. She is totally a what you see is what you get professor, no surprises, and it was one of the better classes I've had. I just did the assignments and got As. You have to do citations, she's obsessed.

Professor Petrocelli claims to be tough but really isn't and I got her class done a week before the end with basically perfect grades. She likes to nitpick citations (even down to where you put a period) but that's almost the only issue I had. she just seems to want people to write a lot and cite constantly so doing that much is easy..

Great professor who gives some of the most helpful instructions on the papers that I've come across in all my classes. The course is really focused on diversity which is something I noticed right away and it kept going throughout the units which is refreshing. Lots of reading but not hard to do and the papers are easy to pass.

The workload can be heavy depending on the length of the course you choose to take. However there are ways around it. You can do less of the work by just reading what you need to answer the questions. The professor definitely has a passion for her job, so if you are looking to learn a lot, this is a great course. If you arent, its still good enough

Easily one of the better professors I've had. I took her for an Africa studies class in Spring '25. Not an easy class and had a fair share of reading, but I came away feeling proud and satisfied with what new I had learned. She is a perfect mix and laidback and hard on students. Exactly as a professor should be, in my opinion. Fun.