Great teacher. Class is interesting and he uses good stories and visuals. Made class enjoyable.

Good professor. Used lecture, powerpoints, video, and handouts. Make sure you read the book for class quizzes.

hooked me up

He knows his stuff! Interesting teacher. One of the best at GRCC.

He is the man! Great teacher! Extremely helpful. READ THE MATERIAL!! Otherwise you will not do well. He's a really funny guy and easy to talk to. Loved him.

enjoyed the zinn book, keep up with the reading

Great guy, very funny and informative. The reading is very dry and is the whole grade for the most part. He has a tendency to go off on off-topic tangents despite being interesting... this chewed a lot of class time for related matters. I wouldn't take this class if you have a heavy class load like I did, very hard to keep up.

Do the readings and always get the answers for the quizzes

Why didn't I learn any of this in high school? Class really opened my eyes to what is going on in America today.

Glad I took the class. Good sense of humor. Quizzes over every reading. He does a great job of linking current events to make the history relevant.

Great sense of humor-- very dry. This is my second class with him. Keep up with the work and you'll do fine. Always do the readings!

Enjoyed the class. Class not that hard if you kkep up with the work. He loves quizzes so do the readings.

Great class if you want a deeper insight into history. This was a survey class so students expecting depth of topics is a laugher. His "busywork" consists of reading notes, class notes, keeping all work so students get points for doing the work they should be doing anyway. Overall one of the best classes I've had at GRCC.

enjoyed the way he taught the class. If you do not earn an A you are a slacker.

great class. Keep up with the work and it will be easy. He does cover a lot of material but most of it is worth knowing. I see the world much differently after taking this course.

Very sensible teacher. If you are willing to put in the work you will do well in the class. However if your expecting an easy A you won't find it. He makes you think and installs a lot of knowledge by the way he teaches.

Awesome instructor. Keep on top of reading and take good notes in class - those are key to getting a good grade. Daily quizes are negligible, spend more time studying for the exams as they're a larger chunk of your grade. Tons of opportunities for extra credit - take advantage of them and you'll be over 100% early in the semester.

Amazing class; great teacher. might take it again to learn more about usa

Waht more can I say-- 102% percent final grade A. Listen to him and do what he says and you will be stunned how easy the course is-- don't listen and follow directions and good luck.

This guy makes you think about politics. I liked him from the get go, if you put forth effort he will give you a 4.0. Makes learning about politics very interesting, would love to take his class again, one of my favorite teachers! Exams are just recycled questions from the quizzes so try to get everything right!! Thanks Mr. Sawall!!

LISTEN IN CLASS! This teacher is very one sided. when you ask questions he will make you feel like you opinion does not matter. Do the work, all of it or you will fail. Never miss a class or you will get way to far behind. Put in the effort and you will do just fine!

So many ways to earn an A in this class. Keep on top of the work, avoid the dwarfs,and do what he says and you'll go far above 90%.

Nice person. If you do all the work that he asks you to do(notes, portfolio, etc.) you can do well in the class. I did bad on every exam and I still got an A just by doing the work that goes along with the class. He also provides lots of extra credit.

Best teacher at Portage Northern! Either you love the man or you hate him. If you have a whitty sense of humor, and play his games, you will get an 'A.' This man is not for the weak hearted. He will challange your opinon on everything, and he loves to play Devil's Advocate. If you challenge him, it makes his day. Love the man!

Great prof. Good sense of humor loves the subject. Really passionate about making politics relevant even though I hate politics. Seems some hate the idea of graded Cornell notes but they helped me get better and faster at reading the text. Overall a great class

So many ways to get a great grade in this class. Great class-- just don't 7 dwarf.

Passion for topic makes class great. One of the best profs I've had at grcc. Don't be one of the bewildered herd, take his class.

Easy A

It would be difficult not to get an A in his class. He isn't an amazing teacher, but he knows a lot about the subject, and gives you lots of extra credit opportunities. He recycles all the same questions from quizzes for tests, making them super easy. He is a pretty funny teacher.

He didn't make the class hard to pass if you show up, do work, and pay attention you will do well. He gives opportunities to raise your grade if need be and his lectures and films were interesting.

