Reviews for Richard James Bell
Average Rating:| mayam Course: HIST156 Grade Expected: A November 23, 2011, 10:30 am | Professor Bell is absolutely the best. I needed a core history credit for what was my government major at the time, so I looked up random courses and took 289E solely on Bell's amazing reviews. I have no interest in the American Revolution or early American history in general. But I am so glad I took that course. Professor Bell could make any course come alive, ANY COURSE, and that's what made 289E one of my favorite classes thus far. Professor Bell and I met a few times and he convinced me to become a history major, which I am today. I took his 156 course this semester. Yeah, I have no interest in early American history and I've now taken 2 semesters in a row of it, that covers mostly the same time period. I'd take any class Professor Bell teaches. He gets to know every student's name (in a large lecture hall) and thinks highly of his students and their intellectual capabilities. Cannot recommend him enough. |
| agaybaby Course: HIST156 Grade Expected: B May 20, 2011, 6:06 am | One of the best teachers I've ever had. Lecture was fun to go to, as he was very funny and engaging. Routinely makes jokes at the expense of students (in a harmless way.) Class itself wasn't too bad. 2 essays, around 5-6 pages each. One on some readings; one involving you going to the Smithsonian (!) to look at some paintings and to write down things about them, and then relate them to the course. Exams were not easy, mainly because the pool of possible IDs was so large. Discussion was key, participate at least twice a day for full credit. My TA was also good and always helpful (Allison), especially regarding the Smithsonian visit. If you are looking for an easy A, I do not recommend this class. However, if you are looking to take a class with one of the best professors at Maryland, I highly recommend it. |
| Anonymous Course: HIST289E Grade Expected: B May 17, 2011, 1:47 pm | Looks like I'm the first person to review him for this class. First off, he is a WONDERFUL teacher. His lectures are awesome and engaging. He tells a story every time, and the class material is actually very interesting (note class to left). However, I was taking this class as a core, and I would say definitely don't do that if you are looking for an easy A. He only gives out 3 big assignments (3 essays) but they are some of the hardest essays I have ever had to write. They require a lot of research, and a lot of time there is no clear answer to the question, and the TA's standards were not very clear. The final exam is going to seem impossible (He'll give you a list of 80+ IDs to remember, a possible 8 essay questions, of which he'll pick 5 and 1, repectively), but in reality, it wasn't too bad. Advice if you are going to take the class: Attending lecture isn't pertinent, but will help you remember things. Take very organized notes, I would recommend typing them, as when he gives you the list of IDs, you can just Control-F to find them for the final. He has occasional guest speakers; some a re good, others not so much, but this is a new class so I expect it will get better in that regard. Overall, awesome teacher, hard essays, weird grading scale (grades on like a 9 point system instead of 10), seemingly impossible final but just take good notes during the semester and it won't be too bad. |
| Moriel Daniel Course: HIST156 Grade Expected: B+ January 23, 2011, 11:27 am | Professor Bell is by far the best professor I've had at Maryland. As mentioned previously, his tests aren't easy but if you go to office hours and do the reading, it will help you a lot.Participation in discussion is key, as it counts as much or more than an exam or assignment. |
| Anonymous Course: HIST156 Grade Expected: B+ December 15, 2010, 11:33 am | I loved Professor Bell. He's hysterical and really made history interesting for me. However, his tests are not easy. You really need to be prepared to spend a lot of time studying because sometimes he chooses really small and insignificant things for ID's and if you don't know them you're kinda screwed. You're grade will depend on your TA though, mine was great. This is not an easy class so be prepared to put in a solid amount of time studying, even though Bell is great. |
| Anonymous Course: HIST156 Grade Expected: A May 11, 2010, 3:32 pm | Professor Bell is the best professor I've had so far at UMD. He is a phenomenal lecturer and made the material very interesting. I also liked that he tried to emphasis social change and the impact of major events as opposed to the repetitive drone about early American wars that many American history teachers turn to. The class had two papers, a midterm, and a final. The work was challenging, but very manageable. My only complaint is that there was a substantial amount of assigned reading for the class (mostly writings by historians or primary sources, but also a novel), although I was able to get away with skimming most of it. I would definitely recommend taking this class with Professor Bell. |
| Anonymous Course: HIST156 Grade Expected: A December 16, 2009, 9:15 pm | It's already been said, but Professor Bell was excellent for HIST156 and I'm really glad I took his class. The semester was based on two written assignments, a midterm, class participation, and a final. The papers weren't that bad, and for one of them we got to go to the Smithsonian in DC and look at American art which was actually pretty interesting. For the midterm and final we had to identify terms and write and essay, which wasn't too hard because we got study sheets for them. My TA was really cool too, which made discussion actually worth attending. I recommend this class to anyone who wants a fun a interesting semester. |
| seddy Course: HIST428N Grade Expected: A May 11, 2009, 10:23 am | Professor Bell is an excellent professor. The reason I took this course is because I had him for Hist156 and like him a lot. He is an excellent lecturer. It is the only class where I pay full attention the entire lecture. You definitely need to take notes and do the readings because a lot of his grading is based on participation, but in general the readings are not to bad and they are different from what you typically have to read in history classes. You will truly get a unique experience in this class and it is TOTALLY worth the work you put in. (Plus he has a very nice british accent and a good sense of humor) |
| Anonymous Course: HIST156 Grade Expected: A+ November 29, 2007, 10:51 am | This was an excellent class. Professor Bell's lectures were interesting, informative and fun. The class made history more than an exercise in memorization. Professor regularly threw in interesting side notes, discussed art from the period, and even some relevant economics and sociology, among other things. He has high expectations -- there really is a lot of reading and the grading system does not leave much fudge room since there are so few assignments -- but he is more than fair and with a bit of effort there is no reason for anyone to do poorly. I definitely recommend his class. It's been one of my favorite classes yet. |
| Anonymous Course: HIST156 Grade Expected: A November 20, 2007, 4:38 pm | Professor Bell is an excellent professor -- he makes American history interesting because while we've all been studying American history since we were about 5, he looks at different aspects of American history instead of just the battles and George Washington. He's funny and is a really great lecturer. The two assignments (papers) he gave us were challenging but definitely doable -- and he's a really fair grader. There's a lot of reading but in my discussion you can get by with doing parts and skimming. The exams weren't hard either. Basically if you go to lecture and do some/most of the readings you will do well in the class. |