Great professor, incredibly knowledgable and enthusiastic. His passion for 19th century US History comes through in his lectures, during which he is animated and engaging. Lots of assigned reading, not all of which is necessary (much is just to build context for the course). His book that he assigns (published in 1978!) is the most important read. This class is a must for history buffs.
Holt is the best! A total Virginia professor, with his accent and bow-tie, and he definitely knows his material. You can get a lot of the course by just reading his book, though be sure to read Uncle Tom's Cabin, as it's necessary for the paper and it's just an outstanding novel. The exams are tough but engaging.
Mr. Holt is an inspirational speaker, and quite fun to listen to in class. However, his midterm and final both suffer from having nearly indecipherable questions, that are multi-tiered in topic, require an in-depth knowledge of nearly every piece of required reading, and are nearly impossible to answer correctly. If you are a good writer, take this course. IF you enjoy history, take it, though you probably won't get an A.
Holt is the most knowledgeable 19th century historian at UVa, and some say the country. His lectures flowed so well, I felt as though I was writing the outline to a book. He also offers a very interesting argument for the cause of the Civil War.
great professor, class is difficult, lots of reading, but definetely worth taking
Awful, awful class. Mr. Holt simply hunches over his notebook, mumbles through his frivolously-detailed notes at lightning speed, and when he has something interesting to say, he looks up and mumbles "Uh, uh..." a thousand times. Made note-taking impossible and a waste of time. Office hours, somehow, were equally unhelpful. Much of the hundreds of pages of assigned reading is officially not covered on the exam, which nearly made me tear up my Toqueville book. Conclusion: you have to LOVE early 19th century politics to like this class.
Great class! Very interesting and engaging lectures.
Holt is opinionated, to say the least, and unflinchingly refutes any suggestion of alternatives to his nontraditional theory of the Civil War's causes. Don't try to argue with him, you can't and won't win, even if you're right, but enjoy the opportunity to take a class from a master in his field. Also, word to the wise, read Holt's book first, scan Foner, scan Freehling and the two smaller books, and disregard the rest. Of the assigned reading, the vast majority is intended to establish context, whereas only about 15% of it ever actually makes it to the class or tests.
Holt knows what he's talking about, and makes it easy because he has pretty specific argument and if you play along with it he lays it out pretty well. read the political crisis of the 1850s during the first few weeks and it lays out every lecture. if you know the book, you will do well in the class, but he's entertaining enough that class is worthwhile for the most part, too
Lots of books. Don't really have to go to class to get a solid grade though, just have to write well
