William Smaldone - Willamette University

Professor: William Smaldone

Department: TBD

College: Willamette University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: HIST372
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

If you don't actually want to learn about history and aren't willing to do the work, don't bother taking his classes. He will make you learn history whether you want to or not. The readings are heavy, but staying up on them and actively participating in class discussions will make you learn so much. Trying to blow it off will leave you embarrassed.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: HIST131
• Grade Received: WD
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Workload of a 300 level class. Real tough grader. If you aren't interested in history or don't have a background in the subject don't bother with him.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: HIST131B
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I had Intro to the Holocaust with him, and it definitely required more work than a typical 100 level class. That being said, Smaldone is a fabulous professor and discussion leader. He cares a lot about the topic and about students individually. This was one of my favorite classes!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: HIST254
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Smaldone puts in a lot of work to create lectures that are both enthusiastic and engaging. He seemingly expects the same of his students, that they're enthusiastic and if they need help they ask! Not hard to do well - as long as you do the reading and ask questions if you need help during office hours.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: HIST258
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Smaldone is incredible. He really knows what he's talking about. I've never taken a difficult history class before so to take my first college history course with him was challenging, but definitely worth it. He's incredibly inspirational and is really passionate about the topics and his students' learning. So much reading though.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: HIST440W
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Take a class with Smaldone. You'll get interested and invested in the material. You have to do the work to get a decent grade, but it's not an unreasonable amount. Smaldone is an ardent socialist, and will make you think critically about both socialism and capitalism, which I think everyone should do.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: IDS101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Smaldone's colloqium was extremely interesting, and he was really passionate about what he was teaching. He knows his stuff about history.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: HIST440W
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Took Smaldone's History of Modern Socialism class for an MOI in my senior year and it changed my perspective on things more than any other class I took at Willamette. Highly recommend. That said, there was a whole lot of reading, and most of it was from a textbook he wrote himself, and his essay standards aren't quite as tight as some.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: HIST390W
• Grade Received: D+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Gives really great lectures and is super passionate, but he is fairly self absorbed and can act a bit rude towards you if you don't seem as paasionate as he is. He isn't the most clear on what he wants from you in assignments either, and this makes it hard when you have a large paper due and you are lacking on the details he wanted.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: COLLOQUIUM
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I found him to be very unapproachable and distant. He is very passionate and knows the subjects well, but I believe that he got wrapped up in himself. I found him to be unfairly tough and quite unpleasant. Best of luck if you have him .

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: HIST131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Smaldone is a passionate history professor who loves his subjects and knows them intimately. His classes are very engaging because he does expect you to have done the required reading (which can be long and in depth). He truly cares about his students and is extremely knowledgeable and willing to help.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: HIST131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Amazing professor. His lectures were fascinating and he is passionate about what he teaches. He is a little intimidating because he expects a lot from his students, but he's still very approachable and more than happy to help outside of class. Discussions are engaging & very thought-provoking. But seriously, do the reading and participate in class!

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: IDS131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Smaldone is so incredibly passionate about the subjects he teaches and about making sure his students get as much out of it as they can. He's brilliant and an extremely helpful adviser. He can be intimidating at first, but don't be scared off! He's really great.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: HIST495
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

One of my all-time fav profs. Careful - only take him if a) truly love history or b) are truly good at bsing your way through a class. If you fall under the a category, congrats. Smaldone is one of the most interesting and educated profs I've ever had. He's funny and smart as hell. My advice: Challenge him, because he loves debate. But do it well.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: HIST390W
• 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:

He is amazing. He is so difficult because he challenges everything you know about writing as well as history. HE IS NOT AFRAID TO CALL YOU OUT IF YOU ARE NOT CORRECT. Make sure you come to class knowing whats going on

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: HIST258
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Smaldone is brilliant, which can often be intimidating, especially when he singles you out to answer a question (which he does - a LOT). He is very enthusiastic and I learned a lot from this class.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: HST
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Smaldone's passion for history clouds his ability to present information clearly. He is very self-righteous and presents not only the facts, but his opinion on the facts which I found agrivating.

Rating # 18

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Not only was it an amazing history class, I learned more about writting while in his class than in all of high school. Amazingly easy to go to for help outside of class and very willing to work with you one on one. What everyone else has said is accurate though, you MUST do the reading and DO NOT show up late for class... I could see grades drop!

Rating # 19

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

One of the true treasures at Willamette. He is an ardent socialist that has you read mostly conservative texts for balance. A truly amazing intellect that can sometimes be overwhelming. At first everyone is intimidated by him, but once you spend some time with him you realize he is actually very kind and will go out of his way to help you.

Rating # 20

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Keep up on the reading or he'll call you on it so dont wait to be called on, answer before. Self-important socialist if there is such a thing but he keeps it interesting and there's lots to learn.