Bergman knows his stuff.Very passionate about history.didn't use standard textbooks, which was cool, my western civ class read Animal Farm, The Communist Mannifesto, and something else I forget. Only possible negative is he can be mildly monotone.

By far the most knowledgeable and passionate prof in the Hist Dept.

I agree with others...one of the few REAL professors in the Dept. His methods of questioning let you find the answer...almost socratic in some ways. Great class, GREAT prof.

Bergman is an easy teacher. He only has a midterm and a final and he gives you the questions beforehand. Everything comes straight out of the notes too!!

Prof Bergman is one of the more knowledgable professors in the history dept. His sense of vocabulary is simply tremendous. He adds humor to the class,and is a fair professor...good teacher!

Dr. Bergman is one of the most knowledgeable professors I have ever had in any subject area. He is truly passionate about history.

I never liked History until I had Dr. Bergman, and then I couldn't help but be interested! A great teacher and a very intelligent man!!

He is one of the best professors on campus. His historical supplement is impressive and he knows several interesting anecdotes regarding people in Russian and European history. Must have some sort of worm because for a skinny man talks about food alot.

Awesome teacher, funny and intelligent. Really makes you laugh and the stuff he knows really blows your mind. Tests are easy (midterm and final each contaning 3 essays).Awesome teacher and loves to talk about food. I highly recommend his class..

great teacher he knows alot about this subject two tests midterm and final, not too bad always available for extra help, keeps class interesting with jokes and talks about food alot i got a D becasue i didnt pay attention or read but i still think he is a great teacher highly recommended pay attent.

Speaks very clearly. Awesome vocabulary, altough sometimes I wish I had a dictionary at hand. He is very patient, easy-going, and you can tell he loves his work and he knows his material well! This is my first time taking him and I would take him again! Overall, he is wonderful!

Good professor. Funny guy, likes to talk about his college days and food. Knows ALOT about his subject, and keeps the class interesting. Only drawback is that there is no book, so you have to be at EVERY class to take ALOT of notes. Only a midterm and a final (essay type), no homework.

Excellent teacher. knows a lot about the subject. fills his lectures with good jokes

Doctor 'J' rules! Excellent teacher, injects humor into lectures. Very knowledgeable about subject matter and open-minded. Not a typical college liberal who is willing to intimidate any student who has a different opinion. Possibly my fave prof at CCSU.

Professor Bergman is terrific! His lectures are interesting and very student involved. The first month he does a crash course in European History, focusing on the French Revolution and then for the remainder of the semester its just class discussions. There's 2 exams, and only 2. Midterm and Final. He does take attendence too. Only 3 grades.

He's a really nice guy and his lectures are fairly interesting for a Western Civ class. There's only a midterm and a final, so not many grades, but he gives you the questions in advance. No actual text book, all notes, so you need to go to class.

I consider myself leftist. politically; having read news articles about this guy's views, I dreaded taking this class-Soviet History. As it turned out, he's one of the most open-minded, genuinely nicest professors I have met. Very intelligent and gives you your money's worth.

I also took a Hist 448 with him. He is one of the most intelligent people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. He asks obscure questions but they really make you think about the material. He is worth it-there is a lot of reading, but def worth it. I only wish I had taken more classes with him.

only 2 grades, but partisipation also counts, so speak up, he likes ppl who talk. ALOT of reading. 2 books, lots of confusing philosophical stuff, boring text book by Palmer. not much work, but keep up, or else you will not do good on the exams. final is 2 essays- you prepare 4, midterm is one. WWI book is interesting. Spelling counts on exams!

A cute little man. Easy class, 2 grades. tells you the essays beforehand. Takes a break in the middle because he cant talk for that long. Showing up for class is mandatory though, I happened to be sick one day that a lot of ppl skipped and he freaked. Likes when you talk. NO TEXT BOOK, 3 small reading books for essay topics/discuss, no papers.

Overall not a bad professor. He definately knows his stuff. Lectures are a little bit scattered and broad but you learn alot. If you talk alot in class and do ALL the reading and you'll do well. No papers and only 2 in class essay exams, which are kind of hard. Gives out the final exam question the first day of class so make sure you save it.

Easy class. Only 2 grades; midterm and final, but he grades easy and the questions are handed out at least a week prior to exam. No textbook, but it's not like you can't find info for the exam topics elsewhere.

Great professor, loves his study area, though he uses so many big words should have required a dictionary or thesarus so we can see what he means when he makes statements. overall great prof great class, worth taking

Dr. Bergman is a great guy. Super understanding and has a real passion for his subject. Two Exams, both essay exams. Since they are the only two he wants tons of detail. Give you the essay topics ahead of time,assigns at exam.Pretty forgiving as long as you pretty much know what you are talking about. Show up, take good notes & you'll pass.

