2.2
Quality3.6
Difficulty26%
Would Retake96
Reviews26%
Would Retake
96
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
9
4
10
3
17
2
13
1
47
What Students Say
“Doesnt allow laptops for notetaking”
POSC100 - 1.0 rating“I took him for POSC 100 and was easy”
POSC100 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
14%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.55 avg changeRatings by Course
POSC300
3.5
(2)POS100
3.4
(5)POSC340
3.3
(4)POSC100
2.6
(52)POSC101
1.8
(4)Difficulty by Course
PLS2010
5.0
POSC101
4.5
POSC300
3.0
POSC100
3.0
POSC340
2.3
Reviews (96)
This was Berg's first lecture teaching as he shoved into it by a last minute vacancy, and you could tell. His lectures were very dry, and he spoke in a near monotone, but he got better as the semester went on. Your grade is based off three papers with no final, each paper has multiple questions, choose one. Just take a position and defend it.
Very easy class. He is very new to teaching, but he got better throughout the semester and he'll probably keep improving. He's nice and knowledgeable, and doesn't require a textbook which is nice. He's a good prof if you don't mind dry lectures but want a very low-stress class (3 written essays are all you have to do!)
Good professor and knowledgeable. He does expect you to think critically and write well so put thought into your work. No tests but we had to write 3 papers. He's nice and understanding. He'll allow you to rewrite your paper for a better grade.
Weekly quizzes that are usually 2 questions, but its credit or no credit, meaning if you miss one question, you dont get credit for the entire quiz. Dry lectures. Does not take attendance, but if you miss a class, his power points are very broad and you wont understand it unless he explains it. Doesnt allow laptops for notetaking.
quizzes are two questions and if too get one question wrong you dont pass the quiz but he change his rules half way through the semester. Midterms were 20 question. 10 multiple choice and 10 response. Midterm are 40% of your grade and base on the midterm, each question is 5% of your grade so if you miss one question then there goes 5% of your grad
Some reviews are quite misguiding. It was supposed to be no credit if you miss one question, but he changed the rule right after the first week. You just need to get one correct answer to pass a quiz. Midterm was 20 question which is 40% of your grade (each question 2%), but he gave extra credit. Final was 40 questions + 5 bonus questions.
His lectures are kind of boring but he's okay. The class was doable and consisted of 3 tests (10 short answers, gives you a study guide with the questions) and a group presentation. The exams aren't hard at all especially if you work on the study guide in a group.
No papers, just 2 exams and a quiz every week that is easy if you show up to class each week. He seemed kind of arrogant and annoying in the beginning and his stutter is frustrating sometimes but he's passionate and makes the class not so terrible lo 2 textbooks, but the Bessette one is the main one you should get.
Professor Berg is okay. The thing about him is that he speaks too much. Lowkey, I would fall asleep in this class a couple times because he speaks too much. His lectures are helpful but he goes at a fast pace. He gives 12 quizzes, about 1 every week, and he gives 2 exams (all multiple choice, 1 midterm and the Final exam). Buy the Bessette book.
Easy A. He has 2 papers, 2 tests (midterm and final), + 2-3 pop quizzes the entire semester. Show up to class and take notes. You can get away with skipping a few times because he posts the ppt. online but it's better to be there and have him explain. Fallen asleep in his class a few times because of lectures but its not a big deal.
Rambles off on different topics and makes the lectures hard to understand.
Freshman year had his class and attended every lecture, yet felt like I didn't learn much because of how massive his classes can be. There are almost 70-80 students per lecture and it can be hard to focus. Make sure to listen to his key phrases and study for the exams. If you slack off , the best you may receive would be a C. And RENT the books!
Aaron Berg as a professor shows up and does the bare minimum. If you just want to take this class for credit and don't want any actual learning, then this class suffices. showing up to class right when it starts, laughing at his own jokes, and not incorporating reading until two days before the midterm, this professor does not care about you.
Professor Berg was a good pick for POSC100. He handled going to online pretty well by providing lesson plans, ec opportunities, and curving the first midterm. He is understanding of students, and is willing to help if you need it. However, when he did in person classes, he does tend to go off on tangents, making lectures boring. Just put in effort.
Professor berg is an okay professor. In the beginning of virtual teaching he gave us a 67 question exam with only 49 minutes which is insane. But I guess he was aware that this was a mistake and gave out a handful of extra credit opportunities and made the final much easier with less questions. Though, his grading on the essays are amazing.
Bergs class is lecture heavy and he's very monotone. He can make you fall asleep sometimes, but overall his class is pretty easy. There's 2 papers which he assigned but are graded by his TA. I believe there are 2 or 3 tests as well. Review the amendments and understand Tocqueville. Also Bergs powerpoints are vague, so it best if you go to class.
