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.

This is the best class I have taken at UCLA. Professor Phillips is a genius. And his lectures are captivating. He has no slides. Barely writes on the chalkboard. But somehow I was never bored for a single second. The coursework is very straightforward. If you go to lecture and write down everything he says, I don't think you could possibly do poorly on the exams. The readings are really helpful, and I think they are a perfect supplement to the lectures. Honestly I don't think there is a single negative thing I could say about this class. If he is teaching it you should take it.

HIST 113B is my favorite class I've taken at UCLA. The content is super interesting and I found him to be a super engaging lecturer. This is not an easy class by any means though, there's a lot of reading and he expects you to know the class inside and out for both the midterm and final. If you're into ancient history, totally take this class!

Phillips' lectures are fantastic; he would teach the class by essentially telling a story with in-depth commentary explaining the concepts. The only book I used was the one with all the speeches, which you need for the term paper. The ID portion of his midterm asked about someone that he only briefly mentioned in lecture, so make sure to pay thorough attention. He grades the term paper and final far easier than the midterm, and the longer essay questions (those on the midterm and final as well as the term paper prompts) were explained throughout lecture, so taking notes would set you up for success on those. His grading scale is also dramatically easier than those of other classes (I think an 85% is an A, down to like 50% for a D), but don't be fooled; his class is pretty easy to pass but difficult to do well in.

He is a brilliant orator, one of the best in the History department. This makes it very easy to listen during lectures and not fall asleep. However, the class itself is a little wack. The textbook is awful; if you take it, MAKE SURE YOU GO TO CLASS! You will regret it if you don't. As other people have mentioned, for some odd reason he grades the midterm much stricter than he does the final.

Advice- Take this class if you enjoy Greek/Roman history. If you don't, you're probably not going to do well here.