[HIST W3997] World War II in History and Memory

Jeremy is lovely. Not simply knowledgeable, but also intelligent; he always engaged the section and pushed us in an interesting and informed direction, all while managing to be gracious and thoughtful. Jeremy is professional and adult, -- a rare occurrence.

This class will not only change the way you think about history, but about politics, the media, and just about every thing else in life. The readings are very manageable. The majority of them are great, revealing information about major WWII events that you probably never knew. The great part of the class is that it is very theoretical and opinion-based, not forcing you to read and memorize dates and details, but to think about the way certain events are remembered and their effects on the history of WWII. Gluck is fantastic. She is intelligent, engaging, and adorable! I highly recommended this class!

The class was very interesting and thought provoking. The teaching style was terrific and the readings were fun (if focused on death and destruction). The class looks at how history and memory of WWII has developed in different studies focusing on several cases: the holocaust, rape of nanking, bombing of hiroshima and nagasaki and the comfort women. It was truly enjoyable and I never wanted to miss class. I want to be Carol Gluck when I grow up. Although she is hard to see outside of class (because everyone tries to) you should take any chances to get to know her because she is great.

Jason was a great TA. He facilitated good discussion, as well as having a fun trivia session at the beginning of each meeting. Available outside of class and vey helpful in terms of papers and exam studying.

In class, Gluck is a fantastic lecturer, as people have said before. She really gets you to understand the material. However, 2 things worth noting about that. She is somewhat disorganized, although not unduly so. Her material is also rather repetitive. If I hear the word "heroic narrative" or "memory activism" again, I might go and strangle her.

Gluck is also not very accessible to students. She's happy to answer quick questions after class, but I went to her office 3 or 4 times at the designated office hours time and didn't find her once. She never responded to emails either. Only professor I've had so far who's been so inaccessible.

So my take on Gluck is kind of mixed. Don't rush to take her classes, but don't stay away from them either.

this was by far the best history class i've taken at columbia (no joke)!! gluck is a great lecturer and the readings were incredibly interesting. the class really opened me up to a lot about wwii that i didn't know about and also how the history and memory of the war still lives on and changes today !! don't expect this class to be about each battle or the politics that led to the war or about nazism or anything. the course looks at many different themes regarding the war from many different country's perspectives. this course is a must!

Carol Gluck is a dynamic woman, but her subject is so focused, that the class can become repetative or boring. The TAs all seem to be great, which is important as the sections are mandatory. Gluck tries to incorporate film and images in every class, so that is appreciated.

this was probably my favorite class in my columbia career. being an avid WWII fan, and someone who really appreciates the conflict between history and memory, this class was tailor-made for me. you couldn't ask for a better professor on the subject. she is not only knowledgable in the east asia sphere, but the entire war. every week was a different topic, and WWII is huge, and you really got a sense of the scope of the war and how it really affected the entire world. professor gluck is extremely approachable and loves to teach, despite her hectic schedule. she also knows like every professor in the world on a first name basis. she's incredible, and i'd recommend her class to anyone that has the slightest interest in the war.

This was a very interesting, original, and groundbreaking class taught by one of the greatest minds in the field of history today. She is creative, involved, brilliant, and oh so approachable. Though at times Professor Gluck had a tendency to lecture, she did so passionately and from experience - any concrete facts came from the readings while she filled in all the real world details.