I do not recommend you take this professor. His lectures are extremely boring, he goes off-topic, he rarely had lecture slides. It will be a difficult class for someone that isn't very educated or has an interest in this subject. I recommend looking for another professor!!! 2 essays, 2 pop-quizzes, midterm, final. Essays were super easy though.
Aaron Berg is an unaware man. Him on my second and final day of class with him for POSC100: The left is committing character assassination against Thomas Jefferson because he owned slaves and using this reasoning to discredit the Declaration of Independence. He didnt have sources to back up this claim. Insensitive during upsurge of BLM movement.
Virtually inaccessible via email. He will not answer questions that do not agree with his viewpoint. Lecture-heavy, get ready to read. His lectures are loosely based on facts and bias shows through. He does the bare minimum, insults students when they ask questions, and is confusing. I do not recommend this class.
I took him last semester and he was alright. Do not skip class if you want to understand the material (still confusing because he goes on long tangents that become too philosophical. There are 2 "pop" quizzes which he ends up telling you about, and a midterm and a final. I recommend you find a prof that is more clear and straight to the point.
Professor Berg takes a 100 class to like a 300 at least. The mans is like a philosophy professor talking about simple U.S government and history. With a decent background of US history, you'll do fine. He has two papers, pop quizzes, and 3 exams. Berg tends to ramble back when I had him before COVID. He has Friday classes and you don't have to go.
I'll be totally honest, I have no idea what the hell is going in class and it seems excessive for an intro class. I think I've been to maybe two lectures the whole semester and haven't studied or read any of the assigned reading but I have an A (pre-final) so there's that at least. TA's grade all the work, and they were pretty forgiving.
Honestly the class itself was not bad. We met once a week on zoom but it was pointless because I had no idea what he was talking about. He has us do all the lesson plans on our own and there was an easy HW assignment once a week. We had 2 papers that were pretty easy and then a final and midterm. The class itself was fine but the professor was not.
I was lost all of the class mostly because you have to teach yourself everything. We met once a week but it was pointless since no one really understood what was going on. However, it was an easy A.
We met once a week, but honestly had NO IDEA what he was talking about. Lots of assigned reading and videos to watch. Discussion post once a week, but TA grades it. 1 midterm and 1 final. There were 2 essays and 1 extra credit essay. DO THE EXTRA CREDIT ESSAY! It could boost you up to 5%. I don't recommend this Prof.
If you're interested in politics, you will be fine. But if you aren't, you will find this class confused and heavy. He talks too much and does not focus on the topic during lectures. As long as you read the textbooks and watch the videos, you will be good for the midterm and final. You will have 2 essays and 1 extra credit essay. His TA will grade.
Lots of books, each chapter of that government textbook was hard enough to follow and stay motivated to reading, assignments were super easy, essays assigned helped me pass the class while also scoring above 50% for the midterm and final
I had this professor fall semester of 2019. he was a nice professor but I never knew what the heck he was talking about. would almost put me to sleep but he always wanted to make it easy. really nice just the pop quizzes get you sometimes. overall a good professor but someone I wouldn't want to take again.
Honestly, he is such a nice person but as a professor he is not the best. He lectures heavy but only talks and expects us to take notes on everything he says? No power points are shown or anything. Also, he assigns so much readings. It's crazy. I'm lost and also everyone in my class. Do NOT take this professor. He treats this class as a 300 course.
Really boring , you can pass without attending classes 2 essays and 1 midterm and final.
THIS IS THE WORST PROFESSOR I HAD. HIS LECTURES ARE USELESS. AT THE BEGINNING HE SAID THAT HE WILL BE USING LIKE 4 TEXTBOOKS AND HE DID NOT USE ANY OF THEM. HIS EXAMS ARE INCREDIBLY HARD AND I HAD NO IDEA WHERE HE GETS THEM FROM. THERE IS A WEEKLY DISCUSSION THAT IS ONLY 2 POINTS. THE GRADE BOOK IS THE DISCUSSION AND THE TESTS. DON'T TAKE HIM
BAD professor
Let's be honest this class is not meant to be hard because many people take it for General education ;however, the professor makes it really hard and challenging for everyone. In addition to that he does not teach and his lectures are very useless.
I think he should not teach anymore. I think if you ask everyone that took his class 99% will say he is a horrible teacher. I am saying the truth that is the sad reality.
The tests are very hard. Good luck!
Lectures are just a waste of time. The tests are very hard even if you pay attention during the lecture and study his study guide.
The class itself is very long and the lecture is not beneficial. In addition to that the professor goes off topic most of the time and the lecture gets very boring. For the exams they are hard and there is no way you can study for them.
If you want to get an A this class is not for you.
