Maybe it's because I really enjoy history, but I really loved this class. learning about ancient civilizations was amazing, and I thought Professor Burke enjoyed teaching the class. The slides were ok, and he mainly would talk about the images in the slides. Taking notes is a must, since his exams are based off of exactly what he talks about in lecture, and if you take notes and attend every lecture, as well as go to the discussions and take notes there as well, you're almost guaranteed an A. The class is pretty easy (again, subjective because I love history) because it's straightforward: you learn about civilizations in the Levant, their development, cultures and religions, and talk about all these things during discussions. I have to admit, I did fall asleep 2 or 3 times during the lectures, but this was my first quarter at UCLA and I was still getting used to the workload (it wasn't because of the class being boring). As much as I enjoyed the lectures and how the professor presented the material, I had an amazing TA who really helped make the class all the more enjoyable. The discussions were meaningful and helped prepare for the exams, and also delved into specific topics that the professor could only gloss over during the lectures due to how little time there was for everything. The workload was very light: there were readings each week that were pretty interesting but honestly not that important for the exams or the overall topics, and there was a 2-3 page reflection due each week on a specific topic the professor went over during the lecture. They were extremely easy to do, and most of the time I found myself writing 6-8 pages, and being forced to edit it down to 2-3. The exams were easy, and were literally taken straight from the lectures, so it was almost just summarizing your notes from lecture (just make sure to take good notes and you'll have literally zero problems on the exams). To be honest, I came into the class thinking it was an easy A, and I left with a feeling of satisfaction and happiness of picking this class. If you can take this class, I HIGHLY recommend you do, it was one of the best (and easiest) classes I could have taken for my first year at UCLA. I don't know how well it will transfer over to online classes, since I took it pre-pandemic, but from my experience, I genuinely enjoyed the class.

The class is really easy, but professor Burke is honestly a really boring guy. Throughout the quarter there is no work to be done because there are two writing assignments due at the end of the quarter, plus the midterm and final. Other than that, there are no quizzes or anything. He has a bunch of readings that aren't really necessary since I got a B. I got that B because I thought the midterm was the week following when it actually was so I consequently didn't study for it. The midterm and final are basically memorizing like 80 terms given to us in a study guide and understanding basic ideas. He repeats that this class is about culture but it is very much historical as we have to memorize names and periods and their associations.
Lecture isn't necessary in my opinion unless you want to bore yourself. He posts slides on his site but a lot of them just have pictures on them. I wouldn't really take this class if you're looking for something to enjoy yourself with, unless of course you are already interested in the subject.
tl/dr: boring class, easy pass
r/ucla