I do not have any major complaints about anything in this class. I took it as a GE and learned so many interesting and valuable things, and i am not an art person (but i do love learning about Africa). Nelson is a really great professor. one thing that was frustrating was that his slides only had pictures and captions so it was sometimes difficult to follow along in lecture. it did get boring and repetitive at times but i did realize that this class isn't meant to be superrr deep (not an art person so i assumed everything was supposed to be super deep), just get the general significance of the art pieces and you'll be fine. there was one short essay in the beginning on a piece from fowler which is solely supposed to be about describing the piece, no analyzing. one midterm, one final, one 6-8 page essay on a piece from the fowler (not the same as the one mentioned above, there's 2 essays total in the class, one short and one long). the paper was a bit of a pain but i enjoyed everything i learned from it. exams were pretty fair. discussions helped to expand on the readings (i didn't read most readings). there is some memorization--no dates though just memorizing the significance of different pieces, as well as a map of africa. overall would recommend!

The comments on this professor are ridiculous. Seriously? Complaining about memorizing 10 parts of the map of Africa and 2 short essays is hard for a final and midterm? You have more than enough time to memorize the whole map because the professor makes it clear that both the midterm and the final are. I find it ridiculous to see all the complaints about that. If you're already saying "then I wouldn't suggest taking this class"- then what class WOULD you take? This class was fascinating and I learned a lot about what I thought I would never learn.
People need to take the time to appreciate other cultures (I am Latina/Latinx) other than one's own. Maybe it's not that the class is hard- maybe it's that you just want a grade handed to you.
The TA's (especially mine- L.H Horan) was extremely kind and always helpful when we had questions of struggles. She always pushed us to go to office hours and to email her whenever we had doubts. Additionally, she was extremely knowledgeable about the class and the discussions were always fantastic for review. I got A's on both of my papers and a B+ on my midterm and an A on my final. Reviewing was not hard and I enjoyed having Nelson as my professor. He is extremely 'woke' and knowledgeable about everything he would talk about during lecture. I strongly suggest taking this class as a GE because these topics deserve more recognition. No matter what your major is, you will most definitely enjoy it.

I really loved learning about African art and Professor Nelson was a super fair professor. It just involves A LOT of memorizing and the key is to have a good TA! You really just need to study the slides for the midterm and find helpful tricks to memorize dates and stuff. It was not a bad GE at all and did not have a heavy workload.

Great, interesting class even for someone who isn't an art history major! Nelson is funny and sassy, though I always got the feeling that he was annoyed whenever students asked questions (granted we did have one girl in lecture who wouldn't stop). That was basically why I didn't go to office hours. So, it might be hard to do, but try to see if you can shop around for the best TA because that will make a huge difference if you need any help with the material.

A lot of evaluations here center on how "if you don't like African art then you won't like this class," but I feel that goes with saying for any class? Nelson cares very deeply that you are engaged and excited about the work, and I really appreciated his genuine love of the subject. Granted, I am an art history major focusing on African art, but I had other non-AH majors say the same thing. He is funny, he tries to make the material relevant to you, but he also makes you work for the 5 credits you are getting. I don't really understand the "If I can't skip all the lectures and reading for this GE then it's not worth taking" grumbling, but if that's what your overall educational goal is then... no, maybe don't take this course. But if you even mildly like art, non-western culture, race and gender, or even just want to take a class with a funny professor who is also incredibly helpful and makes himself available whenever needed, I'd definitely recommend Nelson.

Love, love, love Professor Nelson. His African Art History class is incredibly interesting (even though I'm not an Art History major!). He is extremely knowledgeable, passionate, and engaging - one of my favorite professors so far at UCLA. If you study for this class and go to lecture, it's really not hard. Make flashcards, memorize them, and you're guaranteed an A on his tests. He's not trying to trick you.

I really, really recommend taking a class with Professor Nelson!

His class really isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. He's witty and funny, plus if your good at memorization, then the tests are a breeze.

All this class really is, is memorization. And I don't mean this as a bad thing. Tests are based of regurgitating IDs and memorizing the map of Africa, with two short comparisons (and a long comparison for the final). Memorizing these things can be easy points, or your downfall, it just depends on what type of person you are. I for one thought it was great this way because I could earn easy points.

Going to class is a great idea, he is a great lecturer and provides you with a lot of great information. Plus he's funny and makes the class entertaining.

If you are into art history, but afraid of taking a non western course, I would recommend this one. It's very very interesting. And if you're not into art history, it's still a good class and not as difficult or as uninteresting as every one else makes it seem.

Simply put, don't take this class unless you are an art history major with no other option or if you're some sort of robot computer. Seriously, the amount of memorization required to succeed in this course is impeccable. Most students go in without a single spec of knowledge about African Art History and leave without any knowledge of it. I highly recommend you find another class to fulfill your G.E. If you are an art history major, then good luck! You are going to need it.

Grading is up to the TA's, they vary a lot on how strictly they grade. Easy class if you get a good TA, horrible class if you get a bad TA.

Effective lecturer, but his exams place too much emphasis on knowing the little details of a painting(e.g. date and the artist who made it). Reading wasn't interesting at all, only read after you been given the study guide on which slides to follow.

I would take another GE if possible unless you are interested in African Art. Not the easiest A, but doable if you did not have a strict TA like I did.