David McFadden - Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT

Professor: David McFadden

Department: History

College: Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: HI271
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Fadden is the best! Super easy, gives questions for midterm and final beforehand, 3 essays and extra credit available. Also lets his class out super early and is very chill! I would def take him again!

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: HI10
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

McFadden is a great person and knows all about history. The class can be boring during lecture, but we always got out 20mins early. I never read the book or the novels which the papers were about and I did fine. But, studying for the midterm/final is terrible because he gives 60 possible test questions yet only 5 are on the test. Not an easy A.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: HI10
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Had him for History 10 in the summer so his style might be different in 18-week classes. He's very busy so he gets down to business fast. He spent most class time on group work and asking questions to review the text reading. When he did get time to lecture on a topic he cared about he was dynamic and really passionate! Journals were great too.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: HI10
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Mcfadden loves group work so you'll be split into groups probably every class. Assigns ALOT of reading for homework but it's not that important because he goes over it in lecture. Class can be boring but It's not awful. Papers aren't too bad because he sets you up to write it during class. Exams aren't that hard if you study.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: HI10
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Honestly the lectures in this class were totally pointless. Attendance was mandatory and the class was so boring, especially at 8AM. He didnt teach, he simply assigned groups and they would summarize a part of the textbook for the class while he sat at his desk and didnt teach. Excessive study guide for midterm/final. Don't take him!!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: HI10
• 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:

Professor McFadden is very nice but assigns a lot of reading. I got away with not reading most of them but the amount of informations on the midterm and final does get overwhelming. He is an easy grader

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: HI200AMPROPH
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Lectures short and concise but effective. Homework reasonable, grading extremely reasonable.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: HI272
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Good teacher, but boring topic, I took him for the History of Russia. He assigns a lot of readings, and sometimes they can be difficult to understand. He gives 2 papers, and 2 tests and a final. Tests are easy IF YOU STUDY. He gives study guides. All tests are essay-written, so you really have to know what your talking about. You can't B.S.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: HI274
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

McFadden was not only a great history professor, but a great professor in general. He really cares about the wellbeing of his students and really wants them to do well. He let us out of class early nearly everyday and I was always prepared for tests. I had the flu during finals week and he was so accommodating and let me take it at a later date.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: HI200
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Would not recommend taking for your 200 level history. He puts over 100 terms/questions you need to know for the exam on the study guide that are unnecessary. He is picking when it comes to grading too.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: HI10
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Dr. McFadden is on of the best teachers at Fairfield! He works tirelessly to run multiple classes and departments as well as maintain countless office hours. He really cares about his students. He's a great academic advisor as well. His classes are so interesting for both majors and non-majors. Definitely take his class! You won't regret it.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: HI10
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

His lectures were so boring and pointless. Easy grader but mandatory attendance. I hardly ever read the textbook.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: HI275
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

McFadden is a great guy but a tough grader. He will critique you on things you did not include in your essay. He does not really consider personal effort and really just goes by what you give him. Not a class to take for core, really should be taken only by history majors or people who love Russian history.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: HI10
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

As far as professors in the history department for HI10 go, McFadden is by far one of the better options. He does give study guides for his exams which are overly extensive, but there's no reason you have to answer every question on the study guide. If you pay attention to what he lectures on he will tell you what to focus on studying.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: HI10
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Final was impossible way too much gave a packet of 50 in depth questions and only assigned 5 or 6. He needs to realize this is a CORE class and many students will never apply this historical information to their lives. I studied legit close to 15 hours for his final it was miserable. Very outdated teacher doesn't use technology. Avoid at all costs.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: HI250
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He gives hudge review packets and tons of reading but he is a really easy grader

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: HIHI10
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Not the easiest teacher, but I would suggest this class. You don't need to do the readings because he explains it all in his lectures. His midterm/final study guides are ridiculous, but if you work on them in a group, it works out. Plus, he grades them super quick. He always let us out after 50 minutes 9/10 times. Papers are easy with effort.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: HI30
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Studying for his final will make you want to dig yourself a grave. WAY too much info to learn for a CORE class. Avoid unless you love history and are willing to undertake a LOT of work and read 2 LONG novels ontop of textbook readings. Nice guy, hard grader.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: HI30
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Unless you are a history guru, I would avoid this class. His class lectures are easy to take notes on, but it's no match for the intense 60 question + study guide he gives for midterms and finals. Need to read 2 LONG and absurd books, and write 2 papers. Class only for History-lovers

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: HI30
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

extremely difficult ; gives a packet of 60 essay question and 100 identifications for the midterm and the final. need to know ALL of them, but he only picks about 6 out of 60 essay questions, and 5 out of 100 id's. too much work for a core class.