The professor is a GOAT because he is lowk semi famous and also an expert at lecturing like incredibly knowledgable. The essays were graded kinda harshly though, and the content was sometimes too much to absorb. Overall would rec

It's an interesting class but you HAVE to go to ALL the lectures or do all the reading and kelley lowkey made the class harder this quarter (two midterms and its an essay now, not small weekly discussion posts) but its not a bad GE its not free though you def have to read and write quite a bit

Professor Kelley was one of the best professors I have taken a class with in my UCLA journey. He cracks relatable jokes in class that aren't corny, understands the student's perspective, and is willing to help you understand hard concepts. Because most topics we learn are real world examples within the past 10 years, including present day, classes are pretty engaging.

Yes, this class has somewhat tough concepts. Yes, this class has readings. Yes, there are big history words.

But take it from me. English isn't my first language, yet after going to the TA's office hours and his own office hours, I was able to understand things a lot better. I went into this class for a GE, yet in the end, I would take it again.

His lectures are not mandatory, discussions are mandatory. No homework, just make sure to do the readings and take notes for discussion. He provides fun extra credit opportunities like participating at the picket line for a protest, going to seminars, and etc.. There are no formal exams, just two 1200-1700 word midterm papers, and a final paper (our TA even allowed us to go beyond the word count as long as it related to the topic).

There is a fun group project at the end of the quarter that you get to do. Your whole discussion section is a part of your group. You can choose any issue that people are fighting for, present day or things that happened years ago.

P.S.: someone once told me he lectures in lowercase and I can't unhear it

Is this an easy GE? Yes, because there are only two papers and a final group project that was your entire 20+ person discussion section (kind of pain to organize but it's Kelley's "philosophy"). They changed it from last year's structure. The lectures were often disorganized and would jump topic to topic, and if you didn't do the 60+ pages of readings it was very easy to get lost. Professor Kelley is one of the best historians of our era, so if you care about the material there's alot to learn, but he also rambles quite alot. My TA was really helpful about clarifying the lecture material. I will say your grade will also vary based on your TA, I know others that were harsher on the papers. They don't want surface level answers, and if you don't do the reading it's harder to get more in depth on Neoliberalism's influence on whatever the prompt is.

Grade breakdown: discussion participation 20%, midterm paper 25%, final paper 25%, discussion section group project 30%