Although this class started off quite normal, I quickly found out this class is not organized like my previous courses at either UCLA or community college. There are no PowerPoint slides, very few pictures/maps/videos as additional lecture materials. Prof. Orren is indeed lecturing in class; she simply speaks and answers questions, it's up to us to take the notes and remember the information. Slides or more materials during lectures would make this class so much more engaging and enjoyable, instead of just typing or writing things out the whole time. You MUST take copious notes during lectures and if you're unable to attend, since she doesn't record the audio or video on BruinCast, you will need to get them from someone else. The non-use of presentations or slides makes it difficult to keep track of the material being mentioned. Sometimes she will start on one topic and pivot to another point she mentioned earlier so be prepared to move around your notes. Sometimes this can become a little confusing, but she was good with tracking back and clarifying if needed.
Lectures are not too focused on reading. Prof. Orren will follow the reading dates posted in the syllabus (Reconstruction readings paired with lectures on Reconstruction), but she doesn't mention the books very often. This is why the readings (at least for this term) are most important for section since we discussed them exclusively in detail. Professor Orren is indeed knowledgeable on this topic and provides lots of information; it is simply not organized very well which means it comes down to you to parse what is important and what is not. My notes during lecture helped me tremendously on the midterm and final exams. Her essay prompts are pretty vague; some find them to be too much so. I found them to be open-ended enough to allow me to go where I wanted to go and argue what I knew, while also staying within the prompt. I would create a study group early on to discuss readings (maybe even split up the chapters since the readings are quite extensive) and prepare for the essay exams; this vastly helped me in the course.
I believe the course itself is extremely subjective and open-ended -- the course description itself is vague. An "overview" of "American political development" could mean a plethora of things depending on who you ask and is up to interpretation by the professor. Take the facts of history, combine it with the readings and lecture material, and you're good. With readings, as stated in other reviews, do not get caught up in minutia or specific details; simply understand the main ideas with some evidence from the text to back it up. As long as you can do that and combine it with lecture material, you'll do well.

Selling 3 required textbooks for this class all for lower prices than retail:

- Belated Feudalism by Karen Oren [brand new]

- The Democratization of American Christianity by Nathan O. Hatch

- American Abolitionism by Stanley Harrold

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Hi, this is a review for her 147A class taken Spring 2022. Honestly, Professor Orren is not as bad as some of the many past reviews suggest. She can be convoluted at some points, and a bit stubborn with her material, but she also has some very intriguing hypotheses of American political development that other classes do not seem to offer. Her main idea is that American political development comes from very ancient, "feudal" social structures that trickle down into American political life.

The trick to this class is to take detailed notes, as she does not use power point slides. Also with readings, try to get an overview but don't invest too much time because the test prompts are general enough where you only need the gist of the book and class material. Your TA is your best bet, as Orren is not always super open to questions (but she can be). Overall, I think the previous reviews are a bit harsh. She's just your traditional loving grandma that doesn't put up with attitude well. If you try with this class, you will get a good grade and learn some interesting things along the way. You will be fine.

The comment here about her "f***ing up the grading scale" and causing everybody's grades to be lower is false. Complete nonsense. The grades ended up being within the range that the Professor wanted them to be in, and the TA over-shared about the behind-the-scenes process, confusing some students, apparently. Amazing class to take for students interested in the history of the Reconstruction Era or of the history of the treatment of Black Americans in US History generally.

Prof Orren has very unstructured lectures (over zoom) and she doesn't use powerpoint slides or record the class. Her lectures are literally her just trying to figure out technology or reading off a textbook we aren't required to read or yelling at our TA. The readings are tedious and she doesn't connect them well to lecture materials. She gets frustrated with students for asking questions, and when you do, she doesn't answer them. She didn't provide reasonable accommodations for finals and fucked up the grading scale so that the class average dropped. The only reason I got a decent grade was because of the TA. A shame considering how relevant this course COULD BE in our current political and social climate.
She literally lives up to her name. take at your own risk lol

Selling all three required readings!

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