This cluster is fantastic. All the professors are so passionate about the work they do and it definitely translates to their lectures. The content is very heavy so beware of that - I would not recommend taking this class if you are not in good mental health, because the course content just makes you lose so much faith in humanity and is quite angering at times.

But Rothberg is uber-knowledgeable about the Holocaust and is extremely willing to help you understand the historical context and importance of literature of this time period.

There is quite a bit of reading that is "required" for discussion sections, and while you do not necessarily need to read all of it, it is good to skim a reading or two so you can speak up a bit in discussion to get your section participation points.

There's no midterm, but there is a final, which the professors graciously give an in-depth study guide for, which is all you need. The final is essentially just 6 (?) short answers which are defining and explaining vocabulary and two essays for which you are given the prompts beforehand. Again, very easy.

I highly recommend this class and these professors (Rothberg, Luft, McBride, Robinson), if you are okay with being sad twice a week every time you leave lecture.

This review will be for Professor Rothberg, not the course CLST 48A.

I can confidently say Professor Rothberg is the most engaging lecturer out of the four professors (and by no means I'm saying the other professors are bad). He is very knowledgable about the topic of Holocaust, and it really shows in his lectures. He always references the readings assigned to us, and those articles/videos are either evidence for his arguments OR claims that other authors make about the topic of that lecture. You will enjoy his lectures if you cared to listen.

Putting aside the fact that Professor Rothberg is a world-renowned expert in genocide studies, he is an amazing professor as well as a kind and caring person. He is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about what he teaches (that being the Holocaust section of the course) and breaks down complex academic concepts in a manner easily understandable for a freshman. This has been one of the best classes I've taken at UCLA thus far.

Professor Rothberg is very knowledgeable and passionate about teaching the Holocaust! His slides were very compact and summarized the information very well. His assigned readings were a reasonable length, but in general, all readings for this cluster have a tendency of being long. I have learned so much beyond what I already knew about the Holocaust from this cluster!
In general, I would definitely recommend this cluster! Regardless of the professor teaching, you do not need to attend lecture for this cluster since they are recorded and you are not tested on any of the information. Your grade depends on essays and discussion participation; there are no exams. The essays are relatively easy and usually ask you to use the assigned readings. Your grade will depend on your TA since they grade your essays and participation. I definitely recommend Yair Agmon! He is a very understanding and kind TA and a fair grader! I took his photography seminar for 48c and it was so much fun!

I did not go to any of Professor Rothberg's Office Hours during Fall Quarter and I genuinely regret it so much. He's so much fun to talk to and is genuinely very nice and will talk to you about literally anything. His lectures were also really engaging and I truly was excited every time I had to go to class. Another really great aspect of this class was my TA, Julia. She's so good and so amazing. Everyone in my section loves her. I really really recommend this cluster and would definitely take more classes with Professor Rothberg in the future.