I liked him as a person, but I hated the class. He was vey helpful. Watch out, he tests with blue books

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A brilliant and caring man. He is passionate about the subject matter and delivers stirring lectures that will have you on the edge of your seat. Tests and papers aren't that tough.

Nice man, but BORING!!! His tests are on the difficult side, but he grades papers and tests pretty leniently. LOTS of reading is to be done in his classes, just a word of warning

He is very clear and everything he talks about is on the test. He gives you the tests weeks before you actually take them. Really easy class... One of the first professors I have had that goes out of his way to learn the students names.

you have to read 3 books and the text and the tests are kind of hard. He also gives the tests in a row...you will have a text/lecture test and next class you'll have a novel quiz..kinda hectic! Also a hard grader, but if you're up for it..go for it!

He is an awesome lecturer. If you are at all interested in History you should like his class. His tests are a little difficult though, particularly the book tests.

If you pay attention to what the man says you'll find you can learn a lot in this class. Critical thinking is required, but with a little effort good grades arent' difficult to come by. He is very accessible if you have questions, and very helpful and passionate about learning and discourse.

Great teacher, but take good notes and read!

Learned a ton...the man is very passionate about what he teaches. Huge vocabulary. I suggest keeping two notes: class notes, and vocab notes...you'll write about the same amount in each.

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Great professor, his classes are not easy but you will learn very much. He is very easy to talk to and get a hold of to help. Take repeat classes with him, I took his 102 class and I breazed through 228. Read and take notes, you will be fine. He also gives you coppies of the test questions before the test.

Can't go wrong here, a true historian and great prof. He is available to help anytime. If you have a pulse and are in any way interested in history, and up for a challenge, he is your man. You would have to try to flunk. Very engaging and approachable.

He is a great professor. His class is not easy for a 100 level class though. Lots of reading, but do your work. He is very approachable and will always help.

He is so wonderful! He had the most amazing beard, and he is very into his work. He is alway willing to lend a helping hand. The tests are all essays, which are hard, but if you pay attention and study then you should do just fine. I have never seen a teacher as into his work as professor Soderland! :)

The most helpful teacher I probably have ever had. Will work with you in any way he can. Quizzes are easy, but test are essay and can be difficult.

He was a very helpful teacher! His lectures were fascinating. You could tell he really wants you to understand what he is lecturing about. His beard was amazing! Harness the power of the beard! I would really suggest taking his class. But if you aren't interested in history you may not like it! Love that guy! Sodiepop rocks!

The best prof. I ever had at ISU. Extremely caring and knows all his students personally. He is one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. Will help you anytime you need it. Class was very interesting. Loved every minute of the class. Dr. Soderlund is the funniest prof. at ISU ... hands down.

One of the best teachers I ever had. He was incredibly knowledgeable on the topic (the class was on Winston Churchill) and he was very passionate about the class too. Very fair. Highly recommended.

One of my favorite professors at ISU! Go to class everyday and take detailed notes! If you study them you will ace all of the tests. He offers a decent amount of extra credit. If you have trouble on the first test go in and speak w/ him he will be more than happy to help you out. A great & dedicated professor!

amazing teacher. he really cared about students and is not overly hard on grading. classroom is fun and he enjoys teaching. would definitely recommend him!

Not an easy class by any stretch of the imagination but Soderlund is a pretty good professor. He is a nice guy and will help you if you ask. I would recommend him.

Hard instructor who expects a lot, but is more than willing to help. Will answer any question in class to almost perfection. Soderlund is a genius. I have had 3 classes with him and enjoyed every one. Although there is a lot of work it is rewarding. Take him if you want a challenge.

I don't know why eveyone he being so hard on him. I really enjoyed him as a professor. He is very kind and caring towards his students. He is very lineate on due dates. If you ask him to push back a due date for a paper he will (it worked for my class at least). Yes, you have to earn you grade but it is rewarding.

