Krieger, Daniel  

Dr. Kreiger means well and is a nice man, but I was sooo thourghly confused as to where his lectures were going. He talks in circles none of what he lectures on (which are mostly his own life stories) will be on the tests. Sadly you can just read the book and never go to class and still pass his class. Watch out his study guides are HUGE and basically don't help because he puts EVERYTHING i mean EVERYTHING you may have read in the book on the study guide. You probably can choose a better teacher for these lower division history classes. Don't get me wrong though he is a nice guy.

Whether you're a history major or not, whether you're even getting credit or not, you have got to experience Dr. Krieger before you leave Cal Poly. I took a handful of his classes many years ago and was profoundly affected by his knowledge and character. He's simply amazing.

I enjoyed Dr. Krieger's class. He is definitely all around nice man and knows it all. Never seemed upset, and helped students whenever the need was present. His lectures are hard to follow, since he likes to enlighten his class on his life's trials, tribulations, and triumphs. The key is to weed through his stories and note the historical facts that pop up in lecture. His tests were fair and the quizes had guides which made them cake. Take him...it will definitely be an experience.

Krieger presented five-hundred years of European history in an awesome fashion. Five days a week isn't my sort of class, but I didn't want to miss a single presentation.

I took Dr. Krieger's History 111 (Western Civ.) in 1997-98. I happened to to up his Polyrating and believe that he has been libeled by a student who claims to have taken Hisstory 101, 102 and 103 in 1997-98. By 1997-98, thoses courses had been replaced by History 110 and 111. Krieger doesn't teach the earlier Hist 110--Hiltpold does and he is great. But Krieger does teach 111 and Krieger is even better. I wouldn't want to miss one of his daily classes. Incidentally the students voted and Dan Krieger recived the award as "Outstanding History Teacher" for 1997-98.

111 is a tough course, but Krieger makes it relevant and understandable. I would take his course even if they were not required as support courses.

111 is a tough course, but Krieger makes it relevant and understandable. I would take his course even if they were not required as support courses.

I thorougly enjoyed Krieger's relevant treatment of Luther, Voltaire and the leaders of the unification of European states. This course really made my trip to Europe meaningful.

Krieger brings history to life. I never liked history before taking this course. I hated History 110 with another instructor who pured out alleged fact after fact and wouldn't tolerate our questioning causal relationships. Krieger was open to questioning and tried to lead us into the big picturer of complex events which is called history. I hope that he never retires.

Professor Krieger has a different style of lecturing which takes awhile to get used to, but it's much more interesting! He is extremely knowledgable, funny, and a really nice guy. He is very open to questions and gives out study guides before every test to help students out. His tests are both essay and multiple choice. There is a text and some support books like Luther and Schindler's List, which I really enjoyed. He also grades pretty easily on his essay tests, so they aren't as scary as some people think.

Dr. Krieger is an awesome teacher. He was sort of seniale but it was cool. He's sort of like a grandpa who keeps on rambling on and doesn't care if anyone is listening. Right when he walks in the door he begins his lecture. Seriously, I could hear him in the hallway starting to speak. He's a nice guy though and he's funny as hell. He has the most off the wall stories about his time in Europe to participating in the Cold War. A fun and strange teacher at the same time! Take Krieger's class. Hint= don't debate with him cause he'll always win.

Dr. Krieger is a really nice guy and knows a lot about the subject. He keeps you entertained with interesting stories and facts. It was a great class and I learned quite a bit. He brings lectures to life and is a great speaker.

Krieger is a great lecturer - but the lecture doesn't show up on the tests! If you go to class, you're seriously wasting your time. The other part about his lectures is that he claims to have been in several places in the world - all at the same time... The quizzes are easy, and the tests are manageable. He uses the same tests over and over again, but each test is 100% different from the other. So, you could study a few old exams for your exam, and not see a single similar question.

Krieger was an amazing professor. Class was five times a week and all that would happen was him coming into class sitting down and giving a lecture all class period. But he would never bring notes yet his knowledge on European history was so affluent and his lectures were always incredibly interesting. Sometimes he would leave you on an edge in the lecture by the end of class and it made you want to come back to tomorrows class to find out what happened next. He's been just about everywhere, knows about everything and has met many interesting people -I recommend this professor to anyone whether you are a history major or not.

Krieger has a hard time staying on topic...he is full of knowledge but strays so much from the lecture, giving us stories about how he has hotels in Jerusalem named after him, knows the spanish royal family, or whatever. He needs to structure his lectures better to give them more coherence. His tests contain fairly difficult multiple choice questions that are hard to study for because he gives no real study guide...he pretty much just expects you to know the whole book. Coupled with his disjointed lectures his class is a true pain. Also, when this guy talks about Arabs and Islam it's best to take it with a grain of salt since he often has pretty untrue or questionable stuff to say on that topic.