People need to get over the fact that he uses big words. Students in general could use a better vocabulary. Grade is almost purely based off of essay tests, but you get the questions ahead of time. Knows his stuff and fosters great discussions in the class. Some of the reading can be a bit dry, and is only really mandatory if it pertains to theexam

Anyone who speaks poorly of Dr. Bergman is someone who is just looking for an easy A in a class. His lectures are interesting but it is essential to take notes. The midterm and final questions are given before hand but are not easy. He is also funny and jokes with the students from time to time.

Professor Bergman is awesome. Yes he uses big words, then again it's college and one should probably buy a thesaurus. Take copious notes your mid-term and final will depend on it! (just a note- use the entire test period even if you've already finished, your grade is affected by it.) If you're looking for an easy grade, look elsewhere.

I have taken one of Dr. Bergman's classes each semester for the last two years now. Take notes and you'll be fine. Just make sure you stay for the entire testing period, or close to it. He doesn't like it when people leave after only 10 mins of testing. He's a great person and professor and I would highly recommend his classes.

Bergman will love you if you just ask questions

I love him!!! Professor Bergman explains history in ways that makes the student relate to it. Deep thinker. I think he works better in a higher level class with people who are actually interested in history some of the students didn't care. You do well if you go to majority of classes and PAY attention.

Awesome!!!

One of the best professors at CCSU. I would highly recommend taking as many classes with Bergman as possible if you like History. Attending class is not a requirement, but taking good notes and reading the books are essential for doing well on the midterm/final. Takeeee his classses!!!

Awesomeeeee!!

Great Professor. Take him as much as you can. Heeven Makes Joseph Stalin a fun class to take. The one thing I do stress is that you take good notes. His tests are short answer and essay's. Oh by the way, he hates Prince Charles. They were born on the exact day any year. Awsome teacher

He is an amzing teacher. He keeps it interesting and youu never get bored. He makes you like history if you arent in that major...

He's brilliant. So enthusiastic about Russian history and always has strange, random stories! Oh and he LOVES dogs! Bring your dog to class, trust me!

Great Professor. I have taken Bergman for a few different classes and loved every one of then. He has the ability to make Russian history from the 16th century on interesting. A lover of dogs, he encourages students to bring them to class and has a great sense of humor. Ask him his feelings on the British royal family for extra laughs.

He is such a great professor. He is very nice and very helpful and understanding. It is a lecture class, so you definitely need full concentration in class. He doesn't give notes, you need to take your own. Other than that he is a great guy!

Prof. Bergman is brilliant. He really knows his stuff and keeps the class interesting. Understands that you can't make every class and won't fail you if you miss 2 classes. Fair grader and very helpful. Take this class!

Really nice guy, loves dogs and thinks they're better than people. His lectures are always very interesting. He knows so much about the subject so he always has a story to relate. Gives the class a break halfway through because he knows a lecture class could get boring. 1 midterm and 1 final are the only grades but you get all the essay questions ahead of time. Great class and great professor.

Great teacher, really knows his stuff. Yes you have to pay close attention but if you do you'll do fine on the tests. The tests are a little hard (but this is college). He gives you a week to write the essays for the tests, could be worse.

Fits the trifecta of good professor qualities: smart, kind, and supportive. Course is very straightforward: every regular class is a lecture, only assignments are the midterm and final tests. He is, thankfully, a very gifted lecturer, with clear lesson plans and a commitment to the material. Bring your dog if you want to see him truly light up!

He is a very great professor, very knowledgeable in his expertise. If you keep up with the reading and participate in class you will do very well in his class. The papers aren't super easy but that's not a bad thing in my opinion. The ratings about him being a bad professor are based off of people who do not participate and are overall rude inclass

I'm currently taking the 100 lvl Russian course. I've never taken any form of Russian history and I'm seeing a lot of reviews from people in the class who don't even participate and wonder why they are having such a tough time, they bring computers to class and sit on it all class long talking to eachother while the professor is giving his lecture.

he loves dogs and let us bring our dogs to class

Amazing teacher super understanding and gets what it's like to be a student. Mostly lecture but take decent notes and listen and you'll do fine (also yeah he loves dogs!!!)

When he does discussion based classes he expects you to have done the reading so you know what he's talking about, otherwise yes he will only interact with the four students who bother to do the work and raise their hands to answer his questions. I've taken several classes with him and have enjoyed and learned a lot from every one.

