Just felt the need to put this out there:
Shout out to all the people who took this class during zoom university and had to hear her birds gawking and screeching in her living room while she taught.
Really great professor though!

Definitely the best class I've taken at UCLA. Granted I'm only a third year transfer student and this was my first quarter, but I sincerely believe this was an excellent class. Students are graded based upon three elements: the midterm, the final paper, and participation. The midterm was very fair, and students are given a study guide with ID terms to review a week in advance. The test consists of several short answer questions and an essay question which is chosen from the three presented on the study guide. The final paper is the most challenging part of the course, but luckily the prompt and directions were given out at the start of the quarter. Nevertheless I started preparing my 10 primary and 10 secondary sources three weeks before it was due and still ended with an A in the class. Participation is taken randomly so make sure to attend every lecture. This is not difficult since even if you're mildly interested in the topic of African American History from 1600-1865 she elevates the material further with her immense passion. She is an incredible professor and that is why I'm so glad to be taking the sequel to this course which goes up till the present day. I cannot recommend Professor Stevenson enough and hopefully students reading this have the opportunity to be taught by her.

She randomly takes attendance, which is worth 10% of your grade. She collects journal entries that you have to keep up with weekly but it is not hard to do at all she also collects this randomly for a grade. There was a mid-term and a final. They both consisted of heavy memorizing but the study guide was almost identical to both exams she is a very sweet professor. Very interesting lectures she kept everyone engaged and has an amazing sense of humor if you want to learn more about African American history this is a class you must take.

Prof Stevenson is genuinely one of the funniest professors I have ever had the pleasure of taking. I learned so much in this class. Stevenson was able to keep the class fun, even though a lot of the material of this course is very dark. The reading is reasonable, is often first hand accounts of slavery, and I really believe that we owe it to the people who suffered that to read their words. The communal nature of this class allowed me to even make some friends, which was great as a brand new transfer.

Stevenson is an incredibly qualified, knowledgeable professor who is very passionate about her subject. I was genuinely engaged in every lecture she gave, as her slides were more of a supplement to the deeper conversations we'd have in class (regarding slavery, modern-day racism, etc.), allowing me to understand her arguments in today's context.

Your grade is based on 3 categories: 1) The midterm, 2) the final research paper, and 3) participation. It sucks that participation is required, but honestly, it was worth it to go to class. Her lectures made me feel like I was getting a true UCLA experience if you will.

The midterm is pretty daunting, but the grading is pretty chill, and she provides a very helpful study guide (one with all of the potential midterm questions). The test itself consists of definition questions (~5-8 questions, 1 sentence each), short-answer questions (~3-4 questions, 1-2 sentences each), and one essay question (3-4 pages). All of your answers are written in a blue book, so you have to memorize an outline and write the essay by hand in class, which isn't fun. However, the study guide includes all of the essay prompts, so you have the opportunity to prepare well for them.

The final paper is a 10-page historical research paper requiring a minimum of 20 sources (10 primary, 10 secondary) written in Chicago style. I don't know if the prompt stays exactly the same quarter-to-quarter, but our prompt was to research the upbringing of an enslaved child in the antebellum Upper South. As you probably figure, the biggest pain for this paper is doing the actual research but writing it is straightforward. You have the entire quarter to complete it, and I definitely wouldn't wait. She removes 5 points per day if the paper is submitted late.

Overall, a phenomenal professor with a very helpful TA, but don't underestimate the class assignments. Best of luck to anyone taking this course! :)

Selling Fall 2018 and Winter 2019 course readers for GE Cluster 20A and 20B, as well as A Writer's Reference and Bad Indians, FOR CHEAP! All in great condition. Contact me at ********** or ************* if you're interested!

Awesome professor! Currently selling some of her books. Feel free to reach out through text at **********.

GE Clusters 20A and 20B (Interracial Dynamics)

Selling the Fall 2014 (20A) and Winter 2015 (20B) course reader needed for this cluster; it contains all the articles required to read. Price is negotiable.

*************

GE Clusters 20A and 20B (Interracial Dynamics)

Selling the Fall 2014 (20A) and Winter 2015 (20B) course reader needed for this cluster; it contains all the articles required to read. Price is negotiable.

*************

RE: GE CLUSTER 20A, 20B: Interracial Dynamics

Brenda Stevenson is my hero. First, she's the chair of the history department, which is bada*$. Second, she is a very engaging lecturer and has a great sense of humor. While I dreaded the sleep-inducing lectures of Decker and Ortiz (and the other one, whose name escapes me...really sweet lady but not memorable at all), I really looked forward to Stevenson's lectures, because she incorporated relevant media (movies, music, etc) and interacted with us as much as possible. One of the highlights of my freshman year (and probably of my entire career at UCLA) was when she dressed up as a Black Panther for class one day— afro, trench coat, and a "Free Weezy" t-shirt (maybe a Huey Newton one would have been more authentic, but Stevenson does an excellent job of relating to her students).Third and final, she is writing a book about the Latasha Harlins case— an incident that seems to get overshadowed by the Rodney King riots, but that is critically important to an understanding of race relations in Los Angeles. Judging by the quality of her article (which we had to read for this class), the book promises to be a very good one, and I can't wait to read it. In conclusion, Stevenson makes two quarters of GE 20 totally worth it. (Also, this is kind of irrelevant to her quality as a professor, but she's always working out in the Wooden Center, and she watches E! and other reality TV.. she's just so hip.. I want to be her when I grow up).