HIST 19
Fiat Lux Freshman Seminars
Description: Seminar, one hour. Discussion of and critical thinking about topics of current intellectual importance, taught by faculty members in their areas of expertise and illuminating many paths of discovery at UCLA. P/NP grading.
Units: 0.0
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2019 - I took a fiat lux seminar with Lal, "Essaying America." Seminars are suppose to be based in student discussion but this professor talked for about 80% of the time. He even went over the class time limits with his long rants. His rants were often political, and he would raise his voice which was very uncomfortable for such intimate settings. I was hoping to get more back and forth discussion between students, but majority was the professor questioning student’s comments, sometimes in an interrogative manner. I think he is trying to be socratic in this, but it comes off as arrogant because he obviously holds his opinions as superior to those of the students. I wouldn't take any class that involves discussions with him as the overseer. Also, beware of disagreeing with him politically, when I mentioned gun rights as being written by the “forefathers” as a mode to defend against tyrannical governments, he almost blew a gasket.
Winter 2019 - I took a fiat lux seminar with Lal, "Essaying America." Seminars are suppose to be based in student discussion but this professor talked for about 80% of the time. He even went over the class time limits with his long rants. His rants were often political, and he would raise his voice which was very uncomfortable for such intimate settings. I was hoping to get more back and forth discussion between students, but majority was the professor questioning student’s comments, sometimes in an interrogative manner. I think he is trying to be socratic in this, but it comes off as arrogant because he obviously holds his opinions as superior to those of the students. I wouldn't take any class that involves discussions with him as the overseer. Also, beware of disagreeing with him politically, when I mentioned gun rights as being written by the “forefathers” as a mode to defend against tyrannical governments, he almost blew a gasket.
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Most Helpful Review
I took her seminar. She was very sweet and nice, very understanding of the class' needs. It was a small class, and she really tried to teach us and make us aware. Overall, a very memorable class, and not too much work. The final "project" ended up being a trip to Little Ethiopia, where we got free food.
I took her seminar. She was very sweet and nice, very understanding of the class' needs. It was a small class, and she really tried to teach us and make us aware. Overall, a very memorable class, and not too much work. The final "project" ended up being a trip to Little Ethiopia, where we got free food.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2024 - I took the Hist 19 Fiat lux on the Handmaid's Tale with Professor O'Brien. It was definitely a very engaging and relaxed class to take. We met 5 times throughout the quarter for two hours, totaling to 10 hours. We read parts of the novel at home and then came to class to discuss in a socratic style. Professor O'Brien would provide the historical context/background to help us understand certain certain parts of the novel. She also made sure to connect back some of the themes to the modern day. We even spent 1 and a half classes watching the movie "Children of Men" and then connecting it back to the novel. Overall its a super cill pass/fail fiat lux. Just come to class having read the assigned chapters and share your thoughts. Would definitely recommend taking a Fiat lux and other classes with O'Brien.
Spring 2024 - I took the Hist 19 Fiat lux on the Handmaid's Tale with Professor O'Brien. It was definitely a very engaging and relaxed class to take. We met 5 times throughout the quarter for two hours, totaling to 10 hours. We read parts of the novel at home and then came to class to discuss in a socratic style. Professor O'Brien would provide the historical context/background to help us understand certain certain parts of the novel. She also made sure to connect back some of the themes to the modern day. We even spent 1 and a half classes watching the movie "Children of Men" and then connecting it back to the novel. Overall its a super cill pass/fail fiat lux. Just come to class having read the assigned chapters and share your thoughts. Would definitely recommend taking a Fiat lux and other classes with O'Brien.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2021 - What can I say about Teo that hasn't already been said? He's a master lecturer, a true OG Professor. He is so sweet and his lectures are so engrossing. He's old school so he doesn't use slides, but try to write down as much as he can cause he's got so many words of wisdom. This particular Fiat Lux I took was on Plato's Republic, and I could listen to him talk about Greek history for hours. It's as if he's sitting on an armchair and cracking open this very old volume of history's secrets and reading from it aloud. Lovely lovely man, visit him in Office Hours.
Winter 2021 - What can I say about Teo that hasn't already been said? He's a master lecturer, a true OG Professor. He is so sweet and his lectures are so engrossing. He's old school so he doesn't use slides, but try to write down as much as he can cause he's got so many words of wisdom. This particular Fiat Lux I took was on Plato's Republic, and I could listen to him talk about Greek history for hours. It's as if he's sitting on an armchair and cracking open this very old volume of history's secrets and reading from it aloud. Lovely lovely man, visit him in Office Hours.
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