History of Ancient Israel (Spring 2001; Spring 2004):

“This is my fourth and most likely last class with Cline and he has been the best teacher I ever had.  Period.  No one mixes humor, illustration, and lecturing like he does.  I looked forward to his class every week.”

“I expected a flimsy and irrelevant course.  In reality, the course turned out to be stimulating, exciting, and very relevant to my life.  The course by far surpassed my expectations.”

“Cline is a fantastic teacher who knows how to give lectures that keep students involved and interested through a comfortable, fun classroom atmosphere and excellent visual presentations.”

“One of three incredible professors I have had while at GW; well worth the tuition.”

“The course had few, if any, weaknesses.  The strengths of it were heated class discussions, revolutionary ideas, and a departure from what has traditionally been taught.”

“This course far exceeded my expectations – I didn’t want to take it, but it was one of the best classes I’ve taken.”

“One of the best instructors I’ve ever had – he made every class interesting.”

“Strengths: eloquence, expertise, caring, intelligence, understanding.  Weaknesses: none.”

“No real weaknesses.  Really, really great, laid-back cool teacher.”

“I expected it to be similar to the Archaeology of Israel [class].  I’m glad at least a few lectures were pretty different.”

“Expectations were [that it would be] a change from Archaeology of Israel to much more history.  They were met very well, so the archaeology was a much more minor issue than the history.”

“We spent a little too much time on archaeology for a history class.  I would have liked to have spent more time on historical and cultural background.  Besides that this course was fantastic.  The lectures were fascinating and stimulating.  The assignments (map and exams) were straight-forward and clearcut; very fair.”

“Great lectures; fair grader and test maker.”

“He was great; kept all students’ attention; time flew by; his field work experience added great value to the course.  It was my favorite class this semester.”

“The instructor is great and the subject is intriguing, making the class enjoyable and engaging.”

“The presentations in class were excellent.  I always enjoy seeing first-hand pictures of places discussed in class.”

“The professor does an excellent job of teaching the material and really knows and likes the topic.”

“Expectations were exceeded.  Professor is amazing – strikes perfect balance of friendliness with instruction.”

“Testing every five weeks is excellent.”

“Instructor is very clear in his expectations, personable and friendly, fair.”

“He openly accepted all students’ opinions and gave them consideration [but] required entirely too much detail on tests.”

“He enjoys teaching and is very engaging.”

“I expected a brief history of ancient Israel, but it was a lot more than that.”

“[Instructor] organized, captivating, and well educated.”

“Teacher’s knowledge on subjects from BC to present-day was great.”

“The best prof I’ve had at GW; no complaints.”

“The instructor did an excellent job in every light.”

“There were no major or minor weaknesses of the course.  The major strength was the professor and how interesting he made the material.”

“Great professor who makes material come alive.  No weaknesses.”

“As usual, Cline’s class was strong from start to finish, including useful and interesting readings along with fun and very well
presented classes.”

“He is a great teacher and very entertaining.  The main strength was the professor’s ability to make this material interesting.”

“The professor was always prepared for class and ready to answer any questions that may arise.”

“Cline is a very approachable professor and is readily available for the students.”

“Class exceeded expectations.”

“[Instructor] clear, concise, to the point; able to grab attention, never got off topic.”

“This was a great class; above and beyond expectations.  Lectures were great and humorous; would have liked even more.”

“The prof was well organized and gave entertaining yet insightful lectures.”

“Course design is great; three tests and a map makes load workable.  Thorough knowledge of history and cocktail party trivia.”

“The lectures were extremely useful and well-organized.  Prof Cline is a great professor [and a] great lecturer.”

“Good class size for discussions; covers everything from a secular perspective.  Personable, encouraging, helpful, clear.  Gives history from archaeological point of view, but is knowledgeable about religious perspectives.”

“Major strength is teacher’s depth of knowledge and passion for material.  Able to answer everyone’s questions.”

“Absolutely loved the lectures.  Never boring, always informative.  Will definitely take classes with Dr. Cline in the future.”

“This course was great.  It opened up my eyes to things I never thought of.”

“Dr. Cline is a great lecturer — informative and entertaining.  I knew next to nothing about the subject before the course.  Now I have a comfortable (basic) understanding of ancient Israel.”

“The lectures were awesome.  Cline is extremely engaging and excited about the material.”

“I really enjoyed the presentation of the material — it was very objective.  A single point of view was never stressed as right or wrong.”

“I thought Dr. Cline was very approachable and understanding throughout the course.  I learned a lot and it was extremely helpful and encouraging that he was teaching his passion.”

“I loved it!  Dr. Cline was great!”