The American West (The Great Courses Series)

8/25/2026

State: OHIO

This was a great class that went right along with my curriculum for middle school history class in Ohio. It was very interesting and the workload was adequate. I really was able to take away lot of knowledge and ideas from this class. The instructors were great and gave timely feedback. Thank you!

8/10/2026

State: CALIFORNIA

Overall, it was a detailed history of the West. It was particularly interesting to me when I visited South Carolina, and realized that Greenville was Cherokee hunting grounds. The role of technology also made it possible to have cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix and others. Overall, informative.

7/28/2026

State: CALIFORNIA

This was a class I mostly took out of historical curiosity, as I currently do not teach history, but as a Californian, I think it helps our students understand their present lives when they know the history that, in general, shaped the American Western culture they live in. I took this along with a California history course, and it was really helpful to see how they overlapped and added more context and depth to everything that I was learning. I really appreciated that this course included everything, and I did not need to purchase any additional resources. The videos were very informative and engaging; in fact, my history-loving dad watched some of them with me. I am someone who usually does well with self-paced learning, and this course fit my expectations. The professors were very helpful, and I enjoyed the various options for reflection and assignment creation. I think that choice assignment is something that I will take with me as a teacher this year.

7/27/2026

State: CALIFORNIA

Class was awesome!

6/30/2026

State: Western Australia

Great overview of the American West that is a bigger definition than I previously thought!

6/23/2026

State: CALIFORNIA

Great class! Wonderful and insightful feedback. Thanks for a great experience.

3/22/2026

State: NEW YORK

This was a super informative course! Loved it!

1/12/2026

State: MISSOURI

Wonderful course about American History!

11/25/2025

State: CALIFORNIA

Great course! I learned a lot!

8/19/2025

State: NEW JERSEY

Excellent and informative course!

8/13/2025

State: PENNSYLVANIA

Thanks for a great class!

6/5/2025

State: NEW JERSEY

Excellent Experience! This course just brought my U.S. History I game to another level. Very excited to bring this stuff to the classroom.

5/27/2025

State: OHIO

I would recommend this course to any American History teacher. I picked up some new knowledge about the West and I was even able to use my class assignments (lessons that I created) with my eighth grade students. The quality lessons I created with the information I picked up in this course were engaging and on target for my Ohio Social Studies' Standards.

4/28/2025

State: MASSACHUSETTS

I love the set up of this course. It allows for teachers to be creative and gives ideas for bringing project based learning into our classrooms. The thoughtful feedback also helps to ensure success throughout the whole course. I would love more history course by these professors!

1/7/2025

State: NEVADA

Awesome class! Would highly recommend.

10/28/2024

State: CALIFORNIA

10/5/2024

State: CALIFORNIA

The course was great. Fresno Pacific - you have always been so good to me. Thank you - Jill

9/1/2024

State: OHIO

I really enjoyed this class.

8/1/2024

State: PENNSYLVANIA

Fantastic class.

7/2/2024

State: CALIFORNIA

I enjoyed this class very much and I can't wait to take another class from FPU.

6/22/2024

State: CALIFORNIA

The content was presented both chronologically and thematically in easy to digest "chunks". The primary sources referred to by the lectures can easily be used with students of all levels of prior knowledge. If you choose wisely & work proactively, the assignments can also be immediately used in the classroom

5/13/2024

State: OHIO

Really enjoyed the course. Very informative about the history of westward expansion

1/22/2024

State: CALIFORNIA

Great Course!

10/31/2023

State: PENNSYLVANIA

9/11/2023

State: CALIFORNIA

8/10/2023

State: MASSACHUSETTS

Great course...probably learned more during this course than the others so far (my background was admittedly thin)

8/10/2023

State: OHIO

Very helpful and related well to what I teach

7/29/2023

State: CALIFORNIA

7/17/2023

State: PENNSYLVANIA

I thoroughly enjoyed taking the course and learned a lot about the American West, but also I am taking valuable tools back to the classroom.

