There is a ton of reading but it's well worth it because you read the classics. Sometimes the lectures are a little dry but he tries really hard to be funny which makes them semi-enjoyable. It's fairly easy to get a B, but if you work hard enough an A is actually plausible. If you like reading and analyzing it's a great class to fulfill the second year writing requirement.

Cantor is a great professor, and offers another dimension to the readings that you won't get unless you go to lecture. Loved the readings and would recommend this class to anyone!

Best class I have ever taken. Cantor teaches the entire history of western thought in an accessible and coherent manner- which is where history courses have always failed me. It's a ton of reading- 1 or 2 works a week, almost all well over 100 pages, but it is totally worth it.. and you can get away with skipping some books. Out of the 18 assigned that semester I think I only read 12.

This class was really interesting and Paul Cantor really knows his material. It is difficult, however, because you read 1-2 books a week, and some of the later medieval material is quite dense. The lecture is interesting, but your grade is based mostly on discussion, so make sure you get a good TA!

The class seems intimidating with more than 5 or 6 books of convoluted reading, but class grade is primarily determined by your ability to write coherent papers.