HIST284 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Ting Zhang HIST284 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/09/2024	Professor Zhang is clearly very well versed in the content she covers, and makes lectures interesting and engaging. The course is definitely a lot of work, and I feel like some adjustments to the curriculum could make it more student-friendly (clearer criteria, assignments more evenly spread out over the semester), and the readings were occasionally overwhelming in quantity. Overall though, was pretty enjoyable and I'd recommend the course if you're interested in the topic
Ting Zhang HIST284 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/09/2024	The course covers the long pre-modern history of East Asia. As long as you do the readings and attend the lectures/discussions, you'll probably get a good grade. The assignments are well-balanced and not difficult. The final exam is online and open-book. There are no mid-terms. The lectures are clear and well-organized.
Ting Zhang HIST284 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/08/2024	Professor Zhang is really well versed in what she teaches, and provides great lecture slides that she elaborates on a lot in class. I will say the reading is heavy, but if this is a subject you are interested in then take the course! The assignments are not too crazy compared to other classes, there is one essay due late in the semester, plus a timeline chart you work on throughout the semester. There are weekly quizzes, you get two attempts, and questions to post about the content too. While there is a lot of reading, and three books over the course of the semester, this is a history class that covers several thousand years in one semester. Attendance became mandatory after many people stopped showing up halfway through the sem. Overall, if you have an interest in the subject I recommend the course, Prof Zhang really knows her history and you really learn a lot in lecture.
Ting Zhang HIST284 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/04/2024	If this class is not an absolute necessity for you, PLEASE steer clear. This class has been the worst class I have ever taken in my four years at this university, and every student I have talked to who is taking this class currently and has taken this class in the past has all told me this class has single-handedly ruined their entire semester. Easily you will be assigned over 150 pages to read each week on top of the fact that you have to read THREE books that are nowhere near what you would call "short". Each Thursday there is a quiz online about the readings for that week, which are timed. There is also a discussion board where you have to ask two questions: one on what you still have a question about from the lecture or the readings and the other is about what you want to learn more about. Personally, I found no use in these discussion boards as a majority of the questions students had were never answered anyway. The timeline chart assignment is split into three separate assignments. It's impossible to discern what she is looking for with this assignment. Her lectures are her just reading from the slides, which are composed of a lot of text taken directly from the textbook. When people stopped showing up to lecture because of this, she made attendance mandatory. When people ask questions during lectures, most of the time she cannot give a direct answer. The third timeline chart and the primary source analysis paper (of one of the three books) are due the Sunday before the Friday final exam. I cannot stress enough that this class (and this professor) should be avoided at all costs.
Ting Zhang HIST284 Expecting an A naonic 12/22/2023	The class is definitely a lot of work for a lower level class, but if you're willing to do the readings it will probably go fine.
Ting Zhang HIST284 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/19/2023	Dr. Zhang prepares a lot of material for her lectures, and she provides resources ahead of time to help students complete assignment. She is a good lecturer, but she does tend to go overboard with information sometimes. Regardless, she's still passionate about what she teaches. A lot of her assignments require some effort and a moderate amount of time, but if you do not procrastinate, you'll have more than enough time to complete them. Be warned though, this course includes a lot of reading and writing. If that's up your alley, then take it.
Ting Zhang HIST284 Expecting an A+ typicalginger45 01/18/2023	Super interesting class that covered A LOT of material. Very reading heavy (like easily 100+ pages a week), plus weekly reading quizzes and discussions on the readings. A lot of work for a low level class, but I enjoyed the subject so I didn't mind. Professor Zhang is very nice and very knowledgable about the subject. Attendance was mandatory (sign-in sheets were passed around).
Charles Lilley HIST284 Anonymous 12/14/2014	I'm sad to say that this class was a completely disappointment. Please do not get me wrong, Dr. Lilley is very friendly and is very endearing, and is clearly invested in the study, however I did not find his teaching style effective. Posts below summarize his teaching style pretty accurately. His lectures will drive you insane, and you will never be able to take notes. It was amusing listening to the grunts and the sucking of teeth of annoyed students every time he changed the slide. As some reviewers below have said, just write down as much of what he says as you possibly can. He seemed to inevitably post all of the slides before an exam so if you missed anything on the slides. You would be okay. However, for the amount of work you have to do, the class can be incredibly obnoxious especially if you just need a plural societies credit. Look elsewhere, this class wasted more time than 400 level science courses. Another Important thing to note: As of this semester (Fall 2014) Dr. Lilley NO LONGER ALLOWS LAPTOPS. This is what made it incredibly aggravating to take notes because he speaks so quickly, so reviewers below saying to "write down what he says" is of utmost importance. My main issue was with the awful discussion class. The TA noted below in other reviews is no longer there and the TA's name is Trish. She was by far one of the worst TA's I have ever had at UMD. It was nothing like reviews below had stated where discussion helped them tie together the lecture classes. This never happened. We sat in silence while she waited for someone to "lead the discussion" when there was nothing to discuss because the textbook was very straightforward about what sort of culture was there. Instead of discussion we should have just read the textbook instead of wasting time going there. In one instance, only two people showed up to discussion which was pretty funny to give you an example of how awful it was. On top of that, you better hope you never use any commas on your papers or you can prepare yourself to have 10-15 points taken off your papers for "comma usage" even though it is correct. There is no point arguing with her either, multiple people got the same "comma usage" point penalty as me and even though it was proven the comma usage was correct, she would not falter. On the exams there were about 2 main questions you had to answer one being an overarching theme of what we had discussed so far, and one from the discussion. Again, discussion was so useless the question could have been easily answered if you read the book. The class uses a lot of your time, especially for the discussion with little gain, and I wouldn't recommend taking it if absolutely necessary, or if Trish isn't the TA. The course subject was interesting, but difficult to follow because of Dr. Lilley's teaching style. However, if you follow the tips noted here, you will probably get a B or an A.
