struggled on my essays. you need to have a good timeline on early russian history. also, there's not a lot of extra resources on this subject online, so you need to pay attention in class.

This class with Professor Lenhoff was the worst that I have taken at UCLA. Lectures are dull as she reads off a piece of paper and as much as she voices that she wants to help her students, her actions do not match her words. It is either her way or the highway which is an absolute struggle, especially in a history class, with many alternate perspectives that could be correct, however, if she does not agree, it will not be counted as correct. She does have an absolute love for Russia, to a fault, where she has solidified her point of view so dramatically that she expects the answers in exams to match her opinions. Her grading, similarly to her teaching, is very harsh, with little room for error, and she has no interest in helping her students to pass her class. I appreciate this class purely because it helped me in terms of perseverance because it was solely me helping myself in this class, with no assistance from the Professor.

Professor Lenhoff is a very nice person; however, I question her outdated teaching methods. Unlike many professors who have evolved into the digital age, she refuses to change. Her lectures consist of her sitting in front of the room and reading off her outline: no slides, no visual aids, just straight auditory learning. So, I recommend avoiding this class for anyone who learns better with visual aids, especially with a complex subject of Russian history. The homework readings are a hefty load but helpful in understanding her outlines and lectures. There are only two graded assignments throughout the course; 1 midterm, one essay, and one final exam. On one of my exams, I forgot one part to a 5pt question and was docked a total of 20pts off my overall score. If the answer is not what she is looking for, it will be marked wrong. Her tests are possible to pass if you study her outlines and major events in the texts. Overall, Professor Lenhoff needs to learn how to be more accessible for students in terms of teaching style, and maybe that will help increase participation and engagement within the classroom. Her class could be exciting if only she knew how to make it enjoyable for everyone, not just by reading straight from the text.