[HIST 0248]
Modern Russia

Rate This Class

Professor: West J

Value of Course / Overall Score

Not Much (0%
Average (28.6%)
Valuable (71.4%)

Material

Friendly (14.3%)
Average (14.3%)
Competitive (71.4%)

Class Atmosphere

Boring (28.6%)
Average (42.9%)
Fascinating (28.6%)

Prep Time Needed

1-2hr (42.9%)
3-5hr (28.6%)
6-8hr (28.6%)
9-11hr (0%)
12+ hr (0%)

Grade Weighting

Harder (57.1%)
Average (14.3%)
Easier (28.6%)

Adequate Assistance

Yes (71.4%)
No (28.6%)

Would Recommend Class

Yes (71.4%)
No (28.6%)

Evaluation Comments for West J

  1. Professor West is definitely an expert in his field and is extremely well-prepared with power-points and lectures for each class. That said, it?s difficult to get in synch with him at the beginning of the semester; he speaks quickly, often throwing in Russian words that, unless you take Russian, will probably mean nothing to you. In addition, the reading is completely useless and not worth your time, as it will contribute nothing to your ability to compose a somewhat coherent essay on the cracked-out topic he has given you to write about. Similarly, the discussions sections are pretty pointless, as they tend to be repetitive and often degenerate into a slide show of pictures and anecdotes from his escapades in Russia. This class is also extremely reading intensive, and towards the end is about a book a week. At the end of the semester, he will ?pretend? to cancel the in-class portion of the final, which he never intended to give you, as a way of making himself look cooler. I guess I learned some stuff, but I kind of just wish I had read a Russian history textbook instead...it would have taken up much less of my time and I would have learned the same information, except for where to find the ?absolute best? ?clairs in Moscow.
  2. James West will change your life no matter what you are interested in. I'm a climate activist and took this class on a whim and I'll never regret it; I learned more about Russia, post/anti-modern history, historiography, Marx, Fascism and the Weimar Republic than I ever could have with anyone else, and from a cultural, historical, artistic, and literary perspective. He lectures twice a week on pure history and does literature in discussion (lit that ties precisely into whatever history you are studying at the time). Overall, he paints a beautiful picture of a brutal time period; take this class. It matters to understanding the 20th century, whether it is relevant to your major or not. James West is an incredible, loving, beautiful man, and he'll become a good friend if you keep your mind open. And he's retiring in the Spring of 2011, so don't miss the chance.
  3. I really enjoyed this class but was unhappy with his style of grading. He basically said on the first day of class that everyone would get some form of a B, and an A would only be awarded to exceptional work. So basically, a good paper earned a B+. That being said, I found his lectures fascinating and appreciated the personal touches he could give to Russian history and life in Russia. West is an interesting guy, but also fairly rigid in his approach to teaching. I felt that he was an amazing lecturer as opposed to a teacher.
  4. Awesome is a word created for James West. He really knows his stuff, and creates a lot of effort to convey that and teach whatever he knows to his students. The images, art, culture, and all the stuff he shows are really cool; anyone can learn Russian History by buying a couple of books from Amazon.com and reading them, the images and culture, as well as his personal anecdotes relevant to the topics create the biggest difference. The books we read are interesting as well. He's a weird grader, and I think that's the biggest problem with him. A problem though; I was annoyed when he canceled the in class final and gave 2 ridiculous papers instead. In a nutshell, even if you do not take this class, take Traditional Russia, take Communism/Fascism, take Historiography, take Weimar Culture/Nazi Revolution, take a class with West before he leaves in probably less than 3 years (he's on leave 2008-09 anyways). You'll learn a lot and it definitely will be a rewarding experience.
  5. Professor West is a good lecturer but a terrible professor. He basically thinks that he's God's gift to Russia and it definitely shows in class. He enjoys going on tangents about his various experiences in Russia, some of which are so ridiculous that it sometimes seems like he might be lying to you. Apparently he single-handedly predicted the fall of the Berlin Wall two weeks before it actually happened. His lectures are occassionally rewarding but the discussions are generally worthless and don't add much to your understanding of the material. Most of the discussions are spent looking at pictures of places he's been and of him telling you just how great he is. He will pretend to have a scheduled final but then he will cancel it to make himself look like a cool professor, but don't let that fool you. His final papers are ridiculous and they are very much tapered towards those who have creative minds. If you aren't creative then you're screwed for the final papers. In a nutshell, don't take this class and don't EVER take a class with this professor, it's not worth your time.
  6. James West changed my life. He knows Russian history through and through, and also has vast expertise in other fields such as architecture (for which he also has passion.) I highly recommend taking advantage of his availability outside of class. Eat lunch with him and discuss the future of your education and career -- you won't regret it. He is inspiring with his enthusiasm, and friendly; he invited the class to his home to watch Doctor Zhivago, drink espresso he made himself, and eat desserts while sitting on a comfortable leather couch in front of a warm woodstove fire, with his very sweet dog laying at your feet. Aside from the professor, the class is interesting. If you like the subject material, you won't be too bored in lectures (or discussion, which at times was absolutely enlightening.) However, if you don't have much interest in Russian history you will probably be bored out of your mind, no matter how good a lecturer West is (and he is.)
  7. Take a class with Professor west before you leave middlebury. He cares so much about the topic and presents it so emotionally that its impossible not to find it interesting

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