A lot of people I know said Kangas's class was too hard, but I really enjoyed it. He knows a lot about his subject and has a lot of enthusiasm about it. There isn't really a huge amout of reading. I wouldn't have understood Philosophy later w/o this class

Kangas was a hard class. But the questions he asked were often times the easiest answer you would never think could be the right one. However, he did help you get to the right ideas, he just expected you to go from there. Very funny, very helpful.

He is the most memorable professor I ever had. He really pushes critical thinking and learning. People can't handle him because he is very demanding. If they can't handle it, don't come to Seattle University. I think he is a great professor.

Definitely demanding in terms of thought, but he's a brilliant man, and it just rubs off on you. I wish he taught more classes.

Very very difficult class. Lots of deep thinking and writing. Many assignments. Hard for a low level course but I loved every minute of it. Interesting holistic approach to history.

You get out of this class exactly what you're willing to put in. If you want to spend the hours pouring over the readings and are willing to add to the discussion in class, you'll do fine. Personally, I think this class was great.

Great teacher...Really encourages people to step out of their strictly academic routine and experience a class enriched with culture and creativity. I would highly recommend this teacher.

difficult. try to avoid him. midterm and final were extremely hard and complex. you have to know the material as if it's your own to get an A. know it front and back. too critical!

He's not as hard as most people say. Be on top of the readings and answer simple questions in class. Discussion is key; it's not that hard! He's brilliant. I think he's one of the best professors at SU. You learn so much while thinking critically. Highly recommended.

During the quarter, I hated this class more than anything. Looking back, I realized how much I had learned and how hard Kangas had forced me to work. The only thing I continue to critize is the absence of feedback he hands back on the papers. This was a challenging but GREAT course!

Excellent teacher. It is hard but he will help you get through it. Take his class!

difficult course & lota reading, but professor is great and helpful!

Awesome. Hard as hell, but totally worth it.

One of the most inspiring and brilliant lecturers I've heard at SU, and I'm nearly graduated, so I've had many. The class itself was very difficult, but very informative. He expects you to put your best effort into it, so when I got an A-, I knew it was a grade I worked hard for and earned.

WAY TOOO much work for a 100 level course, has a kind of a weird fashion sense specially with the 5 rings and the long hair, and the course is pretty hard to understand but at the same time he is fairly clear in stating his goals. PARTICIPATION IS VERY NECESSARY!!!

Kangas is so far the most thought povoking teacher I've probably ever had. Although it is a 100 level course and he is very demanding, the material he covers is essential to any major at SU. So if you want a strong foundation in history I highly reccomend this course. Participatin is very important, but it really helps in the learning process.

Great prof if you are willing to do the work. He's weird and eccentric, so you really have to focus on what he is saying. Also he is genius and assumes students can keep up with his thinking- often not the case. Readings are very hard, papers are harder. Not for people that just want to get the core over with.

one of the best professors i have ever had. the class is not as hard as everyone makes it sound...if you do the reading and participate then you will do fine. also, take advantage of his offer to review rough drafts

Prof. Kangas expects a lot from his students, but he gives his best as well. He is passionate about his subject, and is an excellent teacher who is available to offer guidence and read drafts. As for his eccentricities, I found them very appealing; especially combined with his gigantic brain. I rate him "hot" for his energy, quirkiness, and genius.

Probably the most demanding class I've taken at SU, but he was also probably the smartest person I've ever met. He's a great teacher if you can keep up with the readings and class discussions.

I walked in with an understanding of Kangas's high expectations, and I walked out with As on my papers. I put two drafts through him every assignment, and I made a point to be present at each class and to try to speak up at least once or twice per class. He knew I would learn the material by having to do these things. As a seminar, it's great.

he keeps you thinking. its challenging, but you learn.

Kangas is the best teacher I have ever had! Plus, with that hair and those rings ...

my absolute favourite professor at SU, and im not even a History major! I took his 121 class my first quarter at SU, and then took 3 other classes with him. Without him, my SU education would have been incomplete, he taught me about the context of ideas, it is not enough to know someting, you need to know where it came from. Take his classes!

Extremely Smart, difficult for a 100 level class. I learned A**** TON, I loved this hard class!

You will learn a lot. Readings and class attendance are nearly essential. He is a hard grader but is extremely helpful. If he sees you are putting in the effort, he takes note. Go to his office hours for help; trust me, its very much worth it. Overall, great course but difficult and not for the slacker.

Interesting class. But if you are a slacker or don't like participating in class this is not your class. The papers are hard, but really interesting themes. This is one of my favorite classes even though I am not a history major.

One of the best at Seattle U. This man is extremely smart and will challenge you to think on many levels. He is also very down to earth and is very helpful. While some professors need for you to agree with them, Kangas encourages you to put in some serious thought and then form your own conclusions. He requires hard work but it is well worth it.

His class was very tough, but was very rewarding at the end. There is a ton of reading, but if you read, participate in class and go discuss papers with him you will do great. I hated history going into his class and came out tolerant of it. Essays are tough, but using the information you assemble in class makes them much easier.

Great class and lectures, but far too involved for a Core class. He has an incredible knowledge of the subject, but the confines of an intro course might be too rigid for him. More reading and written assignments required of this class than my 300 level and Senior Synth classes.