Charles Lilley HIST284 Expecting a B fma1 05/29/2013	This is a bit late, since I took him in Fall 2012. I didn't really like the map quiz, but in general, he wasn't that bad of a teacher. He goes out of order chronologically, but there's a method to his madness. The important thing is to write down WHAT HE SAYS. He uploads the powerpoints. But make sure to pay attention to what he says. What I would do is just type as fast I could to get down as much of what he was saying. I recommend either doing that or trying to get permission to record what he says. There are two midterms, and two essays. Honestly, this class isn't that hard compared to HIST483, which I took last semester. If you study hard and listen to what he says, you should be good.
Charles Lilley HIST284 Expecting a C Raikou-Neko 12/14/2011	I agree that Professor Lilley isn't the greatest lecturer - not only does he not present the material chronologically (the best way to learn history of a specific area), but he constantly tries to make us understand some underlying theme that only confuses us more. I am also a little frustrated with his study guides. They only cover 60% of the exam. For the final, I know to review the military history of all the dynasties of China, but the previous two exams I got a 65 and 64 because I was stupid and didn't figure out that he really likes military history. Therefore I got 5% on the major essay (which is essentially a compare and contrast essay on two dynasties and their military polices) and 60% on the rest. The only thing that keeps my grade afloat are the two essay/papers and the IDs. Sadly, I'll have to take his class again because he's the only teacher of the 400 level Japanese history courses that I'm required to take as a Japanese major...
Charles Lilley HIST284 Expecting an A Reactionist 12/06/2011	I agree with Prof. Lilley is not a good lecturer, but can never agree with this class is that difficult. Do not be possessed to write down everything on his powerpoint. (It is pointless because he always posts his ppt on ELMS) Instead, just pay attention to LISTEN WHAT HE SAID in lecture. The assignments are easy - ridiculously easy map quizzes, some identifications, and just two essays (3 pages each) based on two assigned books. And NEVER SKIP DISCUSSION CLASS b/c it's Amazingly helpful and some of exam questions comes from discussion section. If you get Rene Stadtler as your TA, you will be alright.
Charles Lilley HIST284 Expecting a C Anonymous 04/05/2011	Unfortunately, Prof Lilley is not a good lecturer. His powerpoints are generally straightforward, but his lectures vary throughout the hour between disorganized side ramblings and 'so this is what happened here' type thing. It's pretty difficult to grasp some of the points he tries to make, but if you do the readings diligently and at least pay a good amount of attention, you'll get by. Discussion class with the TA, however, is far easier to understand and more interesting.
Charles Lilley HIST284 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/19/2011	1) This class is challenging, but not impossible to get a good grade in. 2) Professor Lilley is a funny and interesting professor but he speaks very, very quickly during lecture and his powerpoints go by fast, so it's important to pay attention. 3) The TA for this class is SUPER helpful, so always go to discussion. 4) Attendance counts--attendance is taken both in lecture and in discussion. 5) Do the readings for discussion, they'll usually show up on the exams. 6) The papers for this class are relatively easy and quite short--only 3 pages. So they're easy to do well on, if you put in the time and effort.
Charles Lilley HIST284 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/07/2010	This class is difficult but it is not impossible. The professor does talk very fast, there is a lot of information to know, and there is a lot of reading but this is all very manageable. Professor Lilley is a very smart man and he knows what he is talking about. If you pay attention in lecture and i mean REALLY pay attention then he is easy to follow. Discussion is like a whole other class in itself because it focuses on the cultural side of asian history. Most of the reading and virtually all of the work comes from discussion. The T.A. is amazing and very funny, i enjoyed going to lecture. IMPORTANT TIPS: 1. Do not try and copy the power points, it is a useless thing to do. Instead take notes of what the professor is saying. Dont even bother looking at the screen, just pay attention to what he is saying himself. I can not stress this enough! Just write down what he is saying. He posts the power points online so you get the information there also his main ideas do not come from the slides but from his speech. Just pay attention to him, it took me a while to get this and once I started to just listen to him i understood the material better and got two letter grades higher on the next text. 2. Read for discussion/always go to discussion. Treat discussion like a separate class. 3. Use the study guides he gives for the exams!! If you thorough do everything on the study guide then you will surely get an A.
Charles Lilley HIST284 Expecting an A- Nahemahx6 01/14/2010	He's a very poor lecturer. He goes very quickly, and for the most part his lectures are out of order, so it's difficult to keep up. Learning out of the textbook did not work for me because most of the things he covered weren't in the textbooks, so I'd end up with more information than I actually needed for the class. However, the TA, Bill, is really amazing, and I learned more from him in discussion than I did in lecture. If you listen to him and do all your work for discussion, while managing to copy down as much of the powerpoint as possible before Lilley moves on, you should be fine.
Charles Lilley HIST284 Expecting an A fruitchaat 12/04/2008	His lectures drive me crazy. At first he would have powerpoints, but they would have a lot of text and he'd flip through them too quickly for us to take notes so you had to write super fast. But then he started get mad that we were taking notes on the powerpoint "instead of listening to him" so he got rid of them for the most part. But it was still hard to take notes since he talked fast and you had to guess spellings of word/names you weren't familiar with. That said, the class was still pretty easy. the exams weren't too hard as long as you study.