I have to respond to the previous student comment. I don't know if that student is getting an "A" or not We just took the final yesterday, March 18, 2002 and grades haven't been released. I guess that I am getting a "B", but that's only a guess. I heard this student jumping all over Dr. Krieger for his one comment that Yasser Arrafat had used up his political credibility. The comment, in the way Dr. Krieger used it was 1) true and 2) inoffensive. Dr. Krieger tried to be fair. He never said anything about a hotel in Jersusalem name for him. He said in a self deprecating way that he couldn't stay at the Dan hotel which is in Tel Aviv and Haifa--that instead he stayed at the Mt. Zion which overlooks the Biblical site of Gihenneh, a place where unwanted infants were exposed to die. He made this commenmt in his usual, articulate way of building concepts for studying history. I've ben in other classes with this complaining student. Quite frankly his entirely pro-Arab attitude scares my. I feel almost like reporting him to the FBI. I heard him telling Dr. Krieger that he should go read in Arab bookstores to fgind out the truth about the world. Dr. Krieger was very patient and seemed to listen to him for a very long time. The real pity is that this student has lied in describing the conditionsd in a class where I, along with the vast majority of students felt that we learned more than in just about any other class. The guy told the class that he holds French citizenship but doesn't like his neigborhood in Paris because it has too many African immigrants. I guess that says it all. What a jerk. Poor Dr. Krieger who had to share his class with five rather weak guesst lecturers who were being interviewed for jobs at Poly. He has to put up with a dork like this frizzy chinned Osama bin Laden wannabe. It has taught me that the last thing I want to be is a college teacher unless I learn to love learning, teaching and even students as porickly as this guy like Dr. Krieger. He is a great poerson a teacher.

Krieger's courses are legendary. Both my parents studied with him thirty years ago. They still taslk about the lessons in history which translated to real life in great ways. In history 111, he lived up to their promise.

This was a thorougly informative course that did exactly what it was suppoosed to do: Demonstrate the formation of early modern and modern Europe. I have missed a lot of class because of illness. Dr. Krieger was very patient and understanding in permitting me to make up work. Still, I didn't do as well as I would have liked. This was my problem. not Dr. Krieger's. Krieger really worked had to keep the class on target despite the necessity of guest lecturers. I am looking for to taking other classess from him. I was in a class taught by Dr. Steenson with this turkey. Steenson's 110 was a total bore. I learned zilch and got a A. Here, I'll probably get a C but I feeel that I accomplished something worthiwhile..

This was the most interesting class in my first year at Cal Poly. I couldn't believe how much we covered and how Dr. Krieger kept our interest going. Iwould take the course for pure enjoyment if it weren't required. He really cares about students.

When he wasn't saving us from communism, or partying with Elton John, or working a top secret case, he was teaching us history.... and wonderfully. Despite conflicts in his schooling, and his "extensive" world travels that seem a little shadey (I'm not one to judge though), this was a great course that tought me a lot. He has extensive knowledge on history and presents the material in an interesting manner. He also appreciates student feedback, which is rather refreshing. I would reccomend this course to anyone, even if they didn't need it.

He is a really nice guy but I don't see how anyone could learn anything in his class. He is really unorganized and his lectures are hard to follow. He can't stay on topic and is always telling storys about his life that have nothing to do with the material. His multiple choice tests where so difficult that if the grade had been based on the essays and reading quizes alone I would have gotten an A. He also was unable to cover all the material, the class was supposed to cover from the refermation to the present and we barly got through WWI. I really recomend taking this class from another teacher if at all possible.

Krieger does not present material in a simple, clear manner. He runs all over the place and goes on diatribes about things not even closely related to the curriculum. He is ignorant when it comes to understanding what it is like to not be a White person in America. As well, he should take a political science class and maybe learn about how the world actually works. He is pro-American and at times appears anti-Arab, but maybe he should be anti-terrorist, because there is nothing wrong with Arabs as a whole, last time I checked. Don't take Krieger because it is difficult to respect someone telling such unsubstantiated lies. The rest of the material was okay, but all that nonsense just ruined it.

This guy is pretty cool. He's very interesting and I enjoyed his lectures. If you're not a History major or not interested in History I don't recommend Dr. Krieger. You kinda' have to really enjoy History to like his class. I understand the people who don't like him, but he is a good guy and an interesting instructer.

To say that he Krieger was prejudicial in absurd. That would be totally unlike this man from whom I have taken five other classes including Modern World History which dealt specifically with the Middle East. His treatment of the region is remarkably even handed. Krieger teaches California History from the perspective of the difficulties encountered by Native Americans, Blacks, Asians and other minority groups. His professional writing has centered on these themes. No one is a bigger supporter of the local Martin Luther King Scholarship Program as the committeee will attest.Remember "the stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." You are the cornerstone for a whole lot of students education at Cal Poly.

He was a very good teacher but failed to stay with the book, and remained chapters behind before the test, supposedly because we had guest lecturers, but in reality because this man can go off on tangents for entire periods at a time. Granted, this might have shown us what was going on in that period of history, but it more turned us off the subject than anything. Dr. Krieger failed to prepare us properly for the test.

He picks fascinating books to read. We read Candide and Schindler's List and you'll be hard pressed to find a teacher who picks such good books. Krieger is a friendly man, very easy to get along with, and knows his stuff inside and out. He can lecture off the top of his head with no notes! I critisized him for going on tangents, which he does, but you know what?...I was even unfair to those...his tangents are rarely uninteresting. And also my experience has proven that Krieger is very willing to have students challenge things he says and engage them in a scholarly conversation. A good man.

Well as a lowly freshman i can't say much about Krieger's other courses but i can say that HE should not be teaching Hist 111. If he were to continue teaching then they should change the name of the course to "The history of Krieger 111" Every day i would write down at the most half a page of notes. Oh i could have written pages of notes on his life story and all the wonderfull things he has done, but I don't think that would have helped me on the final. Then i loved how he covered the Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution, the Franco-Prussian War, WWI, the Derpession,and WWII all in one week! Oh sure we had some guest speakers and that would slow us down a bit, but instead of spending 2 weeks on king Henery the8 and queen Elizabth, he could have moved forward to make up all this "lost time".But i ns tead we we able to learn of his fights aginst communism, his running wiht the bulls , his life growing up in beverly hills/England(went to school with royalty)/germany and where everelse ghe grew up.

