Exam difficulty

[propaganda]

I have a Civil Rights Movement class (required humanities course). The prof wants 5-7 page essays, well argued, well structured, and no grammatical errors. He expects this within 75 minutes with no advanced knowledge of the essay questions.

I managed a C, which makes my grade within the top 10 in the class (of 35). Mean grade was a D--there were 3 B's no A's.

Now, this is a party school, I perhaps my expectations are low. So, of those of you at more academically rigorous schools, is this pretty normal, or is this guy a dick?