6/13/2023

State: IDAHO

Great course. Thanks!

5/8/2023

State: PENNSYLVANIA

Very interesting and informative!

4/10/2023

State: OHIO

Great Class! Very informative!

4/5/2023

State: OHIO

The American West Course was outstanding! I enjoyed the content and further book/research recommendations as well as the reflective forums. The course was organized and the instructors provided quick feedback.

3/18/2023

State: CALIFORNIA

3/18/2023

State: OHIO

2/27/2023

State: MAINE

another great course from Fresno Pacific University and i am now looking forward to taking another on WWII. This course met all my expectations.

12/14/2022

State: CALIFORNIA

11/20/2022

State: NEVADA

I enjoyed the class and the way in which it was structured. It was well laid out and easy to follow. The speaker was easy to follow and presented the information in a clear and unbiased manner. The instructor for the class was timely in his responses and very kind and encouraging. I would definitely take another class like this one.

8/4/2022

State: MISSOURI

6/29/2022

State: CALIFORNIA

A wonderful course filled with lots of great information!

6/9/2022

State: OHIO

This was a fantastic class! Although my family has traveled some of the areas that were discussed in the class, they have found that they want to continue to explore additional areas that were covered and topics that were discussed. My entire family listened to the segments and discussed them after the videos. I found this to be exciting as even though it was my class, they all wanted to listen and comment on what they recalled from our trips or what fascinated them to look into for further exploration. That says a lot for teenagers!

5/27/2022

State: OHIO

5/19/2022

State: NEW YORK

5/10/2022

State: CALIFORNIA

The Great Courses lectures were fascinating and both instructors gave prompt and thoughtful feedback. I highly recommend this class.

4/6/2022

State: OHIO

3/14/2022

State: CALIFORNIA

This course was manageable and gave me more confidence to teach about the American West.

3/11/2022

State: CALIFORNIA

1/4/2022

State: NEW YORK

9/13/2021

State: CALIFORNIA

Fantastic Experience!! The course was very interesting and I definitely learned much and took away information I can use in my classroom. Instructors Dr. Bill Cockerham and Dr. Andy Herrick are amazing! I was a bit nervous about my first on line course and they were there for support the entire way and time and it turns out I now really like the on line format. If I choose to take another class I will definitely look into another class from Bill and Andy. Thanks Fresno Pacific for another great experience!

9/3/2021

State: OHIO

Great course. Nice variety of stimulating assignments. Very prompt and thorough feedback from professors. I really enjoyed the course.

7/22/2021

State: CALIFORNIA

This class was well organized and very engaging. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the West.

7/12/2021

State: CALIFORNIA

I would recommend this course to all. You will learn more about the American West and the professors are great and responding to you, giving you feedback, and encouraging you along the way.

7/2/2021

State: PENNSYLVANIA

This course was absolutely wonderful. The content was given in video and text form AND the instructors gave you choice in your assignments. I felt this in particular was especially helpful. The instructors were timely and always gave positive feedback. I cannot recommend this course enough. You will not only learn about the American West but some great ideas to help educate and inspire your own students!

5/13/2021

State: CALIFORNIA

Great time learning about the great American West!

3/25/2021

State: CALIFORNIA

This was a great course! I highly recommend any course with these two Professors!

2/18/2021

State: CALIFORNIA

12/21/2020

State: OHIO

I enjoyed this course and learned a lot from it!

8/10/2020

State: NEW JERSEY

Thanks for the class! The professors were great and very responsive.

7/31/2020

State: CALIFORNIA

7/20/2020

State: NEVADA

7/2/2020

State: CALIFORNIA

Excellent information--learned a lot both professionally and personally

7/1/2020

State: NEVADA

6/14/2020

State: CALIFORNIA

This course was very well organized and easy to follow. The professors were quick to respond to emails and grade assignments.

6/1/2020

State: OHIO

Great Lectures and relevant assignments. Instructors provided quick and relevant feedback.

3/23/2020

State: CALIFORNIA