This is a great course that interpreted historical phenomena instead of just putting one event after another. This was my fifth course from Krieger and I regret there are no more for me to take before graduation.

I learned more in this course than in any other. Who could forget Krieger's relating the age of Luther to Nazi Germany? Or "deep irrigation? Or Calvin's motives for establishing a "legal basis for salvation?" The time on Henry VIII through the Civil Wars constituted the two weeks so you fudged a bit in your descrip[tion of what was going on--maybe because you didn't understand. Krieger was setting up a brilliant analysis of the Anglo American legal system. As a pre-law student, I loved it all and knew what was going on. This will all serve me well as an attorney. Seriously, if you want to learn something about the human record, Krieger's the best.

Read these reviews for the entertainment value alone...

I just started History 111. I turned to Polyratings because Dr. Kriehger had mentioned his concern over what was being written about his statements on the Middle East. I am enjoying the class and learning a lot. His mother who lived with his family just died.

Dr. Krieger, you probably are a nice guy, and I'm sorry to hear about your mother. You really shouldn't take these things so personally. Meanwhile, if your teaching is half as passionate as your dedication to Polyratings, I'm sure you're excellent.

I think that Dr. K is a very, very good professor. I enjoy hearing all of his stories! It keeps class interesting and funny. It shows that he is a worldly professor who knows a lot. How can anyone not agree? I think all of these ratings are way out of hand! How can people say mean things about such a nice, dedicated guy who obviously loves teaching? Why don't you people remember the golden rule when you write these comments, and that goes for when you are writing about any professor!

dont get me wrong, krieger is a really nice guy, and knows ALOT about what he is teaching, but he is not a very good teacher. There is no stucture to his class what so ever, his lectures have no organization, and about 90% of his lecture is about nothing relevent to the class. His tests are pretty hard, he gives you the essay to prepare and is very fair with grading that, but the multiple choice is fairly difficult. The book quiz's are very fair he gives you the questions before hand along with the map quiz. Not the worst teacher, but also not the best, i didnt really enjoy his lectures, i found them quite boring, i would suggest taking a different teacher if at all possible

Dates don't match. The man lies. Places himself in history when he wasn't even there. It is like he watched old movies or read something out of a book a long time ago, and has weaved it into his past. From his going on Polyratings to write good things about himself, to constantly denying it in class, saying someone broke into his PC. Like they would do that to write good things about him. Give me a break. Being in his class is to watch a sad man spill his sad spiel. Additionally, I really felt as if he had a bias towards people of Middle-Eastern/Eastern extract and, it took a lot to sit in his class and hear him waddle along about his made-up life experiences. History was lost in the mix. He said so many things untrue I didn't even care to correct him: I just sat back and listened to his worthless dialogues. It was like: how can you be in Europe during WWII interviewing people when you were born in 1940? And am I really supposed to believe you were two places at one time? Either you can go faster than the speed of light, or you are just fibbing. Also, a lot of people might be disguisted by his constant talk of sex (often among priests and little boys), torture and vile things. Whatever you do, take someone else.

Well, Dr. Krieger, what a man. He's pretty interesting, but he gets off topic too easily. He's interesting to listen to if you like History but everyone else in the class was bored to death. He did notice if we had too much of a work load though, that was nice. He assigns a shit load of reading then gives bullshit tests on them. His exams are made up of the most detailed questions, unless you have a good photographic memory, you better start re-reading and taking good notes. Don't avoid him though, he is a pass-able, and if you try, you may even receive a good mark. However, be prepared for stories on kidney stones, feces, and old people sex......

There is only one thing this guy ever said that I actually believed: that he is an alcoholic! Take someone else.

First things first: freshman dont know shit about what a college course should be like, so ignore their comments about too much work or related whining of that sort. Secondly: Kreiger is like a talking encyclopedia, he knows a whole lot of stuff. Filtering out relevant info that you will be tested on is not too hard. He makes the class interesting and for anyone who likes history this is the guy to take for any history course.

the guy that wrote below me is crazy, im not a freshman, and the class blows! krieger has no set lesson plan and rambles on about stories that have nothing to do with the class, and i am very doubtful actually happend, nice guy but one of the worst teachers i have had at poly. steer clear!

wack as fuck. avoid this joke of a professor. yeah, he brings in money to the school, and has tenier, but still, can't we actually get a professor who doesn't make stuff up and lie and act racist at times? i mean, this guy has a thing against arabs, against muslims, a thing about sex, and torture. i swear, he didn't even grade our finals. he just gave blanket grades, or decided what you got by looking at your grade coming in, and thinking, hmm, do i like him/her? if you can take some one else. please do. maybe if no one shows, he'll retire.

