MARK THOMAS IS THE MAN. Class is pretty easy--lots of reading and three papers but really fun

Such a fun class. I really want to go to Australia after taking it. Playing cricket on the Lawn and Thomas' baked goods are definitely highlights. Papers aren't too bad.

Mark Thomas is a great professor. He knows just about everything there is to know about Australia. There is a lot of reading but the readings are for the most part pretty interesting. There are also three 4-5 page papers which are not too bad. Lot of work for a two credit seminar, but class is really enjoyable and Mark Thomas is a great guy.

Although it was a lot of reading for a 2 credit class, the class was pretty stress-free, and Thomas Mark is great! There are 3 4/5 pg.. (double spaced!) papers, but it was worth it to have a pavilion class, and it was cool to learn about Australia since I knew basically nothing about it before. I would definitely recommend!

The class was mostly interesting, though sometimes it was boring depending on what we were talking about. Prof. Thomas was great! There are three 4-5 page papers that have readings that go along with them as well. The readings were more than expected, but you could just skim it and get the jist of it for discussion. The fun days were when we watched movies (they're alright, one is a strange), played cricket on the Lawn, and the last day, when he made us cookies and bread! Overall, it was a pretty worthwhile course, and if you really are interested in the history of Australia, you should take it.

Thomas is a great lecturer and loves discussion! Having class on the Lawn is really nice, sometimes we held it in the garden! Quite a bit of reading, but you can just skim to get a general idea for class discussion. 3 essays aren't bad! Great professor and pretty cool class overall :)

This class will feel like a lot of work at first! The 200ish pages of reading per week seem like a lot for a USEM, until you realize you really only have to skim them to get a vague idea for class discussion. Three weeks of the semester, you'll have to read about 150 pages and then write a 4-5 page paper based on only those readings (information from other weeks isn't tied in), so those weeks feel stressful, but the rest of the term is really laid back. Professor Thomas is really nice and smart, and he seems to genuinely care about his students. Classes were pretty interesting but the 2 hours could feel a little boring- we watched a few good movies though! Overall, I would recommend this class to first years who want a chance to get to know a professor and bond with the other students in class.

Great class! Thomas is great and the material is really interesting. He has classes in the gardens when the weather is nice which is really fun. Definitely recommend.