Dr. Joel Benson
Classes taught[edit]
Style & personality[edit]
REGULAR SEMESTER: Dr. Benson teaches completely by lecture, which is either good or bad depending on your opinion of that method. He will usually come to class with a mug of coffee and walk around the front of the room speaking, occasionally going to the map to show where something happened. The classes are not particularly difficult, but do require time put into studying for the three tests.
Each test is 25 multiple choice questions each worth two points and an essay worth 50 points. He gives the essay topics out a week before the test, and there are always four of them of which two will appear on your test and you will have to choose one of them. This means you only have to study 3 of the 4 essays to be prepared. On each test there is also the chance for 3 points of extra credit, which requires that you identify the speakers of various quotes that he introduces at the beginning of each class.
There is also a paper required which for Western Civilization II (Spring 2007) required that one write the transcript to an "interview" with a person who would be covered in the class, and required research to determine how the person would have responded.
MAY SESSION: In May, Dr. Benson also requires a paper, but it is on a different topic. He also assigns various books to read such as Candide. The tests are split between an essay on the book and an essay on lecture. When teaching Western Civ. II during May, the classes are 2.5 hours long Monday-Thursday.
Student opinions[edit]
Dr. Benson is a very good teacher. He makes the classes he teaches very interesting despite the fact that they are always lecture. He is very approachable if he sees you actually paying attention in class and often makes little jokes.
