Firstly, I will answer whether you should take this class or not: you should take it *if* you have an interest in history and/or religion. Although not compulsory, it will really help if you have taken a Literary Cultural Analysis class before.

Secondly, the Professor/TA: I took this class in Summer 2020. Instead of Professor William, his TAs independently take/took this class (don't know how it is in general quarters). My TA was Andrew Danielson and if you have a chance to take Andrew as your TA, take it in a heartbeat. Simply, he is a great, interesting, and helpful teacher who is really passionate about this class and Ancient Near East in general.

Thirdly, the class: Andrew's class was extremely manageable, even though it was a 6-week Writing 2 intensive class. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the class structure was changed and is different from the other reviews:

1)
-Paper 1 Draft=10%
-Paper 1 Revised=20%
2)
-Paper 2 Draft=15%
-Paper 2 Revised=25%
3)
-A short summary of one of the assigned readings+Annotated Bibliography for Paper 2= 15%
-Weekly discussion forum post and reply=10%
-Watching the weekly writing videos=5%

The textbook for this class, 'Karen Armstrong's Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths' will be your Bible for this class and is an inexpensive buy. You will be using it as the basis/starting point of your research for the two papers. Definitely buy it if you want to succeed/learn in this class.

The course workload was way lighter than I expected. Basically weekly reading responses, two essays (each heavily weighted - first and final draft), midterm and final (both open book). I got Crystal as my TA, and she was really helpful, respectful, and accommodating in her TA section. Although there are many reading materials, most of it can be found on the internet and YouTube for the reading responses. Lectures were interesting albeit sometimes monotonous but overall it is a really good writing class as long as you your best.

Summer classes for this class are generally covered by a TA appointed by Schniedewind. My TA was Brian Donnelly-Lewis. Overall, a really friendly teacher but his classes were definitely boring. I would not recommend this class for anyone who does not have either an interest or background in ancient Jerusalem. The summer class consists of 3 graded paper which are really difficult to write if you do not have prior knowledge on the topics. 1 paper is regarding the city of Jerusalem in general and the other is about any monument in Jerusalem. My TA was a strict grader. Based on the grading distributions I saw on Canvas, everyone was averaging about a 60-80 with the highest grade being a low B+ on each paper, but he massively curved the class in the end. I heard that the regular quarter 10 week classes have a different structure and are much easier, so maybe this only applies to summer classes.

Don't underestimate the workload/content for this class if you take this class. However, if you stick with it, this class is an excellent way to knock out a GE, Diversity, and Writing II requirement all at once. Good luck!

I recommend this for a decent Writing II class. My TA Jordan G was very helpful. The tests were in a take-home essay & matching/definitions format, there were weekly writing assignments (about a page long). The class is really about improving your historical writing. He is a very clear professor, just make sure to attend class/watch lectures.

The class was interesting but your grade really depends on your TA since they are the ones who grade all your tests and essays. I didn't go to every lecture since they were kinda long and my attention span is short but the ones I went to were def very cool. Pretty good writing 2 class, but I underestimated how much work it would be.

The material in this class was pretty interesting. The hardest thing for me though was the amount of material and reading. The class spans 3,000 years of history in Jerusalem and this is a lot to cover. However, it is all crucial to the topic so I understand why he includes all of it. I got a somewhat lower grade on my first essay than I wanted but they give you a chance to revise it and then there is a second essay and a second revision so I did much better on those. 2 tests that were take-home exams because of COVID, and you need to participate in your discussion section. For a Writing II I would say it is not bad but it is also not a blow-off class.

I would not completely recommend this class with Schneidewind. Lectures were long and hard to follow unless you have a previous knowledge of the Bible/biblical times and history. A textbook was required but I got by just fine without doing the readings. Section was hugely dependent on your TA, especially since it's a Writing II class (I think my TA is also why I didn't have the greatest experience with this class/Schneidewind). There were also pop quizzes given during section and participation counted. In the end, the exams weren't too crazy and involved both multiple choice and free response questions. The class itself wasn't horrible, I would just suggest taking it with a different professor and doing your research on your TA.

This class is one of the reasons I'm decided to minor/major in Middle Eastern Studies. Professor Schniedwind is truly a wonderful professor and orator. If you have the chance to take this class, take it! As a freshman, the workload seemed like a lot with the readings and the book, but looking back, it was probably a result of me mismanaging my time. Like many courses, I do think your impression of this class could potentially be tarnished by your TA. However, after talking with my friend who was also in the class, we both seemed to have pretty good TAs. My TA helped guide us through the difficult to understand biblical readings, and was an excellent writing coach. Discussion participation was important, but writing and showing your writing process was equally valued. Be warned though, the first essay is pretty *tough*. I went to the writing center for help, and my reviewer says they use this class's first essay prompt to train their peer tutors. I believe it made me a better writer.
In terms of pace, I think it's fairly laid out equally, but it did seem more cramped, material-wise, near the end of the quarter as the class went through modern history quickly (again, freshmen).
After taking a few dud STEM classes, this class really shined through. The history is really interesting, and the professor doesn't dwell on it's ancientness in a way that removes the societies from reality - he gives some context to how people were living in Jerusalem at many times throughout the city's history. Some reviewers were critical of how the professor was occupied with the architecture of Jerusalem. Honestly, that was kind of the point. Jersalem's geographic location and architecture are critical to understanding why people gave it its religious meanings.
Also, you can knock out quite a few GEs, so give it a try.

Took this class to satisfy the writing requirement and was not disappointed. I was a little unsure after enrolling whether or not I wanted to take on a writing course after English 3, but the material and actual essays were not bad. There are two essays that count for 70% of your grade, but your TA's give you soooo much feedback that it's impossible to get a bad grade unless you don't try to improve your second draft. So basically, 2 essays: the first one 5-6 pages, the second 7-8. There is a midterm and a final but each is worth 10% and the everything on the study guides appear on the tests so if you do the guides thoroughly, you should be able to aced the test. The remaining 10% is discussion. Would recommend this class to satisfy your Writing II requirement. Professor is sometimes funny, though the lectures could be a little boring, but if you do the reading from the main book (around $20), you'll be fine.