Krieger is a unique man to say the least. He presents the information in a straightforward manner, although it is somewhat disjointed because he uses an event to springboard to another event separated by several centuries. If one is not familiar with history, one might find his manner difficult. However, he always returned to the point of origin and picked up exactly where he ended the previous lecture. He is personable and interjects a great deal of humour into his lectures (even if some of it deals with bodily functions). He is very accommodating when illness or vacation conflicts with quizzes or exams, and he is very understanding. The exams are pretty standard, but the quizzes are another matter. Why he chose the additional books upon which we were quizzed was not explained. Also, the study guides for all the quizzes except for Voltaire were ambiguous. The study guide for Voltaire and Schlindler

let me start off by saying I am not the type of student who would normally take time out of my day to say anything nice about a teacher, however I liked Dr. Krieger so much that I am specifically taking the time to sign on to this site and give him a good review. Having read the reviews for Dr.Krieger before last quarter I went into Hist 111 expecting a Tyrannical racist and dreading this class. To my surprise (favorably) Dr. Krieger was not what I expected, and in fact I can honestly say that he has been my favorite teacher in Cal Poly. His class is like story time, you sit in there and he basically tells History in a story-like way which makes it easier to remember and learn (for me at least). People have written that he meanders off during his lectures by telling stories of his life; these analogies however helped me to retain the concepts we were learning and thus were helpful to me. I really enjoyed this class, and even though it makes me sound like a real big dork I often left class wanting to know what happened next (with regards to an event we were learning about). I recommend this class highly, and I liked Dr. Krieger so much that I switched to him for my History advisor.

i have absolutely nothing good to say about this man, so maybe i shouldn't say anything at all. but i feel a certain duty to warn others about him. he presented a completely slanted view of history that was incongruent with the facts given by our history book. he somehow feels that his personal perspective and experience accurately reflect the human condition. such arrogance. the only thing i learned is that he has led a dark and bitter life. i LOVE history. i hated this class. mostly i just feel sorry for this man, he needs some healing badly.

Professor Krieger is, first of all, a very nice man. However, he is not the greatest history teacher - in my humble opinion. While I got a good grade in his class, I don't think I would have had gotten that grade, had the curve not been so low (or had I not aced all the book quizzes - yes, fortunately, the books are mostly interesting). Why, you ask, is the curve low? Because Professor Krieger tells you only about 10% of what you actually need to know in his lectures. For the rest of the information, you'll have to dig through the book - which is not as easy as it may sound. You should still attend - it will make some things easier to remember - but if you attend at no other time, make sure to go to class for a couple days before you're expecting a test. He _will_ give a bunch of the answers to you. He may also change the day of the test. Yes, Krieger tells some interesting stories, but too many of them are about himself and not pertaining to what you're spending 5 hours a week in class for. He does not cover everything he plans to, and then he puts stuff he didn't even touch on on the test. If you know any French, you will be driven crazy by his terrible accent and spelling. My advice to you is: either resign yourself to some intensive reading and 5 hours of class weekly, or find another 111 teacher.

Krieger is one of the friendliest professors around. He is also relatively easy. The class set-up is kind of confusing at first because there are no formal notes, but don't worry about it too much cause the few notes you do take are enough. Rather, just enjoy the man's extensive knowledge of history. The thing is, the man is a storyteller so yeah he prolly fibs a bit in his stories but so do all good storytellers. He does it to make the class more interesting and it works. As for the tests, there is a website for the book where you can prepare for the multiple choice questions, and I would recommend using that site. A lot of his MC questions come straight from there. The essay questions are where attending his class pays off. Just right down everthing that Krieger said about the subject. This class is definetly geared more towards those who already like history, so if you do not then maybe rethink taking this class.

This is crap! This prof writes his own evaluations and has the ones he doesn't like moderated. Get a life, buddy.

THIS GUY SUCKS..HE JUST GOES ON AN ON ABOUT HIMSELF..I AM A HISTORY MAJOR AND THIS WAS THE WORST HISTORY CLASS I HAVE TAKEN AT POLY BY FAR! I REALLY WANTED TO TAKE BRITISH HISTORY BUT WONT TAKE IT BECAUSE HE TEACHES IT..STAY AWAY.

Well well well. Not sure where to start about Krieger. This guy is like no other professor at Poly. The fact that he can go everyday to everyclass and have his whole lesson off the top of his head is amazing...the only problem is half the stuff is obviously pulled out of his ass. He tells stories that are supposedly about him, which I believe to be amalgamations of stories he's heard throughout his years. For example, he claims he went to junior college in Compton, played football at USC, was a pitcher for the baseball team at Berkeley, played golf at Berkeley, yet still managed to be a linebacker for Stanford and warmed the bench in the Rose Bowl. I guess he did all this while going to the college where he got his degree: UC Davis. Hmmmm. Bottom line is this guy is interesting, his classes are interesting, but take his stories with a grain of salt...

krieger is the man. he is an old salty dog who loves to come to class and give lectures that are half history, half personal biography of dan krieger. his lectures are funny. he talks about everything from his old boozin' days to the origin of his last name (von kleist- meaning "warrior class" in german). the guy is tough. he had a very shitty back and he still gutted it out and came to class and lectured. he was always happy. he is real helpful. the guy is like no other. you gotta take kriegs just to say that you took kriegs. he will be one of the professors that you actually remember 20 years down the road.

I love this guy, this is the second class Ive taken from him and I loved it. Yes, his class is like storytime, but he weaves history together in a way that dosent put people to sleep. I enjoyed going to class, which is refreshing. He does tend to jump around A LOT in lecture, so if that dosent work for you, I can see where it could be very frustrating. His test dates are never set either, he always changes them. Overall, a great man who is extremely intellegent, I defenetly learned a lot from him.