This class was great! I am a combat veteran with a disability, and professor Bergman went above and beyond to accommodate my needs. I decided to take this course because I knew nothing about Russian history. I finished the semester with an A-. Learned a lot and had fun. He loves dogs! And he is genuinely a good person. Take this professor!

I enjoyed being in Mr. Bergmans class immensely. His lectures are short and bearable because he makes jokes and takes a 5 min break. Only graded on a mid and final. He gives the questions a week in advance for both. You read 3-4 short books. If you don't go to class you will fail. There is no other outside work or extra credit. Take good notes.

The entire class is lecture. Listen, take notes, & pass. Only a midterm and a final and a couple cheap novels to read. He gives you the questions for the midterm early and assigns you 1, & gives you the final question on the first class. Encourages you to bring your dog. Overall, he's a great guy and I recommend if you need an easy gen-ed credit.

Graded on a midterm and final but gives you the questions a week before. He tends to say "you don't have to write any of this down" leaving us confused on what we did need. I started recording lectures in addition to taking notes. This allows you to go back and listen to the 3 you need. Skip buying the books. He goes over them in class. Great guy!

Dr. Bergman is a super nice guy and his classes were generally very interesting! I wish he shared his lecture notes his lectures are at times tough to keep up with in terms of notes. Overall very caring and great professor! He even let (and encouraged) students bring their dogs to class!

Professor Bergman is a well rounded professor. He cares deeply about his lectures as well as students and sometimes their pet dogs (he really loves dogs). HIST234 was graded on three papers. One midterm (33% of your grade) and then two essays for the final (66% of the grade). You don't *have* to show up but it would help. He's a nice guy!

Dr. Bergman is a pretty easy professor. I took Totalitarianism with him this semester and we were only graded on two 3 page papers. All he really asks for is for you to show up to class lectures, take notes, and occasionally try to speak up in class. It's honestly pretty easy and he gives good feedback on papers too.

Professor Bergman is an asset to CCSU. He has an outstanding resume, and he cares so deeply about his instruction, and about the history of our world. If you are interested, look him up. He has actually, publicly fought for the intellectual rights of his students on our campus, in CT, and in the U.S. 100% recommend any course with him.

Dr. Bergman is one of the best professors in the history department. Although he does not use powerpoints during his lectures, if you like history and like learning about wwi-wwii then you will enjoy his class and what he has to say:) we were graded on two 5 page papers which I loved and overall I would take a class with him again!

Dr. B has shifted my entire opinions on history. Although very old-fashioned when it comes to lecturing, he presented the information in an interesting, understandable way. He is insanely smart, and knows the info well. He wants students to do well, so go to class, take notes, and listen to what he says. Graded on 2 essays, which were very feasible

Dr. Bergman is a knowledgable professor with a reliable understanding of Russian politics and culture. HIST 347 was lecture-heavy, but if you show up and take detailed notes, you will have no problem passing his class. His lectures are interesting, especially if you enjoy the subject matter! He assigns two exams only, consisting of two papers.

Dr. Bergman is a very knowledgeable man. If you aren't interested in history and you are taking for gen ed.. I wouldn't suggest as he only grades on a midterm and final paper. If you participate in class and take good notes in class, you will succeed.

Professor Bergman knows a lot about his subjects, and has a strong background in the field to support. Very informative, and kind to students.

Professor talk a lot for lecture and can be boring. He requires long pages essay. I am not sure when he have that much time to ready all for example 10 pages paper for final. which is ridiculous!!!! Otherwise he is fine can be funny time to time. Loves dogs a lot.

The entire course is based on three papers, one for the midterm and two for the final. They are easy and I got an A in three of his classes and never wrote more than four pages for any of the papers. He does require a book but you don't actually have to buy it. He does maybe one class discussion on the book but you can just be quiet that day.

Dr. Bergman is very knowledgeable in the subject matter. I learned so much from his class. His lectures are, however, very boring. I found it hard to stay concentrated. I wish we were graded on more than our midterm and final essays.

I have taken Professor Bergman for two courses now as a history major and I personally love his courses and teaching style. It may not be for everyone as it is lecture heavy with 2 big essay assignments being the sole grading, but I loved the minimal homework and personally learned a lot from his intelligent lectures. Knowledgeable on Russian hist.

Great professor, very knowledgeable on the history of the Soviet Union. 100% lecture, so if that isn't your thing I would avoid the course. Not very difficult, only graded on a midterm and final. Recommend to history majors

If you like history, I would recommend him as a professor. If you need a gen ed., possibly take someone else because he only writes on the board and lectures the entire time. The two grades for the class were a midterm and a final paper. Overall, he was very understanding and didn't mind that students came in late or missed class.