Message for incoming first-years wanting to take this class:
PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!!!
I am a current third-year student who has finished the economics major with straight As (yes, even in econometrics and industrial organization), and this is the only class I regret taking in my entire UVA career. The content is interesting if you like history, but the class is very time-consuming. There are no slides, and all the content you get is whatever you manage to write down from what Professor Thomas says. If you zoom out even for a little bit, you are cooked for the rest of that day. Your grade comes entirely from exams, which puts a lot of pressure on you to perform well. Professor Thomas is super nice and interesting during office hours! However, he is a harsh grader and doesn't really re-explain concepts.

I remember being locked out for hours in Clark studying for this class while my other first-year friends were having fun with the engagements and easier classes. I ended up getting an A-, but I would have much rather spent time meeting new people and getting adjusted to college instead. If you're taking this class to get ahead with the major, there are many better ways to do so than this class. If you want to start taking econ electives to make progress with the major, I suggest you take ECON 3010 ASAP so that you can unlock all the other 4000-level electives that are far more interesting and that will take as much time and effort as this class. Take time to enjoy your first semester and build a strong GPA before you attempt harder classes, and don't waste your time with this class unless you REALLY, REALLY, REALLY love history. I'm rooting for you! <3

Definitely not a 2000 level class. There is no course material other than readings and lectures. The only grades are exams which he curves based on your score but they are very tough. One review says to know the packet readings in your sleep. I thought that was an exaggeration. I was mistaken. Prof. Thomas is a great guy and the class info is very interesting but lectures can sometimes be a drag. He often spent 45 minutes telling you something then the last 5 minutes telling you everything he just taught was wrong which was quite confusing. 3 exams total. Exams have 5 ID questions, 3 short answers, 1 essay. IDs are 1pt and not worth your time, just take the L. You get to pick between a few options for the short answer and essay questions which is nice. KNOW THE PACKET READINGS WELL and make friends in class to share notes. Do not expect an A. Settle for a solid B with a decent amount of effort.

This class is very intimidating, but if you have any interest in history AND economics, you will most likely enjoy it. Mr. Thomas is very clearly knowledgable and passionate about the subject, so if you can keep up with his pace (and aren't too sleepy), you might find his lectures enjoyable. They are very dense and he will often go on tangents about something and end with "but that's not actually true!", so I recommend just listening for the overall concept/big idea he is getting at -- he WILL make it obvious! If you are a history major and not econ, some of the economic concepts might seem foreign, but he does explain them. If you're an econ person, they'll be cake.

As for taking notes, I recommend listening for the big idea and making sure you have that emphasized, and writing down any obscure name, event, organization, etc. that he mentions, because that will probably be an ID, even if it seems unimportant. I can't stress enough the importance of emphasizing the overarching concepts and how they relate to each other, as that is what the exams really focus on. After the first unit, you will see the main themes appear and will be able to point them out in the coming information. I recommend organizing study guides by these big themes, especially for the final, as it is 5 shorter essays about overarching themes where you have to reference multiple time periods.

The readings are dense, but honestly, most of them will be fully explained in lecture. On that note, if you are prone to skipping lectures, you will NOT succeed in this course -- even getting notes from a friend just can't really replace hearing Thomas's voice emphasizing certain information. Trying to google/chat the readings will also be a little misleading, as when he talks about them in class, he emphasizes different points. When studying for exams, focus on the readings -- there are three short answer questions about them and the essay prompts are honestly about the same concepts. Understand the principles behind the readings and you'll be golden.

This class is in no way an easy A, and I especially don't recommend it if you are not a strong writer under pressure -- the midterms are 50 mins for 5 identifications, 3 short answers about readings, and one essay, all handwritten; the final is a third midterm then 5 shorter essays in 2 hours; and your grade is made up of only these three exams. But if you really lock in on studying, focus on the readings, and stay awake during lecture, you will do fine and learn a lot!

To start, this class is definitely manageable and one of the most interesting offered in the economics department here at UVA. DO NOT LET THE GPA PUSH YOU AWAY FROM TAKING THIS! The class consists of solely 3 midterms, split into 5 terms, 3 reading questions, and an essay question (out of 50 points, 5/15/30 split between the three sections). The IDs are often obscure but most people can get 4/5 by skimming the textbook and making a quizlet. To do well, you must know the readings well for the short answers and Thomas heavily rewards specific mentions to them in essays as well as any numerical data referenced from the readings or lectures. The best way to prepare for the readings/essay section is plugging your course notes/syllabus into an AI and then working to write out responses to generated questions until you have a solid understanding of the material. The final is the most synthesis based out of all 4 exams. While it only counts for 25% of your grade (equal to the midterms), it strongly biases students who can bring together key concepts and data from all three sections. The questions often reference parts from past the class so also use of knowledge from a HS US history course might be useful. Additionally, the Youtube channel Dollars and Debt: The Story of Money complements the course outline well. Overall, a great class and would highly recommend if willing to put in the work.

