Not a super hard teacher, but not easy either. Expect lectures, some class participation, and lots of reading assignments. His exams (2 midterms and a final) are cumulative. They include matching (e.g., matching historical periods to proper dates), description of terms, and essays. Easygoing guy and always willing to help his students. Oh! And there's a term paper (8-10 pgs.). With regard to exams and the paper, he's a lenient grader.

Such a sweet guy! Really wants his students to do well. Has a midterm, final, and quizes. Also a 4-6 page paper, but he grades failrly easily. If you listen and put in some effort there's no reason why you wouldnt get an A. He is so incredibly helpful and nice. As long as you try he'll do all he can to assure you do well.

This guy is a cool teacher. His lectures can be long, but he is a good teacher, very passionate and very, very helpful. He only shut one student up and it was because he kept intterrupting and slowed the class down, but no he is not rude, the class had to tell him to shut the guy up. Very good teacher.

I have taken this professor twice and he was excellent. Knowledgeable, kind, and patient. In 429, there were a couple of 'difficult' students who made everyone uncomfortable. Nevertheless, he worked hard to help everyone and both of the classes I took were very interesting. Highly recommended!!

Was a good professor. Kept the students interested in the subject matter, and also presented a challenge with the class work

An excellent instructor, whose knowledge and understanding of the course material is backed up by personal experience with Russia and Russians. Very helpful and friendly to students.

really great teacher!!!

Great professor. Extrememly knowledgable. Gives really detailed outlines as handouts so all you have to do is follow along.

Why does this university need two Russian history profs? I guess this guy is the alternative to the one nobody can stand.

He seems like a boring man but he is very interesting & I loved his class. I really really learned a lot from him. He gives you a guide of the midterm & final, you also have to do a paper on a great play. I went to Saturday class so if you do don't miss cuz u loss points on quizes. He makes the lectures fun so take notes, they will help on the test

Great teacher! I LEARNED so much from him! He is not just a great teacher, he makes you want to be there! SOooo helpful!

Great teacher who makes the class intereting. He is very helpful. He gives a study guide prior to tests and class review of before a quiz and will answer questions to help you better prepare for exams. He is a fair grader. The paper due is doable as long as you read the material.

Good professor but gets picky on certain things which can harm your grade. He does not like being corrected either.

Fair grader. His specialty is Russian History and I took his Modern Europe class. So he focused much of his lecture on Russia. His study guides are useful.

Paynich is a helpful, informative professor. He loves and encourages discussion which fosters a better understanding of the subject matter, perfect format for a historiography class.

Dr. Paynich makes some very dry topics fun. He did skip over some stuff that would have been even more interesting but his reading material is engaging. Note taking is important because that is what he wants on the essay answers for tests; his notes more so than textbook definitions. He has a good sense of humor and gives study guide.

one of the best history professors at cal state la trust i took three of his course, and if i could i would take every history course he taught. honestly the only way you could fail his class is by never attending class and not taking notes only dumb asses do that. if your looking for a class to actually learn something, his classes teach alot.

Great history professor. I highly recommend everyone to take him! He is highly professional and because of that I learned a lot.

Awesome teacher, kept it interesting and lectures were easy to follow. I enjoyed his class a lot and would definitely recommend it!!

Took him for modern europe and soviet union, very approachable professor, helps you out a lot and best of all very laid back and grades fairly.

I had him spring 2011 and was pretty awesome! He makes the topic interesting and jokes a little. You will get the jokes IF you actually pay attention. Read the book and you'll get an A. three quizzes,midterm, and final. Gives HELPFUL study guides! Be respectful by getting there on time.

This is a great teacher; probably the best teacher I've ever had. He's clear, very well organized, fair, and open-minded. I would love to take him again.

I've had Paynich for 3 different classes. One of my favorite professors. Very clear, open-minded, laid back, and overall just a really cool guy. Read the book(s), actively participate in discussion, and put an honest effort in your work and he'll grade you easy.

GREAT TEACHER! He is so nice and helpful! The quizzes are short so if you get one wrong you get a B. You do need to study but if you need help he is always there for you.

Undoubtedly one of the best professors at CSULA. Lectures are crystal clear and interesting. Goes well out of his way to help his students out. Very nice and respectful of his students. Assignments are difficult only if you're unprepared. CANNOT RECOMMEND HIM ENOUGH!

