Yeah... Lawrence. We all kinda dreaded his lectures because they were very boring and hard to understand. He seems like a great guy and he really does know a lot about the history of Germans. But there was a big disconnect with the rest of the class material and he is, unfortunately, a very bad lecturer.

I loved this class, but dreaded Professor Lawrence's lectures. I highly recommend sitting closer to the front when he is lecturing because he talks very quietly and his slides are often hard to read. Also, don't be like me and use the slides as guidance for taking notes. Often he'll ramble about things that aren't actually on his slides--write that down, that's what the test is on. Pretend the slides aren't there. A few times his slides were literally just a short essay he wrote that he didn't expect us to study at all.

Overall, what he has to say is interesting, it's just hard to figure out what that is.

As a social science major who took the cluster to fill my science requirements, I enjoyed how the course tied history in with the physics material we learned. Most people I know in the class didn't enjoy Lawrence's lecturing style but I personally looked forward to his lectures, as I was generally more interested in the material they covered. In terms of the class overall, it was pretty manageable. A lot of people said that the cluster would be much more work than my other classes, but I think that it was about equal to them. Expectations for the labs and writing assignment are very clear, and the professors and TAs really make an effort to be available if you have any questions.

Most people did not like Lawrence very much, which I sympathize with. My advice, however, would be to listen to the Bruincasts again after the lecture, even if you attended. Because he can speak softly/unclearly sometimes, it's really easy to miss content that ends up being tested. I do believe that he covers essentially everything he tests – just make sure you do the readings (general idea is good enough) and get everything from his lectures (by listening again if you have to) and you will do well.

My classmates would groan upon finding out that Lawrence was giving the next lecture for the cluster. For the most part, this professor is incoherent during lecture and leaves students hopelessly confused about what he discusses. The cluster as a whole is worth taking, but be prepared to put in a little extra work trying to make sense of the material this professor attempts to teach.