HIUS 3072

One of my favorite classes at UVA. If you don't decide not to take the class, 1) that's a shame and 2) it's worth sitting in a couple lectures throughout the year. It's rare to find someone so dedicated to their field.

Everyone should take this class! Of course, Gallagher knows so much about the topic. But it's all the extra things he does that makes this class special: field trip to Petersburg, the weekly book discussions, grading the film papers. Definitely worth getting up in the morning for!

Best course at UVA, hands down. Gallagher is one of the premier scholars on the Civil War and every student who takes his course is lucky to learn under such an intelligent professor. The class is at 8am, so going in itself requires a bit of dedication, but you do not want to miss his lectures. Gallagher is funny, engaging, and all around amazing to listen to. He certainly wakes you up! There is a lot of reading to be done, and Gallagher has biweekly book reviews so you won't miss the big points. The midterm and final are take home essays that draw on lecture and the readings. There is also a film paper that requires you to watch movies and assess their historical accuracy. Overall, this is a fantastic class that every student should take at UVA.

Attending an 8 am twice a week is hard to sell, bu Gallagher makes this class totally worth it. Attendance is not mandatory, but is essential to doing well in the class - Gallagher's lectures reveal as much about the Civil War as the readings do, in a fraction of the time. Attending class also makes the essays much easier, and Gallagher's passion for the subject and love of teaching combines with his personality to create an amazing classroom environment - highly recommend!

There is a reason this class is one of the most recommended and famous at UVa. Gallagher's class is only offered at 8:00 AM, and every year it fills to capacity. He is an outstanding lecturer and overall a fun and approachable professor. Though the "exams" are quite tough, you have plenty of time to prepare them, and the movie review papers help balance out the harsher exam grades. Highly recommended!!

Never imagined I'd be excited to go to an 8 AM. Gallagher is a fantastic lecturer and you learn so much. Highly recommend this class to anyone.

There are two "exams" where you have a week to write two papers, and there's one paper on civil war films. There's also two geography quizzes at the beginning of the semester which are an easy GPA booster if you study. Good amount of reading but not all of it is absolutely necessary. Just make sure to use the readings in the papers. I didn't find the class too demanding. You might only be able to get a B even after working hard on the papers, but it's still absolutely worth it.

This class is absolutely worth taking. I didn't realize how relevant the Civil War is to my daily life until Gallagher explained it brilliantly. Not an easy class, but an essential one for anyone wishing to develop a sense of American history.

The class was exceptional, as a class. Gallagher is an encyclopedia of Civil War knowledge, and it showed in every lecture. HOWEVER, he is an extremely difficult grader. The limited number of assignments makes it very difficult to get a feel for what he wants in time to save your grade, and getting a B/B- is often the best case scenario. If possible, taking the class C/NC may be best, since it allows you to get the full experience of learning from Gallagher while not taking a hit to your GPA. Overall it was an exceptional class, and I thoroughly recommend it.

Professor Gallagher is the best teacher I have had at UVA. His knowledge of the subject never ceases to amaze me and he is extremely engaging as a lecturer. The course material is also really fun to study. A lot of people found the class challenging, but I think that Gallagher makes it pretty easy for one to attain success. If you actually do and synthesize all the readings, keep the given questions in mind,, then give yourself enough time to prepare and write each paper, you should be fine. Also, nobody does anything to ensure that you do the readings as the course moves along. It piles up very quickly and, therefore, set to a reading schedule and stick to it.

Gallagher is a great professor. He is engaging and passionate, and he is super friendly. If you like the Civil War, this class is definitely worth the 8AM start time.

This was an enjoyable class and kept me awake at 8 am. However, I think the grading is arbitrary and overly difficult. I am extremely good at United States history, but will not do well in this class. My papers were great, but given B- and Cs. If you don't want your gpa to suffer, then dont take this class. Gallagher is such a wonderful professor just WAY to pretentious

Awesome class- even though I'll probably get a C or B-. Gallagher's lectures are captivating- sometimes I really wonder if he has a time machine to go back and visit the 1860s. He knows enough about the period to convince me of such a thing. I've only had one other 8am class at UVA, and I woke up damning my decision to take that class every morning. With this class, I find it hard to believe I woke up at 8am with no problems for the entire semester. Grading is not lenient, but if you're at all interested in the Civil War or experiencing one of UVA's finest lecturers (and comedians), this is a MUST TAKE. Oh yeah- don't take the geography tests lightly. They're easy grade boosters if you put in a little effort. There's a fair amount of reading, but since there are only two papers (no MC or timed essay finals), memorization isn't required- nice for a history course.

I loved this class. I don't mind getting a B+ in an enjoyable class where I actually learned. I would recommend it to anyone.

Amazing class!! Gallagher is SUCH an interesting and smart professor. Definitely worth getting up for an 8 am.

Gallagher is the man. Period.

Great class from a knowledgeable professor. A must take!

great class! midterm, final, and a movie paper. professor gallagher is very engaging and it's a lot of fun to sit in his class - even though its an 8am, it's worth it!

As a 4th year history major, I can say with some confidence that Gallagher is the most entertaining, charismatic lecturer in the history department. No need to open a book until the take-home midterm and final, at which point it is very easy to extract useful evidence for your arguments, which will undoubtedly be based upon the lecture.

Gallagher offers this course at 8am and it's fully enrolled every time he offers it. I don't know any other professors that could pull that off.

Great class, emphasis on midterms and finals.

Gallagher is the best. Period.

Gallagher is a great lecturer. Class starts at 8 AM and the reading there's a lot of reading but the class is well worth taking.

Gary Gallagher is awesome! Funniest professor at UVa by far!

This class was amazing, totally worth getting up before 8 for. There was a lot of reading that was heavily stressed on the midterms and finals.

Gallagher is one of the best professors in the History department. His classes are not easy but you will learn a lot.

This guy kept me awake at 8 in the morning. That is unheard of for me! Lots of reading, but if you like the time period, reading is really interesting.

This course emphacises a lot of writing, although you only have one test and a final. The test/final are kind of intense in that it is a 16 page paper/response based off 3 questions. AWESOME guy. Wicked funny, very intelligent, he'll teach you about the Civil War from the bottom up. GREAT!

A ton of reading--you REALLY need to make a reading plan...I found that out too late. Take home exams where you can use the books. Prof. Gallagher is pretty hysterical but he gets TAs to grade the exams which is hard because they don't know you like in other classes with TAs.

My favorite professor at the University. Lecture is important, so its a good thing he is always interesting. I swear he knows everything you could possibly know about the Civil War.

This is by far the best class I have taken at UVA. The lectures are usually at 8 am, but they are definitely worthwhile and necessary to go to. The midterm and final are painful, but Gallagher's lectures more than make up for that.

The class is usually taught at 8 am, but so worth it

great class!

There is no better history class than Gallagher's Civil War and Reconstruction. He brings the time period to life and while the midterm and final are difficult, if you do the reading and work you can do very well. But the key to this class is going to lecture, but since his lectures are great it is not a chore at all.