Such an amazing lecturer, Canadian as well. He clearly knows what he's talking about and always asks if people have any questions or need further explanation as to what's going on, which people rarely need since he makes everything so clear.

You don't really need to do the readings besides the main book, which is required because some of the questions on the midterm and final pull knowledge from it.

Would definitely take another class with him as a professor, knows how to make a class really engaging.

Prof. Yirush has mastered the art of lecturing, he moves around a lot, engages with students, and overall is very involved. I found his grading to be harsh on the paper, but as other reviewers said, this is not done to spite us, but to push us to write good papers. As he's put it, he's read a lot of bad papers and wants us to do well. With that said, the final was a quirky one since we just had to regurgitate the readings we'd done over the length of the quarter. While you'd think this would be an easy task, it was surprisingly hard. I'd defiantly take him again. Also, his office hours are a little difficult since they're somewhat short and there's often a line to speak to him. He's really chatty in his office which is nice.

I am currently in his class for 138A just about to finish up. He is very well-spoken and helpful. The best part about this class is his ability to keep lectures interesting while engaging the students. The workload is average. The readings are pretty advanced and can be challenging at times but they are interesting nevertheless. He is a MAJOR stickler for good writing and expects a lot out of essays.

Yirush is an excellent professor, and I highly recommend him for taking a history class. The basic run down of the course is a term paper (which you have to write on a book he assigns), weekly readings and discussion of said readings, and his lectures. Usually for the midterm/final he gives you verbatim what will be on the test (except for maybe 1-2 sections), which are free response, an essay, fill in the blank, etc. My advice to get an A+ is as follows: 1) Do the readings each week. He will send out questions for each set of readings, print those out or copy and paste them in a word document and answer them as you do the readings. In class, correct your answers or fill in the ones you couldn't find (these will be EXTREMELY useful for the midterm and final). 2) Get a head start on the book and the paper (give yourself plenty of time to do it). When you read, take notes and write down quotes you think will be useful for the final paper. Make sure you read the prompt before starting. If you are concerned about your writing or the argument you want to make, go see him in office hours (he is very helpful and will definitely work with you). 3) For the midterm/final, really flesh out your ideas for the essay (he will give you the prompt), and study what is in his study guide and the questions you've been answering all quarter.

All in all, stay on top of everything and it will be a very rewarding experience.

Yirush is a no BS Professor who lets you know exactly what he expects from you. Do the readings and participate in the discussions. He is a stickler for grammar so don't write your essay the night before. Overall a rewarding experience.