Unless you are strongly passionate about US history, I would not recommend this course. Professor Thomas is very knowledgable about the course material, however his lectures can get very boring and feel like he's just rattling off numbers the whole time. In addition to being more history-based, the course pretty much stops at World War I, missing much of US Economic History. This course was interesting, but if you are concerned at all with your grades, I wouldn't take this class. Tests are unnecessarily difficult, and nearly impossible to prepare for without memorizing every arbitrary person and detail, even the ones he doesn't mention in class. **Another random detail-- If you take this class you should expect to be late to your next class if its right after, as Professor Thomas regularly runs late.

The best way to describe this class is old school. No video lectures, no powerpoints, only exams, no extra credit. Professor Thomas is an amazing lecturer, and his class remains incredibly engaging, and quite tough. This class is more history than Econ, so keep that in mind if you're trying to get your Econ prerequisites. If you want to do well, budget your time beforehand and make sure to really study the packet he gives out. If you don't, you're gonna struggle, since a decent chunk of the exam (~30%) is based on it. While the class is still tough, it remains incredibly straightforward, so I can't say that it's max difficulty. You follow the same pattern on each exam, so it becomes easier to study for as the semester continues. I only recommend this class to big history buffs, though, since it can be quite dense and overwhelming at times. Overall, I really enjoy the subject matter, so I found it quite interesting.

If you're planning on using this class to fill the 2000-level requirement for the econ major, I would not recommend taking this class. It is deceivingly challenging, and there are a lot of 3000-level courses that are significantly easier. I think to history majors, Thomas is an engaging professor, but I found his lectures to be a little disorganized and number heavy. The exams are always on Fridays (with one always being Halloweekend), and they're challenging if you are not incredibly well versed in the (long) readings. The nice thing is that you can definitely get away with not going to class if you are okay getting a final grade in the B/B+ range. If you want an A, you pretty much have to go to every class and closely read the entire packet of readings. I was happy with the grade I got, but I wish I had just used a second 3000-level class for the econ major and avoided this class.

Professor Thomas was an engaging speaker, and the content in this class was very enjoyable to learn. That being said, it is an extremely reading heavy class. Around 100 pages of reading a week from a textbook + yellow book containing primary sources and opinion and analysis. The grades are entirely composed of "three" tests, the third test being a combined midterm on the last third of the content and the final which is cumulative. The midterms are very difficult: five vocabulary questions, three analysis questions about texts from the yellow book, and an essay question. I would not recommend this course if you are very interested in getting an A. But, if you are reading this and want to take it, getting an A is not impossible. My suggestions would be to skim the textbook readings at best. Attend class to get full points on the essay section, and get so intimate with the yellow book readings you can recite them in your sleep. Especially be able to connect the authors to their points. Try to understand big picture economic concepts across each "era" for the final. Attendance not checked, but I highly recommend.

Thomas is the best professor I’ve ever had. Super information dense lectures old school with no slides and a chalkboard. The course is extremely interesting and I would highly recommend it. As a non-Econ major, this was my favorite class by far, and I’m super happy I took it. That being said, this class is HARD. 2 midterms and a final make up the entire grade and they are completely written. If you want an A, you’re gonna need to start studying 3 weeks prior to exams. The most time consuming class I had by far, but that being said, if you’re up for the challenge I would highly suggest this course.

Writing this in reflection of taking this course 2 years ago, I can confidently say this was one of the most challenging courses I've taken at UVA. There is an insane amount of material that Thomas goes through at a blazing pace, and it necessary to know most of it. The midterms feel like a slap in the face, with 5 identification questions, 3 source analysis questions (analyze a quote and connect it to a particular reading), and a full essay ALL WITHIN 50 MINUTES. The exams are worth 100% of your grade, with 25% for each of two midterms and then a final that consists of 1. a third "midterm" covering the last third of the material (worth 25% of total grade) and a couple essays that connect key concepts across the units (the other 25%). I found that the best way to study was to summarize each unit on a piece of paper in order to keep track of key ideas and important academic debates. I somehow pulled off an A-, but with starting to study almost two weeks before each midterm. I wouldn't bother with the textbook. He encourages you to read it by asking about 2/3 ID questions per exam that we could've only known if we had read the textbook. But honestly, it's extremely boring and even if you do read it, there's no guarantee you'll get those questions right; so I just decided to take the L on those questions and put more time into studying the lecture and packet info (which I think paid off). Definitely read the packet readings, though. You'll need to know them pretty well for the source analysis questions.

Having said all this, Thomas is an extremely engaging lecturer and makes seemingly dull concepts actually pretty interesting. If you're trying to raise your GPA, this probably isn't the class for you. But if you're looking to get a better understanding of American history (and hear a dude with a British accent talk super passionately), would definitely recommend.