Informative, helpful, and he speaks Greek.

It's like the guy says "If you don't know history, you don't know anything." Matthews is good prof, who backs up everything with all kinds of evidence and sources. Very into what he is teaching, which makes learning a lot easier. 2 Tests, and 4 short primary source reports. Tests were part scantron part essay. Gives study guide for tests too.

He had more entheusiasm for his area than any teacher I've ever encountered... In my opinion, the best teacher at UMD. I didn't even like history and I loved the class, he makes good jokes.

he's funny, i learned a lot, and i love him.

Dr. Matthews is a realy cool guy. He knows a ton and he's super enthusiastic. I had Dawn of Modern Europe with him and it was really interesting but it's really tough to get an A. You final grade = A midterm and a final, each worth 35%, 2 essays each worth 10% and the final 10% is attendance. I got a B but i think it was worth it.

He is one of the best teachers at UMD. He knows a lot, and is very passionate about history. I'm not a big fan of history, but his sense of humour really made the class bearable, and even enjoyable! If you have a chance, definitely take a class with Doc Matthews.

Dawn of Modern Europe, 4 weeks long. It was an awesome class. Very informative. I would highly recommend Doc for anyone even slightly interested in History. He is super knowledgeable and smart.

Doc Matthews is the best prof at UMD. He tells you that you shouldn't trust everything he says just because he is your professor. It is OK to question him. He's very helpful and keeps lectures extremely interesting.

Dr. Matthews brightens my mornings. Sure class is mandatory, but if you email him explaining why you will not be in class, it's usually fine. He knows SO much, and you can tell he loves what he does. Which makes classes a lot of fun, and easy to pay attention to. Tests aren't bad if you study whats on the study guide he hands out.

Class is manditory. He is a VERY funny teacher. Even though class was Dawn in Modern Europe, which is super boring, he sure knows how to make it fun. I always looked forward to class. Will take lots and lots of notes, but will only help come test time. He does offer extra credit but you NEED to ask. He wont just offer. Highly reccommended.

cool cat.

Doc Is Awesome! I have literally taken every class he teaches, but I keep coming back for more. His tests are hard and if you don't show up you are highly likely to fail, but if you're there, you pay attention, and you study you will learn a lot.

Smartest professor at UMD. Knows Latin and Greek, makes history interesting, and is hot.

This professor tries way too hard to be seen as funny. His courses might be a little boring if a morning class. Though, he is very knowledgable in what he teaches!

He is a great professor, extremely smart. He makes the subject more exciting and will go off topic. Tests are hard, but they are fair. Doesn't like textbooks becuase there wrong so tests (there are only 2) are mainly based off his lectures. Also posts slides online which are nice.

Dr. Matthews is a genius. He is extremely respectful of all opinions as long as they are backed up with credible evidence. He's very funny and brilliant in everything he teaches. I recommend that everyone takes his class. However, make sure you attend every day and take notes or tests will be an extremely unpleasant experience.

He is the best professor at UMD. He is very knowledgeable of the topics he teaches! He is also very respectful of opinions, if they can be backed up with evidence. Study hard in his classes and take notes. And even after 2 years of me not taking a class of his, he still talks to me. He genuinely cares about his students, even old ones. Great guy!

LOTS and LOTS of writing papers, lots of reading but if you go to class you don't really need to read, often gets off topic which can get annoying, but he knows his stuff

Matthews is a little bundle of fun who knows a lot about history and has a cool beard.

Brilliant professor and extremely helpful. Tests are hard, but they should be. Prepare to be challenged, step up, and enjoy the ride!

Awesome...just awesome...

Easily the best teacher at umd.

Awesome! Took a summer class with him, M-Th for about three hours. Hardly ever got bored. Tests are difficult, but if you know the material, you should have no problem. I'd love to take every class he teaches.

Dr Matthews should be required material for all liberal arts students. His History of Christianity class may be one of the best on campus, and he is honest and upfront about his own biases and beliefs but is incredibly respectful and serious in answering questions. It's a tough class, but you're doing yourself a disservice if you miss it.

The only good thing about UMD.

A very intelligent professor. I was disheartened by his venomous comments toward UMD though. Bitter, sarcastic, funny, and brilliant. Class was fair, based on his power points and lectures. Gave a study guide that helped quite a bit. DO NOT MISS his class though.

This was my favorite class of the semester. Matthews is easily my favorite prof and his class is fascinating. It is pretty hard and exam based. You also have to be there every night, the attendance policy is pretty harsh.