Good teacher. He lectures a lot,so take notes. Easy class but boring! He has short quizzes ,midterm & final and one 4 pg essay. Test are 5 terms and two short essays. Not hard but confusing.He gives you 15 terms to study & only picks 5 for you to know on the test. He is very helpful and really wants you to pass. Nice-nice man!

He is one of the best profesors i know i did better on History 110b than A. Work ur hardest and show that u cared about passing all the class but do all the assignments. although the test were tough its ok. i remember that for my final it was three hours of writing i my brain hurt alot.

He is great teacher! He presents the subject in a way that even people who do not usually take an interest in History end up taking an interest in the class material. His test are not difficult ,he gives you the essay questions ahead of time. He does give a couple quizzes but they are easy as long as you attend class. I recommend him!

Best history professor I have ever had. Very nice guy and very helpful. You can ask him anything! He explains the assignments very well and gives you study guides for exams. He really wants his students to succeed. I never enjoyed a history class until I had professor Paynich! Take his class!

Professor Paynich is a FANTASTIC professor, he is funny, engaging, know his subject inside & out & I disagree with those who say he doesn't like to be contradicted. I had many wonderful conversations with him about allied atrocities & provided him with book titles & research which he showed great interest in. I hope to take more of his classes.

Lots of lecturing, reading and class attendance is taken nearly everyday. The lectures and text go hand in hand but does not provide lecture slides on moodle or elsewhere. Best part of this class are the group discussions. Does provide study guides and has multiple quizzes on the readings. The midterm and final are all written, no multiple choice.

Rather easy class. If you're the laid back-student type then the class can get rather dull, but if you take opportunity to engage there are chances for great discussion. PPs and posted outlines should keep organization to minimum, lectures get jumbled do to the broad number of content to be discussed.

Great professor, really knows his stuff. notes are very helpful. the pace of the class is a bit fast but nothing to bad. Very kind professor. my only complaint would be sometimes he doesn't stick to the outline or it's not clear where on the outline he is, but that can be fixed with just asking. Exams consist of essays and short sentences.

He's a really good professor. Tests quizzes are easy as long as you pay attention to the discussions. The book however is unnecessary so don't buy it unless it's the novels.

Awesome teacher. Very helpful and loves to listen as much as he lectures. Class is very long and can be boring but if you participate he will help you to pass.

he is a good guy and loves to lecture and hear other peoples opinion he is very understandable but you have to show up every day to class or you missed a whole civilization topic. i had to read three book which were interesting you don't have to buy the txt book i hardly ever used it be very detailed in your tests and try to answer the extra credit

Timothy Paynich is an amazing professor definitely recommend!!! He gives you a study guide for the midterm and final so you know what to study for. There's one paper and four quizzes which are based on the books we have to read, which are interesting. I hardly read the class textbook, but I believe it's helpful if you do.

Paynich is such a nice teacher. He assigns reading from the book, but he goes over it again in class, in case you didn't read. He is lenient with assignments and is not a critical teacher. He honestly just cares about your thoughts and opinions about whatever the topic is. It is not a difficult class, just show up and participate!

Best teacher ever. Also for history took him twice!

Truly, one of the best professors I've ever met in my life. I wish he taught a wider range of history classes, I'd take him for my whole major. Papers are long but he makes things quite clear, very professional and organized, he is a natural teacher. Is not a control freak at all, which is rare, and is an Army veteran. His teaching is superb.

If you take History with him, attend his Office Hours you will get the hook ups to everything.

Prof Paynich is the best professor I have had. He is one of the few professors who appreciates/ understands my writing style. This will be my third time taking a class with him because I like the way he teaches. As long as you go to class and take notes you'll pass. There are no group projects involved or none of that bs; its simple & to the point.

I think this class is very easy! 2 midterm, 1 final, 1 term paper, and few reaction papers for the books you read. U don't need to attend his class although he counts participation points but if u r doing good on your exams, u will be good. He gives you a study guide before every exam, the study guide is exactly the same as the exam.

Took this back in quarter system. Lots of reading and written papers! Nice guy and really passionate about the subject though. Class consists of lecture and group discussions.

