Christopher Jackson

Although Prof. Jackson is an excellent speaker, he tends to lecture a little too quickly. It is very difficult to get down all of the information during his lectures. The one problem I had with Prof Jackson was his response to my term paper. He gave me a fair grade on it, which I respect, but he was basically not a nice person with his comments on my writing. Not only did he insult my paper, but also my writing skills, which I have never had a problem with. He is a good professor, but if you don't write a PERFECT paper, prepare yourself for his wrath. Also, make sure you do attend class, as his tests are mainly lecture-based.

The student who graded jacksons' holocaust and genocide class with an F could not be more wrong. Everybody should learn the tradgedy that took place in Europe less than a hundred years ago and Jackson can teach it to you quite well. He is a fair grader, two essay exams and a paper, and if you take good notes you should be fine. The only thing I don't like about the class is that he lectures so fast its hard to catch things, so i would recommend a tape recorder. Besides that, the books assigned are very intresting, and you can learn so much in this class.

I was surprized to read the bad reviews that Prof. Jackson received. I took his class and found it very engaging. I really enjoyed the reading material he selected and thought that he was an extremly fair grader. The class is tough if you do not have previous knowledge on the subject, and he does focus more on Germany than anywhere else since that is his speciality, but he is a great teacher and I would reccommend this class. I learned a great deal. Oh - and the class consisted of a midterm and a final and a paper. Both exams are essay and short ID and you get a study guide. The paper is 12 pages and you can focus it on any subject learned in the class.

I would have to say that Professor Jackson is one of the best lecturers that I have had at SFSU. His knowledge on the subject is outstanding and his care for his students matches that. I would highly recommend anyone who is considering taking him to hesitate no longer and sign up for this class. If you have any interest in the subject matter, the knowledge you gain in his class will only enhance that. His class is challenging but after it is all over it is well worth it.

This is in response to the preceeding review. Although I generally enjoyed Prof Jacksons lectures, I am surprised to read how he went into detail pointing out mistakes in the research paper for this class etc. As it is - I never saw my paper again, not even after including a stamped return envelope and calling. Neither did he mail it back to me nor leave it in front of the history department office. As anybody spending time and interest writing a research paper might understand it is quite frustrating to never get any feedback as to what exactly the grade was and what exactly he would have suggested to improve next time.

I am a recent graduate from SFSU with a degree in History and can say that after having taken Dr. Christopher Jackson's class, it was one of the wisest educational investments I had made. He is one of the rare personalities you can possibly find at this institution. Deservedly so, he is an erudite individual. He was and still remains to be an exemplary inspiration in my life. I took his Hist. 346 course in Modern European History (20th century) a few years ago and can say that he is knowledgeable in his field. His course consisted of lectures, discussions, a midterm, a final exam, and one research paper. The professor's examinations primarily geared towards having the students use their analytical abilities. They were challenging and thought-provoking questions with no real right or wrong answer. What was significant to him was the quality of the students' writing, presenting a concise thesis and providing a strong background of evidence. His grading system of the research paper was just superb because every mistake you made, the professor would clearly point them out ( sentence by sentence). His lectures were dynamic and the materials were fairly easy to grasp as long as the students were consistent in their reading assignments. Furthermore, his open-door policy regarding office hours made him seem as a down-to-earth gentleman who is a caring and compassionate teacher. He not only wanted the students to learn from his class, but also achieve in other aspects of life. I have had the unique pleasure of taking one of the finest and exceptional professors from this university and if ever given another chance, would not hesitate to take another class from him. I would highly recommend this professor to any serious student because he is a quality individual who can leave a lasting imprint on a student's life.