Professor Thomas is awesome. Definitely one of the best lecturers at UVA. He's hilarious and super easy to talk to in office hours. The course material is interesting for the most part. This is a really enjoyable class for the most part, but it's certainly not easy. There is an extensive amount of reading and the tests are all handwritten essay questions with significant time pressure that are worth a substantial amount of your grade. The syllabus says there are 2 midterms worth 25% each and a final worth 50%, but the final exam is split into a 3rd midterm and a cumulative final. If you stay on top of everything, it's definitely possible to get an A, but it's super tough. Exams are 5 ID questions, 3 one paragraph essay questions and a 1-2 page essay question. To prepare for the midterms: 1) Take great notes in lecture. This is essential, because he posts nothing online at all. Your only resources are lectures, readings and his office hours. 2) Read the PACKET readings thoroughly and be able to explain the main ideas, arguments, conclusions, etc. The packet readings are what you're tested on. The textbook readings are helpful, but you have to prioritize the packet readings. The cumulative portion of the final exam was a series of essay questions that all had to be about 2 blue book pages long. You have 2 hours to do it. The questions focus on the broad themes of the course. Honestly, it's hard to prepare for this if you didn't understand earlier material. Main takeaways: 1) Do not miss class and always take notes. 2) Do all the packet readings thoroughly. 3) Write faster than you've ever written before! It's an intensive class, but it's worth it if you're willing to put the work in.

Thomas is a very engaging lecturer. This class is very interesting, but is definitely not a GPA booster. Tests are very difficult and Thomas is a strict grader. Make sure you actually read all the documents in the packet he gives you if you want to do well on the tests.

This class has been my favorite so far. I took this first semester, first year. I randomly signed up for it because my sucky enrollment time didn't allow me to get Econ 201 so I wanted to take something related to economics (intended major). I did not know that course forum existed at this time, but if I had, I wouldn't have taken it because of the low average GPA. It is a blessing that I didn't know about course forum because I loved this class and ended up doing fairly well for such a difficult class as a first year (B+). Professor Thomas is awesome. His accent makes everything very interesting. Just make sure you do all the reading because the identifications at the beginning of each exam will be small details from reading or maybe lecture. Do not skip lecture (you won't want to anyway). If you do have to miss, make sure you get the notes from someone. Also, the two midterms make up 50% of your grade combined and the final is 50% so there is not a lot of room for error. Don't let the difficulty scare you away- you won't regret it... but don't be expecting an A.

Great lecturer, but at times make the subject matter more difficult than it needs to be. Tests are ridiculously difficult. Definitely not a GPA booster.

Keep in mind, this is cross-listed as ECON 2060, but I took at as HIUS. I have to say that I really enjoyed the lectures. Mark Thomas is a great professor and a really funny guy. However, it's clear he really cares about the subject material that he's teaching. While the lectures are great, you have to pay attention and take great notes, because come test time you're going to need it all. There's no other outside work other than reading. It was definitely my most time consuming class considering all the readings and studying for the tests (10 hours+ of studying a few days out; could be daunting for a first-year) Here are some tips that I recommend:

- You may want to consider taking ECON 2010 before taking this course, there's a lot of Econ lingo that he explains, assuming you have no prior knowledge, but it can be tough if you're not Econ savvy and do not have some background in it.
- Go to every lecture and take notes on notes on notes from the lectures and make sure you know the big themes.
- Read and study the packet readings with the same amount of effort as you do the lecture notes.
- Don't bother with the textbook, his lectures are essentially the textbook content and it's a very expensive book (I rarely used it).
- Study in a group after you've gone over the notes yourself.
- Make sure you answer the full question and provide any specific details you can remember on the tests that support your argument. That will get you more points.

Overall, this was a rewarding class, and in hindsight I'm very glad I took it. The tests and final especially can really be stressful, but if you study hard you'll be fine. The grading isn't as bad, just make sure you give them positive things to grade.

Thomas is a spectacular lecturer and professor. On top of that, the classes are interesting and engaging. You feel like you learn something important every time you sit down. That being said, I WOULD NOT recommend this class to any first years. I tried taking this in my first semester and truly regret it. Despite feeling like you've learned a lot, your grade will not reflect it and it is not an encouraging way to start your college career. If you're willing to take on a challenge, go for it knowing you'll be satisfied but be warned that it will be a struggle to convert that knowledge into a grade that will satisfy you. Take it after you've got some college classes under your belt and you're ready to battle.

Fantastic Professor very easy to stay engaged in lecture. Take good notes and do the packet reading and you will do well. Every test will have a few points dedicated to textbook reading but not worth the time in my opinion.

Thomas is very charming and makes lectures as fun as learning about the economy can be. His class is a little more difficult than most because he stands at the front of the room and talks from notes he's made for himself. Without lecture slides it was hard for me to get a general idea for how the concepts fit together. But, I'm more of a visual learner, so if you're into the whole auditory learning thing you should have no problem. No day-to-day homework, so little effort required overall, but he makes up for it by upping the difficulty of the exams. Your success in this class will heavily depend on how much you show up to the lectures and how well you can take notes for yourself. Side note to first years: unless you have previous experience in econ-based classes there may be some terms and concepts you don't understand at first. I'm sure if you take the time to go to office hours you'll figure it out. If I could do it all over I would've waited until after at least econ 2010, though.

Difficult yet rewarding course. The grading comes from 3 midterms and a final (each 25%). However, the 3rd midterm is giving in conjunction with the final, so it is a very exhausting day of test-taking. Mark Thomas is the best professor I have had so far at UVA, and keeps the class insightful and engaging. This class taught me a lot about American history and gives you real insight into the past. Grades are averaged right about an 80, but with a fairly low spread so that there aren't many A's or failing grades. I received a B+, and think it would be very difficult to get an A. All told, very tough but satisfying.

DO NOT take this class if you are not a history or econ major, way too difficult and not worth it in my opinion. The professor is one of the best lecturers I've ever met and the things we learn are actually pretty interesting, but neither of those things make up for how much this class bombed my GPA this semester, and I am not even majoring in history or econ. Tests are very difficult to study for as he does not have powerpoints or give out study guides of any sort. Readings are dense.