This was probably my favorite GE I took at UCLA. As a pre-med science major, I had a hard time finding GEs that were interesting to me, but this class was amazing. Dr. Cooney and TA Amr were so engaging and had a genuine passion for the material. They wanted to teach for the sake of helping us comprehend the material and gain an appreciation for the cultures and the women we learned about. Amr was always available for office hours where we had insightful discussions about the lecture and discussion material. He also gave me feedback on my essays during office hours. Amr does research directly in Egypt's catacombs so he's extremely knowledgeable about the material and has experienced several of the sites we learned about first-hand. I could not recommend this class, Dr. Cooney, and Amr enough. Take this class if you're even remotely interested in the material, as they will make it engaging and you'll walk away from the class with tons of fun, interesting facts and knowledge you'll want to share with others.

Ustadh Amr is absolutely delightful! He always delivers insightful lectures while also keeping them fun and engaging. I personally look up to him as I know that when anyone asks for anything--help in class or even advice outside of class--he is genuinely glad and ready to give 200%. As for the class, it is not too much work, but you will still learn a lot about the Arabic language as well as the culture! Easy and meaningful class to take with Amr, definitely recommend!!!