GO TO CLASS! Doc is an amazing professor, his class is well structured, hard, yet fair. He doesn't surprise you with trick questions on tests, and if you study what he tells you to you can pass pretty well. He is very sarcastic but he cares that you do well, even though he doesn't act like it. haha, very friendly and helpful

Matthews' class was primarily lecture based with a few discussions thrown in. Be prepared to write a couple of response papers to movies. Do NOT watch these movies only outside of class. Matthews provides good explanations and answered questions on the material of these movies. Good sense of humor helped break up lecture time as well.

Doc is the best professor at UMD. Take as many classes of his as possible. He is a god among men.

Dr. Matthews is by far the one of the most interesting professors at UMD. Gives a valuable study guide and is a very reasonable grader. however don't slack off in his class and be sure to attend class. Doc will blow your mind regardless of the course your taking with him.

Matthews is one of the most interesting professors at UMD. He offered so much more than I expected after reading the course description. Fantastic history of science professor. His papers and exams aren't the easiest but if you attend lectures and read the books assigned, you'll have no difficulties. I strongly recommend this course.

Dr. Matthews is by far one of my favorite professors. He keeps the lectures interesting as well as providing detailed information and clear explanations. Matthews is very straight forward on what is to be expected on tests and he doesn't include trick questions. Attendance is a must (miss a certain amount of classes and you will automatically fail)

He is a great Prof. He grades tough but fair. He makes things clear. He isn't capricious. His lectures are interesting and informative. He does not get offended easily like some profs. He likes to go on rants. I love a good rant but if you do not that will be a bummer. Also he does not get grades back or moodle updated too often. Pretty good TAs.

at the beginning of the course he said that after he wrote the final exam and took it he only got a B-. Which was not very nice to hear at the beginning of the course. He is an excellent professor and knows his stuff while still cracking jokes throughout class. Which fools you into thinking that the course is easy. Which it is definitely not.

I truthfully believe that Doc is the smartest human being I've ever met. He teaches with humor and logic and it's becomes this hyper-effective method that sticks with you if you pay attention. Class isn't hard if you can think for yourself and rely on primary sources.

Smartest guy I've ever meet, you can ask him anything.

Doc is a moderately tough teacher, history of science has a lot more science then his other classes so if that is a strong suit it will help you in the class. I got an A with a minimal science background. The paper def. take careful research so make sure you do that. Attending is also important. The class is fun with a lot of discussion.

Steve Matthews is such a great guy! I had him for my registration professor. He was so helpful that it made me want to take his class. I plan to take more of his classes. He makes class interesting because he is hilarious, and sometimes goes on rants about administration. His class is mostly lecture with only a few assignments and tests!

Professor Matthews or "Doc Matthews" is awesome. He's very funny and loves to go on rants! In the class, you have 4 short papers and the midterm and final. Be prepared to study, but Doc gives a study guide and provides you with the essay questions in advance. Definitely will try to take more classes with him!

In my opinion, Doc Matthews is arguably one of the best professors at UMD. His lectures are interesting, he knows a lot about the topic, and you can tell that he has a genuine interest in it which makes it easier to learn from. He definitely makes you work for your grade although he is there to help.

Doc was by far my favorite professor during my freshman year! Dawn of Modern Europe covers a lot of stuff, but he made it easy to learn and class was very entertaining. Do the reading, go to class, and you'll do just fine. Also expect him to come to class in costume.

Fantastic professor. Very smart and cares about students. Does everything in his power to ensure the students get as much as possible from his class. Show up, listen, and takes notes. Exams are lecture based. Gives out essay portion of exam ahead of time, and I would highly suggest writing it out ahead of time (50% of exam grade).

I had Dr. Matthews for the history of early Christianity. The class is very hard, the hardest history class I've taken. Matthews is very knowledgeable but his personality was a problem for me. I thought he was very arrogant and sometimes condescending about students' beliefs. He is also a very slow grader. His study guides aren't helpful.

A lot of people say he is a tough grader. In my opinion, hes completely fair and not nearly as bad as many people say. For history 1207, theres no textbook. Hes very real with the content. I definitely recommend going to class; although the notes are online, he is a VERY good teacher and youll probably enjoy yourself because hes hilarious.

He's a great prof. Lectures are very interesting and his papers are usually reasonable with the context. Go to class! If you do, you'll do great on exams. He's a very fair prof. The only issue I had was he's hard to reach outside of class and doesn't really update grades, so make sure to keep in touch with your TA!

I've taken HIST3038 - History of Christianity and HIST2345 - Science and Society with Prof. Matthews. No matter what class you take with him you will learn something new and you're views on the world will change. Exams (he gives you study guide before all) and writing assignments will make up your grade. Lectures required but always interesting.