Ting Zhang
HIST284

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/09/2024

Professor Zhang is clearly very well versed in the content she covers, and makes lectures interesting and engaging. The course is definitely a lot of work, and I feel like some adjustments to the curriculum could make it more student-friendly (clearer criteria, assignments more evenly spread out over the semester), and the readings were occasionally overwhelming in quantity. Overall though, was pretty enjoyable and I'd recommend the course if you're interested in the topic

Ting Zhang
HIST284

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/09/2024

The course covers the long pre-modern history of East Asia. As long as you do the readings and attend the lectures/discussions, you'll probably get a good grade. The assignments are well-balanced and not difficult. The final exam is online and open-book. There are no mid-terms. The lectures are clear and well-organized.

Ting Zhang
HIST284

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/08/2024

Professor Zhang is really well versed in what she teaches, and provides great lecture slides that she elaborates on a lot in class. I will say the reading is heavy, but if this is a subject you are interested in then take the course! The assignments are not too crazy compared to other classes, there is one essay due late in the semester, plus a timeline chart you work on throughout the semester. There are weekly quizzes, you get two attempts, and questions to post about the content too. While there is a lot of reading, and three books over the course of the semester, this is a history class that covers several thousand years in one semester. Attendance became mandatory after many people stopped showing up halfway through the sem. Overall, if you have an interest in the subject I recommend the course, Prof Zhang really knows her history and you really learn a lot in lecture.

Ting Zhang
HIST284

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/04/2024

If this class is not an absolute necessity for you, PLEASE steer clear. This class has been the worst class I have ever taken in my four years at this university, and every student I have talked to who is taking this class currently and has taken this class in the past has all told me this class has single-handedly ruined their entire semester. Easily you will be assigned over 150 pages to read each week on top of the fact that you have to read THREE books that are nowhere near what you would call "short". Each Thursday there is a quiz online about the readings for that week, which are timed. There is also a discussion board where you have to ask two questions: one on what you still have a question about from the lecture or the readings and the other is about what you want to learn more about. Personally, I found no use in these discussion boards as a majority of the questions students had were never answered anyway. The timeline chart assignment is split into three separate assignments. It's impossible to discern what she is looking for with this assignment. Her lectures are her just reading from the slides, which are composed of a lot of text taken directly from the textbook. When people stopped showing up to lecture because of this, she made attendance mandatory. When people ask questions during lectures, most of the time she cannot give a direct answer. The third timeline chart and the primary source analysis paper (of one of the three books) are due the Sunday before the Friday final exam. I cannot stress enough that this class (and this professor) should be avoided at all costs.

