Sheri Berman

very well-versed in the topic, engaging to listen to if you care about european history and modern political development

I really liked the topic of this course, and generally enjoyed classes. The readings were also mostly interesting and made for interesting debates/discussions in class. The only criticism is that Berman is a harsh harsh grader. I ended up doing fine in the class, but it was still the lowest grade I've ever received at Barnard and much lower than what I received for a previous colloquium. Take this class if you're interested in democracy, but make sure to talk to the prof outside of class to get a really good grasp of what she wants from papers. And talk to her after she returns grades since her comments are usually not very helpful.

Professor Berman is great. She's very knowledgable (she's brilliant). If you do your readings you should be able to keep up with the class discussions. Class was always interesting and she's amazingly kind -- when my laptop broke and lost a huge paper for her class she did everything she could to help. Take a class with her, you won't regret it!

I really enjoyed this class. It was hard, but I learned an awful lot. The professor's lectures were clear and interesting and I appreciated that she posted her slides for us to study and was really good at stopping to answer questions. Plus, the lectures were just really fun at times, which I certainly didn't expect.

I don't understand the previous review of this class at all. I took this class and had several friends in it, and we all thought it was among the best we had ever taken. The professor didn't lecture at all, the class essentially consisted of some the best discussions and debates I have had. Sure, the professor led the discussions and clearly pointed us in certain directions, but she hardly spoke at us and tried to include everyone in the discussions. More generally, she was incredibly open and tried to steer the conversation towards our own interests. The readings were a great mix of theoretical and practical; almost every week there was something from the news or popular press and we always tried to connect what we were reading to topics of the day. Really, if you want an incredibly interesting class with a dynamic and friendly prof, take this colloquium.

2 Take Home Midterm Essays -- 20% each 1 30 Page Colloquium Essay -- 40% Class Participation -- 20%

This class (I took the level 1000 version designed as Intro) is to be avoided at all costs. Frankly disorganized lectures that bounce between timelines, extremely surface level, repetitive and mind numbing. You will go to class to hear her read from her own book, and the analysis of each different country we study is the exact same. Content is not interesting either, it is like trying to intellectualize common sense, and the professor is not engaging. I took this as a European student and was almost laughing at the amount of generalizations and lies told about both European civilization and individual countries. Never mind this, the TA's are rather bad at preparing you for exams, have no grasp on what we are being examined on and seem very inexperienced. Both the professor and them are not clear whatsoever about what exams will look like, how they will be graded etc. The TA's also openly mock the professor's grading/ teaching capacities for this reason. This class is often seen as a "GPA killer" not because it is hard to any degree, in fact exams are fair and the content is extremely easy. It is instead because exams are graded randomly and really with no method. No one gets A's, there's no curve, there's no transparency and you won't be able to ever get a hold of any professor or TA. Bottom line: you shouldn't enter academia and become a professor just because you wrote a boo…

As a senior political science major, I found this class absolutely terrible. The readings up until the last 2 weeks were incredibly dry and theoretical. I understand that a foundational basis is needed to discuss the concept of democracy promotion, but that foundation should not be re-created in an upper level seminar. As juniors and seniors, the basic theories should already be known--- and if not, a brief two or three week review should suffice. It's sad though because the concept of the class and the potential is so great, based on the subject matter and relevance. Furthermore, the professor is awful. She chooses favorites right off the bat, as if we are in the fifth grade and does not allow for open thinking or opinions contrary to hers. She is very defensive and unwilling to really engage with students who have different viewpoints. Lastly, this class does not feel like a seminar. During an hour and fifty minute period, perhaps the final ten minutes are allotted for a minimal question and answer session. Otherwise, the professor's loud and unbearable voice is teaching AT you. This is definitely the worst class I have ever taken as an undergraduate.

Highly recommended. Making Democracy Work was a really thought-provoking seminar, and I felt like I learned a lot even though it was more laid-back (in terms of amount of reading) then the other colloquium I took. We had four three-page essays due twice throughout the semester (so two were due one day, two due another), and at the end you write a policy review, max 25 pages, on a country with an unconsolidated democracy, recommending whether or not the us should intervene. You do not get that much guidance on this paper, which was intimidating for me, but it is really not as bad at as it sounds. As a thesis advisor I like her a lot too. Basically, she gives good feedback, and she is very good at leading groups in discussion - there were only eight of us, but there were no awkward silences or anything. I presume she will be a good lecturer too - very organized, personable, and smart!

Harshest grader in this school. Ruining my GPA.