Prof. Benkert is awesome, he is a fairly new professor, but forms a kind of fan club of students who are repeat returns for his other classes. Being German, he typically teaches West and East Europe history. He manages to roll politics, economics and warfare all together to better represent the historical focus.

His accent is adorable!! However, his lectures can be a little dry...he's trying to change it up a bit because he is a fairly new professor. I loved this class. Interesting and covers all the relevent topics. His quizzes are easy and he never throws you for any loops. Extremely helpful and I hope to get another class with him!

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He has very boring lectures and stays on the same slide forever. Other than that, he is very good. Lots of extra credit opportunities by rewriting essays, participation, and completing more than 10 quizzes in the semester. Very helpful and fully answers your questions. Extremely nice. Make sure you read the book before lectures. Would recommend him

One of my favorite professors. Class is easy to understand and grading is very fair.

So I took Western Civ with Professor Benkert...I really enjoyed it because he genuinely wants you to do well and is fair in that regard. You have to attend at least one session per week, though. The class is a 7 in terms of difficult out of 10, 10 being really difficult. Overall, I got a lot out of it and it comes recommended.

Benkert is an awesome teacher. You do a bit of reading and his lectures can be somewhat boring at times, but he knows his stuff and is concerned that everyone does well. Take him if you can!

Prior to having taken Prof. Benkert's HST 104 class, I had taken his HST 355 class. Both classes were extraordinary. He has a unique testing style, but once you get used to it, you will have no problem. I pulled off an A+.

Benkert is very informative, clear, comprehensive, and genuine. I am not one for World History, but he makes it worth it. Do the reading, look at the power point slides, you'll get the A. It helps that he has a German accent.

Benkert is awesome as a person, he really does want you to do well and he will return everything you give him with helpful comments a couple days later. As far as the actual class goes, its kinda boring. His method of asking a class of 200 people questions and then reiterating their individua answers gets annoying. Overall though, its a good class.

Professor Benkert is one of the most helpful professors ever. He really wants everyone to do well in his classes so he offers study sessions and a lot of extra credit. His lectures are straight off the powerpoint and even though there are pop quizzes, they aren't difficult if you study the powerpoints and pay attention in class.

Benkert is an awesome professor who knows his stuff, grade is broken down into weekly pop quizzes (30%), a midterm and final (40%) and an essay (30%)...quizzes and exams are very fair but grades tough on the essay, extra credit opportunities available, definitely recommend

Incredibly easy, you don't even have to pay attention in class. Just go over the slides after the lecture and you'll ace this class. The lectures are SUPER boring, but he's all in all a cool guy. Extra helpful in his office hours. DON'T BE LAZY, IT WILL CATCH UP WITH YOU!

Great Professor! He made the class interesting, and always kept my attention. Weekly quizzes and tests can be prepared for by just reviewing the power points that he provides. Tests are average in difficulty, the essay questions are the hardest part. Would definitely recommend!

Professor Benkert was an all around great teacher. He's interesting and smart, but what makes him stand out is that he is extremely fair, with quizzes, tests and honors contracts. He test's on the big picture, not tiny details, and truly wants you to understand. Reading the book is helpful but you can get by without it. Definitely recommended!

Awesome teacher. You don't actually have to read the book. Just pay attention.

Very helpful, obviously enjoys teaching and is very knowledgeable about what he teachers. Also, he has a bomb accent.

Very nice guy. Don't really too much about the book or the extra readings, his powerpoint slides have all of the info you need.

An amazing teacher. As a student my GPA is only a 2.9 and I was still able to get an A+ in this course just by studying about 3 hours a week. Also he makes class interesting with his discussion topics and he is really smart. Only irritable thing is that he says umm way too much. (250 one class period)

Took this class to fulfill a graduation requirement...bad idea. Don't take this course unless you're a history major. I'm not. However Benkert is an amazing instructor; very helpful and approachable. Utilize office hours, it will help; couldn't have achieved an A without it.

Such an easy class. You don't even need to read the book, simply review his slides. Show up to class so you can take all of the quizzes, which are mostly identical to what he has online or to his slides. Easy class with pretty much no work load :)

So many things to say about this professor. Essentially a structured, caring, interested, knowledgable, upstanding, fair, reasonable, and relatable history teacher. Very German in look and mannerism. I could have put forth a slight bit more effort, but I learned a lot in the course, follow all the readings and show up.

