There is no doubt that Peter Stacey is passionate about the topic he teaches. He is very knowledgeable and clearly qualified to teach the class. The syllabus is straightforward and consists of two essays: a midterm and a final.

On the surface, he seems nice enough. He jokes around in class and makes casual conversation. If you know for a fact that nothing major will come up in your life, go ahead and take the class, it’s honestly super interesting! However, be aware that if you run into a problem in the class for any reason, he is not very accommodating. Although attendance is not mandatory, if you miss a class, even for a medical reason or a major life event, as in my case, and ask a question about the lecture you missed, he may respond quite harshly. His position is that he should not have to explain material twice: once in class and again to students who were absent.

Even if you ask to discuss what you missed during office hours, he states that “there is no individual or private tuition available to students who miss class.” To be fair, if you review the lecture slides and complete the readings, you will probably be fine. However, if you need additional support beyond that, it may be difficult to get help. As he puts it, “If, on the other hand, you feel that you want to de-enroll… then that is of course fine by me, too.” A little harsh, if you ask me.

I had to join this class a few weeks into the quarter and the professor basically refused to work with me. He had announced that the midterm would be in person the first week of class... when I wasn't there... so I missed it. Would have basically failed if I didn't drop the class during week 5. Also the TA was an obnoxious a**. Professor seemed nice enough on a personal level but sort of played favorites and didn't lecture very clearly. Mind you I'm a political science major, and have taken plenty of political theory classes during my time at UCLA. This class should have been a breeze, he just was a harsh grader and not great at lecturing.

The reviews from other students from past quarters makes this class sound like a total breeze. However, (in my experience) this class was the diametric opposite. Stacey graded the midterms exceptionally harshly which caused many of us to drop the class. This class is not an easy A. If that's why you're taking it find something else.

Stacey is A true gem of a professor in the History department. He is always extremely helpful and clear within the framework of the class. The midterm and final are both papers which are very straightforward and as long as you put some work in, you'll do just fine.

I took Pete Stacey for the past two quarters History 122, and History 130. Its two essays for the class, and if you pay attention and genuinely engage with the material you should be good. Professor was pretty cool as well hes just a little hard to get in touch with. Otherwise it was a great time.