AI Rate Professor

History

Erik Bruce

HIST22 · HIST12 · HIST172 · HIST4 · HIST171 · HIST20 · HIST21 · HISTORY21 · HIST1596 · HIST5 · HIS21 · 34 lifetime ratings

AI rating
48/100
RMP rating
3.6/5
Take again
38.46%
Difficulty
3.2

The decision

if you love history, read carefully, and do not need hand-holding lectures.

Best fit · Self Taught ProHeavy Reading RequiredDiscussion Not LecturePolarizing for GE StudentsSelf-Study OnlineTough but Fair Papers
  • and discussion participation, not polished lectures.
  • History majors and strong readers often praise him; GE and first-year students often feel unsupported.
  • Online sections feel more like independent study with quizzes, posts, and papers.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

54/100

An A is reachable if and discussions, but and rubrics are thin.

Online can feel more generous if work is completed; .

Is the course easy?

Challenging

36/100

Volume of reading and analysis-heavy discussion makes content intellectually demanding for many GE students.

; in person adds cold-call discussion pressure.

Is attendance flexible?

Varies

52/100

as optional or low-stakes; others expect presence for discussion and cold calls.

Online is often asynchronous with no Zoom; in person participation and cold calls raise the bar.

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

40/100

About 38% would take again; enthusiasts of history love him while others call him unhelpful or rude.

Online reviews are split on value; GE goals.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

48/100

Some call him generous on online writing; and missing rubrics on papers.

Format shift

Online lean slightly more generous if work is submitted; in .

Workload

Heavy

32/100

, and multiple papers dominate the load.

Format shift

Online stacks quizzes and response papers; in .

Teaching experience

Average

58/100

Deeply knowledgeable and discussion-driven for engaged readers, but distant or unhelpful for students wanting lectures.

Format shift

In person gets praise for inspiring discussion; online gets more hands-off teaching complaints.

Assessment method

Balanced

58/100

Mix of , and finals rather than pure exams.

Format shift

Online leans quizzes plus papers; in person leans discussion, papers, and essay tests.

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

25 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

and cold calls; do the reading or you are lost, with essay midterms, finals, and papers.

Main concern

Little lecture structure, , and .

What students said

“Eric Bruce teaches by Socratic method. He , he just asks the class questions.”
HIST5
“The subject matter was fascinating. But his guideline for the final paper were impossible(~300 pages in a week)”
HIST5
“Has been one of the . He knows his stuff like and makes you feel as though he experienced it first hand.”
HISTORY21

Remote format

Online

9 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

: weekly quizzes, discussion posts, response papers, and limited instructor presence.

Main concern

and a set-it-and-forget-it Canvas feel for some students.

What students said

“This is basically independent study. You learn from the readings and your classmates, not from the teacher.”
HIST21
“Success depends on doing the reading and analyzing it. Really not overtly difficult if you put in some effort.”
HIST172
“There was a lot of reading but assignments were pretty manageable with a weekly 10 question mult. choice quiz and a weekly disc. post.”
HIST171

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

, and essay-style midterms and finals.

Essay Midterm and FinalReading QuizzesResponse PapersDiscussion Based

Assessment risk

Standard

52/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

Essay midterms and finals plus papers; discussion and cold calls shape day-to-day performance.

Essay MidtermEssay FinalClass DiscussionCold Calls
“ and final.”
HISTORY21
“2 papers on 2 books assigned. 2 tests. and final.”
HIST22

Online

Weekly multiple-choice quizzes, discussion posts, and papers; little evidence of proctoring tools.

Weekly QuizzesDiscussion PostsBook Papers
“weekly 10 question mult. choice quiz and a weekly disc. post”
HIST171
“read a chapter from the ”
HIST20

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“This is basically independent study. You learn from the readings and your classmates, not from the teacher.”

Voice snapshots generated from 34 reviews (9 online, 25 in , and polarization. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

58/100

“One of the most inspiring professors I've had.”

📚 Reading Load

32/100

“Get ready to read”

👍 Recommendation Split

40/100

“Just rude. and no compassion for students.”

🧠 Discussion Focus

70/100

“ . Just read the material, show up, and talk.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • teaches by Socratic method
  • , he just asks the class questions
  • makes you THINK though- his

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

  • but fair
  • So as long as and ... safe place to get an A
  • Provided

Theme 3

💻 About Online Experience

  • basically independent study
  • uses AI to grade (I suspect)
  • workload is very well balanced

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

34

Recent reviews read by the AI

34

Lifetime ratings

80/100

Evidence confidence

34 detailed reviews across online and in person from 2010-2026 show consistent reading-heavy, discussion-first themes.

Inside 34 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 513
4 out of 59
3 out of 54
2 out of 57
1 out of 51

Course coverage

HIST58 reviews
HIST215 reviews
HISTORY214 reviews
HIST1723 reviews
HIST203 reviews
Show 8 more courses
HIST122 reviews
HIST1712 reviews
HIST42 reviews
1721 review
211 review
HIS211 review
HIST15961 review
HIST221 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

15 reported outcomes

A range

8

A+ 1 · A 6 · A- 1

B range

3

B 3

C range

1

C+ 1

D range

1

D- 1

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

2

Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Rather not say 1