Professor Paynich is a great professor, He is very passionate and knowledgable of the subject. He does not give a lot of homework and only3 tests throughout the semester. On top of that he gives you a study guide that is the actual test for all 3 exams. Must Take if you actually want to learn.

Great professor. No textbook but we had three books to read. It is a very informative class. There is a lot of writing. If you don't keep up you'll fail. We had 4 reaction papers that was due every other week, research paper, and take home final that we had to write. They're each roughly 900-1200 words.

First exam everyone did horrible so he turned the rest of the exams to take home exams. Can be boring, but overall good professor and easy class to pass.

Really good professor, will not pass the class if you are lazy. Have to write about four essays in his class and one final. Final includes a 5-7 page essay and a presentation in front of the class.

Great professor, read a few books. Lots of writing but was really fun and I am an IT major. I found the class really easy and like to usually write papers. 3 exams, 1 research paper, and gives you a chance for extra credit. Down to earth guy showed some videos about women in war. Don't be scared to participate he doesnt scold you, no wrong answers

Excellent Professor. He's very organized and I found the material quite interesting even though this was for a GE requirement. There is quite a bit of reading and 4 papers that are to be 3 pages long. Overall this class is very manageable and would recommend him to anyone needing a GE course.

I took this class to cover a GE but he was a very good professor. Lectures were great and everything on exams was given in study guides he gave us a week before. Really nice guy as well, helpful, and likes to so videos during lectures.

Great professor. Really enjoyed his class. 1 term Paper, 4 Reaction papers, 1 midterm, & a final paper.

Take Professor Paynich, he is the best. He made the lectures really interesting about WWII. He shows a lot of films and images on powerpoint. There is a lot of reading but its manageable. Just put the effort and turn in the assignments on time. He does sometimes change the due dates. 5 reaction papers, 1 midterm, 1 term paper, and take home final.

Take Professor Paynich, he is an amazing instructor! It is the course that can be difficult because of a ton of historical theories of writing. But he does his best to make it easier to understand. Just do you best to know what it means. He tends to change the due dates and shows films. 5 reaction papers, 1 book review paper, and take home final.

Professor Paynich is an amazing instructor for history courses. I highly recommend him! We did 5 reaction papers, 1 term paper, 1 in class midterm, 1 take home midterm, & take home final exam. You do have to read a lot but read what's important. Ignore the extra stuff that you won't use for assignments. Read his feedback on essays. It helps a lot!

Good Professor. Class is based on his lectures, and he gives you study guides before tests. Study and pay attention and you will receive a good grade.

What a fantastic professor. Funny, caring, and knowledgable. If you put effort in, you'll receive a commensurate grade out. Show him history memes as he seems to enjoy them.

He is a nice guy and tries to his students to get engaged in the lectures. There are 3-4 reactions papers based on the chapters he assigns, take-home midterm & final, has you get in groups to talk about the books and that is how he takes gives you participation credit, sort of tough grader, & you can email him your paper prior for help.

Professor Paynich is a caring professor who understands students academic needs, ESL students might feel comfortable with his teaching methods too. He did a good job by transforming his face instruction class to an online platform. You will be evaluated by 3 essays and 1 final paper. There are also 2 class discussions.

Not an easy class. Lots of reading, don't get left behind! His tests are hard but remember, you NEED to prepare for exams at least a week before; there's too much content to memorize from the study guide AND show him your essays and he'll review them for you! He's nice at least and is willing to help you succeed. The class was easier online though.

Ignore the negative comments. I HIGHLY recommend professor Paynich. He's super nice, funny, cool, & amazing. The class does how lots of reading but just read what you write on & skip stuff & chapters you wont write on. Especially for the reaction papers. There term papers and final which are take home. Visit office hours for feedback. He's great!!!

I've had this Professor for HIST 2020 in Fall 2018, and HIST 1020 for Spring 2020. He's a really good lecturer, and uses real examples of civilization to help in readings. 2 midterms, a reaction paper, and a final. Take him, you won't regret it for your next History class.

Prof. Paynich was a great professor. I went through a rough patch where my grades slipped 'cause of covid. However, he did everything he could to assist me and was always easily accessible. 2 Midterm Essays, Final Exam Essay and a few short reflection papers; literally like a page or 2. Make sure to attend discussions. Overall, EXELLENT professor!

