Bartchy is a very intelligent, knowledgeable guy, but I disliked lectures because he rarely taught anything relevant to the class and instead went on countless (sometimes interesting, but still irrelevant) tangents. Discussion section is an important aspect of the course, so a lot depends on your TA. It's not difficult to do well in this class, but, honestly, I don't feel like I got a lot out of it. I was far more interested in the study of religions before taking this class.

You don't have to show up to lecture. His midterms and exams will claim you should provide information you receive from his lectures and videos (which he shows during lecture) but don't take it so seriously. I got an A in the class, and I missed most of his lectures. For the times I did attend, I was always zoned out cause I didn't even know what Bartchy was talking about. Nevertheless, it's an easy class. The reading isn't that much, actually. You could skim through a lot of it.

Hist 4 is a very good class to take if you are interested in learning about different religions and Bartchy himself is not as bad as many other reviews have claimed. I find the class and his lecture highly enlightening and not at all boring. I agree that he does lecture on things that don't directly relate to readings, but are very enlightening nonetheless. He said on the first lecture that it would be an insult to us, the students, if he just simply repeat whatever the textbook has already said. Exams are as fair as any exams can get. He gives you a study guide with many questions and some of them will be on the test. However, I disagree with the lack of freedom in the exams because there are certain right answers based on the "six-ways of being religious". More or less, it's still a regurgitation of facts. All in all, I've learned so much in the class and the field research is just simply eye-opening.

Bartchy is amazing! He obviously knows what he's talking about and he has a natural gift to make lectures both enlightening and interesting. I would most definitely recommend him to anyone that has a slight interest in religions, world cultures, and/or history. Again, he's pretty darn cool, so take him!

Bartchy is an interesting professor but he is also pretty crazy. lectures are hard to follow but they are worth it if u make the effort to sort through the tangents. he brings up really different viewpoints and the films were very helpful. his tests are pretty easy but they are long. This is a great class if u are looking for a breif overview of major religions. i think i learned a lot

I took Prof. Bartchy in Winter 2002, and he is not a bad professor, so much as he is inconsiquental. You will realize this soon after the quarter begins. If you want to get a good grade then you must go to discussion and hear the TA's interpretation of the material. Bartchy is obsessed with the six ways of being religious, which is important, but for gods sakes we get the point, please move on! And he always used Enron and Ken Lay as examples of corruption and immorality, which is true, but kind of made me wonder whether he lost money in Enron.

i would not recommend taking this class for a history GE...i went into the class thinking that it would be interesting...i was proven wrong...bartchy's lectures go all over the place...he writes an agenda on the board before each lecture and usually never gets past the first point...rather he talks about random things...also everything in his class revolves around the 6 ways of being religious...if u do decide to take the class...be sure to know the 6 ways VERY VERY well...because otherwise u will not do well...in general i did not find the class interesting and will never take any more religion class or history classes for that matter unless forced...his class was also very boring at times...i fell asleep sooo much...even the TA's would be yawning and half asleep in the back of the room...also there is a LOT of reading for the class...about 150 pages per week...plus quizes or assignments in sections...his midterm and final are both in class essays and u must be able to cite specific books although it is a closed book test...it's horrible trying to memorize facts and sections from the books when u don't know what the topic will be....if u end up taking this class...i suggest reading the NOVAK book (if he uses it again...or whichever book the TA focuses on during section) and ignoring the other ones because u wont be tested on them...also TALK in section because section is 40% of ur grade...i would suggest taking this class although it seems interesting...but otherwise...GOOD LUCK...stay away...maybe he'll get past #1 on the agenda..:) !

The class is an easy A if you skim through the readings and attend your discussion. While sometimes interesting, the lectures really had no bearing on the class and weren't at all necesary for the exams. I like prof. Bartchy as a person but his lectures aren't worth getting out of bed for as far as the class is concerned. He uses the podium more as a soap box than anything else. History 4 is a fairly painless class if you can keep up and not get overwhelmed by the aparent volume of reading.