Very easy class. Not necessary to do the reading, as he puts what is important on the power points, which are in turn put online for you to view. Weekly quizzes are easy if you review the power points. There are study groups for the essays, not hard at all. He is very willing to help you if you go in during his office hours. Read the Power Points!

Professor Benkert is one of the best on ASU's campus. His lectures are all very enjoyable and his tests are fairly easy if you attend class most of the time. I would recommend taking any of his classes.

Benkert is a great instructor, needs to polish public speaking skills but still effective instructor. Grades fairly, do the work, put thought into it and you will succeed. Powerpoints very useful study material, best I've seen at ASU so far. Very accessible and helpful, foremost authority in German history at ASU. If Euro Hist. Major, do not skip.

Attend class! He gives pop quizzes throughout the semester, so you literally have to go to nearly every class. He's knowledgable and knows his stuff. He didn't let us use our computers to take notes, so that made it kind of hard to keep up sometimes. He's really pissy and immature sometimes. Even about little things.

He is a good professor but a bit boring. He is good explaining his subjects but he sometimes startles and makes his lectures boring. His grading methods are a bit harsh and not the best. Overall if you go to class everyday, review his slides that are online, this may be an easy class. Otherwise don't take it.

I LOVED THIS CLASS! Took it online and couldn't believe how informative he was with an online class. His tests and assignments were fair. I learned so much and talked about it to others the whole time I took it. He is a great teacher who wants you to understand what he teaches you. You need not be a history buff but if you are, you want this guy!

The people who gave the instructor poor ratings are clearly idiots/ can't spell "oh he gets pissed if you arrive late/leave early"of course he is you idiots so would any other teacher. Fair grader, no surprise questions on test ever, all on notes and PP. I had this guy 3 times, if you do bad its your own damn fault because you were too lazy.

He is a good lecturer and brings his own research and personal experience as a 'West' German to the course, which I liked. I enjoyed the variety of the texts and the assignments were interesting, if not that challenging. He was a little too quiet for a 70 person lecture. Any characterizations of him as mean or moody are totally unjustified.

A GREAT teacher!! Fair grader, you need to attend class, and there are a lot of assignments, but it is a great class, wish I was a European History major, because I would take all of his classes!

Great teacher, very helpful. Easy course if you put your mind to it. I took the 7 week class so it was kind of tough with everything crammed into that time. Just don't procrastinate and you'll be fine

One of the best professors i've had at ASU. I have taken 3 of his classes and if I wasn't transferring I would take more. He is knows a lot about the topics he teaches, he's helpful and you can tell he enjoys teaching...a rare quality, especially at ASU. You have to attend class and put in the work but he makes it worth your while.

Took this online as an accelerated 7-week course. There were two essays, a couple discussion boards, the midterm and final. Each essay required reading a short book. Midterm and final include essay questions you are given in advance. Text book not necessary--text questions straight from the lectures. Must take notes or screen cap PP slides to pass.

Western Civilization is an extremely easy course. If you attnd every class and pay attention to what he says, you will pass the class. The major assignments are fairly easy. There are two major essays that he grades rather tough However, if you pay close attention to the directions and what he tells you in class, you should be fine.

This was my first class at ASU, and I am glad I had Professor Benkert as my first History instructor. He presented the material in a straight forward manner, and he seemed genuinely interested in what he was teaching. I would definitely take another class from him.

Great class! He is extremely helpful. Easy A if you do the work, attend class, and contribute to discussion.

History is definitely not my favorite subject, but I'm glad I took it from this professor. He wants all his students to be successful and is very helpful. Put a lot of effort into the two essays and the midterm and final and you'll do fine.

Attendance is Mandatory, he gives "pop quizzes" just about every class making it important to go to class. Does not allow computers but he puts all lectures online. Do well on the 2 papers, mid term, and final and you should be fine. Go in for help if your struggling. He is very helpful!!!!

Overall good teacher. As long as you go to class, keep up with the readings, and take notes on the power points you should get an easy A. Almost everything on the exam is on the power points so make sure you understand all of them.