Awesome Prof. Very knowledgeable. He'll challenge your views on a lot of historical things but his view is based on decades of research so even when hes arguing with you you'll learn a lot.

HIST 5905- Doc is amazing! It's by far the hardest class I have ever taken, but he is very good at covering the material and explaining higher concepts in a way you can understand. He's really passionate about what he does, and he know pretty much everything there is to know about history. He treats you like a person rather than his student. 10/10

Doc is a truly unique and inspirational human being. He's insanely smart and educated, with degrees in a wide range of subjects. He doesn't bore you to death, but rather improves lectures greatly with his historical humor, which is a lot more funny than it sounds. The content is difficult, so be prepared to study. But Doc Matthews is excellent.

Dr. Matthews is an absolutely amazing professor, his lectures are hilarious and make you actually care about the subject matter. His classes can be hard and you have to really work to get a good grade, but him and his TA's are always willing to help you and give you feedback on how to improve.

Prof Matthews is one of my favorite professors ever. You really have to work for a good grad and study a lot for exams, nothing will be handed to you. But this class will make you enjoy history more. He knows how to make people laugh during his lectures so class is enjoyable. He takes attendance periodically so it's important to be there.

Doc is not at his best in an online format, but he's trying, and he is willing to work with students to accommodate them. He's unreachable by email but when you get through you can understand why he's one of the better professors out there. Listen to his tangents during the lectures; they're actually fascinating.

Dude is like an encyclopedia, most engaging class ever; ask questions.

He is a great teacher and his lectures are filled with lots of information and he tells great stories. That being said, the written assignments and tests can be quite difficult. If you're not a history buff it may be a bit difficult.

Dr. Matthews has done a lot of research in his time and is open and honest about his opinions and interpretations. He has really had an impact on my view and the way I view things. Ive been graduated for 7 years now and still think about how thankful I am that he was a professor of mine.

I have taken two classes with Doc Mathews now, HIST 3038 and 1207. I have enjoyed both of the classes and Doc. Papers are the most common form of homework given, like most history courses, if you read the required sources it should be fairly easy to answer the given topics. He is really good about getting back to students in a timely manner.

He knows what he is talking about. He is very intelligent .

Best prof ive had at UMD, ask questions and he will answer them. he tells great stories that are mostly all relevnt to the topic and really cares about what hes teaching, if you read the books you will be able to write the papers easy. great great class to take super interesting and it really shows how much he likes the topic. hes an encyclopedia

Matthews is the greatest professor I've ever had. His lectures are amazing, but that's the only information you get in the class. Go to the lectures, ask questions, and go to his office hours whenever you get the chance, he loves talking with his students. If you can demonstrate clear reasoning for your arguments on the papers you'll get an A.

This is a man who will always tell you what he wants and will make clear that if you did not read what he assigned he made very clear what you should have done. Also though he will give you an option to make up for your previous mistake. Also amazing presentations and lectures a real inspiration.

Doc Matthews is a brilliant, knowledgeable teacher of history. His lectures are very insightful and entertaining; and he gives great feedback when it comes to grading essays.

This was the best class I have ever taken! Doc Matthews is INCREDIBLY intelligent and provides extensive background on the history of Christianity. He is also highly accessible during office hours and cares deeply about his students, so take time to get to know him. You will need to work very hard -- this is not an easy A (tests weighed heavily).

Doc is seriously the best professor I've had. He cares about what he teaches and he wants his students to think for themselves. Go to his office hours and ask him about any questions you have and you will be sure to pass. DOME was truly awesome because of him.

Show up to class. Have a pulse. Be able to read a little bit. I'm dumb and am probably pulling an A- right now. Just show up willing to listen to what Matthews is saying, even if it doesn't seem too relevant at the moment. It almost always has a deeper meaning that will be helpful. He's VERY willing to help and is easily accessible.

Doc Matthews is super awesome and passionate about what he is talking about. The lectures do get a bit tangential, but they're fun nonetheless. If you keep up with the readings and pay attention in class, you'll do fine.

Dr. Matthews seems like he is gonna destroy your papers at first, but he is probably one of the best teachers to learn from. He provides detailed information on your papers to help you make a good paper, he is always willing to provide you with very thoughtful and detailed information to any question, and a really humorous and joyful guy.

Dr. Matthews is a great professor. I had him during undergraduate and he was a major reason why I continued onto graduate school. Always willing to help out. He presses students because he wants them to learn and develop skills.

His classes are hard to follow along with if you have trouble paying attention. Overall, professor matthews is great at what he does and you can tell how passionate he is about history. The tests are hard but if you study you should be fine. There were 3 different papers, all of which differed from each other but laid the groundwork for the next.