Ting Zhang
HIST284

Expecting an A
naonic
12/22/2023

The class is definitely a lot of work for a lower level class, but if you're willing to do the readings it will probably go fine.

Ting Zhang
HIST284

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/19/2023

Dr. Zhang prepares a lot of material for her lectures, and she provides resources ahead of time to help students complete assignment. She is a good lecturer, but she does tend to go overboard with information sometimes. Regardless, she's still passionate about what she teaches. A lot of her assignments require some effort and a moderate amount of time, but if you do not procrastinate, you'll have more than enough time to complete them. Be warned though, this course includes a lot of reading and writing. If that's up your alley, then take it.

Ting Zhang
HIST284

Expecting an A+
typicalginger45
01/18/2023

Super interesting class that covered A LOT of material. Very reading heavy (like easily 100+ pages a week), plus weekly reading quizzes and discussions on the readings. A lot of work for a low level class, but I enjoyed the subject so I didn't mind. Professor Zhang is very nice and very knowledgable about the subject. Attendance was mandatory (sign-in sheets were passed around).

Charles Lilley
HIST284

Anonymous
12/14/2014

I'm sad to say that this class was a completely disappointment. Please do not get me wrong, Dr. Lilley is very friendly and is very endearing, and is clearly invested in the study, however I did not find his teaching style effective. Posts below summarize his teaching style pretty accurately. His lectures will drive you insane, and you will never be able to take notes. It was amusing listening to the grunts and the sucking of teeth of annoyed students every time he changed the slide. As some reviewers below have said, just write down as much of what he says as you possibly can. He seemed to inevitably post all of the slides before an exam so if you missed anything on the slides. You would be okay. However, for the amount of work you have to do, the class can be incredibly obnoxious especially if you just need a plural societies credit. Look elsewhere, this class wasted more time than 400 level science courses. Another Important thing to note: As of this semester (Fall 2014) Dr. Lilley NO LONGER ALLOWS LAPTOPS. This is what made it incredibly aggravating to take notes because he speaks so quickly, so reviewers below saying to "write down what he says" is of utmost importance. My main issue was with the awful discussion class. The TA noted below in other reviews is no longer there and the TA's name is Trish. She was by far one of the worst TA's I have ever had at UMD. It was nothing like reviews below had stated where discussion helped them tie together the lecture classes. This never happened. We sat in silence while she waited for someone to "lead the discussion" when there was nothing to discuss because the textbook was very straightforward about what sort of culture was there. Instead of discussion we should have just read the textbook instead of wasting time going there. In one instance, only two people showed up to discussion which was pretty funny to give you an example of how awful it was. On top of that, you better hope you never use any commas on your papers or you can prepare yourself to have 10-15 points taken off your papers for "comma usage" even though it is correct. There is no point arguing with her either, multiple people got the same "comma usage" point penalty as me and even though it was proven the comma usage was correct, she would not falter. On the exams there were about 2 main questions you had to answer one being an overarching theme of what we had discussed so far, and one from the discussion. Again, discussion was so useless the question could have been easily answered if you read the book. The class uses a lot of your time, especially for the discussion with little gain, and I wouldn't recommend taking it if absolutely necessary, or if Trish isn't the TA. The course subject was interesting, but difficult to follow because of Dr. Lilley's teaching style. However, if you follow the tips noted here, you will probably get a B or an A.

Charles Lilley
HIST284

Expecting a B
fma1
05/29/2013

This is a bit late, since I took him in Fall 2012. I didn't really like the map quiz, but in general, he wasn't that bad of a teacher. He goes out of order chronologically, but there's a method to his madness. The important thing is to write down WHAT HE SAYS. He uploads the powerpoints. But make sure to pay attention to what he says. What I would do is just type as fast I could to get down as much of what he was saying. I recommend either doing that or trying to get permission to record what he says. There are two midterms, and two essays. Honestly, this class isn't that hard compared to HIST483, which I took last semester. If you study hard and listen to what he says, you should be good.

