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.

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.

Professor Stevenson is definitely well-educated and it is clear in how she carries herself. Though a bit intellectually intimidating, she is a real sweetheart and cares about her students. The course was a bit reading-heavy, but that is expected in any UCLA course. I appreciate how she incorporated museum visits into our course curriculum as it really helped students visualize what was being discussed. Your grade basically rests on your midterm (which is outlined pretty well in the study guide), and the Jim Crow project (which serves as a final and is a 6-8 page paper). I left her class feeling more informed and interested about slavery in both history and modernity.

I am truly saddened that this class had to end. I woke up every morning for this 8am class, excited to get to lecture and engage with the material Stevenson had prepared. The midterm was fair, in order to do well you needed to study but if you did, you were very much rewarded. The final paper is 10 papers but she gives you plenty of time, resources, and personal assistance for you to succeed and write a proper paper. I would take this class again, and again! I truly hope I get to work with Stevenson again. I will miss this class!