Based on my personal experience the class was very challenging for me. I used to like political science but after this class I don't. I hope that the professor changes the way he teaches and how he gives tests because many people take this class for GE's so it should not be hard.
You have to teach yourself because you can not pass the class without studying and teaching yourself. I feel very sorry for anyone taking this class because it is a torturer.
The tests in this class are very hard. I took this class online so for the tests when you submit a question on canvas you can not go back and fix. I don't get why he does that plus the test time is very short compared to the amount of questions he gives us.
I hope that the college make a poll for the students and see who actually learned anything from this class.
My experience in this class is not good at all. I studied a lot for the tests and attended all his lectures however the exams were very hard and nothing from what he gave us from the study guide come on the tests.
I don't know if it just me or everyone in the class felt the lectures were very boring and the exams are hard. This class is basically exams and weekly posting.
You can pass it if you are a politician other than that the class is insanely hard.
Hard tests + pointless lectures + no extra credits this class
I hope the professor improve the way he teaches and the way he make tests.
Don't take this class if you don't want to ruin your GPA
He rarely updates canvas grade, his tests are hard, his lectures are boring.
Hard class
I think he make PowerPoints because his lectures are very boring. His exams were hard for me.
If you want an easy GE class then this class is not for you. You need to study on your own and do a lot of readings. You do not need to attend the lectures because they are not beneficial. Good luck!
AN AWFUL CLASS
Run for your life!
hard course
He gives so much homework and his tests are heavy.
He does not update the grade on canvas. He never responds to emails. His lectures are heavy and his tests are very heavy.
HE DOESN'T TEACH
He gives sooooo much work
He never responds to emails, he is a very tough grader and his exams are very harsh.
You will suffer if you don't know anything about this subject. The tests are very hard and his lectures are useless.
WHAT A NIGHTMARE CLASS!
Overall, the class was very hard the exams are cruel. Good luck :)
I was falling asleep during his lectures because it was very boring. If you think you can find answers for his exams on google or on quizlet you are mistaken.
The class is basically about disccuison questions and exams.
I took him for POSC 100 and was easy. His lectures are not mandatory but that is honestly the only way you will understand his exams and discussion post. For assignments, he gives one short 2point discussion post for homework weekly and then the exams. His lectures are pretty interesting and helpful on exams with good notes! He is very nice!!
i found this class pretty interesting but lectures are long & if u dont show up youll be confused on tests. he gives weekly postings that gives u easy opportunities for points. tests will be easy if you pay attention in class & take notes
He was nice, but used no PowerPoint, just him talking during lectures. Super boring lectures. You have a weekly post worth 2 points, be sure to do all of them. easy for the most part and come with something to read. The other things in the grade book is one paper, graded fairly easy, midterm sort of hard, and final. I ended with a c, minimal effort
Professor Berg is an easy and chill professor, don't listen to these other reviews. Weekly postings that will take you like 10 mins to complete. Tests and final are online and is very easy and straight forward if you take notes. If you go to class and pay attention you will do great.
Even if I were paying attention I would always lose track of the lectures due to his digressing on topics. Get ready to listen to what he says because there is hardly any visuals in his lectures.
The information in this course was interesting and easy to follow. However, he does not utilize powerpoint slides for the lectures and only uses the whiteboard. Make sure to attend every lecture and pay attention while taking notes. There are weekly assignments that are really easy but most of the points for this course are in the tests.
Prof Berg was alright but his lectures were so lengthy. What sucks is that he doesn't use lecture slides so it is really hard to follow. There 3 exams in total which are based on his lectures and philosophy of polsci. Just go to class and try to pay attention/take notes and you'll be good.
The class structure is pretty much just notes from white board and textbook reading. 10 easy assignments, but heavily based on 3 tests, which usually have vague questions of examples he gives of topics in class. Overall the class is pretty boring, but an extra credit 4-5 page essay is available, which decently boosts your grade. Avoid this class!
Terrible professor...but the class is easy. Truth be told I didn't go to his class after September mainly because it was just an hour of him rambling about nonsense. Get ready to cringe, he says "right?" so much cuz even he's not sure if he's teaching the subject right. No PPT slides just bad white board illustrations. Tests are online.
Makes you buy textbook but doesn't actually make you use it. He does not teach what he is suppose to teach/things that are on his syllabus. He doesn't fact check the videos and articles he presents. He also tries to convince students into believing certain political ideas.
Took this class and was pleasantly surprised. My experience was not at all like many of the other ratings here. Assignments and exams are easy if you just come to class.
I'm glad I took this class! I especially liked the class discussions, but can understand his style is not for everyone. I couldn't keep up with the reading but learned a lot just attending lectures.
Awesome professor! Understands this is just GE course and says so. It's an easy A if you show up for class. I found lectures interesting. 10 online posting assignments, 3 exams and an extra credit essay. I found lectures to be unconventional but interesting.
