Great teacher, funny stories, not too hard of a class. I really reccomend him.

Great lecture, right off the top of his head, easy to work with.

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Good teacher, but pays attention to sligthest mundane details. Better know who "Turnip Turner" was. Watch out for TA's

I had professor Smythe a couple of semesters ago and thought he was pretty good. All you have do do is listen to his lectures and take good notes from them and study. He adds more than just a textbook story of history. He is bias toward the british, but c'mon he's british:what do u expect!?

just take really good notes and go to the TAs office hours. the questions can get kind of random though

Smythe's tests without a doubt hard and impossible if ypu don't study. Hist notes are great and adds lots more than just the textbook view. Sit towards the front of the class for more participation. Just very interesting lecturer in general.

he's a great teacher, i learned a lot and really enjoyed the class. but, the tests are very very hard and i don't think he gives any A's (so far i haven't met any1 who got an A w/ him), but the bad grade is worth the learning

Good teacher. Got the info across to someone who's terrible at history... he actually made it interesting.

I think the problem the other students that commented on Smythe had is that they essentially look for classes where they don't have to do work to get an easy A. They think that because this is a big history class in a lecture center that it should be easy, when in fact it is, if you put a minimal amount of effort into it, smythe is a really nice guy, the tests are fine if you study the night before, everyone needs to chill.

uggghh...the class is hard, however, he mostly just lectures from the textbook...so you might be able to get away with signing in then leaving..his tests are HARD if you don't read..overal a wicked nice guy...do your evil person paper well, it's an easy A and will help you're overall class grade...he does curve

Cool guy, smart, likes to go off on a lot of tangents. I was lost at first but once you get use to his teaching style its all good. The test are super easy too. The paper wasnt too bad either hes a pretty easy grader. He took attendance so take this class if you arent going go. But overall it was a pretty good class. Its an easy B+ at least.

Taught right out of the textbook and bores everyone to death but this class was so easy! He is extremely helpful when you talk to him outside of class and he is a really nice guy. The tests were very easy. He takes attendance so go to class and you'll do fine.

I don't know why everyone is giving Prof. Smyth such a hard time. maybe it depends on what class you take with him, but so far he has been relatively easy. He enjoys the subject matter and lets us watch movies to supplement the material. 2 easy quizzes, 1 short research paper, 1 midterm and 1 final.

He is very fast in explaining thing but he knows what he is talking about and I like him a lot. He's really helpful and he's so funny. It's a hard class but if you go and read the book you should be fine.

I could not stand him. I dropped the class about halfway through it. I asked him how he graded people: he couldn't answer me, he said he just gets a feel for our performance, he also said and I quote "I am loath to give straight As," which really was the last straw. I've never met him and I hope I never have to again.

Very interesting professor. If you like history, you will like his class. Not a lot of outside work required except some "recommended" textbook reading and a term paper. Midterm was easy as long as you know your stuff.

He teachers his class like a college class not a high school class, most freshmen find this hard thats why he gets a low rating. hes a very easy teacher and gives a gpa booster of an essay if you did bad on the midterm or final, He just stands in front of the class and talks. If you have an interest in history it is an easy A

Should probably spend more time on review before tests (or create a more helpful review than whizzing thru topics in 55 mins). I'm a good student-I study & pay attention in class. But I only got in the 70s range on my midterm and final. Paper was easy and a definite GPA boost. Nice guy, answers your questions.

Brilliant guy, knows his subjects inside and out. Make sure you go to class and take good notes because he curves based on attendance. You will need that curve because the tests are IMPOSSIBLE. The essay does help alot though with the GPA.

Easy class. Very laid back. No slides, just lecture. Sometimes you have to read the book, not really a difficult course. Two online quizzes are administered and they're quite easy if you look answers up online. Gen-eds go for it, history majors/minors definitely a must take!

Easy class. Very laid back. No slides, just lecture. Sometimes you have to read the book, not really a difficult course. Two online quizzes are administered and they're quite easy if you look answers up online. Gen-eds go for it, history majors/minors definitely a must take!

Prof. Smyth is really good, and hes Australian. He let us hand in stuff late a lot and didnt penalize, and one of my papers was a week late. He def knows his stuff and is a very cool guy. Take this class as a gen-ed, 4 papers 2 online quizzes. Sounds demanding but the papers are so easy and very general so just go to class.

I dont understand why Prof. Smyth has gotten such bad reviews. Hes an older guy, hes very laid back, and never takes off points for late work. I missed a deadline for a blackboard quiz and he just extended it for me and let me take it late. One of the best all around professors ive had thus far, take this class! Theres 4 papers but theyre easy.

He's brilliant, and knowledgeable of US and European history as well as world history which is what you go over in Tech. There are four papers, keep a steady, but and you'll get the full 20 points, even if you don't and you write above average, you still get a good score. You need three books and do practice your research skills, you'll need it.

Dr. Smyth is just an awesome professor. He has slides for this class on Blackboard, but make sure to take some notes. Has review session where he gives all the questions on the exam (LOOK THEM UP AT ALL COSTS). Shows movies/music pertaining to material. He's English, not Australian, btw. Still, his accent's cool and he's just really chill.

If you show interest in the material it feels like he's just talking to you in the class. The textbook is boring but all 4 tests are directly based from it which means nothing Smyth says is on any of the exams because he paraphrases for you. Online exams should be done in groups rather than alone.

If one is a mature well read adult, his classes are a breeze and fun. Pay attention and show some interest and he is there to help. Any complaints are from those that are lazy or have a chip on their shoulder. He is very even handed and is knows Islamic culture, unless the student is looking for an excuse as to why they did poorly.

Professor Smyth is a brilliant man.I found his lectures to be both insightful and informative. He expects quality work from students when submitting written assignments, so don't be afraid to look outside the proverbial box and beyond conventional historical wisdom for your thesis. Make sure you edit- he was better at grammar than my Eng. prof.!