Where do I begin with Phillips? First off, you should know this: this class will either be extremely easy or very difficult, depending on your ability to handle his work. This class itself is structured in a simple manner: 5 assignments each worth 20% of your grade. These assignments are 3 midterms, 1 term paper, and discussion points. The midterms are essentially easy, he gives you a study guide; this Is exactly the test, but as aforementioned, it depends on how well you can study. Personally, I did not like Phillips himself. I went to his office hours and believe me, he does NOT want you there. He consistently told "go to your ta" trying to get me out of his office. If you can handle ample memorization, speaking up in discussions from time to time, and writing one entire essay the quarter, then you have yourself an A. If you cannot handle his tedious lectures with non-stop notes, constant terrible jokes then this class is not for you.

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: *************

History 1A

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

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

History 1A

Selling: Readings in Ancient History 7th Edition. Nels M. Bailey, Richard Lim.

This was probably the easiest class I have ever taken at UCLA. If you are capable of short-term memorization, speaking up a bit in section, and writing a paper that requires very little critical thinking (just a lot of citing), you'll do great. Also, there is no need to buy The Western Experience; frankly, Wikipedia is a comparable source in terms of information and costs nothing to utilize. Phillips himself is an excellent orator, which is nice because nearly everything he says is important for the exams. (He also has command of several ancient languages, which is kind of hot).

History 1A with Professor PHillips is probably the only relatively easy GE offered. If you can convince your TA you did your weekly reading of primary sources, there really isn't much work you need to do for the class. The reading can get annoying but depending on your TA you might be able to get away with skimming through it.
There are two midterms and a final which is essentially just a third midterm. Phillips gives you a study guide of thirty terms and a four essay questions. if you can memorize the thirty terms (dates, places, important people, etc.) and be prepared to answer the essay questions, you can easily get an A. There are no surprises on the midterms. He also asks a bonus question which is not on the study guide. you just need to take some time, a day is enough, to memorize the terms. He gives 10 or so terms on the midterms and you need to write about 8 of them--i think, I don't remember how many exactly. and of the 4 essay questions, he gives two of them and you need to answer one. None of the midterms are cumulative so after each midterm you don't have to stress about remembering all that information.
There is a final term paper but it is only 6-8 pages long which makes it the shortest paper i have had to write at UCLA!
I highly recommend this class. If you are interested in Greece or Italy, this class will be great for you. Professor Phillips specialized in ancient Greek history so he clearly knows the material very well. if you are just looking for a history class to satisfy your GE requirements, i think this class is pretty easy. It requires some time and effort but far less than other classes require.
Also, Professor phillips always makes allusions and jokes in class. the lectures are usually entertaining and go by pretty fast.

Fantastic professor, hilarious lecturer. A no nonsense class!! Highly recommended.

Good lecturer, i was fairly interested. Be sure to take lots of notes, as it helps A LOT with the essays and key terms for both midterm and final. I thought the class was pretty straightforward. However, the discussions were extremely boring. Readings were pretty dry. Overall, its a good GE.

This was at the same time one of my most enjoyed classes and one of my most despised. It was so enjoyable because Phillips is a fantastic orator. Whether he took classes in public speaking or just tries his best, his lectures are some of the most informative, engaging, and impressive displays of oratory I have witnessed. That being said, the grading system left much to be desired. Each TA has their own standards, and where one TA may have multiple people getting in the a+ range, another (mine) might give out A's VERY sparingly. The tests are easy to study for, as he basically tells you what could be on it beforehand, but it's not so easy that you can blow it off: DO study, and study hard.

Overall, a fantastic experience, but my GPA suffered because of it. If you like history, though, you'll LOVE Phillips.

If you ever get Jeff as your TA, run far far away