CLASSIC 30
Classical Mythology
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Introduction to myths and legends of ancient Greece and/or Rome, role of those stories in their societies, and modern approaches to studying them. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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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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Spring 2024 - Personally this class wasn't my cup of tea. This might not be the GE for you if you want something with minimal commitment since there is a lot of reading. I only kept up the first half of the quarter (pre-midterm) and after that the reading became too much for me. After the first midterm I completely stopped reading since the readings just got longer and harder to follow. Fortunately, Professor Ellis made the final optional and cancelled a term paper due to the strikes. I fortunately passed with a 91% solely based off a group project (which is easy) and the midterm. From what I have observed the people who consistently enjoyed the material and knew what was going on were people who already dabbled in mythology before. Professor Ellis isn't a bad lecturer by any means, he kinda looks like an older Andrew Garfield and he's British if that's an incentive to anyone (his photo here on Bruinwalk doesn't serve him justice IMO) and my TA Emma was really cool and made people feel welcomed. This might be a very easy GE for you if you enjoy reading and go to his lectures everyday, but again, as someone who had 3 other demanding STEM classes, this class became a drag for me and I was only lucky in the given circumstances.
Spring 2024 - Personally this class wasn't my cup of tea. This might not be the GE for you if you want something with minimal commitment since there is a lot of reading. I only kept up the first half of the quarter (pre-midterm) and after that the reading became too much for me. After the first midterm I completely stopped reading since the readings just got longer and harder to follow. Fortunately, Professor Ellis made the final optional and cancelled a term paper due to the strikes. I fortunately passed with a 91% solely based off a group project (which is easy) and the midterm. From what I have observed the people who consistently enjoyed the material and knew what was going on were people who already dabbled in mythology before. Professor Ellis isn't a bad lecturer by any means, he kinda looks like an older Andrew Garfield and he's British if that's an incentive to anyone (his photo here on Bruinwalk doesn't serve him justice IMO) and my TA Emma was really cool and made people feel welcomed. This might be a very easy GE for you if you enjoy reading and go to his lectures everyday, but again, as someone who had 3 other demanding STEM classes, this class became a drag for me and I was only lucky in the given circumstances.
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