Dr Alter is a very nice professor and cares about his students. If you go to him and ask for any advice or help he will be very nice and more than willing to help. His test are all writing, there are 3 and 2 writing assignments. Small pop quizzes over the reading materials. His tests are tough, but overall he really is passionate about history

History at TXST is already hard enough and the first history course 1310 i took a different prof. and she was the worst. Dr. Alter is totally the choice to go, he doesn't use powerpoint which you may think sucks but you actually learn the things on the exam without having to memorize it. If I could redo it I wish i would've taken Dr. Alter for 1310

I took Dr. Alter for 1310 and returned for his 1320. History is not easy! I would've given the class a difficulty level of 4 or even 5 if it were not for Dr. Alter. You will go through shell shock the first few classes but his method of teaching will soon serve you well. Do your job and you will not be unhappy with him. Sit up front people!

I dropped 1310 with Duffy, and took Alter the next semester. Did WAY better on my exams, smaller class in TMH, he only does vocal lectures, so you have to listen to what hes talking about, I kept the textbook open during class Incase I got lost, made a B. Go to the SI sessions and see the TI after the test for better feedback. Exams are written.

I liked his lectures and learned a lot about the country. If someone were to ask me about something random like "What were the 1950's like?" I could confidently answer and give a list of events. I can't say the same for 1310, despite still liking Glass. His grader was way too anal about the ID terms, but that is beyond Alter's control. Reasonable.

it is a writing intensive course. He does in-class pop quizzes for participation. Tests have vocab and an essay based solely off his lectures and the book. He is super nice, easy to talk to and genuinely cares about the success of the students.

He's a great prof, does not use power point, just talks, but still gives you relevant information. MAKE SURE YOU DO THE ASSIGNED READINGS. I would've gotten an A if I just would have read, because he will give you a pop quiz in class over what you read. Writing intensive, but he's a decent grader. Highly recommend him.

Such a good professor. I wouldn't listen to the comments from people in his 1320 class, intro classes say very little about how good a professor is. You can tell he knows what he's lecturing about and cares about his students. I love that he requires interesting books instead of textbooks.

The classes were a bit boring because of his lecture, especially due to his lack of information on his powerpoints. Your grade is based on 2 papers, 2 tests (not including the final), and pop quizzes over the reading. However, I would say that this is class is pretty easy. I was able to make A's on all tests and papers due to specificity of content

Dr. Alter means well & is very knowledgeable, but his lectures were really hard to sit through. If only he could make better powerpoints. I think it would really help the visual learners in his classes. Doesnt grade much himself. Test & paper heavy only a few quizzes. Attendance counted. Readings on TRACS but does require 3 books read

His lectures can be a bit confusing b/c he has the tendency to bounce around time lines and sometimes rant. HOWEVER, he always encourages questions and will repeat important facts. The TA is also very helpful and cares about the students. The butthurt people who wrote negative reviews most likely skipped class a lot and did not try.

hes not an amazing professor but he was chill im taking him again because i know what to expect. Hes not hard at all but you have to put in the work and you have to show up for lecture and he does have about 5 pop quizzes and drops one. He is very mono toned but hes nice and will repeat things

Dr. Alter is a real sweet guy! His class is very lecture heavy, but as long as you show up and jot down some notes, you will pass. His class is hard to fail. There are a few pop quizzes, but they are not hard. He is a chill professor and loves history. I got him for 1310, but I chose him for 1320 because I knew what to expect. I enjoyed his classes

Dr. Alter's teaching style as a labor historian makes this class much more interesting. I honestly feel that I'm a better person for having taken it; definitely much more informed. My only warning is to make sure you follow the grading criteria. Don't assume they know what you're talking about. You need to act like you're teaching someone else.

If I could, I would take his class 1000x over. I have never had a more informative history class than the one I took with Dr. Alter. I was downright shocked to learn a lot of the things we went over. I usually despise history classes but this ended up being my favorite course I took the entire semester. TAKE GOOD NOTES! He talks fast.

TAKE THIS PROFESSOR! His class does take effort to get an A but if you attend the lectures, take good notes, and do some studying outside of class (I formed a study group) you will get an A. His class made me change my minor to history bc he teaches the subject so well and is obviously passionate about it.

