ART HIS 28
Arts of Africa
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour; museum field trips. Introduction to arts and architecture of Africa. Examination of social and historical contexts of their production. Introduction to body of information within framework of conceptual problem through series of case studies. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2018 - I took this class as a life science major trying to get an easy GE credit and it was pretty easy. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this class though, I feel like a lot of professors say they don't want you to focus on grades and just learn but Professor Nelson actually backs that up. He is very clear in lectures, and the exams are not made to try to trick you. I would highly recommend this class to anyone, because a lot of the information from this class changed how I view and navigate the world. Even though this class had nothing to do with my major it was still one of my favorite classes I took at UCLA.
Spring 2018 - I took this class as a life science major trying to get an easy GE credit and it was pretty easy. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this class though, I feel like a lot of professors say they don't want you to focus on grades and just learn but Professor Nelson actually backs that up. He is very clear in lectures, and the exams are not made to try to trick you. I would highly recommend this class to anyone, because a lot of the information from this class changed how I view and navigate the world. Even though this class had nothing to do with my major it was still one of my favorite classes I took at UCLA.
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2019 - The class is very straight forward and nice if memorization is your thing. The grades for the quarter consist of a map quiz, museum paper (for Fowler), a midterm, a final paper (involving criticizing an argument and seeing how it applies to art in Fowler), discussion participation and a final exam. Midterm and Final Exam are both 20% each, map quiz is 10%, papers are 20%, and I believe discussion participation is 10%. Each lecture goes over 2-3 different pieces in slide format with each one having the chance for an appearance on the midterm or final (first 5 weeks on the midterm, last 5 on the final). The midterm and final are structured so that you get 4 Slide Identifications (four different pieces' name/time period/tribe/significance/etc.), 2 compare/contrast Short Essays (so two sets of two pieces), and a long essay where you pick 3 out of the 20-30 pieces you've studied to use as evidence for a specific theme given to you. So just make sure you take good notes. I'd say your ability to enjoy the class depends more on your TA because I didn't have the most friendly TA so I dreaded going to discussion. BUT I went every week (talked maybe 2-3 times) and got 90% in participation. It is very easy to do well in this class despite not being the best at memorizing (I got a D on my midterm because I worried about other classes more and still managed to bounce back). In regards to Professor Taylor, she is one of the sweetest professors I have met (it is only my first quarter but my statement still stands). She is very fashionable and nice so she is easily mistakable for another student. She is always happy to answer any questions you may have with a smile and enthusiasm. At times she does seem monotone in lecture which can be a bit boring, but it is understandable given the sensitivity of the art (most of which was either stolen in colonization or created to combat oppression). I did enjoy having her as a professor so I am able to see how a professor SHOULD act and I would have no problem if I had to take the class again... maybe just with a different TA.
Fall 2019 - The class is very straight forward and nice if memorization is your thing. The grades for the quarter consist of a map quiz, museum paper (for Fowler), a midterm, a final paper (involving criticizing an argument and seeing how it applies to art in Fowler), discussion participation and a final exam. Midterm and Final Exam are both 20% each, map quiz is 10%, papers are 20%, and I believe discussion participation is 10%. Each lecture goes over 2-3 different pieces in slide format with each one having the chance for an appearance on the midterm or final (first 5 weeks on the midterm, last 5 on the final). The midterm and final are structured so that you get 4 Slide Identifications (four different pieces' name/time period/tribe/significance/etc.), 2 compare/contrast Short Essays (so two sets of two pieces), and a long essay where you pick 3 out of the 20-30 pieces you've studied to use as evidence for a specific theme given to you. So just make sure you take good notes. I'd say your ability to enjoy the class depends more on your TA because I didn't have the most friendly TA so I dreaded going to discussion. BUT I went every week (talked maybe 2-3 times) and got 90% in participation. It is very easy to do well in this class despite not being the best at memorizing (I got a D on my midterm because I worried about other classes more and still managed to bounce back). In regards to Professor Taylor, she is one of the sweetest professors I have met (it is only my first quarter but my statement still stands). She is very fashionable and nice so she is easily mistakable for another student. She is always happy to answer any questions you may have with a smile and enthusiasm. At times she does seem monotone in lecture which can be a bit boring, but it is understandable given the sensitivity of the art (most of which was either stolen in colonization or created to combat oppression). I did enjoy having her as a professor so I am able to see how a professor SHOULD act and I would have no problem if I had to take the class again... maybe just with a different TA.
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