OK never take what anyone says here seriously..Soderlund is one of the best profs here at ISU...as long as you show up to class on a regular basis you are basically handed the opp. for a free A he has EASY papers and he basically gives you a sheet of paper before exams with EXACTLY what is going to be on it.you'd have to be dumb as a rock to do bad

If you don't like professors who are witty, passionate, eccentric, or highly intelligent, trust me... you won't like him. Otherwise, taking a class from Soderland is really fulfilling and engaging. Text was boring but helpful, tests were essay format and easy if you paid attention.

I love this professor, he really does have a passion for European history and teaching. His classes are all lecture but as long as you attend class they tests are fairly easy. He gets very excited about the topic and I would take another class with him in a heartbeat!

Dr. Soderlund is one of the best professors I have ever taken at ISU. He is a very entertaining lecturer. Few professors know their content area as well as he does. If you have any interest with Winston Churchill you should take this course.

One of the most passionate, knowledgeable professors at ISU. He knows what he's talking about and his passion comes through in his lectures. Very helpful and nice and really wants to get to know you as a person. Fair grader on the essay tests. Gives out pop quizzes that are fairly easy. Show up to class and you won't need the book. It's worth it.

he is really engaging, you are always interested in what he has to say even if you don't care about the subject

Go to class every time so you don't miss his notes, and read the book. The tests are all essay. He knows a lot, and is a great teacher, but he kind of rambles and doesn't make a powerpoint or anything so you don't really know what to write down. Gives study guides before every test. Takes a long time to grade though, because they're all essay.

Literally obsessed with him! He is the best teacher I have ever had hands down. He is so intelligent and so passionate. Looks like a mad scientist with his hair which makes him that much better! I've taken 3 courses with him & LOVED them all. Take him!

Soderlund is the man! He knows what he is talking about and that is obvious. He is a great teacher and gives lots of feed back on tests. Go to class and you'll be fine.

Hes an amazing teacher and incredibly interesting to listen to. He knows what he is talking about and always tries to get his students involved. He is very kind and organized and you learn a lot! Take his class!

He is a really cool guy that looks like a caveman and gives clear lectures. Take him.

Dr. Soderlund is extremely knowledgeable and a great professor. Hes like the crazy old grandpa that everyone wishes they had. He is very understanding and will help out if you have any issues. Definitely one of my most favorite teachers here at ISU. Make sure you use the time allotted for tests and quizzes.

He was wonderful! His enthusiasm made me really want to learn and to be there every day. 3 essay exams: he expects effort in actually knowing what you're talking about, which I think is fair. In a big class, he makes an effort to know the students. Only drawback is that he gets behind in the syllabus often, but I'd still love to take him again.

Very enthusiastic about teaching and helping students. I've taken two of his classes so far, and though he never sticks to the schedule in the syllabus, he makes up for it a hundred times over. Definitely one of my favorite professors at ISU, 1010 would take again.

Great Professor! He gets so excited during lectures so you can really tell he's passionate about the subject. He loves when students ask questions and seem interested in class. He is kind of a hard grader. You'll have to study really hard for the tests (just midterm and final) and work hard on the papers, but the week to week work isn't difficult.

Dr. Soderlund loves what he does and you can tell by his amazing lectures. If you show up for class and write down what he says, you won't need the textbook. Essay exams but very easy because he gives you the questions beforehand.

Professor Soderlund is amazing! Love his lectures! Very passionate and knows his stuff. Attend lectures, take good notes, and go to the review sessions! There are 3 Exams all long essays and he assigns writing assignments throughout the semester. Very fair grader, but very particular, he likes thorough, clear, and precise essays.

Fascinating man and very intelligent. Class can be dry at times, especially if it's a morning class. Difficult grader - attendance policy can very easily hurt grade.

Great teacher! Goes on rants sometimes but if you're a history major you won't mind it. He's super helpful if you go in for office hours and is really personable. The only bad thing this that he hates computers and all kinds of technology so he doesn't post the grades on Reggienet, you have to go in to see your grade.

Awesome professor. Really passionate about his work. Tough grader for a 102 course, however it's manageable for any student who genuinely tries. Extra credit is offered. The quizzes are easy if you read. Grades exams tough but gives the essay questions out ahead of time.

