Professor
Samuel Beckelhymer
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2018 - This is for the whole Latin 1, 2, and 3 series. Professor Beckelhymer was amazing. He is super helpful and is engaging when the material allows for it. He is very passionate about the material which can be difficult in a class like this but his emotions rub off on the students as he gets excited about certain topics. I highly recommend taking the Latin series with Professor Beckelhymer.
Fall 2018 - This is for the whole Latin 1, 2, and 3 series. Professor Beckelhymer was amazing. He is super helpful and is engaging when the material allows for it. He is very passionate about the material which can be difficult in a class like this but his emotions rub off on the students as he gets excited about certain topics. I highly recommend taking the Latin series with Professor Beckelhymer.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2024 - It is a rare experience to have a professor for the duration of a year at a large and quarter-system university like UCLA, but as someone who began with Latin 1, it was truly a pleasure to have Sam as a professor for so long. Some people have a gift for teaching, and Dr. Beckelhymer is one of them. Lecture does not have mandatory attendance in the way that discussion does, and yet his insight and occasional diatribes absolutely make attendance worth it (as opposed to just learning from the textbook). Beyond his teaching, he is one of the most compassionate professors I have ever had in my time at UCLA. This was a challenging quarter for everyone, but he handled it with grace. He was a generous grader, and flexible in what would usually have been a steady stream of assignments/quizzes. I am happy that I took Latin for my language requirement at UCLA, but more than that, I am grateful for the opportunity to have learned under Dr. Beckelhymer. All this being said, Latin is a challenging subject, and under a lesser professor, might have been discouraging. The class is incredibly fast-paced, and if grammar and memorization aren't your thing, I'd consider a different language. If you love patterns and syntax, then this is perfect for you. Here was the breakdown of the syllabus (which was the same for Latin 1-3): Participation and Attendance 10% Homework (7 assignments, 2 lowest dropped) 10% Quizzes (7 short quizzes, 2 lowest dropped) 20% Midterms (2, in weeks 4 and 8) 30% Final Exam 30%
Spring 2024 - It is a rare experience to have a professor for the duration of a year at a large and quarter-system university like UCLA, but as someone who began with Latin 1, it was truly a pleasure to have Sam as a professor for so long. Some people have a gift for teaching, and Dr. Beckelhymer is one of them. Lecture does not have mandatory attendance in the way that discussion does, and yet his insight and occasional diatribes absolutely make attendance worth it (as opposed to just learning from the textbook). Beyond his teaching, he is one of the most compassionate professors I have ever had in my time at UCLA. This was a challenging quarter for everyone, but he handled it with grace. He was a generous grader, and flexible in what would usually have been a steady stream of assignments/quizzes. I am happy that I took Latin for my language requirement at UCLA, but more than that, I am grateful for the opportunity to have learned under Dr. Beckelhymer. All this being said, Latin is a challenging subject, and under a lesser professor, might have been discouraging. The class is incredibly fast-paced, and if grammar and memorization aren't your thing, I'd consider a different language. If you love patterns and syntax, then this is perfect for you. Here was the breakdown of the syllabus (which was the same for Latin 1-3): Participation and Attendance 10% Homework (7 assignments, 2 lowest dropped) 10% Quizzes (7 short quizzes, 2 lowest dropped) 20% Midterms (2, in weeks 4 and 8) 30% Final Exam 30%
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2025 - Pretty easy GE to take. The only thing is that you actually have to read the text because on the test, there are passage identifications. So you can't really read summaries either or kinda skim it so you have an idea of the language and then read the summary. Lectures honestly help with contextualizing certain context clues, but you don't have to go and it is recorded. Lecture quizzes after each lecture (you can miss 3), but it is super short super easy and unlimited attempts until the next lecture. Tests itself are pretty straighforward, some IDs, and then some basic essay type questions. You have to buy a blue book for each test. Will run you a dollar each time. We didn't have a final but we had a final project which, if you decide to do the creative project, is pretty chill and honestly kind of fun. Grading is honestly pretty nice too. Extra credit opportunities per exam, and also he gave us credit to go to the Getty. Emails response super fast. Would take again.
Winter 2025 - Pretty easy GE to take. The only thing is that you actually have to read the text because on the test, there are passage identifications. So you can't really read summaries either or kinda skim it so you have an idea of the language and then read the summary. Lectures honestly help with contextualizing certain context clues, but you don't have to go and it is recorded. Lecture quizzes after each lecture (you can miss 3), but it is super short super easy and unlimited attempts until the next lecture. Tests itself are pretty straighforward, some IDs, and then some basic essay type questions. You have to buy a blue book for each test. Will run you a dollar each time. We didn't have a final but we had a final project which, if you decide to do the creative project, is pretty chill and honestly kind of fun. Grading is honestly pretty nice too. Extra credit opportunities per exam, and also he gave us credit to go to the Getty. Emails response super fast. Would take again.
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