Dr. Krieger is an excellent professor. Despite his somewhat intimidating appearance, he's a great professor who DOES care about his students. His insanely vast experience adds to his knowledge and he shares this with his students. This class will make you love history no matter what your interest. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Some of the comments on this polyrating need to be deleted. It looks as if a few people wrote multiple comments. I'll give you the real deal. Krieger's 215 class is pretty tough. The amount of reading is more than almost anyone can handle. You have to be good at filtering through what isn't important for exams. His lectures give you a general outline that only moderately help with the exams. I must say that his lectures are VERY interesting even if they aren't quite in line with the material on the exams. The guy does knows his history. There is one midterm, the final and two quizzes- one map quiz and one quiz on the 600 page book called From Beruit to Jerusalem. The midterm and the final are have a multiple choice section and an essay portion. He gives you the essays prior to the exam but expects a good essay in return. As long as your prepared, the essay is easy. The multiple choice are difficult and often tricky. You need to read the chapters in the Find/Roth text that match up with what he discusses in lecture. The Find/Roth text contains a good amount of needless reading. Read chapters 1-6 for the midterm and 9,10,11, and 16 for the final. The map quiz is cake if you attend lectures as he gives you most of the questions on the quiz. Back to that 600 page book- From Beruit to Jerusalem. I read the entire thing because I'm into studying Middle East history. Most students did not. He gives you a list of about 35 questions, 7 of which appear on the actual exam. You are to write on 5 of those 7 questions. You can just go through the book and find the answers to the questions without reading the entire thing- this is a tough endeavor in itself because the index is subpar. I had a hard time finding all the answers even after reading the whole book. I'd find the answers while reading the book if I were to do it again. If your into saving time, then just find the answers and hope your quiz grade comes out half decent. It is only worth like 10% of your final grade. I would take Krieger only if your interested in History and wish to enrich yourself. It is a tough GE to stomach and the 1100 pages of reading doesn't help. Good Luck!

I really enjoyed this professor and would recomend him to any. I love history personally, but even if you dont this guy presents it in a way that is a full circle of events that lead to other events, and tells it in a way thats easily understandable and clarifies events very well. The class is a lot of reading, the textbook you really dont have to even toch as long as you go to class and take good notes, and the beruit book test is all off the study guide. His test are mult choice and an essay, they arnt too difficult, but you have to study for them. Its a tough class, but I loved it, and would recomend Dr. Krieger to anyone, he really knows his stuff!

This class wasnt as difficult as some people make it out to be. There is a lot of difficult reading material that isnt completely necessary, and the midterm and final were hard. The class has a midterm and a final, and two quizzes. The class didnt do great on the midterm and he felt he didnt explain the material enough, which was true, so for the next two quizzes and final he prepared the class very well. Dr. Krieger seems like a good guy and wants his students to do well. His lectures are great, the man has done a lot of things in his life and has tons of stories. THe lectures arent always in line with the material though and the textbook is pretty hard to read, so that makes studying sometimes hard. THe two quizzes were very easy, he pretty much gave us the all the answers in the days leading up to them. This class can seem intimidating at first with all the reading required, but dont panic if you have to take him.

Who needs chalk talk, overheads, video, and slides when you can have a primary account of the settings in the curriculum? Dr. Krieger is a very interesting, unboring professing professor, the complete antithesis of colleague Dr. Steenson. There was no homework, only tests, which worked well; just read the book, go to class, and show interest in the subject. For the first midterm he admitted, "The multiple choice [portion] was a disaster," admitted that it was his fault, and wrote the second midterm in light. In conclusion, this guy needs a radio show: "The Historical Adventures of Dr. Krieger!" In yesterday's show the Japanese had begun a period of industrialisation thanks to the...

This class was the one class i looked forward to going to every morning, and i by no means am a morning person. Krieger keeps lectures interesting, like one really long story that takes all quarter to tell. There is no homework in this class but there is a lot of reading. Your grade is based on the midterm, a map quiz, a reading quiz and your final. It is not that difficult of a class but you will learn a lot. Krieger Rocks!

I was one of those kids in high school who hated history, but Krieger is one of those teachers who makes it interesting. His tests are challenging, but if you do the reading and get the big picture from his lectures the class is great. All in all, he's a great teacher and I would recommend him to anyone.

He is really good at explaining history by using his own life as a model to explain somewhat "complex" ideas. He understands and knows history extremely well. He curves everything including the final great. Highly reccomended.

I don't even know where to start. The first day he just started talking and no one knew the lecture had started. Basically, he talks the entire class off the top of his head. He mixes his personal stories, actually history and random facts together. Unfortunately I had this class right after lunch so I fell asleep a lot. I was really nervous for the tests, but he is a nice old man and I pulled off an A- with minimal word

The best prof I have ever had. EVERY story he tells in class has a real life and pertinent connection in a historical context. The man is so intelligent that he could probably teach any subject at Poly at a PHD level. His memory is amazing, his grading system is fare, definately not east and his love for his students is unprecedented. I was not a history undergrad but because of this Nobel deserving man I applied to the grad program. There is KRIEGER and than there is the rest of poly. This man literally flies people in from Germany to lecture to his Holocaust class (btw the best class offered at any public school in AMERICA). The prof teaches you so much in a quarter system that truly restricts all profs abilities except 4 his because of how much he is able to cover in such a short span. One to a hundred, I give him a full score. I will never forgot his class or his passion for teaching. All profs at Poly take note of Cal Poly's Dr. Krieger, best prof in the American publio school system.

Dr. Krieger is a great professor. You should take him; he will teach you to understand history not as isolated incidents, but as a constantly unfolding story in which everything is connected. Do NOT buy the atlas text book: biggest waste of money ever. They have maps online. And I hope you don\'t need an Atlas to tell you where Britain is, because that\'s the kind of stuff he put on the Map Quiz.