TAKE HIM. He cares so much and gives so much detail about everything. Just make sure you know how to take good notes because he doesn't have lecture notes. His assignments are so easy, got high A's on all but one and procrastinated till the last possible second. Just do the really easy readings before class and GO TO CLASS and you're golden.

Dr. Alter truly cares about history and I admire how much effort he puts into making you aware of the entire story. I did not have a great experience with my TA however as they gave little explanation for the grade received. Attendance places a huge roll in the class as it is mandatory and there are many pop quizzes.

Hes amazing! His lectures are heavy with information but not all the information needs to be written. He gives the important terms at the beginning. He is funny, makes the class interesting and his passion for history is evident. Pretty easy class just gotta study for the exams because of the many terms.

This class is very difficult. The tests and essays make up most of your grade but attendance & quizzes are each 10%. The tests were easy to study for imo & he provides a study guide before each test. Prof Alter made this class really interesting and taught me stuff I still remember. I really enjoyed his teaching strategy & lectures.

Hes really nice and cares about the material hes teaching. Its all lecture so you cant skip and you need to take good notes. He will tell you what you need to take notes over and gives you study guides so you dont have to worry and write every word. He doesnt require a ton of reading. Its not a hard class if you put the effort in

Professor Alter does have heavy lectures, if you take notes and study them you will do fine on the exams. As long as you do your readings you will do great on pop quizzes. Lectures are a bit boring, but he provides all the info for exams. He is very understanding and will work with you.

This class was pretty okay, 3 book reviews, a few very easy quizzes, a midterm and a final. All written on paper except the book reviews. Trust me and study hard for the midterm and final, I studied for a week for both and it paid off. Didn't pay attention to his lectures, they were super long. Attendance counts for a lot so make sure you go

Lectures are mostly good, but can drag. Good note-taking is essential if you want to have sufficient material to do well on the mid-term and final. There are a few quizzes and book reviews you need to do during the semester. The mid-term and final are graded on how thoroughly you can explain the terms/question. Good, but difficult class.

Really great professor who is funny and very open minded to discussions. His classes are very lecture heavy with only photos for slides. The two test taken are graded heavily and a lot of writing for the 3 book reports and 1 research paper.

Alter is a very cool person. His lectures are very dense but he focuses on interesting aspects. I've had him for a required and upper-level class. In both, he gave us ID terms and short answer questions. He provided what to look for during the lectures at the beginning and gave us 2/3 of the short answer questions ahead of time. Focus on the terms.

Dr. Alter is so based. Great lectures that balanced political biases with factual reality. One thing I really appreciated was his effort to relate historical events to current events, making historical events more accessible. Tests are hard, so study. Attendance is mandatory too. There are occasional pop-quizes, but he telegraphs them.

Starts class giving ID Terms to look out for during lecture. Terms will be on the study guide/exam. Detailed study guide for each exam that includes ALL possible ID terms + ALL possible essay question prompts. Gives office hours to go over study guide + tell you directly what you're missing to ensure an A. Study guide + office hours is full proof

I studied and learn about history in my spare time but somehow kept failing the exams. He gives pop quizzes on readings so be prepared always. Great lecturer and very passionate and knowledgeable about what he's teaching.

History courses at Texas State are difficult, but if you study and ask the TA's for assistance you will be fine!

If you study and read the readings, you will be ok. Attend class and take detailed notes to look back on. He made this class interesting in each lecture; it was actually a very enjoyable class. Grading really wasn't that harsh. The papers are easy grades if you do them and will help you out big time.

dr alter is very kind and well versed in his knowledge especially in labor and union history. this class has a lot reading and writing and he can be a tough grader but eventually you will understand what he wants, be sure to listen and take notes because his powerpoints aren't great but just ask him if you are struggling he is happy to help!

I actually really like his tests. They are well written and represent a good spread of the information. He obviously understands and cares deeply about the subject matter. Pop quizzes do make attendance like 25% of the grade, but they aren't hard if you even casually skim the readings. He is a hard teacher to have first year, but it's rarely unfair