He is a very very eccentric man, yet teaches with a passion that can't help but capture your attention. This is an extremely challenging course, especially for CORE requirements. Be prepared to thoroughly read ALL the material and write a journal on it. Rough course, but you will learn more than you think!

WARNING: if you want an easy class, DO NOT TAKE HIM. He likes to teach by asking questions and will not move on until someone comes up with some sort of answer. He gives TONS of reading and a written journal that seems like a waste of time. You will definatly learn something in here. He teaches this class like a phil class.

Changed my conception of what "History" means. Looks at history through a fascinating cultural/philosophical lens. 100 pgs. of reading each night, along with a journal. Participate lots in class discussion. Very helpful office hours. Not a hard grader, but expects you to do some thorough thinking; he will reward you for your hard work.

Very difficult but very rewarding. Learned tons! Lots of reading and grades harshly. Assignments are a little ridiculous. But will read b4 and give you advice and totally worth it for the stuff you learn. Knows his stuff!!

This man changed my life. I took him as a freshman and it was very rewarding. Everyone on here who says he is "so hard" are fools. There isn't that much reading and it's very interesting compared to what it could be. Kangas is the best teacher I've ever had, hands down.

Not only is Kangas one of the hottest professors I've had at SU, but he is by far the most interesting man I have ever met. Rumors of vampirism drew me in, but his passion for 16th century eroticism stole my heart.

I personally loved having Kangas as my first ever college professor. He is challenging, asks a LOT of his students, but he is always engaging. He likes to answer questions with questions so they really make you think. He is very open and more clear during office hours. Open, interesting and engaging. He truly set me up for success here at SU.

I took his UCOR called Marx, Nietzsche, Freud. I think about concepts that were introduced to me in this class every day, but this is not a class for the faint-hearted. Reading is super dense and hard to get through, prompts for essays are a page long, participation is difficult unless you read. It's all worth is to listen to him read Nietzsche ;)

He runs his class discussion-style; really great way to learn, but be prepared to read A LOT. I really enjoyed this course and took a lot away from it.

What an intellectual, incredibly eye opening class, but to experience that side of definitley comes with work in the form of reading. that being said if you find interest in what hes teaching, almost feels like a club. be ready for discussions

Best teacher I've ever had, most enlightening class. Took "Marx,Nietzche,Freud" and read A LOT but it was worth every minute. He is the definition of hard rock vampire philosopher aesthetic Discussion-based so you have to participate even when you think you're wrong because he'll magically lead you to the "right" answer with more questions loved it

Dr. Kangas is very an intelligent, but challenging professor. Once you overlook the intimidation factor, you realize that Dr. Kangas encourages the intellectual growth of his students and ultimately wants the best for them. Difficult class, but worthwhile. I learned more in his one class than I did in an entire quarter.

This class was a lot of reading, but I ended up learning a lot. Most of the class is discussion, but you can usually get away with skimming the reading and looking at sparknotes, Participation is a huge part of the class. He also assigns 3-4 papers throughout the quarter, but he gives you plenty of time to do them. The papers are very self-paced.

Dr. Kangas was an amazing teacher. He is so passionate about what he teaches. His teaching style is largely discussion based which really helped me understand the complex topics we covered. Although he is a bit tough, he is very fair and offers a lot of help outside of class if need be. I would absolutely take another class from him in the future.

Great professor, teaches you useful knowledge. Lots of reading, but as long as you stay on top of it you'll be fine, it will be discussed in class in depth. Very accessible in office hours and willing to explain reading or look over your essay. Fair grader on essays.

When I say get ready to read, I mean it. Expect 7 primary readings 5-10 pgs each with an additional 30-40 pgs of textbook readings/per wk + 2 novels over the course of the quarter!! You could easily get away with just the primary readings and the novels and still do very well. Seriously, take this course! It is informative and relevant to today!!!!

I learned so much from this class, over a year down the line and I'm still finding the readings useful. He even got me into philosophy as a hobby. There is a lot of reading, but it's really not too bad if you stay on top of it. I took his class as a STEM major and didn't have any issues. The novels were great, and his lectures were interesting.

Lots of reading BUT its okay to not understand everything. No tests or quizzes, weekly reading entries which are easy to get full points. 2 essays which can be tricky but don't hesitate to reach out and ask for advice/edits. The people who didnt ask for help got significantly lower grades. Attendance + participation matters but talk often + ur good

Seriously awesome professor- if you enjoy reading history you'll love his classes. Very understanding, gives great feedback on written work & genuinely passionate about what he teaches. 10/10 would def take again.

A bit intimidating, but super helpful when it came to papers and grading. Nothing was vague and he was willing to read your paper and send it back with areas of improvement. He wants you to retain info and also critically analyze patterns (which, isn't asking for a lot). Idk why other reviews are complaining about workload-you get what you put in.

It is obvious how passionate he is about history, and I learned more in this class than I did in any other one I've taken at SU so far. There is a LOT of reading (usually about 60-100 pages per class) and you usually read a new textbook every two weeks. However, I found it to be worth it because it was all very interesting and he is helpful.

Every class you are put into groups to talk about the text, so BE SURE TO READ and PARTICIPATE. Although I did not understand the heavy readings most of the time, I always asked Kangas for clarification and it helped a lot. The Sigmund Freud unit was my favorite, and I highly recommend it to Psych majors who want an introduction to his works! :-)