Professor Krieger\'s lectures are really disorganized and can be confusing. I found it really hard to listen to him for two hours because he could never stay on topic. The reading can also seem really overwhelming, from Beirut to Jerusalem is 572 pages long and it\'s not an easy read, so start early. The multiple choice on the midterm and final are random and really difficult, but he gives you the essay topics ahead of time and he is a really fair grader and grades on a curve. Overall, he is a really nice guy and an easy grader, but it is a lot of work and the atlas is a waste of money since he gives you the answers for the map quiz.

Plan to spend a long time reading and preparing for essay questions for this class. Krieger is a walking dictionary. DO NOT take this class thinking it will require no work, like I did. His lectures are very interesting, but when he gets sidetracked from talking about Russian attempts at industrialization to go into a 5 minute detailed description of the exact diameter, caliber, and rifling pattern of a specific cannon used by certain British ships for a 5 year period of time, you lose track of what to take notes on. I studied a ton for the midterm, wrote eight pages on my essay, and found out his grad student graded it, which explains my D! I went and talked to him, and he bumped it up to a B after a 10 second scan. Very, very smart guy, and very interesting class material. But lots of reading!

This class was so so boring. I dreaded going every day. He didn\'t use any powerpoints/pictures.. nothing. He just talked straight for the two hours. However, Krieger is a great teacher and a funny man, I liked him a lot. This is an easy class if you study. I hate history and got an A without studying that much, so that should tell you something.

Professor Krieger is the type of guy you want to have if you truly love history. This class was composed entirely of one midterm, one map quiz, one quiz based on an entire book (do NOT wait to start reading it!), and a final. Of course, that means heavy studying! On the flip side, Dan Krieger is a very well-traveled and well-learned professor that has a visible passion for what he teaches. Everything ha has to say is relevant, and it\'s mesmerizing. I\'m sad to say I missed a lot of this class due to poor health, as well as arm surgery, but I would not hesitate to take him again in any circumstance. His lectures are clear, and though he requires a lot of note-taking, which I am terrible at, but the essay questions he has you answer also provide you with the chance to demonstrate your own ability to \"connect the story\" as a previous reviewer from the same class as I has said. Finally, be prepared to listen. Even though Dan is an older professor, he has a lot of spirit, and draws you in to his lectures. If your are passionate about history, and don\'t just view it as two hours of speaking, it can be a truly rewarding and enriching class.

Dr. Kriger is a great teacher with a ton of experience and background as a history teacher. He tells you of his trips all over the world, and it is truly fascinating to hear. I really liked him for my British history class, and I fully recommend taking him. On top of being a good teacher, he is completely available outside of class for helping you with other school stuff. Great guy!!

Dr. Krieger's grasp on the subject of English history is astounding. He is an excellent lecturer and is very accomodating to his students when they have difficulty with the material. The required texts are not too heavy reading and give you an excellent background in preparing you for his lecture, as he is not likely to rehash the points presented in the book; rather he higghlights them with stories of his own experience. Even if you are not a history major, I highly recomend his courses to enrich your education at Cal Poly.

I also feel the need to respond to a previos students comments, he became overly angry at a comment that said that Yasser Arafat had lost his political credibility, and who could honostly disagree recently? I have heard or thought the phrase millions of times recently. I would also like to encourage the readers to look at the class levels of most of hte negative reviewers who always complain he is to much work, they are almost always freshman just out of highschool with no idea what work really is. The whine and Bitch about his work load, which is really not that bad, forgetting that, one his lectures are beautiful dialoges on history from a man that has seen much of it and two, it is thier responsiblity to read! And to the students that said he needs to get a better view of the world, you are a freshman, you have no right to talk about what you don't know yet yourself. If you are interested in learning more than you ever thought possible with a professor who cares about you and your progress as a student and an individual take professor krieger. And to the student of Arabic background, it is interesting that you would criticize him on his lack of world knowledge, he has spent more time in the eastern Europe and the middle east than you have been alive! and remember that just becuase you see it on Al Jazeera or read it in a STATE RUN newspaper does not mean its true, open up your mind.

My first day of class I didn't know what I was getting myself into, and it didn't get much better throughout the quarter. From the moment he steps into the room he begins his lecture, of which there are basically no pauses for questions from students, etc. There is a lot of reading, and I feel that if you are a person who does all of the assigned reading, there is no need to attend class. There is 1 midterm, 1 map quiz, 1 reading quiz (a 500 page book) and the final (which is 50% of you entire grade). You do get used to him throughout the quarter, but I do strongly suggest taking another teacher.

This is a difficult course, but the instructor turned it into a fascinating survey of the evolution into modernity with all the hopes and sorrows that process involved. There was a lot of reading, but class lectures and discussions illuminated the process. Well worth taking for GE.

Krieger knows A LOT about Modern World History, and had a lot of personal experience to mix in with the material - this made the class very interesting. The reading was also well chosen. Krieger is a very fair grader and offered some extra credit. I definitely recommend him.

Krieger is a subjective grader who shows little interest in students. He completly relies on his student grader to correct all exams and quizzes. Student graders are not novel at Cal Poly. However, looking over student work is required, this is a process with which Krieger does not comply. Although interesting at times, the stories he tells in class are not only fictional, but ridiculous and underestimate the intelligence of his students.

I started this class with two onther history instructors and dropped out. I was desparate when Dr. Krieger let me add. It was a fantastic class--the best one I have had at Poly. There were some in the class who didn't like the book by Tom Friedman, From Bierut to Jerusalem. They tried to stir up matters. I had some difficulty with one of my essays and went to Dr. Krieger who was familiar with my work and explained why I got the grade I did. He is a great teacher.