Charles Lilley
HIST284

Expecting a C
Raikou-Neko
12/14/2011

I agree that Professor Lilley isn't the greatest lecturer - not only does he not present the material chronologically (the best way to learn history of a specific area), but he constantly tries to make us understand some underlying theme that only confuses us more. I am also a little frustrated with his study guides. They only cover 60% of the exam. For the final, I know to review the military history of all the dynasties of China, but the previous two exams I got a 65 and 64 because I was stupid and didn't figure out that he really likes military history. Therefore I got 5% on the major essay (which is essentially a compare and contrast essay on two dynasties and their military polices) and 60% on the rest. The only thing that keeps my grade afloat are the two essay/papers and the IDs. Sadly, I'll have to take his class again because he's the only teacher of the 400 level Japanese history courses that I'm required to take as a Japanese major...

Charles Lilley
HIST284

Expecting an A
Reactionist
12/06/2011

I agree with Prof. Lilley is not a good lecturer, but can never agree with this class is that difficult. Do not be possessed to write down everything on his powerpoint. (It is pointless because he always posts his ppt on ELMS) Instead, just pay attention to LISTEN WHAT HE SAID in lecture. The assignments are easy - ridiculously easy map quizzes, some identifications, and just two essays (3 pages each) based on two assigned books. And NEVER SKIP DISCUSSION CLASS b/c it's Amazingly helpful and some of exam questions comes from discussion section. If you get Rene Stadtler as your TA, you will be alright.

Charles Lilley
HIST284

Expecting a C
Anonymous
04/05/2011

Unfortunately, Prof Lilley is not a good lecturer. His powerpoints are generally straightforward, but his lectures vary throughout the hour between disorganized side ramblings and 'so this is what happened here' type thing. It's pretty difficult to grasp some of the points he tries to make, but if you do the readings diligently and at least pay a good amount of attention, you'll get by. Discussion class with the TA, however, is far easier to understand and more interesting.

Charles Lilley
HIST284

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/19/2011

1) This class is challenging, but not impossible to get a good grade in. 2) Professor Lilley is a funny and interesting professor but he speaks very, very quickly during lecture and his powerpoints go by fast, so it's important to pay attention. 3) The TA for this class is SUPER helpful, so always go to discussion. 4) Attendance counts--attendance is taken both in lecture and in discussion. 5) Do the readings for discussion, they'll usually show up on the exams. 6) The papers for this class are relatively easy and quite short--only 3 pages. So they're easy to do well on, if you put in the time and effort.

Charles Lilley
HIST284

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/07/2010

This class is difficult but it is not impossible. The professor does talk very fast, there is a lot of information to know, and there is a lot of reading but this is all very manageable. Professor Lilley is a very smart man and he knows what he is talking about. If you pay attention in lecture and i mean REALLY pay attention then he is easy to follow. Discussion is like a whole other class in itself because it focuses on the cultural side of asian history. Most of the reading and virtually all of the work comes from discussion. The T.A. is amazing and very funny, i enjoyed going to lecture. IMPORTANT TIPS: 1. Do not try and copy the power points, it is a useless thing to do. Instead take notes of what the professor is saying. Dont even bother looking at the screen, just pay attention to what he is saying himself. I can not stress this enough! Just write down what he is saying. He posts the power points online so you get the information there also his main ideas do not come from the slides but from his speech. Just pay attention to him, it took me a while to get this and once I started to just listen to him i understood the material better and got two letter grades higher on the next text. 2. Read for discussion/always go to discussion. Treat discussion like a separate class. 3. Use the study guides he gives for the exams!! If you thorough do everything on the study guide then you will surely get an A.

Charles Lilley
HIST284

Expecting an A-
Nahemahx6
01/14/2010

He's a very poor lecturer. He goes very quickly, and for the most part his lectures are out of order, so it's difficult to keep up. Learning out of the textbook did not work for me because most of the things he covered weren't in the textbooks, so I'd end up with more information than I actually needed for the class. However, the TA, Bill, is really amazing, and I learned more from him in discussion than I did in lecture. If you listen to him and do all your work for discussion, while managing to copy down as much of the powerpoint as possible before Lilley moves on, you should be fine.

Charles Lilley
HIST284

Expecting an A
fruitchaat
12/04/2008

His lectures drive me crazy. At first he would have powerpoints, but they would have a lot of text and he'd flip through them too quickly for us to take notes so you had to write super fast. But then he started get mad that we were taking notes on the powerpoint "instead of listening to him" so he got rid of them for the most part. But it was still hard to take notes since he talked fast and you had to guess spellings of word/names you weren't familiar with. That said, the class was still pretty easy. the exams weren't too hard as long as you study.

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