Dr. Ghervas is a very engaging, knowledgeable, and friendly professor. This course focuses more on evaluating, engaging with, and understanding how historical narratives of what constitutes historically significant European wars, discussion of the successes and failures of peacemaking processes, and the relationship between war and peace rather than a pure discussion of the content, which was refreshing and enjoyable. Dr. Ghervas encourages you to critically challenge the course material and think beyond simply what they are at a surface level (ex: how could this document represent a major intellectual shift in policymaking, how might these events reflect debates and trends in diplomatic thought, how could this document have varying interpretations), and she welcomes and actively supports students who want discuss and analyze course content, both in and outside of lectures. Staying up to date on course readings is highly encouraged as these can stack up very quickly, and are essential to engaging with lecture discussions. The course only consists of an attendance grade, midterm paper, and final exam, but grading for each assignment felt very fair and . Rubrics and expectations were very clear and provided early, which was also very helpful. Dr. Ghervas's approach to this class is very intellectually stimulating and strongly supports student learning and engagement, and I would recommend this class to anyone who has even a passing interest in history.

Most reviews do a solid job of outlining how this class is structured, but what they miss is what truly sets Professor Ghervas apart—why she is the kind of professor you *want* to learn from. She isn’t just an expert on the subject; she’s redefining how we understand the history of war and peace in Europe from 1700 to 1925. Her scholarship is groundbreaking, and her approach in the classroom reflects that—rather than just presenting history as a series of events, she actively challenges students to engage with historical narratives in a way that feels fresh, thought-provoking, and fun.

Even if military and diplomatic history aren’t your usual cup of tea, this class offers something more than just content—it teaches analytical reasoning, argumentation, and critical thinking skills that are invaluable for anyone considering law school or any humanities-based field. You’re not just memorizing dates and treaties; you’re grappling with interpretations, questioning assumptions, and learning to think like a historian.

Personally, I came in knowing next to nothing about this period, but Professor Ghervas’s ability to foster engagement made all the difference. Her lectures are anything but passive; she invites discussion, challenges perspectives, and ensures that every student has the opportunity to be part of the conversation. The result? A class that never feels like a chore.

Now, can you technically get by with minimal participation, skimming readings, and cramming before assignments? Absolutely. But would I recommend it? Not a chance. This was hands down the most enjoyable and engaging lecture course I’ve taken at UCLA. If you’re willing to participate, even just a little, you’ll walk away with an amazing grade and the skills helpful in approaching other rigorous courses.

In short, Professor Ghervas is approachable, knowledgeable, and she understands how important grades are to students in "Pre-Law" majors. Without a doubt, I would recommend anyone interested in history, politics, and law to take the course.

I was apprehensive taking her, but she is really a wonderful professor. The class consisted of a take-home midterm (40%), an in-person final (50%), and a participation grade (10%). The midterm was based on two or more primary sources and the final was two essays where she gives the questions beforehand to study. I did not care for war before this class, and she made it interesting. There were a lot of things I didn't know and she was very understanding and sweet. She is clearly passionate about the topic. She does assign a lot of reading, so be prepared. Honestly, do the D’Avennant, Saint Pierre, and Kant reading for sure. Read on topics you don't know and her book is a good base for each lesson but isn't necessary. Her presentations are helpful and make sure to attend class and participate. I wish this class had an additional discussion succession. She really wants people to talk and argue, so she asks the crowd questions during her lecture. She seems like a hard grader, but I feel like if you follow the directions, you'll be fine in the class. A great upper division class and I would take her again.

Before taking this class, I had thought that I knew a decent amount about the topic, but I learned that I didn't fully understand the depth of the philosophical movements regarding peace that are often left out of European history courses of a similar nature. The class consisted of a take-home midterm (40%), an in-person final (50%), and a participation grade (10%). The midterm was on a subject that I was actually able to engage in. It was very open-ended which let you form and defend your own argument revolving around a primary source from the class. The paper itself was only 700-800 words. I know some people don't like open-ended prompts, so if that's the case, this isn't the class for you. I have not yet received my final grade, but we were given the questions for the final in advance, so I felt that it was a fair test. Professor Ghervas is much less concerned about grades and more about what students actually take away from the class-which I appreciated but some might find frustrating if you're just looking for an easy A. An A definitely seemed obtainable, but you have to do more than surface-level analysis on the papers. Overall, I would recommend taking it!

