If you have an interest in ancient history, this is a really good GE to take. It's not unreasonably hard, and the workload is not bad at all. You really have to attend lectures if you want to do well, but if you attend lecture, you will have already done the majority of the work you will need to do. The professor covers everything you need to know in his lectures, and I didn't feel any need to read the textbook. The exams are really just about memorization, and the professor sends out a study guide with everything that will be on the exam a week before each exam. The hardest thing about the exam is that you have to memorize dates, or else you will lose a lot of points. As someone who enjoys learning about history, I found the lectures were really interesting and I learned a lot through this class.

I am selling the PDF version of the textbook for this class (Egypt, Greece, and Rome: Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean, 3rd Edition) for $10. Text me at ********** if interested, I accept venmo as payment.

Phillips is one of the best professors I've had at UCLA.

He is not friendly. He discourages questions during during his lectures, is stern with his rules, and will not take kindly to attempts by students to act buddy-buddy. He purposefully exudes an aura of aloofness, but if you take one of his classes you will quickly realize that he has every right to do so.

That said, top tier professors are not obligated to be your friend. Phillips is quite obviously a master of his field; he effortlessly rails off ancient Greek quotes, and lays out Greek history in painstaking detail, mostly from the top of his head. If you do approach him with detailed questions during office hours or after class, he will undoubtedly have a straightforward answer. This is how UCLA professors should be.

As others have stated, his lectures are whirlwind affairs. I type upwards of 110 WPM, and I still have trouble keeping up on my off days. However, the lectures progress logically and are incredibly well put together. He shapes classes in the form of an outline, and he speaks in a clear, monotone voice that ensures you won't miss what he says. Despite speaking at a breakneck pace for fifty minutes at a time, almost every piece of information he gives is relevant--a welcome relief from the tendencies of most professors. His occasional forays into humor are dry but generally hilarious.

His style of history focuses on the wars and political intrigue of ancient Greece, a perspective that is all too rarely skipped these days in favor of "seeing through the eyes" of ancient civilizations. He touches on Greek culture when it is relevant, but you're not going to learn much about Socrates and Plato. This, in my opinion, is for the better.

The class is not particularly easy, but if you want an A you can get it. The upside of Phillips' courses is that his lectures are entirely parallel with the assigned books. I have received A's in both classes taken despite never dusting off the textbook. His study guides are hefty, and he expects you to remember large amounts of information (especially dates), but he gives you everything you need to succeed in lecture. Take good notes and give yourself three nights of moderate studying, and you will rock his tests. Despite his statements otherwise, he is not that hard of a grader.

I was not particularly interested in the Greeks pre-Phillips, but he makes Greek history into a very badass and interesting narrative. If you enjoy history, you should definitely take a Phillips course.

Prof Phillips is extremely dull. Lectures often have one or two slides with no information on them, so you have to listen extremely closely to what he says. This is difficult in part because of all the ancient greek words that are used, so you don't know how they're spelled. He has some dry humor he throws in maybe once per class, which is admittedly pretty funny, but otherwise he's very stern. When I asked questions after class he was always very dismissive. The class also is extremely broad, so it's impossible to gain that much insight into the time periods. Pros: His periodical humor, his two tone doc martins. Cons: mean and boring, hard to follow, way too much material to cover.

If you don't want to be treated like an idiot, Phillips is your man. He won't baby you or give you free points. He expects excellence, though it seems he has become accustomed to mediocrity, which in his eyes, is still a massive achievement considering how academically rigorous he can be. Expect to be simultaneously entertained and blown away at how much information can reside inside one plump and unassuming Doc Marten-wearing professor's brain.

A probable candidate for smartest, most rigorous professor as well as best orator.

History 1A

Selling:

1. Readings in Ancient History 7th edition. Nels M. Bailkey, Richard Lim.

2. The Western Experience 10th edition. Chambers Hanawalt Rabb Woloch Tiersten.

3. History 1A course reader

Contact: *************

I actually really liked this class. The workload is kinda heavy because you have to do a lot of readings in order to prepare for your discussion section, but if you dedicate about 2 hours to the readings each week, you'll be fine.
This professor does NOT post his slides so you have to go to every single lecture and sped write if you want all the information. He does not repeat anything and he does not slow down.
The tests are easy if you're good at memorizing. You need to know a LOT of exact dates, but he gives you a study guide with everything on the test a week or two before the exam. If you dedicate two full days to the information, you'll be fine.
There are two midterms, a 8-10 page essay, and a final. The midterms and finals are all in the same style but the essay is a pain. I love writing, but the prompt was kind of messy and not really fun. You'll need to dedicate about 2 full days to this essay depending on your writing skills I guess.

Gooood Luck!
SELLING:
$10 - David Phillips: Introduction to Western Civilizations: Ancient Civilizations to CA. A.D. 843 - Fall 2017 Edition
$8 - PLATO: The Last Days of Socrates by Penguin Classics
$8 - SOPHOCLES: The Theban Plays by Penguin Classics
$8 - The Epic Of Gilgamesh by Penguin Classics (translated by N. K. Sandars)
$3 - EINHARD AND NOTKER THE STAMMERER: Two Lives of Charlemagne by Penguin Classics
email me if interested: L*************

SELLING COURSE READER!
History 1A Course Reader: $15 (basically new)

if your interested feel free to email me
email: *************

loose leaf western experience $45

course reader $10

misc. books $5 each

**********

I AM SELLING MY COURSEPACKS AND SUPPLEMENTAL BOOKS FOR THIS COURSE. EMAIL ME AT *************

I really enjoyed this class! I’m definitely coming from a place of bias because I love ancient history, but the content and the structure of this class really worked for me. I never actually met Prof. Philips because I took this class asynchronously, but you can tell this guy knows what he’s talking about. He does a great job explaining the material and making connections that you might not notice.

You’ll be asked to buy a main textbook, two course packs, and a few supplemental books. Don’t get the textbook. You don’t need it, since everything mentioned in the reading is covered in the lectures. By not doing the textbook readings you’ll save yourself from a lot of unnecessary work. I would recommend getting both coursepacks, but for the supplemental books you could definitely get away with pdfs or ebooks.

If you’re willing to put in time to prep for tests and to read, you’ll do great in this class! It’s a fun GE and the material is pretty interesting.