I don't even have the words to describe Professor Berg; he leaves me actually speechless. Berg is lecture heavy and sometimes goes WAY off-topic to the point where he ends up talking about the Illuminati and conspiracy theories. Class is lightwork, reading, or video assignment every week worth 2.5 points but adds up and exams are always online.
The class is graded by few things, but if you enjoy listening to lectures/having a discussion-style class, Professor Berg is for you! I understand he's not everyone's cup of tea, but I learned a lot from him. Attendance isn't mandatory at all. Exams were relatively easy (IMO). Just note the textbooks are used as references and aren't required.
POSC100 was fairly easy with Professor Berg as his class consisted of response questions and quizzes. If you stay on top of due dates it should be very easy. Lectures mostly consist of him speaking the entirety of the class.
Professor Berg takes lecturing to another level. The class consists of him just speaking the entire time in a very unengaging manner. Class can be passed without attending, as all weekly assignments and tests are done online. Would not recommend taking Professor Berg unless you can consistently sit through 75 minutes of boring lectures.
The professor was okay. He class does consist of him speaking for the whole class, sometimes he will pull up videos to help explain somethings. Overall, not a bad professor but not good if you cannot pay attention for a long time or get distracted easy. It is very easy to get distracted. Exams are taken online so they are pretty easy.
Taking this class was fine. If you don't have any interest in American government/politics this class will be agonizing, but it could've been way worse. Exams were online, and we typically only had one small assignment a week as homework. Make sure to be well informed on the content/chapters in the textbooks he assigns, that'll help a lot.
chill guy. mostly does lectures and homework consists of weekly discussions that are based on opinions or political topics. exams are easy and taken online. you can get by without attending the class which is what most people did, but going to the lectures gives that extra boost to get an almost perfect score on exams. lectures for the whole class.
Took the class a few semesters ago. Prof. Berg is not everyone's type of professor, but he is genuinely very chill, funny, and easygoing. Class does not have slides and is very lecture-based but was not a problem for me. No busy work and class was pretty straight forward. Exams were very easy as well. Fast grader.
Basically a self-taught class, where you would read assigned chapters and watch videos. Every week there was an assignment where you respond to a few questions (make sure that each answer is at least 4 sentences for EACH question). The only other thing that was part of our grade was 4 exams (3 "midterms", and 1 final).
Decent amount of reading but assignments and tests are easy.
(Asynchronous class) Exams are really easy. 4 exams total, NO quizzes. Light workload. Weekly assignments are all you have to worry about. You can get them done within a day. The wording may be confusing, I just asked someone else to read it aloud so it could make sense. I really enjoyed the topics we wrote about for the hw.
Boring is all I really have to say. It is hard to stay focused during the lectures, but the class was fairly easy if you took notes about the lectures and read the textbook.
Lectures are boring and doesn't use powerpoints. Honestly, just take notes from lectures and read in the textbook the topics that are on the study guides given and you should be fine. Exams are easy and weekly assignments that take less than 30 min to complete. This class was very easy but boring. You can pass the class with minimal effort.
Honestly shouldn't be a professor if he doesn't know how to keep his students engaged in class, and not to mention what kind of class needs 3 text books. Also extra credit and homework do absolutely nothing to help your grade. If you failed one of his tests you better pass the next one because that's the only way your gonna bring your grade up.
He's honestly not bad, idk why the other replies say he's horrible. Like his class is really easy, he's just boring. The class is made of 100 points, 3 exams (20 pts) and 10 weekly assignments (4 pts). If you need an extension just ask, you'll be okay. Try to look for a pdf of the books. take him if you're just trying to pass.
This class is reliant on self-studying, as his lecture slides aren't engaging nor accessible. Rely on the textbooks (there's two, one of which won't even be used until later), as his tests are based on them. Your grade is based on those & an interview project. Put some time aside to study... don't recommend if you are taking a lot of classes.
Class is made up of a midterm, a final exam, and a three part interview project. Exams are reliant on lecture information along with textbook self study. You will need two textbooks, one where you will only need a few chapters. Lectures aren't really interactive, but it's not the worst thing in the world. The professor is pretty understanding!
Tip: Complete all HW & take notes on all chapters as early as possible to save your future self the stress from other classes. Everything but the exams was open from the beginning of class. 2 timed, open-note exams (not open until the week of). 1 film report (doable in several hours) that most ppl got 100% on.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
14%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.55 avg changeRatings by Course
POSC300
3.5
(2)POS100
3.4
(5)POSC340
3.3
(4)POSC100
2.6
(52)POSC101
1.8
(4)Difficulty by Course
PLS2010
5.0
POSC101
4.5
POSC300
3.0
POSC100
3.0
POSC340
2.3