Professor
Ronald Vroon
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Most Helpful Review
This was absolutely the best class I've had so far in UCLA. I loved all of the reading material (we read Tolstoy, Turgenev, Pushkin, etc..) and at first it seemed like alot, but once you actually start reading you won't be able to put the book down. It was after taking Russian 25 that I became more interested in Russian Literature. Take one of Professor Vroon's classes, it's good for you!
This was absolutely the best class I've had so far in UCLA. I loved all of the reading material (we read Tolstoy, Turgenev, Pushkin, etc..) and at first it seemed like alot, but once you actually start reading you won't be able to put the book down. It was after taking Russian 25 that I became more interested in Russian Literature. Take one of Professor Vroon's classes, it's good for you!
Most Helpful Review
This professor is overrated. His lectures are hard to follow and he his tests are ambiguous. Don't read the previous reviews of Russian 25 because the structure of the class has changed. This class satisfies Writing II requirement now and your grade totally depends on your TA. In addition to the midterm and the final, you have to write 4(!) papers! My TA was horrible and very picky for the papers. Don't ever take Kristin Vitalich as your TAS for this class. She is the toughest grader I've ever seen and will totally screw you. It seems as you must have a Ph.D. in Literature and Language in order to get an A on her papers.
This professor is overrated. His lectures are hard to follow and he his tests are ambiguous. Don't read the previous reviews of Russian 25 because the structure of the class has changed. This class satisfies Writing II requirement now and your grade totally depends on your TA. In addition to the midterm and the final, you have to write 4(!) papers! My TA was horrible and very picky for the papers. Don't ever take Kristin Vitalich as your TAS for this class. She is the toughest grader I've ever seen and will totally screw you. It seems as you must have a Ph.D. in Literature and Language in order to get an A on her papers.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2018 - While the readings can be a little overwhelming, they gave me insight and knowledge about religion that i had never known before. Professor Vroon is an incredibly smart man and is always encouraging class participation and makes sure every one understands what's going on without being condescending. I definitely recommend this class- UNLESS you're taking another class that requires a lot of reading. I AM SELLING BOTH OF THE REQUIRED BOOKS!! A Concise History of the Catholic Church and The Orthodox Church - Both $10!! Text me at **********
Winter 2018 - While the readings can be a little overwhelming, they gave me insight and knowledge about religion that i had never known before. Professor Vroon is an incredibly smart man and is always encouraging class participation and makes sure every one understands what's going on without being condescending. I definitely recommend this class- UNLESS you're taking another class that requires a lot of reading. I AM SELLING BOTH OF THE REQUIRED BOOKS!! A Concise History of the Catholic Church and The Orthodox Church - Both $10!! Text me at **********
Most Helpful Review
Overall: I had Prof Vroon for Slavic 40 (Christianities East and West--covers Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant branches of Christianity). He's a great professor who is truly knowledgeable about the subject matter and concerned about his students. He answers all questions thoroughly and presents the information in an objective manner. If you're considering taking Slavic 40, Make sure you have some interest in the subject matter. Although Prof Vroon is great, if you're just taking this class for the GE requirement and his reviews on bruinwalk you might find the readings to be tedious! Also try not to take this course at the same time as another history/reading intensive class. What to expect (as of Fall 2011) -1 Midterm (20% of final grade) -Final exam (35% of final grade) -Papers, at least 1500 words each (30% of final grade) -Participation (15% of final grade) -3 Field Visit reports (you have to visit 3 church services: Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant) -Readings from 3 textbooks (Orthodox/Catholic/Protestant church history and doctrine) -Online readings (Biblical excerpts, catechisms, creeds) To get a good grade: -Attend all lectures! Prof Vroon covers a lot of info. I would suggest bringing a laptop so you can type more of the information he discusses (sometimes he can go rather quickly) -Go to office hours. Prof Vroon is very helpful in his and this is especially useful when he begins covering the more confusing theological concepts. Also go to your TA's if you have questions about how the papers are being graded. -Do the readings. Although you can get by with skimming/not doing all of them, it will be harder to participate in discussion if you haven't read (and participation counts for your grade) To sum up, I would highly recommend Prof Vroon and Slavic 40 as long as you have genuine interest in the course material. There is a lot of reading and memorization but once again this will not be annoying as long as you want to learn more about the three main branches of Christianity. You can pull an A as long as you put sufficient effort into this course!