When I first saw the chance to take a class on War and Peace in Europe in 132, I immediately jumped at that chance since I am very interested and knowledgeable in the subject, which meant that going into the course, I and some of my other classmates knew some of the things she taught already, and Professor Ghervas was a great lecturer when it came to those things and as she is extremely knowledgeable on these topics. Though something that I personally really enjoyed was getting new perspectives on the history that we have all gotten accustomed to learning about it as a certain type of way, but instead in this class she challenges that which made for very engaging lectures with interesting primary and secondary sources. The class structure itself was nothing crazy, consisting of a 3 page midterm essay and a 6 page final essay, the midterm was more of a reading response while the final essay was more of a research paper. Both were very interesting to write/research, and I was able to go to Professor Ghervas' office hours when I had questions where she gave much clarity regarding these assignments. Though there was problem with ChatGPT users in the class for the midterm, I felt she handled it well and I very much appreciate her willingness to keep the final exam as an asynchronous paper and not an in person blue book exam. Overall I really enjoyed the class and I feel like I learned a lot that will definitely stick with me for not only the rest of my college career, but also personally with the history I love to learn about pertaining to war and peace in Europe; and I hope that others will be able to experience this class to also get an eye opening experience like I did regarding this field of history that Professor Ghervas is so passionate about.

Coming into Dr. Ghervas' class, I felt that I was quite knowledgeable regarding the content of the course and that it would be more of a refresher than an actual learning experience. Dr. Ghervas' unique approach to teaching Early Modern History showed me that there was so much more to both the time period than the baseline understanding of it that I had previously cultivated. She is as knowledgeable regarding what she is teaching as she is committed to the learning of her students. I never felt like there was a question that couldn't be asked, or an opinion that couldn't be expressed as Dr. Ghervas welcomes all forms of discourse and discussion. The assignments (1 midterm & a final paper) were very reasonably sized and graded fairly, if you apply yourself in this class you will do well. I strongly recommend taking HIST 132 with her even if you aren’t a history major due to the raw amount of knowledge you will be exposed to during your time in her class.

Professor Ghervas is an extremely knowledgeable and accomplished professor and I am very fortunate to have been able to take her class. She has extensive academic bona fides; she has taught at prestigious universities all over the world and speaks 7 languages! Professor Ghervas had engaging lectures and offered intriguing analysis of European history and enriched my understanding of major historical events and their implications. She welcomes questions in lecture and is great to talk to after class. The midterm and final papers were rather short, a three-pager and a six-pager respectively, which allowed more time to focus on the subject matter in class. I am very glad that I took this course with Professor Ghervas and would highly recommend that others do the same.

Professor Ghervas is an excellent instructor. She welcomes questions and always makes time to meet with students. Her lectures are both informative and engaging, and I always felt like I had learned a lot after leaving class. Many professors do not have innovative approaches to the courses they are teaching, but Professor Ghervas is an exception. She has published extensive research on many of the topics covered in this course, and she is very knowledgeable on the latest perspectives and interpretations of the material we studied. The assignments were manageable, straightforward, and always relevant to what we learned in lecture. If you have any interest in European history, or even international relations, you should take this class. Overall, I highly recommend Professor Ghervas, and I thoroughly enjoyed taking History 132 with her.

Overall, I enjoyed this class tremendously! I felt that Professor Ghervas gave engaging lectures and allowed students the opportunity to participate in class and share their knowledge on the topics we discussed in class. Professor Ghervas is incredibly knowledgeable and supplements the lecture with readings that allow students to more thoughtfully engage with the content discussed during lecture. Additionally, Professor Ghervas is incredibly accessible to her students and creates an environment during office hours that is inviting and encourages students' growth! I 100% recommend taking any of her courses! Your grade in this class is comprised of attendance, a midterm exam, a final exam, and optional extra credit.

Professor Ghervas is a very knowledgeable professor of European History. She takes attendance so you must attend lecture, but she also encourages attending her office hours. That being said, she is a very tough grader and has seemingly unrealistic expectations for her students. There were an average amount of readings but it sometimes felt like she expected us to have a total recollection of them. If we weren’t able to answer her questions in class regarding the readings, she was kind of passive aggressive and would say we just didn’t do them. Assignments consisted of a Midterm Paper that was 3 pages, a Final Paper that was 6 pages, and an Extra Credit film response. The midterm grades were very harsh in comparison to other professors here. The average was 20/30 and she even went as far as telling us in class that we essentially sucked at writing. I, along with other classmates, took our papers to the History Writing Center, per her suggestion, and they even said that it should’ve been graded higher. Also, while we were given papers, she’ll probably stray away from this due to a few students using ChatGPT in our class. She’ll probably do in class Blue Book exams instead, as that is what she stated we might switch to after the midterm paper. Overall, you’ll learn a lot but her expectations seemed insane at times.