Organized class. Made it easy to earn an A if you keep up and follow directions. Grades all work done like reading and lecture notes you have to take in cornell style. I got much better and faster at reading and the notes during class so.... Made class interesting. Recommend this class.

Great instructor- made topic interesting. Makes you take notes in his style and read the book but listen to his tips on doing this and you will learn to be ruthlessly efficient- his favorite saying- and get better. Cornell style notes are much better than my old method- random- I now use them for all my classes. Thumbs up.

If you aren't a great test taker, always opportunities to pass by doing some extra credit. There is no reason not to pass if you take the Cornell notes, answer the questions, and read your chapters. Achieving a passing grade is attainable if you put in the effort.

Great teacher, one of the best I've had at Grcc. Great lectures w films and readings taught me way more than I got in high school. Offers many ways to earn points besides just exams. All in all a great teacher to take.

Great class. Sawall made it easy to do well. I earned over 100% in class. Just follow directions and you will do well. Lectures a lot but I learned a lot from them. He has a wicked dry sense of humor. Tip- keep up with the assigned readings and notes and you will do well

Loved the guy. Passionate about the topic, funny, and all around great class.

Lets you redo assignments if not done to his standard. Makes you take Cornell notes and reading but they really helped me get better and faster at reading assignments- have to read and take notes on textbook. Solid class.

Not a slacker class but I enjoyed it. Made the class easy to do well.

Earned over 100% in class. Do the portfolio- lecture notes, reading notes,etc- and you will do well. Exams are multiple choice and straight off the review sheets. Lectures were interesting but the secret to the class is to talk to him if you are struggling on anything. He helped me big time on the notes.

Great sense of humor. looked forward to class but makes you read textbook and take cornell notes. Exams were not too bad. Make sure you meet with him numerous times about the research paper, it will be much easier to do.

great history lectures, I learned so much. class was clearly laid out w one research paper and grades notes, reading and lecture- must be cornell style but easy to do and i started using this in all my classes. all in all a great class.

Guy was a little off his rocker but that made class interesting, had agood laugh about once a week. class may not always be informative or helpful but it was always interesting

Sawall was hilarious and made class interesting. He drove some students nuts by always playing devils advocate with their responses. Grading and assignments are unique but youll be pleasantly surprised with with a stress free high grade. Wish all profs graded like he does.

Really enjoyed class. I earned over 100% in class. Assignments were the usual with a research paper. Exams were online and multiple choice. Overall, I thought he was passionate an interesting to listen to. Loved the vest every day look. He was super willing to work with me when I needed extra time for a few assignments.

Enjoyed class and lectures. Course work was straight forward, portfolio w lecture and reading notes, exams were online, there was a semester long research paper. This course will require 3-4 hours outside of class each week to stay on top of things- unless you are ruthlessly efficient, Sawall's favorite saying.

Prof. Sawall, while very old school in his teaching style, is not a bad professor. He is a very easy grader. Does require Cornell Note style for readings and lectures, but you are allowed to use any notes you take on the tests. 3 tests for the semester. His overall demeanor makes you feel like you can't talk to him, but give him a chance. He cares.

The dude is definitely intersting and a little crazy too. Honestly that's what made the class something to look forward too. He used a lot of sarcasm and I could never tell if he was serious. However, it was a very easy class to pass and I overall recommend this professor.

Powerpoint lecture driven class but their interesting. Grade made of required cornell notes =reading- from textbook- and lecture note + 3 exams but you can use your notes on them so they were not difficult-- if you took the notes. There is a semester long research paper so make sure to choose a non boring topic + meet w him about the paper often.

Honestly, I loved this class and this professor. Lectures can be a bit boring, but he gives a short break halfway through, which helps kind of reset everything. Grading was clear and very lenient. One of the easiest yet interesting classes I've ever taken. Extra credit is given easily and casually.

Lecture can be relatively boring at times and Cornell notes are required, but overall one of the easiest classes to pass and very lenient grading

Best professor I've had so far. Clear expectations and his lectures were a blast. I learned about Cornell notes which I probably would've never heard of unless he instructed about them. Very straight forward class except for the Individual Research Project. The project was easy for me since I'm okay at writing, but may be difficult for others.