Professor Hovannisian is a legendary professor. I say this knowing that I do not throw that term around.

He is an awesome professor! One of the best I have had at UCLA. He is very knowledgable. You need to attend lectures because he takes roll and you need to do all the readings. Don't expect him to give you the "A" if you're Armenian. You need to put the effort if you want the A. Like I said he is a really incredible teacher and makes learning history enjoyable.

For all ye non armenians debating whether or not to take this class. Coming from a non-armenian backround makes this class slightly harder (mostly the names and locations), but still very doable and surprisingly rewarding. It was very interesting to see how the history of armenia intertwines with the history of Roman, Persian and the Arab dynasties (that is if you actually like history). He gets a rep as a hard teacher and this class certainly isn't an "easy A" most northcampusers are used to. Despite all this, if you read the text before the test and know about 10 key name/events per test you'll do fine. I got an A in the class and I read the text a day or two before and did nothing in between tests. Word of advice, make sure you can spell the word Caucasus.

This class was a roller coaster for me. I ended up with an A- but am shocked that I got this. He as a professor is very helpful to students if you use him as a resource but sometimes his class was just too much for me. i got a C ++ on the mid term which I was shocked about. but if you're really up to do all the reading and attending all the lectures and some extra work take the class. but again i regretted taking the class many times

I love how everyone talks about how arrogant he is. His class wasn't that hard. I got an A- just by showing up everyday. You have 1 midterm and 1 final which he goves you study guides for. The reading is super dense, but he'll help you if you ask. Just a nice old guy. I'm about as white as they come and have 0 Armenian blood, but i got a lot out of the class. Just a hint, the graders all took his class so use them

Hovannisian is very knowledgeable. I completely respect him for his contribution to the Armenian culture. However, if you're afraid of hard work, you can forget about taking his class. I myself, having background in Armenian History and being a hard worker, pulled off a B+. I could have done better, but it was my last final and I was half asleep taking it. If you\355re interested in learning the incredibly fascinating and mysterious history of the Armenian people, I suggest you gear up for some tough work, but immense knowledge.

This class definitely required a lot of reading, but it's not impossible. You have to read a chapter or two per week, but that's nto much more than any other class at UCLA. You can't get around doing it, though, as he requires you to turn in detailed summaries of almost every chapter you read. The tests aren't too bad, as long as you have been doing the reading and paying attention. It was a little bit harder for me as I knew nothing abotu Armenian history before taking the class and prior knowledge definitely helps here, but it's not necessary. You will just have to work a little harder to learn all the names and places if you haven't heard of them before.
As a lecturer, Professor Hovannisian is incredibly knowledgeable about Armenian history, and can go on at leangth an almost any topic related to Armenia. He is somewhat unorganized, and gets hard to follow sometimes, but the tests are based mostly on the book anyway, so as long as you read you shouldn't have too much trouble following him.
He's very helpful if you need it. He obviously cares abotu his students and about the subject a lot. If you approach him he is happy to help with whatever you are having trouble with.
I would recomend his class as long as you are willing to work. If you study and you do all the assignments you can get an A, but it's not easy. If you have any interest in Armenian history, take this class. If you don't, consider taking it anyway. I enrolled because it was one of the only classes left open and it turned out to be my most interesting class of the quarter.