Madley is a great professor and lecturer. The class is exactly what I hope for in a history class. Madley makes the lectures and materials engaging. He wants to challenge preconceived notions of "American Indian history," both in the mainstream view and in academia. I found the lectures really informative. Although you don't really need to watch them for the essays, Madley promoted the critical thinking that will help when writing the essay. Definitely give them a listen!

Because of the circumstances of this quarter, the final was made optional, so I can't give input on the contents of it.

There are four essay prompts, spaced out every two weeks. You are required to submit 2, and they make up 50% of your grade. Don't do what I did and wait until the last two to start... way too stressful, although its manageable with the amount of material you're given. I felt that my TA was great for grading these. He was clear with the expectations for the essays, and he actually sent back edits and suggestions!

The required readings include a textbook and a few books, as well as some documentaries. You need to cite from these readings for the essays. Each essay prompt has the sources you can/need to use, so I found it helpful to read and watch with the intention of doing the essay. Ultimately, if you aren't doing the essay for those sources, you don't need to read the books/chapters for that week, although I found them interesting. I don't know if the final had questions or prompts from each of these, so you might need to do all of them anyways.

I'm not a history major, nor I did not take Part A of this class but did not feel that this impacted my learning in any significant way. Professor Madley always had excellently prepared and articulated lectures and whenever I left class I felt that I had learned something new or come to a better understanding of a concept or idea that was only briefly touched on in my previous education. A real strength of Madley's was how he so delicately and respectfully gave voice to the histories of American Indian peoples. We covered some horrendous and horrific events but I never felt uncomfortable, just saddened or sorrowful. The material was also presented in a neutral and educational way. I appreciated how we as students were respected enough to not need to be "convinced" to believe a certain viewpoint.

In terms of the course materials, the readings were as expected for an upper division history course and the essays assignments were clear and doable. This made it possible to really be present in lectures instead of worrying about little assignments or due dates.

Madley is so obviously well educated and passionate about his teachings and everyone in the room could feel it! I have nothing but positive reviews for this instructor and course.

Professor Madley is a gem. He is clearly passionate about Native American History, and his lectures were really interesting and insightful. There are 3 movies and 6 books for the class, each being 100- 350 pages. This is an entirely paper based class, and there is a lot of reading, so you really need to manage your time well in order to get an A. He assigns 4 papers due 2 weeks apart, but you only need to write 2. Each paper is worth 25% of your grade and are out of 25 points. He also gives an extra 2 extra credit points if you take a rough draft of your paper to the History Writing Center. The final is worth 50% of your grade, but it was optional this quarter. Overall, the class is very doable, with the only downside being the reading.

*online version*
Madley is an extremely well articulated professor. While the subject at hand may seem complex, trying to memorize all the different names of the tribes and understanding the different relationships, Madley makes the subject incredibly easy to follow and understand. The class is graded on 2 (4 options offered every two weeks, choose 2) papers, and a final (which became optional, given the circumstances). Although Madley may come off as dry and hard to reach, once you get to talk to him, you really see how passionate he is over understanding Native American history, and his book detailing Native American genocide in California. Overall, relatively easy course, not too quick paced, and if you stay on track with the lectures, you should be good to go!

Best prof I've ever had. Extremely knowledgeable about Native American history and it really shows in his detailed lectures. Out entire grade was based on two papers that were 5 pages each and a final exam. Extra credit was given to papers taken to the writing center. I personally loved the class and thought every lecture was interesting and never boring. Not necessarily the easiest class but I would highly recommend taking it if you're looking for a fantastic professor with great content.

Madley is one of the best professors I have ever had! He makes his lectures not only engaging and genuinely interesting, but is aware many taking his class may have little knowledge of Native American history, and, therefore, is clear in his explanations. He is very generous by giving you a list of all the terms that may come up in the exam and gives you a choice of two essay questions, which you can write up and memorise beforehand. Couldn't recommend him and this class enough!

I would take this class again in a heartbeat, because I'd go about it a totally different way. Madley gives the most amazing lectures. They're very thorough and did a wonderful job at introducing me to Native American studies, which was a subject area I previously had very little knowledge of. Detailed as they are, you really don't need to take extensive notes. I wish I didn't; I would have paid closer attention to the actual material. Madley is also very aware that he is a white man lecturing about ethnic studies, and I personally think he demonstrated his expertise with the utmost respect.

There is no midterm, and for the final he will give you a very comprehensive study guide. The two papers are graded very generously. As long as you show that you put effort into research and writing, you will get an A. There is a lot of assigned reading for the course, but if you are short on time I would recommend that you only read the books pertinent to the two essays you choose (out of four total options) that will be provided in the syllabus.

I highly recommend this class! The professor clearly prioritizes your education above all else.

Dr. Madley is hands down one of my favorite professors at UCLA (I'm a History major). He is a very engaging lecturer and does a great job of explaining the material. Even though he uses slides he lectures from his own notes and does not usually write a lot on the slides themselves so you'll need to take notes. I learned so much about Native Americans that I had never learned in high school and to this day am very interested in the topic because of him. I came out of the class with a different perspective on American history. Wish that this class was required, especially for Californians, because he covers the Native American genocide in California. Class breakdown is two five page papers and a final. Slightly heavy reading but pretty standard for upper division history. Definitely would recommend!