Professor
Stuart Pike
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2023 - The overall class itself was not bad and the lectures were reasonable and decent. The professor also explained well enough for us to understand and the materials for us to read as well as the assignments given once a week were also doable and not too difficult. The only thing that I disliked during this class was the midterms. The reason was that our grades were deducted here and there and they either gave us vague reasons without proper explanation for the deduction or provided no reasons at all. As over half of the total grades relied on the midterms and final exams, it would be appreciated if the professor provided proper reasons for point deductions. However, overall, the class experience was okay.
Fall 2023 - The overall class itself was not bad and the lectures were reasonable and decent. The professor also explained well enough for us to understand and the materials for us to read as well as the assignments given once a week were also doable and not too difficult. The only thing that I disliked during this class was the midterms. The reason was that our grades were deducted here and there and they either gave us vague reasons without proper explanation for the deduction or provided no reasons at all. As over half of the total grades relied on the midterms and final exams, it would be appreciated if the professor provided proper reasons for point deductions. However, overall, the class experience was okay.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2024 - I took 139: The Cold War as one of the first few classes at UCLA. At first glance, it appears to be quite manageable. One discussion board a week, graded on completion IMO. His lectures were dry at some points. However, his dry humor kept me going; as a lecturer, I don't believe he was necessarily bad. One essay where we watched a movie and drew insights from the course, in addition to taking an in-person midterm and final. For the final, he gave us a cheat sheet. I'll explain why in a minute. The content itself was pretty interesting, and not new if you had taken APUSH, APGovV, or some other history class about the Cold War. So, I was pretty confident, but when that first midterm came around, I kid you not, I felt like I was taking an LSAT. Those questions were among the most confusing and twisted wording I had ever encountered. So, I thought I did okay, and instead, I got a 70% after the curve, which completely screwed me over. I even asked Pike himself, and he was surprised by how badly we did as a class. For the final, he gave us a cheat sheet where we could put as much information as possible on a small note card. So, I took the final and scored a 69% with the aid of a cheat sheet. In my mind, I was completely fuming because I finished the class with a B-, and I'm a transfer student who came in with a 4.0. That was my first B ever in undergrad, and I was so pissed and still am today. Pretty sure the format has remained the same in some of his other classes, but I'm gonna stay away from him for the time being. You would look elsewhere for an easier class, because this will drain your confidence level and completely catch you off guard.
Fall 2024 - I took 139: The Cold War as one of the first few classes at UCLA. At first glance, it appears to be quite manageable. One discussion board a week, graded on completion IMO. His lectures were dry at some points. However, his dry humor kept me going; as a lecturer, I don't believe he was necessarily bad. One essay where we watched a movie and drew insights from the course, in addition to taking an in-person midterm and final. For the final, he gave us a cheat sheet. I'll explain why in a minute. The content itself was pretty interesting, and not new if you had taken APUSH, APGovV, or some other history class about the Cold War. So, I was pretty confident, but when that first midterm came around, I kid you not, I felt like I was taking an LSAT. Those questions were among the most confusing and twisted wording I had ever encountered. So, I thought I did okay, and instead, I got a 70% after the curve, which completely screwed me over. I even asked Pike himself, and he was surprised by how badly we did as a class. For the final, he gave us a cheat sheet where we could put as much information as possible on a small note card. So, I took the final and scored a 69% with the aid of a cheat sheet. In my mind, I was completely fuming because I finished the class with a B-, and I'm a transfer student who came in with a 4.0. That was my first B ever in undergrad, and I was so pissed and still am today. Pretty sure the format has remained the same in some of his other classes, but I'm gonna stay away from him for the time being. You would look elsewhere for an easier class, because this will drain your confidence level and completely catch you off guard.
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