I took this course and it was very very challenging. Two exams and two papers and a TON of reading. Luckily this teacher is very understanding willing to help.

Professor Benkert is one of the best professors. His class is very simple as long as you pay attention in class. All of the attendance quizzes are largely based on topics discussed in class. He does like to go on tangents at times, but he quickly gets on track. There is a slight German accent to his speech. He is obsessed w/ Germany!

I have had Benkert for a few classes. Very knowledgeable about Euro History. Loves teaching, and is incredibly fair. Very helpful. Lectures are interesting if you pay attention/enjoy the topic, with lots of class discussion. Grades exams/papers extremely fair, and there is no possible way you don't earn a B if you show up. Take his classes!

I agree 100% with the overall rating. Great teacher. Moderate work-load (I also work 30 hours/week and had 15 credit hours). He is one of my go-to professors. This is how a class and a professor should be. Fair, informative, cool, and just enough work for maximum learning. Not an assignment over. Doesn't rely on workload to feed ego.

He's a great professor. Go to class, 2 essays, midterm and a final. study for the exams, he gives you a study guide and sample essay questions that pretty much the exam. do research for the essays and cite sources and you'll get an A. I'm a science major, never took a history class and I got an A-.

He is an awesome teacher who is very knowledgeable all you have to do is show up to class and pay attention. He gives you all the answers just in his lectures alone so it is easy to get an A i reccomend taking him to anyone

grade based on weekly pop quizzes,midterm & final. all questions on quizzes/tests are taken straight from his powerpoints. read the book if you want an A. lectures use Socratic method. make sure you really love history or else youll find it very boring. amazing lecturer. very helpful. nice. take his class

He isn't as hard as the ratings indicate. Traditional class - lecture, Midterm, final, and ~3 three page papers. Interesting and affable German dude who knows his stuff. Great guy and a great class. One of the top 3 HST courses I've taken @ ASU. Attend class, do reading (even if it's 20 min before class), study for tests, and write good papers.

He is very intelligent, helpful and informative. You have to come to class because of the pop quizzes he assigns. I would recommend reviewing notes because this will be beneficial for you on quizzes, which are important to your grade. Overall a great professor, I would highly recommend any of his courses.

I found this challenging as a non-major. Mr Benkert assigns a lot of reading. For the participation grade try giving input once or twice a period. The papers we had to write were difficult but you had about 1 month to write them. Tests were graded somewhat leniently but you need to study for them. Keeping up with the work in his class is key.

Good professor with a typical college workload. Sometimes he has trouble in the lectures since English is his second language, but if you have any questions he'll answer them. 12 quizzes over the semester with the bottom 2 dropped. Just take notes and study lecture slides online and you'll be fine. Puts old tests online to study from.

This is an amazing teacher! Many people around me didn't seem to understand that his powerpoints are his quizzes and that you should read before the lecture so that it isn't new information, or perhaps just read after the lectures for clarification. He's the best teacher I've had so far! Go to class and take advantage of such an awesome experience!

Mr. Benker is a tough teacher to enjoy at first, but he grows better as the class progresses. He is an incredibly easy grader on the 2 essays, and the midterm is simple if you study. Clicker questions are tricky but easy to get your full points for if you attend class. He does say "uhh" about 1,000 times per class because he is a German man.

The lectures are very long but you have to go to class if you want to earn clicker points. 24 clicker points. 2 essays on two different books and a midterm and a final. It's an easy class if you read the chapter before going to class for clicker points. Professor Benkert is very helpful with the essays and offers a lot of credit credit.

He is a nice guy. Sometimes the material can be pretty boring if history is not your thing. Show up to lecture because attendance is mandatory. Papers are a little vague in the directions but doing the minimum will warrant you at least a B. Tests aren't too terrible. Reading is only required for the papers, not for lectures despite what is said.

Dr. Benkert is very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject matter presented in this course. The readings and lectures were interesting, and not overwhelming. Maybe because I'm a European History major I enjoyed the course more than others; but I think anyone from any discipline will enjoy this class and professor. I recommend.

Professor Benkert is extremely thorough when it comes to the subject. Lectures are long but enjoyable. 2 essays, 1 mid-term, 1 final. Gives you the opportunity for extra credit by attending guest speaker lectures.