A friend just told me that someone said in "Polyratings" that Dr. Krieger doesn't care about students. I am not the best student, but I have had Krieger for five classes. He has been my adviser and I wouldn't be graduating next quarter withou his caring advice.

This was the only class that I looked forward to each day during winter quarter.

Krieger is a very intersting teacher. His lectures are very interesting and realtes a lot of the info to today. His test are very hard, but he does grade on a curve. You have to read the Beruit to Jerusalem book and the text or you will be screwed. I was very unclear what were on the test but if everyone else has no clue than you'll be fine. I recomend him due to the fact i liked his lectures, but if you hate going to class you don't really have to go. I learned a lot but i swear what i learned was not on the test...

This was the third time being in Dr. Krieger's class (I was also in his HIST 111 and HIST 385 classes, getting B's in both) and I must say that he is like no teacher I have ever had before. He begins lecturing as he walks in the door and rarely pauses for questions. He will stop if you raise your hand but he will not stop and ask if there are questions. His classes do appear to have a lot of reading but ALL THREE TIMES I had him as an instructor he canceled either a reading quiz or map quiz. He sometimes offers extra credit papers or field trips but this depends on what class you take with him. He does throw in personal information in his lectures (which are more like stories) that you will never see on a test but this makes his class more enjoyable. He has his quirks but you get used to them quickly and he is definitely a good teacher.

If you want to know about trader joes or anything else to do with food then you will enjoy Dan's lectures. Sooner or later you will find out that Kriegar was a "warrior" when he was saving us all from communism. He is one of the nicest fellows i have ever met, but spends 5% of his lecture on history, the rest is personal therapy.

Undoubtedly the best class that I've taken in my five plus years at Poly. Dr. Krieger brought life to Biusmarck and the living hell of the First World War.The reading was incredibly tough and we had to work hard. There were a few gripers who couldn't make the grade but I hung in there. I am glad I did. Ity was one of the few class in my major where I learned something entirely new.

GPA booster, but a great man who fought through a broke back, just to finish the class for his students.

This was an awesome class with great discussions of European Fascism.

First of all- never trust the opinion of a freshmen or sophomore. They haven't taken enough classes to figure anything out yet and think that just because they took AP history classes in high school it makes them an automatic judge of whats constitutes a good instructor. That said, Krieger is a genuienly nice man. He does care about his students, but is a member of the old school when it comes to teaching. He doesn't use power point or even a projector for outlines, but that is what makes him unique. His midterms are difficult on the surface, but he hooks you up with a curve. Much of what you get out of his classes are what you put in- much like any other UNIVERSITY course. So don't heed the advice listed here from idiot freshmen.

Dr. Krieger's classes are always entertaining. Though he didn't always hold to The Spanish Civil War as a topic in class, he did touch bases on things that impacted it in Italy, Germany, Russia, England, and France. Overall his lectures were very informative, and he mixed some humor into the class which made it nice. He also had some random stories but those were fun because it gave the class a lighter atmosphere and only took at most 10 minutes out of the class. His paper, tests, and map quiz are pretty straightforward and if you listen in class and do some reading you'll be able to keep up. Definately would take him again.

I've taken several classes from Professor Krieger and am always amazed by how much he knows. I wasn't looking forward to this class at all, but his lectures were actually pretty interesting and he was able to relate the material to places and people you hear about all the time but never knew how they fit into history. He seems sort of unapproachable at first, but he is actually really nice and understanding. I would encourage anyone to take a class from him.

In a few simple words, Krieger's classes should be called "Story Time With Krieger." A very nice man that will help his students in any way that he can.

Krieger's class was quite interesting... You learn a lot of historical facts and life stories from this crazy prof. Take his classes if you can! Total GPA boosters! His exams are easy (we had two). You have to write a paper but expect a good grade so long as you use lots of resources. Sometimes his lectures bore the hell out of you, because he doesn't use slides or even write on the chalk board. Still, he is definately worth your time. Smoke it easy.

This is the first C I have recieved in my entire life. I hope that says something to all of you out there watching their GPA. Do not take him--this class was a nightmare!

Dr. Krieger is by far the best history prof at poly. He has an amazing memory which helps him present lectures in almost a story telling mode which allows the student to retain more information than a standard lecture would allow. ALL of his stories always have a lesson to be learned. Dr. Krieger changed my outlook on education because I had never seen a prof care so deeply about his students and their learning. His field trips, videos and other creative sytles of teaching allow the student to gain a special appreciation for the material. For example, in our Holocaust course he flew in actual witnesses from Germany! The Holocaust class was the best class I have ever taken at poly and the course helped me become more tolerant of all races and backgrounds. I highly recommend any student at poly take this course while it is being offered. Stories presented by the prof's wife and long time Librarian, Liz and other Holocaust specialists give the class an added feeling of authenticity and experience. Every guest the prof has is highly credible and passes much personal screening by prof Krieger himself. Dr. Krieger is one of the smartest people I have ever met and is definetly one of my heroes and if it were not for him I would have long ago changed my major. If you are fortunate enough to take Krieger you must not pass up a lifetime oppurtunity. After taking five courses with Dr. Krieger it has helped me become a better student and citizen.