He's one of my favorite professors. Very entertaining and generally cares. I had him for 3 classes and would choose him again.

A genuinely nice, caring guy who you can tell is very passionate about the material he is teaching. Expect to do a fair amount of reading, albeit not a ton. A few quizzes that are mostly multiple choice. Three tests which are all written tests. Fair grader from my experience. Would certainly take again.

Tough grader and tests are not easy but if you read and go to lectures you have no excuse to fail this class. He asks if people are confused and if you need help he will give it to you. Great teacher, lectures and books are very interesting.

While this is a lecture heavy class, he is very passionate and knowledgeable about the topics and makes it feel more like story time than lecture. Its all essay tests but the questions are given out before. There are a couple of papers on books but there is always a discussion day before the paper is due so that helps

Amazing lecturer, and very understanding when going through personal problems. Tests are all essays, however, this should be expected from a humanities class. Extremely knowledgable and very involved in his students learning. You have to go to class though, because there is no way you will pass if you don't.

Wish I could give this man 6 stars. Inspirational, respectful, totally invested in his work, and a deep, critical thinking professor. Certainly a brain. I looked forward to his classes and will miss them when I graduate. Go to the review sessions, and youll be fine. Hands down, favorite teacher at Isu

He's a bit odd, but that makes his class so great. Knows the material well but can get off topic easily. Takes class feedback into consideration for due dates. Graded on 2 written exams, 2 papers over books read, a paper over a film in class, and participation. Just read and ask questions about the material and you should be fine.

He's no doubt one the most knowledgeable people I've ever met. If you enjoy history at all you'll enjoy this class, he offers some great insights. They're pretty involved though, so be prepared to take solid notes. He's a pretty tough grader on his written exams, but nothing impossible and it's worth it for what you'll actually learn. Take him.

Great guy, talks very fast, he is insanely smart. be ready to take alot of notes in a short period of time.

I absolutely love Soderlund. He is super knowledgeable and so nice. He makes history so interesting. His tests are all essay tests. He talks super fast so be ready to write a lot.

Sturdy guy and really knows what he's talking about. Probably one of the smartest men I've ever met. I loved taking 102 with him; issue was that he didn't use a ReggieNet and exams were a bit of a struggle because they're in-class essays. Clear tone, passionate, very caring and down-to-Earth gentleman. Expects a lot from his students, but he's fair

He's a very smart and kind man. Interacts with students and learns everyone's names in a lecture hall of 100. Sometimes would go over time in lectures and wasn't afraid to tell you if you were wrong. You need to do the reading because the quizzes are based off of those. Doesn't use reggienet and lectures don't have powerpoints with them.

Dr. Soderlund is not everyone's cup of tea - he gives lectures with no powerpoints and doesn't use ReggieNet. That being said, his lectures are engaging and interesting. He has a way of "humanizing" the history. The exams are easy if you come to class and take good notes since he lets you know what will be on the exam in advance & prepare for it.

He doesnt use Reggienet so its not easy to find out what your grade is in the class. No powerpoints either. He gives amazing and very interesting lectures, but exams are all essays, not multiple choice. Overall enjoyed the class and would take a class with him again. The textbook is pretty cheap to rent, which is nice.

Dr. Soderlund is the best professor I've had so far at ISU, he is a gem. The way he teaches history, cracks jokes, and tells us about his life at the same time is super great. Dude brought in a giant poster of Stalin because he was talking about him during lecture that day. Sure, it's a hard class... it's college it's supposed to be hard.

Dr. Soderlund was a fantastic professor to have. Yes, there are lots of lectures, but this man knows everything, and really does a good job while lecturing. He keeps things interesting, and loves to share interesting facts. He will spend time to get to know you, and cares about you. He recently changed his test format, so his tests are not bad.

Professor Soderlund is an excellent professor. Initially, I had the chance to take his HIS 102 course. I enjoyed him as a teacher so much that I decided to take him again the following semester in his IDS 212. If you don't try, none of his courses will be easy. Get ready to have weekly readings and participate, but it's not hard at all to get an A.