HIST 3452

Hitchcock is the man. The other person who reviewed this course is clearly a hardo. As a history major I appreciated his grasp of WW2, it is impossible in a class of this scope to get into the details of all strategic considerations. I think this is what discussion is for, which missed the mark in my mind. Lectures were great, however. If you have a chance to take any of his classes, including WW2 or Cold War history, take them.

The class consisted of little to no real substance. The assigned texts amounted to chronologies of the war, with sparse discussion of broader strategic considerations, long term geopolitical implications, or any of the relevant parsing of meaning that one would expect from a “history” course. Second World War with Professor Hitchcock is what a history course would look like if one were assigned nothing but NYTimes bestsellers. The written assignments consist of a review of a very limited amount of material that is essentially made to test your command of the relevant authors’ arguments, rather than your ability to reflect upon various frameworks and craft your own. Check your brain at the door.

Hitch is the man. He's incredibly intelligent, funny and such an engaging lecturer. He is also very approachable and his office hours are very worthwhile. I came into this class knowing very little about WWII, and I am leaving it feeling truly knowledgable about it inside and out. What's particularly great is that he presents both sides of the war and does not focus solely on the Allied experience, which is essential to understanding the war as a whole. There is a lot of reading, and exams are content-heavy but doable; however, the books are great! His book in particular (a Pulitzer finalist!) is a great read. A must-take for anyone with a slight interest in WWII!