Prof Volkner disseminated the content in a manner that you could understand and was always willing to help. It is recommended that you DO the reading and attend class - his exam questions pulled from the readings and lecture slides. Participation in lectures is a must!

I have had him for 3 years and I love every class of his that I've been in.

Dr. Benkert is a great man and very knowledgable. We disagreed more than usual on politics but he welcomed it. I wrote my second paper in total opposition to his views and got a great grade. Engage in discussions as much as possible. Too much materials in lectures, but he'd take a break every 20 mins and start a discussion so students could recover

This is by far one of my favorite European history professors. He is actually one of the key inspirational figures that contributed to my decision to become a history major. It is essential to go over the lectures and power point, that is what he bases his pop quizzes off of. If you participate in class, it is extra credit, which is pretty awesome.

For a 101 class he is pretty tough. I am a history major and have taken over 10 related history classes. His class is hard. He gives tons of extra credit opportunities, so thats awesome!

A lot of reading. He gives pop quizzes 1x a week. Attendance is mandatory. Discussions sucked and he'd never moderate. Lectures were long and boring. His grading was subjective and overly specific (never could get above an 89%). You have to study hard for an A, but a B is doable. There's definitely wayyy easier options for a 100 level class. Avoid.

Prof Benkert is a great lecturer and knows his material. There's a mid-term and final exams, along with two papers of 4 to 6 pages each. The papers will be longer, due to the amount of evidence and citations he wants in them. The tests are not easy and require essays. If you attend class and review the PP, the tests are honest.

He is very nice and willing to help but his lectures tend to be a little boring. You will do well in the class if you study the lectures. Pop quizzes are annoying but easy as long as you have studied the lecture. 2 essays, 2 exams (midterm and final) many chances for extra credit.

YOU HAVE TO COME TO CLASS TO PASS. He give quizzes randomly, sometimes in a row. They're easy quizzes, but everything is 100 points.

Professor Benkert genuinely cares about his students, but expects a lot from them. It is vital you try to talk as much as you can in class because your participation grade will be terrible if you don't. Tests are hard but doable. Gives opportunities for extra credit- attend an event and write 2 page paper for 1% added to your final grade (limit 3).

Pop quizzes typically once a week based off the material covered in previous classes, easy if you study but if you don't you can quickly rack up C's. Two papers due in the course both require the use of one book, he doesn't make students use outside sources. Multiple extra credit opportunities. Tests are simple if you set aside time to study.

Professor Benkert really knows his stuff and really wants you to know it too, which makes his classes fun to attend. There were two papers during the semester on pre-assigned topics and I struggled with them but in the end it wasn't too bad. He offers extra credit points (1-3% of final grade) which saved my grade at the end. Would reccomend!

Second time I took a class with him. He is a good lecture professor who doesn't assign too much work. His tests are not too bad either, but go over the powerpoint and your notes.

I really did enjoy this class. Volker is a giant nerd, and although I only spoke with him once 1-on-1, he seems like a great guy. So long as you use his rubrics like the gospel and study his study guides, you should be alright in this class. It's definitely not an easy A, though. Participation is a huge plus in this class as he gives extra credit.

All you need to do is show up and participate. There are 2 double spaced, 6 page papers and 2 exams (midterm and final) all are essay format, so it is up to interpretation. Pretty easy class, you will really have to work for the A, but if you do nothing besides show up & participate, and do the 2 essays and exams. You will easily get a B.

Very knowledgeable and skilled at lecturing. His class is a must if you are interested in the world wars and modernity. His tests and papers are tough but reasonable if you read and pay attention. Only downside is he has difficulty controlling discussion and a few students will often monopolize the time spent in the classroom.

Professor Benkert is a great lecturer who is well versed in the material he teaches. Anyone interested in Modernity, World Wars or is just interested in History needs to take this course. Great lectures that are largely a class discussion with gentle guidance from the Prof/Power points. The work load is enjoyable, not over-burdensome by any means.

Good professor if you like history, you wont have a problem as he pretty much gives you the answers for all of his 10 quizzes throughout the semester. Not bad of a grader in two essays you will have to do. midterm and final arent too bad as most questions come from the quizzes you had took previously. Blackboard will be your salvation honestly.

