Makes the class enjoyable and tells stories which keep you entertained. By far one of my favorite teachers at RU.

Very engaging, interesting class!!

Lectures the whole time, but he is funny and makes class enjoyable. Try and make it to all the classes, lots of notes to take. Very good teacher though.

Great teacher and great guy

Ok class. If you take this class with him, be prepaired to take essay exams and stuff. And READ THE BOOK!

You have to pay attention .. all the tests are from the class and they are mostly essay. not too hard tho... he makes class fun and hes an awesome guy

Lectures the whole time but makes it very clear, haven't even opened the book and got an A on his midterm. Gives interesting novels to read too.

He is an awsome teacher for history. Didnt even buy the book, go to most but not all classes. All of test are short answer/essay but are easy questions, and everythign comes from the lecture.

I'm a history major and I think he is a great teacher. Dr. Straw has a good sense of humor, tests aren't bad if you study and come to class, and he really makes it interesting, even for people who don't like history.

I love this guy

I love Dr. Straw. He is a really funny, nice, approachable person. His class is test straight from his lectures. His test are really easy if you go to the classes, so go even though there is no attendance policy. love him and hes hot.

He's really amusing, and absolutely LOVES his work. It's an easy A if you read the book and go to lecture.

awesome teacher!!! loves what he does. kinda boring at times but hes funny so it lightens the load a little. tests arent hard if you study.

Really interesting class, I hate school but he makes it fun to learn about everything and the tests are fairly easy if you read the chapters

no attendance policy. no homework. just straight quiz/test from his lectures that are funny. not hard dont even really need to study just a quick review of notes and its an easy class. and he is hot and funny.

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Great teacher, good lectures. You do need to study and take notes though, some of his tests are a little hard. Its a great class though.

Class can be challenging for some people. Because it's a survey he has to kind of rush through the material. Be aware NOT to take the multiple choice tests. Take the essay tests, so much easier. Very intelligent teacher though.

Can be boring at times but as long as you take notes and read for the tests, and look at maps and pictures for quizzes, than you're fine. He's funny and nice. You only have tests and quizzes. no homework

He tells history like it's a story, it's so much fun. I honestly can't believe other students said he's boring, he is the best history professor I've had.

I never dreamed I would be a History major, but after taking him fall semester of freshman year, guess what I'm studying? Take him, he's awesome!

Pretty good teacher. Lectures are somewhat disorganized, never wrote on the board just sit on the desk and talked. Pretty modest guy, wrote a few books on history but you never heard him talk about it in class. Tests can be a little difficults at times but if you make an attempt to study you'll be fine.I never read the book just took notes got a B.

He was my professor one summer, and I really enjoyed his history class. The way he talks about it, I learned a great deal about American History, to a very extended detail. It definitely made me remember things more easily at times of exams/essays.

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Pretty easy, lectures are a little all over the place, but just take notes, and study those, and you'll be fine !

his lower level courses can be trying at times, but he is awesome in his appalachian history course! he was probably my fave while at radford.

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I Love his class so much! I acutally look foward to going. He makes history alot of fun. He does make you take alot of notes though!

AMAZING!!! If you can take him then I would suggest it. Not only does her cancel class, but when you go its not that bad!!!! I loved him and wish I was a history major just to take mroe classes from him. TAKE HIM!!!

he is a very smart and interesting prof. It is enjoyable to go to his classes to just listen to him lecture, which is rare. Take him. Essay tests, no attendance policy but you need to get the notes to do well on tests.

Very interesting class. Pretty easy but you have to go to class.

great professor. really interesting; knows his stuff; i love his lectures--they are so easy to follow and just interesting to listen to. he was always prepared and he has a great sense of humor. Very nice to look at too.

Wonderful Professor.......History became an interesting story that I wanted to go back to again and again. It was kind of like watching a soap opera...you couldn't wait until next time to find out what was going to happen.

Dr. Straw has a love for history and he is an incredibly easy teacher. However, be prepared for a good amount of reading and note taking in his classes. The only thing I wish he would do when he grades papers is to write some suggestions and comments, so that you know why you got the grade you did. Sometimes he acted like he didn't care.

He is an amazing teacher. More than willing to help students after class or during office hours. You must go to class because there isn't a text book. His lecture are so engaging. If you take a history make sure you get him!

I believe Mr.Straw knows what he is talking about and relates it to the class very well. The people who left negative comments simply don't understand his funny, sarcastic nature and, yes, sometimes he gets frustrated with students but it's only because we mess up on directions.There are few writing assignments and the ones you have are fairly easy

here is what you need to do in order to get a good grade: go to class, take notes, review the study guide and your notes before a test. thats it really. his lectures do get boring sometimes, but as long as you go and take notes on them you will get an A. if you like interacting with your professors dont take him.

Dr. Straw is an awesome professor! You are expected to take notes from lecture so pay attention! If you need him to he will look over your notes to make sure you're on the right track. Exams are not cumulative and he gives you a study guide of what you need to know.Dr. Straw is very approachable and encourages you to ask questions.

I loved Dr. Straw when I took intro History. While the lectures were long, they were full of interesting facts if you were smart enough to listen for them. He's very funny and sarcastic at times, but the important part is to TAKE NOTES! The exams comes right from them. I can't wait to go to Ireland with him this summer!!

Dr. Straw is a great professor and I love his class. He is really interesting and loves his job. Take notes and go to class and you'll do fine. Really helpful and funny. Not hard to look at either!

