Steven Sidebotham - University of Delaware

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Steven Sidebotham - University of Delaware

Professor: Steven Sidebotham

Department: History

College: University of Delaware

Rating # 1

Overview:

Course: HONR291
Grade Received: A-
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

There is a reasonable amount of work considering this was an honors colloquium class. There were weekly readings and three fairly short research papers. Make sure to participate actively as it comprises half of your grade. Professor Sidebotham is a very tough grader, but he is just as helpful and interesting as he is tough.

Rating # 2

Overview:

Course: HONR291
Grade Received: B+
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Sidebotham gave amazing lectures about topics that would otherwise seem boring. However, participation was a big part of the grade for this Honors colloquium class. The grading criteria for papers wasnt really apparent until after the first rough draft was already graded, but always helps out with corrections.

Rating # 3

Overview:

Course: H243
Grade Received: B-
Overall Rating: 2.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Quizzes are manageable if you are willing to memorize large volume of terms. Scores on tests do not correlate with how well you do on quizzes. 6 essay prompts handed out a week before your essay exam. You get 2 of them random and must spit back every single term that relates or you lose a point. Unrealistic expectations on these essay exams.

Rating # 4

Overview:

Course: HIST2443
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Attendance not mandatory but you will not pass if you skip. Weekly quizzes, so you need to put work in to study. A lot of reading. Fair grader with good feedback. Incredibly inspiring and such a smart man, his lectures are interesting, funny, and full of information.

Rating # 5

Overview:

Course: HIST137
Grade Received: C+
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Sidebotham is absolutely great. He is passionate, knows his stuff, engages with his students, and an absolute gem of a teacher. I love history, but I don't enjoy reading extensively. You will need to read quite a bit. He doesn't take attendance, but missing lectures is bad for your grade, but also because you miss out on such great content in class

Rating # 6

Overview:

Course: HIST243
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 3.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He can be quite disorganized in the way he presents the materials. He seems to expect us to absorb more than he says/presents in class. I also find him to be condescending which I don't find particularly endearing.

Rating # 7

Overview:

Course: HIST243
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I loved this class! There are difficult weekly quizzes, but only if you don't pay attention & don't study. They help on the exams. Do the readings - it'll hurt if you don't. I learned so much & Sidebotham brought in POVs that aren't conventionally taught. He spent a lot of time in the regions studied & it shows through photos on PP slides.

Rating # 8

Overview:

Course: HIST341
Grade Received: WD
Overall Rating: 3.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Loved the lectures, very knowledgeable and very inspiring. Great Prof. The issue is he will find a term in the fine print and expect you to know. If you are not concerned about your GPA than take it but if you are looking to increase your GPA do not take it. 3/4 of the class withdrew from the class. It was a horrible.

Rating # 9

Overview:

Course: HIST480
Grade Received: B-
Overall Rating: 3.5
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I put more work into this class than I have in any other class in my 4 years and I got my worst grade ever. Wrote over 30 pages, he grades a "rough draft" & a final paper. His comments on my rough draft barely helped me improve my grade on the final, if there were more things he wanted improved he could've said so. But WWII material was interesting

Rating # 10

Overview:

Course: HIST340
Grade Received: B+
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

He's a fantastic lecturer who manages to be both clear and interesting even when talking about sometimes dry topics. His tests are tough, but he makes sure you have all the material you need to do well, so long as you don't underestimate them. As a warning: His essay questions are graded purely on content, write everything you can on a subject.

Rating # 11

Overview:

Course: HIST341
Grade Received: A+
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He lectures very well. If you have any love for history you need to take one of his upper levels. He is straightforward and tells you exactly what he wants; he even gives you the test essay topics before hand. Quizzes are every Friday, so just do the readings and you will own it. One hell of a lecturer, highly recommend Ancient Rome.

Rating # 12

Overview:

Course: HIST338
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 3.5
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Interesting course, learned a lot, especially because I have History minor, however EXTREMELY METICULOUS. Exams are CHALLENGING and require many hours of reading various documents and books. Text use is heavy and hard to read, plus it is hard to tell what he expects you to get from readings. VERY DETAIL ORIENTED. quizzes every Friday, lectures well

Rating # 13

Overview:

Course: HIST340
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 4.5
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Challenging class that will teach you a lot about an interesting subject. I think I learned more in this course than any other I've taken. As long as you put a couple of hours a week in to do the reading and study, you'll be fine.

Rating # 14

Overview:

Course: HIST340
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I thought this class was very interesting. if you stay on top of the work he gives you its really not that bad. you just have to be good at memorizing a lot of terms. if you aren't someone who can listen to a history lecture and take notes without zoning out then this isn't the class for you.

Rating # 15

Overview:

Course: HIST243
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Sidebotham is incredibly well versed in the subject matter of that course. If you go to class, ask questions, DO THE READINGS, and go to office hours with any questions, you'll pass. He's very helpful, I changed my grading to P/F and passed with his help. He tells you exactly what he wants on exams and all of it is in the readings/covered in class.

Rating # 16

Overview:

Course: HIST243
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 4.5
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I got an A-, his class is super easy if you just do the busy work required. Like there is absolutely nothing required from you other than to just spit the terms from lecture back out dring thetest. USE A RECORDER... it saved my life!

Rating # 17

Overview:

Course: HIST340
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 4.5
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

His is a great professor who is fascinated with his material. His exams are difficult but he is the only teacher who tells you EXACTLY what he wants on the exams and the readings are a must. His lectures are old school slides so class attendance is necessary but its also fun. He is a funny guy who will try to help you if you aren't doing well.

Rating # 18

Overview:

Course: HIST300
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 4.5
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I actually took Dr. Sidebotham's class in the 1990s. I've never worked so hard for a D+, but it was STILL the most interesting class I've EVER taken. I agree he is difficult, but if this is what you're interested in, this guy is the one to take the classes with. After further education on my part, I have a very serious appreciation for his talent.

Rating # 19

Overview:

Course: HIST340
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 3.5
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

This guy is an amazing teacher. He absolutely knows everything about what he teaches. BUt he is a very hard grader, and his quizzes and exams are hard. You need to study! He doesn't put power points up, so be ready to take notes. and no matter what, ALWAYS RIGHT DOWN THE TERMS ON THE BOARD! its very important to passing his class.

Rating # 20

Overview:

Course: HIST341
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 4.5
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He is an excellent professor. He's been there, done that, and has immense knowledge in his field. While he's got a well earned reputation for difficulty, this doesn't mean doom. Do your reading, study hard, and use office hours to your advantage. At the end of the semester I could not believe how much I learned about Ancient Rome.

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