Amazing lecturer. He is the authority on the Cold War. He founded the Cold War Project, and has written numberous articles and books. This guy is the man!

Very knowledgable professor, good lecturer. Not the easiest class, large reading load, large lecture size very unfortunate. Overall good class.

Very clear, very good lecturer especially on his subject, the Cold War. He's a world-class expert on the matter and this doesn't stop him from being able to easily transmit this to students.

He is the smartest professor I have ever had. He knows everything, but expects you to learn it all. It was a difficult course, but I really enjoyed it. I'd still take him, at least once.

He certainly knows what he is talking about. Very helpful when being signed into class. TA grade papers and exams and are also very helpful.

He lectures in grad. classes and seems more interested in hearing his own voice. However, He is truly knowledgeable in his field, and is very approachable. I feel he decides if you are smart enough and only then invests in you. Best Cold War professor at GWU. Independent studies is the best way to go though, if you know what you want to research.

Don't expect a GPA boost from this class. But you learn a ton. TONS of reading. Tests are straightforward. He knows it all - seriously. Very personable, and despite the class being him talking the whole time, it's intersting stuff and he'll gladly go on a tangent if you're wondering about something specific. Take this class if you want to learn.

Took his Cold War History class in 2001 -- not for lightweights. You've got to take the paper seriously, and be nearly ready to become a full-fledged historian. But if you are willing to work hard to do a buttload of research, you will be rewarded. He does have fascinating stories to tell.

Well, I have mixed feelings. To me, the class was incredibly easy - as evinced by my falling asleep, frequently, during lectures. The reading is utterly irrelevant for the most part - show up and take notes if you need to, because that's what you'll be tested on. As a result, the "daunting" reading list is manageable. Bonus: very fun lecturer.

Best professor I've had at GW. Prof is so interested in topic and well-versed... it really comes across in his lectures. Beware of LOTS of reading and do your best not to miss class b/c you will miss a lot of material.. but if you are willing to do the work, this will be a GREAT class for you. (It helps if you are pretty interested in the topic)

Knows too much for his own good. He gets off track easily. Lectures are mostly guided reading. Does tell a few good stories like meeting Castro. He does not know how to teach a WID. Still have a final even though you have 3 papers stacked ontop of each other. There is also alot of reading

Good lecturer, though he works a bit slower than the syllabus. Very knowledgeable about the class topic. For a WID, not too much writing (5, 5, and 10 pages per paper). Final exam covers the whole course, but it wasn't any harder than your average exam. Reading isn't excessive, but going to lecture covers most of it and makes it easier to absorb.

nice guy, but hated his lecture styles.he knows history very well, but he could not keep my attention. dont take him unless you need to. he is all over the place, goes off topic onto tangents that take up the majority of the class. he actually pushed the syllabus back so far we got rid of about 30 years of hist. cuz he didnt get to it.

fair professor. I learned a lot about the cold war. He certainly knew his stuff

Why is Hershberg rad? 1. Brilliant lectures. Really! I don't fall asleep! I learn! It's great. 2. If you go to class and do a marginal amount of reading, the test= breeze. 3. We watch Dr. Strangelove 4. He brought in a piece of glass crystalized from the first atomic bomb test that he got from rummaging through Conan's stuff. Enough said.

Awesome Professor. I learned a lot and still manage to be stress free of grade. He is very helpful and knowledgeable in his subject. You should attend all his lecture and take detail notes. You grade will definitely based on your effort.

Int'l History of the Cold War was a very interesting class, taught by a very interesting professor. He is quirky and funny, attendance not necessary, reading not really necessary (except for when writing a paper), if you try hard on the papers and study for the final and midterm you will receive a good grade.

great professor who's an expert in the field, he made me wanna go to lecture bc he tells history like he was there himself and has so much inside info and funny side stories. (he met castro i.e.) definitely a great class for history lovers, esp cold war. you have to be lucky with the TA, like I was, got a straight A on everything.

AMAZING PROF! Actually go to lecture and listen to him thats all you really need! He is incredibly interesting (and I was not initially that interested in the topic). Easily the best class I have taken at GW.

Does he give a study guide for the final exam???

This man is a walking encyclopedia. One , if not the most knowledgeable professor I have ever head. Three papers - two 5pagers ,one ten pager , no midterm ( it was a wid) yet a culminative final without a study guide. If you attend class, take notes and do the readings you'll have no problem passing the class. defiantly recommend it

I took History of the Nuclear Arms Race with him and he's truly an incredible professor! His lectures are really interesting, because he knows SO much (Harvard, Columbia, Tufts... need I say more?) and he's literally telling the story as if it's his own life story... he's also really funny. He only has a midterm, a paper and final, take this class!

This guys knows his stuff, very well-read! I talked to him after class about how he had lunch with Castro one time, which is pretty cool. He appears a little disheveled, but the course is organized, interesting, and not too difficult. Don't need to read all the books, but be friends with Wikipedia and go to class/take good notes

This guy knows what he is talking about. He has the gift of turning history into an exciting and absolutely fascinating story rather than just boring dates and facts. My advice: GO TO THE LECTURE AND TAKE NOTES ON LITERALLY EVERYTHING HE SAYS. You don't need to do a lot of the reading if you take good notes. He explains everything well in class.