Good teacher. Loves to lecture but its not a boring lecture. He gets into his teaching and can answer any question you have. Always willing to help. I personally never used the book, everything comes from the lectures.

People that dis Dr. Straw are idiots who just don't study and then expect to get a good grade. Learning from his lectures is fun. Great teacher and very nice too. Loved his class. Highly recommend him. don't listen to people who say he is boring or unfair. They are the problem not him. Take his classes.

Great teacher. Lectures for the majority of class, and there is not much interactivity. However, his lectures are actually fun. I had a great time in his class and he is always willing to help his student. His tests are simple and straight forward if you review your notes. Wonderful History teacher. Take him if you get the opportunity

For everyone who says that hes a horrible teacher and is boring, then maybe if you actually paid attention then you'd enjoy it. I love this class. Im not a history buff at all but he makes history fun. He gets off track sometimes but overall is a great teacher. Exams are pretty easy, just TAKE NOTES and skim chapters youll be fine.Go to class=pass

Dr. Straw is awesome. He may drag on with his lectures, but you learn alot from them if you just listen. The Community Study project we did was awesome, I learned so much about Appalachian culture! Dr. Straw is very sarcastic and before class, talks to the class and makes us all laugh. I love Dr. Straw and would definitely recommend him to others.

love this guy! he's easy to understand and if you pay attention in class you'll do great on the test! people who say it's hard are obviously crazy. just skim the pages he emails you to read before the test and listen to him. it's a great class! and easy to pass. and i HATE history!

Although he may be a little boring if you take it in the morning, who isnt. I stopped reading whole chapters after the first few weeks, if you jus go over what he sends you in the email before each test, pay attention or take good notes you could get good grades on his tests

Dr. Straw is really cool. He's really sarcastic during lecture but very clear. Your only grades come from four exams.

He is a beast teacher. If you read the assignments and take notes in class you will get an A. Also, if he gives you that online module do it, it boosted my grade and helped on the tests.

Professor Straw has a passion for History, so he is really easy to learn from. If you go to every class, and take notes, you'll do fine. He uses images from the time period you're discussing, which helps visualize. Its very much a lecture class, but he's funny and keeps your attention. I would highly recommend taking his class.

Dr. Straw is such a good professor. He does nothing but lecture, but he is very smart and knows what he is talking about. Most days he tries to lighten the mood by cracking a joke. All grades come from 4 exams. Test are not hard as long as you come to class, take notes, and study. Great professor!!

I took Straw's honors history. He graded the tests pretty tough, but as long as you write thorough essays, you will do well. He didn't lecture much in the honors class, it was mostly discussion... be ready to talk!! Overall, however, he is a good professor and listens to the opinions of his students when it comes to tests.

Professor Straw is a really nice guy and tries to e funny sometimes, it is entertaining! The class is SO EASY if you just read along with the chapters. The book comes with an online program, called connect, that has practice quizzes that are similar to the actual quiz. Definitely would recommend.

Dr. Straw keeps the class interesting. But you must take good notes, or you'll fail. The tests are challenging - and those are your only grades. But at the end of the semester if you attend class regularly he'll give you extra credit opportunities

Go to class. Listen to lectures. Read through chapters before test. Great professor. Actually cares about the class, so attendance to him is important. It may not seem like it but he does care about your grade, don't hesitate to email him for help.

The guy is really knowledgeable and comfortable teaching. Real stickler for attendance, but most of the tests are based 80% on class notes. E-Book could be very useful, I just didn't bother with it. Fun class, easy enough, learned some cool stuff I didn't know, got an A. Highly recommended for a history class

This class was great! He doesn't take attendance but that doesn't mean you can skip lectures. Reading is very important; some test questions he doesn't lecture about. Tests are essay based, and timed. Lectures bring a humorous twist to the information we've all been learning about since the sixth grade. He's engaging, and funny!

Straw is a great professor, and I am very interested in history, but his lectures always seem to drag on because he repeats himself a lot and doesn't really get to the point most of the time. His tests are pretty easy if you show up to class and take good notes. When I walk out of the room, I always understand what we just talked about.

He is a caring professor and will try and work with you as much as possible. His class is hard but, it is worth it in the end.

Very clear cut, funny professor. Loose attendance policy but make sure you follow it.

Great professor if you are interested int history. Everything he puts on his tests come straight from the lectures. He has a strict attendance policy so dont skip. He doesnt put his lectures online so dont expect that. He has a dry humor and uses that throughout his letures. Also dont be distruptive or rude.

Course focuses more on the feelings of immigrants than stats/history. You need to buy all five books. Write-ups due every week. Loads of major assignments given in the last couple weeks (book report, presentation, research paper). midterm and final exam, written, no clear rubric. Expect to have last minute assignments emailed to the class.

Dr. Straw has a good sense of humor and is friendly to everyone. Attendance is not mandatory, but if you skip you won't pass! He requires a lot of reading which requires a couple essays throughout the semester. Tests are lengthy and require essays as well. Be prepared to study, take LOTS of notes, and stay on top of the reading.

Nice guy, but lectures are boring if not into history. No powerpoint, just talks and lectures for whole class. He talks about the same things for a long time so you don't even take that many notes in class. You can easily get B's and A's on his tests if you study. 1 online homework assignment a week that takes like 30 min. Gotta go class. No D2L.

Dr. Straw clearly knows his material, but his tenure and age seem to take away from his teaching; Dr. Straw just seems happy that people are listening to him, thus class discussions often veer off-topic and assignments can seem sporadic (both in expectations and when/how they are assigned). He is a very easy grader and will work with his students.