Overall: I had Prof Vroon for Slavic 40 (Christianities East and West--covers Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant branches of Christianity). He's a great professor who is truly knowledgeable about the subject matter and concerned about his students. He answers all questions thoroughly and presents the information in an objective manner. If you're considering taking Slavic 40, Make sure you have some interest in the subject matter. Although Prof Vroon is great, if you're just taking this class for the GE requirement and his reviews on bruinwalk you might find the readings to be tedious! Also try not to take this course at the same time as another history/reading intensive class. What to expect (as of Fall 2011) -1 Midterm (20% of final grade) -Final exam (35% of final grade) -Papers, at least 1500 words each (30% of final grade) -Participation (15% of final grade) -3 Field Visit reports (you have to visit 3 church services: Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant) -Readings from 3 textbooks (Orthodox/Catholic/Protestant church history and doctrine) -Online readings (Biblical excerpts, catechisms, creeds) To get a good grade: -Attend all lectures! Prof Vroon covers a lot of info. I would suggest bringing a laptop so you can type more of the information he discusses (sometimes he can go rather quickly) -Go to office hours. Prof Vroon is very helpful in his and this is especially useful when he begins covering the more confusing theological concepts. Also go to your TA's if you have questions about how the papers are being graded. -Do the readings. Although you can get by with skimming/not doing all of them, it will be harder to participate in discussion if you haven't read (and participation counts for your grade) To sum up, I would highly recommend Prof Vroon and Slavic 40 as long as you have genuine interest in the course material. There is a lot of reading and memorization but once again this will not be annoying as long as you want to learn more about the three main branches of Christianity. You can pull an A as long as you put sufficient effort into this course!
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2024 - Not a walk in the park, this GE. It's certainly a fascinating class if you have an interest in Christianity from a historical and theological standpoint. You do have an edge in the class if you are familiar with the religion as some of the terminology and rituals you might already know. I won't lie though, the lectures were very dense. The lectures are not recorded and even though the prof releases his lecture slides, they are very bare and not helpful on their own. It is paramount to not only go to every lecture but to actually take notes and pay attention. It's in the detail for this class. The two books you need to buy for this class aren't necessarily needed for any of the exams. There was no midterm (a mock one for students to just do but ungraded and he went over the answers) but there are two papers and a final. The first paper is a research paper in which you go in-person or online to a Roman Catholic service, Protestant service, and Eastern Orthodox service then write about the similarities/differences in them. The second paper is a choose 1 of 2 prompts, which were either about the two books you could've bought/read or picking a controversial topic and discussing the POV's of each branch e.g. capital punishment. The final was hard. If you didn't study or attend lecture, you would be cooked. The professor can be a little soft-spoken sometimes so listen closely. Overall, an interesting course with a fine professor that is very dense and time-consuming.
Winter 2024 - Not a walk in the park, this GE. It's certainly a fascinating class if you have an interest in Christianity from a historical and theological standpoint. You do have an edge in the class if you are familiar with the religion as some of the terminology and rituals you might already know. I won't lie though, the lectures were very dense. The lectures are not recorded and even though the prof releases his lecture slides, they are very bare and not helpful on their own. It is paramount to not only go to every lecture but to actually take notes and pay attention. It's in the detail for this class. The two books you need to buy for this class aren't necessarily needed for any of the exams. There was no midterm (a mock one for students to just do but ungraded and he went over the answers) but there are two papers and a final. The first paper is a research paper in which you go in-person or online to a Roman Catholic service, Protestant service, and Eastern Orthodox service then write about the similarities/differences in them. The second paper is a choose 1 of 2 prompts, which were either about the two books you could've bought/read or picking a controversial topic and discussing the POV's of each branch e.g. capital punishment. The final was hard. If you didn't study or attend lecture, you would be cooked. The professor can be a little soft-spoken sometimes so listen closely. Overall, an interesting course with a fine professor that is very dense and time-consuming.
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