Professor Benkert can be the most helpful person and fun professor if you are really into History. The class is relatively easy, unless you don't do anything and fall asleep. He's a great resource because of all the experience he has in the field and I'm excited to continue working with him. He does give pop quizzes but the answers are common sense

Professor Benkert's class was pretty chill. That was very nice. We didn't have graded homework assignments the whole year that were weekly, only 2 essays spread out through the semester and 3 tests, including the final. Be active in the lectures and it will be more enjoyable.

I really enjoyed Benkert's online class. He goes the extra mile to make hour long videos lectures for his class. That is something I appreciate. He is clear in his grading policies and fair. As for difficulty, his class is no harder than a college-level history class should be.

Dr. Benkert is a great history professor and very knowledgable but the discussions in his class are pretty painful since most student do not engage with him. He works with the National World War Two Museum and is heavily involved with the History Department at ASU so a very good resource for potential grad students looking for a mentor.

The essays felt kinda unnecessary, but his class was awesome. His lectures were great. Make sure you do the readings, and then reinforce your learning with his lectures. His quizzes are amazing resources to make sure you understood and internalized the coursework. His midterm and final were great. He allows notes too. Great experience all in all :)

Definitely read a lot from multiple sources, but the way Dr. Benkert conducts his lectures made everything very easy to understand and remember. Very good at relating historical concepts to current events, which was a major plus.

Really enjoyed the class as far as the material but this class is not meant to be done within 7.5 weeks. The amount of reading material per week was insane and stressful. Should be a 16 week course. Recommend if interested in WWII though which is important to know about.

Pros: Personable, exciting lectures and engagement. Knows subject intimately Cons: Too many assignments, (especially) when discussion boards are coupled with capstone projects. Scary mid-term and final: 1 hour to complete a 1.5 hour test. No time to focus upon or think about answers. Otherwise, Great professor! 4.5

Dr. Benkert is an angel, I loved having him. I took a class taught jointly with Dr. Bruner who was also great. He was very clear about expectations for papers and he was consistent in his grading. He was fairly responsive to emails. He is encouraging and kind-hearted. He is also very knowledgeable.

I loved having history with this guy. He puts questions directly from the slides and puts them on the test. He also grades very very easily on the essay and the assignments leading up to it. I had fun, and am more knowledgeable because of him.

He is really nice and qualified. We didn't have any quizzes/attendance but most people still went to every class because it was very interesting. There's one 10 page essay, 2 exams, and 1 group project, but it's not that much work and he's an extremely easy grader. I would recommend taking him for any course offered.

Very qualified to teach the class and a really good guy who is helpful to his students. The class only has 2 exams, 1 group project, and a 10-page essay. All very easy and lightly graded. Highly Recommend.

I liked Prof. Benkert style but beware, he takes long time to reply to emails and takes forever to grade. This class helped me think about the complicity of individuals during horrible events. He is willing to have discussions and hear other viewpoints than his own, which is something we need more of in this era of polarization.

Professor is nice and interesting, but lectures can drag. Lots of assignments like essays and presentations, but grading is fairly easy. unstuckstudy was helpful for study prep alongside other resources.

Absolute G

Professor Benkert is good. He clearly cares about his students and is very passionate about the topics he lectures about (especially WWII), but his lectures are a little slow and we fall behind in class. The tests aren't 1-to-1 to his lectures, and it would be a good idea to read the textbook in addition to attending class.

His lectures are very engaging, and he is very chill. Go to class and pay attention, and you will do well.

Very textbook and lecture-heavy. Lectures are long and packed with information. Grades are based only on exams and a final essay. Exams require a strong understanding and include a 40-point essay section. Challenging course with high expectations, yet clear expectations and guidelines.

do prepare to write alot

The professor's super nice. But you should prepare to read lots of things and the slides are very heavy. The grading is not hard, I think he bases on your hardworking and willingness to do more than the result, but prepare for 2 midterms, 1 final, and a 10-page essay. This class was fun, but as an elective in my major, it was extremely hard.

There's only three exams and one essay. The essay is ten pages though, and the exams each have a good amount of questions and an essay at the end. You absolutely HAVE to study or you won't pass. I don't do well in paying attention in lectures so if you are the same I don't recommend this class. He is very generous on grading though so I passed.