I highly suggest taking his classes. I've taken so many with him and he's super great! There a few essays, reflection papers, and books to read. Yet, it's a fun class for anyone. You will learn a lot but his presentations. He there to help so ask for it. It will help you improve your work. Overall, take Professor Paynich. I would again 10 times.

Due to Covid, there was only 3-4 zoom meetings and they were mandatory. He assigns 2 novels to read and 3 essays, plus a final essay. He loves when students are prepared and he provides detailed audio lectures every week. As long as you do the readings and listen to the lectures, it is an easy grade.

professor paynich was awesome and i learned so much about world war 2. he made the lectures interesting, but you need to do the reading because he will ask you to participate and if you didnt read, he will know. i would def take this class again.

wonderful professor. i really feel like i took a lot from this class, and im honestly really impressed with how much he knows. getting an A is possible, but you really have to do the work and reading. he gives extra credit opportunities as well. would definitely take this course again.

Good Professor. Only a handful of zooms you need to join, the rest are optional. A good chunk of your grade is from essays/papers based from reading the books assigned but the Professor accepts rough drafts and gives good feedback. Overall would recommend taking this class.

He assigns several papers based on what we learn in the lectures in phases has Mandatory Zoom meetings with the whole class sometime won't give full credit even when partake in group discussions. He assigns in reading discussions several chapters on canvas to discuss and power points are available. Zoom meetings are not mandatory but still went.

Professor Paynich was an awesome professor, you can tell he really enjoys what he does and makes learning easy. a few quizzes, should be easy if you paid attention to the films and notes. 2 papers in total, 1 is 2 pages minimum, other is your final, 4 pages minimum but amazing overall! would take again 100/100

I highly recommend Professor Paynich. He allows students to speak their mind and doesn't shut down students. Not too many assignments but there are a few papers worth a big part of your grade. You must do the reading, attend class, and participate because you get graded for class discussions. He is understanding and very flexible.

I'm not really a history dude but had to this take this and gotta say Tim is a great professor. Always welcomed to join a discussion and his lectures are pretty great. I'm not sure but I do think his health might of got a little worse during the semester so he made some assignments optional. HW is usually essays but he was a fair grader.

He made history interesting for me. He is a fair grader and very accommodating, offers extra credit, and answers any questions. I would take him again and i hope he offers more classes for my major.

Professor Paynich is great! His tests and quizzes are all easy and they're the same questions on worksheets he hands out. He provides great feedback on essays and he isn't too strict with them. His lectures are followed up with documentaries which gives a better learning experience.

honestly professor Paynich was great! He doesn't really give loads of hw throughout the semester, but when he does he makes it simple and gives good feedback when he grades. You can tell he wants the best for his students

Timothy Paynich is one of the best History Professors that Cal State LA has offered. He's a very respectable man who goes on detail by detail very carefully. He does require the class to read and the readings are long but I didn't see any negatives of the reading he has for us to read. Overall a great professor and I highly recommend him.

Professor Paynich is a good History professor and I learned so much from him. Be prepared to read from the textbook outside of class and he assigns essays based on the readings from the textbook, lectures, and videos that we watch in class. He only grades papers. He will sometimes have us discuss questions from the videos we watched in groups.

Professor Paynich is engaging and makes history lectures enjoyable. Textbook readings and papers require effort, but Unstuck ai helped streamline my study process. Overall, a challenging yet rewarding class.

GREAT PROFFESOR!! 2 exams 2 quizzes 2 discussions and 1 term paper all worth 100 points EACH, but he is very nice in grading. Before each exam, he gives a study guide is literally the exam, so you can prepare before. He is very amazing and nice, he will give honest feedback on assignments, and shows strong admiration for history. TAKE THIS CLASS

There were many topics and reading materials. However, the course is not hard if you prepare well. He provided study guide before each quiz/exam. The real quiz/exam covers only materials in the study guide. There were 2 discussions, 2 quizzes, 2 exams (1 was optional), a term paper, and a final.

This is a great teacher. He requires a lot of reading though (which you can get away with not actually doing). We had no tests, only 5 papers. He is a fair grader. He is insightful and very nice. He responded quickly to any emails I ever sent. I would recommend him for sure.