I have never taken a class where I was so interested that I literally did not want class to ever end. The man tells stories that are so pertinent to the material yet presents the curriculum in such a manner that you feel like history is coming to life. Never have I felt like a teacher care more about a his students than Dr. Krieger. His grading is fair, not easy, yet in the end you learn more about the subject manner than you ever thought was possible. His brilliance magnifies the greatness of the whole history program at Poly. To me there is Dr. Krieger and than there is the rest of the History staff. If it were not for this gentleman I would not have known facts about the Holocaust, WWI and II and the state of California. I hope he never retires because that would be a huge, enormous loss to the department and the university as a whole. The man is a hero in the community and he flies people in from Germany that are AMAZING first hand witnesses to Holocaust camps. One to ten, I give him a hundred. My favorite teacher in all my twenty five years of school. I can not say enough......

Dr. Krieger's Hist 445 class was awesome. I learned many things about our state and of the interactions of the various ethnic groups that have come to our state. His lectures were always very interesting, and he definately knew what he was talking about. He is also great at helping people, as he helped me out with the research paper. I would recomend Dr. Krieger for this class as well as his others.

This is a holocaust class and i was hoping for knowledge on the holocaust. instead now i am well versed about anti-semtisim throught the bible and other biblical crap that i could care less about. In the fourth week we finally got to the 1900's. Has a lot of guest speakers and videos

I feel sorry for the person who commented before me. While Dr. Krieger presents a deeply-personalized view of history, I believe this stems from his passion for the subject. Anyone who doubts his knowledge needs only spend a few minutes talking to him. This guy is like a living book, a true sage packed full of anecdotes and facts. I'm in my third year at Cal Poly and being now in my second class with Krieger, I can say it's so refreshing and interesting to have him, as opposed to the vast number of teachers who read straight from the book and seem dumber than their students. I'll admit Krieger's a bit disorganized in the way he paces lectures and goes through quarters overall, but even the upper echelon of professors have their faults. I'll take him again if I can.

Very knowledgeable man, I just wished we would have focused on the actual Holocaust, not so much of the Anti-Semitism prior to the Holocaust. This class was not what I expected, but ther is a map quiz, a paper, and a final.

Just take him. Everybody should take Krieger before they gradaute. He talks a lot about stupid stuff so you gotta read the books to do well.

i'm basically saying what others have said about this class. krieger is a wealth of information. the guy knows more than i could hope to know about history. however, in terms of teaching history without rambling, he has problems. he talks about random stuff, and his holocaust class was much more a study on anti-semitism than the actual holocaust. while the history of anti-semitism is relevant to understand the holocaust, we spent weeks and weeks on it and very little time on the subject of the holocaust. but i would recomend him, just don't take too many notes cuz 85% of them will be totally useless.

All I can say is -- I love this man. Please take at least one class from him.

Dr. Krieger is amazing!!!!!! By far the best history professor I have ever had. His lectures are amazing stories and often he has first hand accounts and references that are sweet and entertaining. I've taken him several times, and now I really appreciate what he does. The first time I took him I had the habit of skipping class... a lot, and while you can get by with this method, I don't recommend it. His lectures are really important and a lot of the stuff he talks about in class is put almost word for word on his midterm and final. Also a lot of what he says in class is really good material for your paper. It's your choice to show up or not, but basically, show up to class and there's a VERY good chance you'll get an A. And personally, I think it's so rude that his class is basically empty except for test days, he's an awesome, caring, sympathetic, well-read and amazingly knowledgeable. For every course gives a midterm, a final and assigns one paper. He's awesome and will be retiring soon (which is a terrible shame) so take him while you still have the chance!

Do not take this man's class unless you want to hear his wife read you children's books, if you want to be called a heathen, and you want to hear a lot of other religious nonsense. This man is an embarrassment to Cal Poly and should be fired.

Holocaust studies are not for wimps. 5.8 million people were destroyed. Dr. Krieger presents the facts and reasons with clarity and sensitivity. He lectures flawlessly, without notes. His wife plays a crucial role in the class. As a children's librarian, she views the Holocaust from the eyes of Jewish children; their hopes, their fears, their dreams. The outside speakers are world class. I learned so much from the course, I came back the next year and audited it!

An amazing man, and a true gem among CalPoly's history professors. If you're a history major, don't miss taking at least one of his classes before he fully retires. I've taken Krieger 5 or 6 times, all classes were great learning experiences. Go to class, take notes and review them, do the reading, write one paper, and you'll pass the exams because you've actually learned the material, all while enjoying some stories. In the Holocaust class, I enjoyed his wife's stories, and learned to look forward to them -- they helped lighten a really difficult subject while still teaching. The guests are amazing, and it would be impossible to understand how the Holocaust could happen if one didn't fully understand events leading up to it ... I've learned to never go into any class with set expectations on what will be covered specifically, but I've also learned that if I've enrolled in one of Dr. Krieger's classes, I'm going to go away with a thorough understanding and knowledge of the topics covered that I'll retain long after the class ends.

Someone mistakenly, and probably maliciously, wrote that Professor Krieger described people as 'heathens' (2:44 pm, Nov 23, 2008). There could be nothing farther from his heart. I have taken three classes from this most distinguished of teachers and I have found nothing but scholarship, insight and a passion to help his students.

To the guy that posted before me: exactly. Krieger does skip a lot of detail in his lectures and throws in a lot of stuff that doesn't seem to be relevant. I can see how some could find it infuriating but I think its just. This is the whole story: you READ for a history degree, and because we dont know so much, we get lost in the detail. So we need someone like Kriger to spin this bigger picture stuff he does so well. Then we don't get lost in our own reading any more, and he helps us make the connections. Oh what? You didn't actually read anything and thought you could get by just on his lectures? If you don't want to read, what the hell did you want to take history for?