HIEU 2001

This is a glorified high school class. This is the history class I should have taken in the fall semester of my first year at UVA, in order to introduce myself to both the History major and college-level history in general. The class features some highly useful instruction on reading various types of sources (primary vs. secondary vs. tertiary), writing various types of papers, etc. Weidner is personable and knowledgeable and makes the course fun and enjoyable. The course material covers the history of Western Civilization from the origins of humanity and civilization to approximately the early modern period (presumably the second course in the survey sequence would pick up around where this one leaves off and cover Western history until the present day). The method of study is a conservative one, meaning top-down and prioritizing breadth over depth. To counter this, the instructor includes a segment toward the end involving a more bottom-up and in-depth form known as "micro-history." The class is lecture-only, though participation grading looks for students to be actively engaged. There is a good deal of busy-work, with the variety of assignments diluting the grading substantially. There are two types of papers (3-4 pages), with three opportunities to write for either one and your grades coming from your best two papers written for each type (must write at least 4 papers, can write up to 6 times for 4 grades). The midterm and final exams are both open-notebook, featuring IDs, passage IDs, essays, etc. There are a number of other assignments as well. Despite the volume of reading and writing to be done for homework, the course is ultimately pretty easy. Interesting, enjoyable, easy...what more do you need? Highly recommended! One of my favorite history courses at UVA!