Reviews of professor Ron Ariel

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
I asked a last minute question on the final paper and he did not answer my question, then proceeded to tell me how I should've planned ahead. Lectures don't make sense, hard midterms, lots of books to read, bad instructions. Took this class for a credit and then made feel stupid for not knowing everything about the civil war.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Probably one of my favorite teachers at SMU. He is very friendly if you put in the effort to talk to him in and/or outside of class. He is very knowledgable on everything he teaches. He asks questions throughout class to keep students engaged. He cares about his students and is very accommodating. I highly recommend any of his classes!!!

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Does not give clear expectations for the final paper, then grades way too hard on it. Gets way too off-topic in lectures and comes nowhere close to covering what needs to be covered. We were not allowed to take notes on our laptops. 10/10 would not take this class again.

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
Sheer incompetence in teaching, a droning on nonsensically completely divorced from any relevance to subject material, a remarkable lack of insight into the subject, and unprofessional and baseless comments about others. Avoid.

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
He is all over the place in his lectures. There is no textbook used so if you miss something in class sucks to be you. His grading expectations are unclear. One paper with mini assignments leading up to it, three tests and five reading responses. Can be helpful outside of class regarding your paper, but not for anything else. DO NOT TAKE FOR THE UC

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
HIST 1321 is really reading-intensive, and the main assignments are a series of four papers due throughout the semester. Papers take a decent amount of time, and lectures are a little boring, but otherwise a solid and fairly easy class.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Very Knowledgable and respectable teacher. He is a friendly guy who loves to talk about things like history and politics. He is very neutral with his lectures referring to politics, allowing the student to make their own decisions without influence. He is a smart dude who loves what he does. Only issue is he is a little tough on grading essays.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Dr. Ron is a very thoughtful and intelligent professor. He cares about his students, and wants them to succeed. He can be a rough grader, however, he isn't as tough on the midterm and finial. I would take him if you enjoy history, and want to learn more about the Civil War. But if your looking for an easy A, this isn't the class for you.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Professor Ron always makes sure you learn and he will always talk after class if you have any questions. You can make an A if you just put in the effort. His tests and assignments aren't just busy work, they actually serve a purpose in helping you learn and understand the Civil War era. I strongly recommend his class to anyone who enjoys history!!!