HIST 127B
History of Russia: Imperial Russia from Peter the Great to Nicholas II
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Designed for juniors/seniors. Westernization of state and society; centralization at home and expansion abroad; peasant problem; beginnings of industrialization; movements of political and social protest; non-Russian peoples; political reforms and social changes; Revolution of 1905; Russia in World War I; fall of old regime. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2021 - First off, it needs to be said that even when I didn't want to, I enjoyed Professor Frank's class. In terms of the workload, it's pretty light. He used to give a multiple choice exam along with an in class essay for the midterm and the final before COVID, but now it's just a take home essay for both. There's also an "extra credit" segment where you can write reflections on assigned readings that I would recommend doing, because while they don't add to your grade in a traditional EC way, they're easy points that take away the weight of the midterm and final on your grade and also give you a rather clear study guide for the essays (which are based off of said readings and the lecture). Professor Frank can be a bit vague in terms of what he expects for papers or assignments, but if you go up to him and actually ask him directly about what you're confused on, he'll go into even further detail. He appreciates students who put a concerted effort into assignments instead of just depending on what they're given, so you have to advocate for yourself in this class. Also, his jokes about Russian history definitely tend to lighten the mood, which is nice. Just show up, care, and let him know that you take the class seriously and it's somewhat of a breeze.
Fall 2021 - First off, it needs to be said that even when I didn't want to, I enjoyed Professor Frank's class. In terms of the workload, it's pretty light. He used to give a multiple choice exam along with an in class essay for the midterm and the final before COVID, but now it's just a take home essay for both. There's also an "extra credit" segment where you can write reflections on assigned readings that I would recommend doing, because while they don't add to your grade in a traditional EC way, they're easy points that take away the weight of the midterm and final on your grade and also give you a rather clear study guide for the essays (which are based off of said readings and the lecture). Professor Frank can be a bit vague in terms of what he expects for papers or assignments, but if you go up to him and actually ask him directly about what you're confused on, he'll go into even further detail. He appreciates students who put a concerted effort into assignments instead of just depending on what they're given, so you have to advocate for yourself in this class. Also, his jokes about Russian history definitely tend to lighten the mood, which is nice. Just show up, care, and let him know that you take the class seriously and it's somewhat of a breeze.
Most Helpful Review
I'm pretty sure I enrolled in a history course, but I ended up in a class that was geared toward political science. And it was a bad political science class at that. She never really seemed to concentrate on either of the topics that were spelled out in the course title: war and diplomacy. Instead we learned about realism and liberalism...except Prod Knudsen didn't seem to know what those topics actually consisted of. Her lectures were incoherent...what I could hear of them because she speaks at a whisper. People say that she is very nice, but she called our class dogs when we started putting our things away after she said class was over. Her exams weren't hard and the readings really helped. Seriously, I went to class the entire quarter and had about 15 pages of total written notes. And I'm not blasting this class because I did poorly, I actually did quite well. The class was horrible and I really think you would be better served taking a course with a professor who knows what they are talking about and how to conduct a lecture.
I'm pretty sure I enrolled in a history course, but I ended up in a class that was geared toward political science. And it was a bad political science class at that. She never really seemed to concentrate on either of the topics that were spelled out in the course title: war and diplomacy. Instead we learned about realism and liberalism...except Prod Knudsen didn't seem to know what those topics actually consisted of. Her lectures were incoherent...what I could hear of them because she speaks at a whisper. People say that she is very nice, but she called our class dogs when we started putting our things away after she said class was over. Her exams weren't hard and the readings really helped. Seriously, I went to class the entire quarter and had about 15 pages of total written notes. And I'm not blasting this class because I did poorly, I actually did quite well. The class was horrible and I really think you would be better served taking a course with a professor who knows what they are talking about and how to conduct a lecture.
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Most Helpful Review
this guy is so boring. he doesn't know what he's talking about without his notes. even with his notes, he loses his place AND your attention. he makes the topic, which is filled with exciting details, tedious and bland. the books he chooses are as boring as he is. it's easy to get a good grade in this class, but you should decide if it is really worth sitting through 10 weeks of an extremely uncharismatic character.
this guy is so boring. he doesn't know what he's talking about without his notes. even with his notes, he loses his place AND your attention. he makes the topic, which is filled with exciting details, tedious and bland. the books he chooses are as boring as he is. it's easy to get a good grade in this class, but you should decide if it is really worth sitting through 10 weeks of an extremely uncharismatic character.