Erik Goldstein - Boston University

Professor: Erik Goldstein

Department: TBD

College: Boston University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: IR349
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

He has no text on his slides and just talks at you for over an hour. However, if you manage pay attention and go to every lecture you don't have to do the readings and can go into the exams confident. Make sure you have a good TF because they really help you with lecture content.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: IR349
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Class was boring and could be confusing with how he jumped between topics. The TAs really make or break your experience/grade in this class

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: IR349
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Goldstein is very knowledgeable and does a good job of explaining historical events. He does not use any electronic resources, so you absolutely have to check the syllabus for important things. Lectures are mostly him talking with a few major themes listed on a PowerPoint, so make sure you listen to what he says and take good notes.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: IR325
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

If you're looking for a professor who is highly informative with great stories then Professor Goldstein is the one for you. Thoroughly enjoyed all of his classes. But be warned. If you want an easy class with bullet points on a slideshow then you do not want to take his classes. They are very lecture-heavy, and requires a lot of note taking.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: IR349
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Goldstein has a lot of knowledge on the subject but his teaching methods are very poor. He has no slides while he presents, he has no notes on blackboard and most importantly there is a lack of communication between the TA's and him. I have had to self teach myself the entire course and it has been an intense semester.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: IR349
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Goldstein is clearly very passionate about the content he teaches but makes it incredibly hard to follow along in lectures. He doesn't properly use a deck of slides to focus on what important info we should know and practice exams or examples of good essays are nonexistent. His lectures are one long narrative, poor teaching style.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: IR349
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Really interesting and knowledgable guy, but rough lecturer. He tells cool stories, but has no powerpoint slides or any structure to his lectures, so it's very difficult to follow the key points of what he's trying to convey. Also, he has no online resources or website of any sort, so be prepared to learn a lot on your own outside of class.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: IR349
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Goldstein gives great lectures! I really enjoyed listening to him tell stories. It can seem like a lot of content, but it's not necessary to memorize everything, instead it's important to have a good understanding of the big-picture situation. I found it to be a great experience and Goldstein is so sweet.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: HI332
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

His lectures are very interesting and well-prepared. He is very friendly and approachable outside of class. The tests in this class are difficult, but reasonable as long as you pay attention in lecture. So if you don't go to lectures, you are really going to struggle.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: IR325
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Goldstein is awesome. This is my second time having him for a lecture and he really knows his stuff. At first it's intimidating that he doesn't use a powerpoint or slides for lectures but he tells each lecture like a story and makes it incredibly easy and enjoyable to take notes and listen to. He gives clear questions for what he expects on exams.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: IR349
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

You really need to read a lot for this course and the lectures are dry. Be sure you select a good TA.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: IR349
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Goldstein is an amazing lecturer. He's like a bard telling his story by the fire as students flock around. Seriously, going to his class is like story time, and you learn so much. He also has a droll sense of humor and includes interesting anecdotes to illustrate and bring his tales to life. You'll be amazed what you remember!

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: IR325
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Goldstein is one of the best professors I've had. He is very knowledgeable about the subjects. His lectures include a lot of material that balances and supplements any readings well. Plus, he has a lot of experiences and interesting fun facts that he loves to share to keep the lectures engaging. He's great to talk to outside of class for insights

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: IR349
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Absolutely love Goldstein! He has incredible knowledge on history! He includes lots of cool, interesting details in his lectures that you wouldn't find in a textbook and that make the information much more memorable. His lectures can seem dry (no powerpoint, only occasional visual aides), but if you stay alert and listen, you'll love him!

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: IR349
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Really learned a lot in his class, he is extremely detailed and knows everything about the subject it seems. As long as you go to class, you don't really need to do the readings. He's a little pretentious but I generally enjoyed his lectures and I came away with a great understanding of the time period.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: IR349
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Goldstein's lecture could get tedious but on average were interesting and easy to follow. Don't skip especially if you don't plan on reading the text book. Tests are tough but fair. If you study and know your stuff, you should do well in this class. He's a funny fellow and occasionally lets you out early.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: IR535
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

The best class I've taken in my entire time at BU. Goldstein knows things about history I'm not sure anyone does, and it really makes every class interesting. He gives out the exam questions almost word for word. (He also posts every reading online; I never had to buy a book.) I tell everyone who's an IR major to take this class.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: IR349
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Very funny professor. Class is a bit repetitive if you've already taken intro to IR but that just makes this one more understanding.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: IR349
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Prof Goldstein is the best professor I have had. He is insanely knowledgeable, his lectures are very interesting, and I have never retained and understood history this well before. Highly recommend and will be taking him again!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: IR349
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Lectures range from boring to intriguing, but he will always have hilarious historical anecdotes to share. The tests were fair, although in my large lecture the grading depended entirely on the Teaching Fellow.