Easily one of the best professors I've ever had, and definitely one of the most informative, interesting, and enjoyable classes I've taken. Go to every class and just listen and take amazing notes - the material is fascinating and he's a fantastic professor. Excited to take another of his classes.

Felt compelled to do my first RMP rating for Hershberg. He wins the award for having the best attitude; his passion for history and pleasure for teaching makes his lectures memorable. Lectures can sometimes be hard to follow; but it's history and can't really be told in powerpoints and bulletpoints.

Professor Hershberg is one of those professors who knows their subject inside and out. This is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, if you ever have a question about a really obscure part of US Diplomatic History he will more than likely know the answer off the top of his head. On the other hand, his lectures are circles and there is no study guide

Hershberg is a fascinating professor. He knows an unfathomable amount of information - he constantly name drops. He's met Fidel Castro. His lectures can get a little circuitous and confusing sometimes, but honestly he's a captivating speaker and worth it. Grade hinges on your TA, I didn't think it was too bad. Final is relatively general info.

When it comes to nuclear/cold war history, he's knows more than most in the business. Lectures can be hard to follow (he doesn't use notes or powerpoints) but pay attention and you'll be fine (take notes!). For diplo he uses TAs, but for nucl history he grades, and is fairly lenient (but doesn't give much feedback). A very nice and passionate guy.

Professor Hershberg is VERY passionate about nuclear history. He can sometimes go off topic when lecturing. He could be hard for an IF major because he doesn't use slides and just talks. However, he is very knowledgeable and lectures relatively well. The papers are graded by your TA, so try to get a good one!

He's super passionate but very hard to follow and his lectures are all over the place. If you don't read, you have to go to class, or read and don't go to class. I would recommend not reading (because the amount he assigns is insane) and just paying a lot of attention in lecture

My absolute favorite professor at GW. Incredibly brilliant, very engaging, and super experienced. He has great stories and he inserts them into his lectures. I took both his nuclear history class and his diplomatic history class and loved them both. Papers were manageable and you use all primary source materials. Absolutely amazing. A MUST TAKE.

Prof. Hershberg's course is probably one of the most engaging and worthwhile one I've taken at GW. (I'll be taking his diplo history class next semester!) His lectures are fascinating enough to want to be there, which is great because the midterm/final rely on what he says in lecture. Take lots of notes on everything he says, lol

US Diplomatic History with Professor Hershberg is probably the best course Ive taken so far at GW. His lectures were so engaging I couldnt be distracted at all during class, and at the end of the semester everyone gave him a standing ovation! Incredibly writing-intensive, but thats to be expected with a WID.

Really great guy. Sometimes he can be helpful outside of class, other times not so much. Extremely knowledgable, never has lecture notes and only reads directly from something when he's quoting it verbatim. Not a difficult grader, if you study and use good details you should do fine on exams.

I have taken multiple classes with Hershberg--he's one of the best professors I've had at GW. He's totally brilliant and really drives home the importance of learning history so we can better understand the present. He will also teach you a huge number of facts in incredible detail. If you're a history or IA major, this is a must-take!

It is really easy to fall asleep during his lectures so I never went after the first month and i still ended with a B. He assigns a lot of reading but my TA gave me a shorter list to read so its not necessary to read everything he assigns. Do the readings and do well on the essays and you'll be fine even if you don't go to class.

Hershberg's ability to teach in this class is limited by which TA you get. His HIST3334 class is much better structured. It was a slog to get through this class, especially online, where Hershberg lectures are content-packed with information that is interesting and useful for the assignments. Take him if you absolutely love the Cold War.

Prof Hershberg is extremely knowledgeable and his lectures are full of great info. In order to do well you have to do at least the readings of the main textbooks, however, your grade will depend more on your TA since they grade all your papers and final exam. Good choice for IA majors or anyone who enjoys history.

Very passionate and intelligent historian. If you are taking this credit for IA, then you will love this class. The readings were fun, but often long. However, as long as you go to his lectures and the discussion sections, you can pretty much learn everything you need to for the papers and final exam.

Professor Hershberg is an immensely intelligent man who lectures off the cuff for an hour and fifteen minutes each day without missing a beat. If you do not attend you will not get anything out of the course. Alongside this, if you are not passionate about Cold War history you will likely be very bored. It is an amazing course and taught well!

Hershberg is a super passionate guy and his lectures are like story times. There's no notes but they follow the textbook, so use that to supplement. The course is graded by GAs, with two papers (the second is pretty hefty) and a final exam which is ID terms and two essays. If you love Cold War history, you will definitely enjoy.

Like many history profs, there are no powerpoints and notes are taken off of his narrative of the Cold War, which is difficult to get used to at first. However, he's very knowledgeable and creates a story out of his lectures. LOTS of reading. Graded off of a paper, writing-based midterm, and final. Movie review extra credit opportunity possible

Hershberg loves nuclear history. He would marry nuclear history. No presentations w lectures, doesn't take attendance but gets sad if its really low. Grade: 25% midterm, 25% 10p paper, 50% final. tests are IDs and 1 essay. Readings aren't necessary, lectures are dense but funny. If you're an okayish student, you'll enjoy his stories (lectures).9/10

He's passionate about the cold war. Easy grader.