As an Engineering major, let me preface this review by saying that I wanted to avoid humanities as MUCH as possible. So I saw this class, and I was like, "Ooh it says science lmao ok." This class was definitely not what I expected, however, but not in a bad way at all. Basically, you go through the history of science starting from the philosophy of Aristotle, and only ending at Newton. So basically, you're not gonna be learning about like modern science past Newton. It's literally the origins and BEGINNING of how science actually came to be.

And it wasn't bad at all, really. I thought that it was moderately interesting, albeit I was basically falling asleep in the lectures, but that's because I was just tired and it was a 2pm class. The lectures are pretty easy to get the concepts though, so even with minimal paying attention, you can still learn the stuff. You do have to keep up with taking notes though, there can be quite a bit of information. One thing that was great about this class was that there are NO essays at all, only a midterm and a final. Also, there are weekly readings and one question about them that you gotta write about half a page about. It's not that bad.

Alexander can oftentimes go off on tangents that are not important to the class material, but those are good times to kinda catch up on typing notes, or to take a little break and just listen to him. They can be interesting. The midterm and final are essays and definitions, and are pretty easy, just reviewing notes is enough to study for it.

I wouldn't choose to take the class again, but as a GE I would take it again if I had to take a GE.

Overall, the class was easy. As someone who isn't a fan of history or science, I didn't really find myself interested in his lectures, but his lectures were really clear. Definitely take notes with your computer as he is speaking, because there's a lot write down. However, if you do the readings, you'll be perfectly fine. For me, I found the readings boring because I didn't like the primary source language, so they took me a long time to do, but I guess that made it easier for me to remember the material.
The midterm and final both consisted of vocab and essay(s). The vocab was easy enough if you took good notes during his lecture. He gives you the vocab list a week before the midterm/final, and he also holds a review session where you ask him questions, so definitely make sure you go to that. If the vocab word is a specific event or something that happened at a specific point, try to remember the date or at least the decade. The essays were really easy as long as you did the readings, understand the vocab, and answer the weekly questions.
This class, although not the most riveting in my opinion, was easy and you can definitely get an A if you put in the work. The professor is super nice, too.

Excellent professor and class! I'll admit a few sections were a bit tedious and boring to get through but overall it was very interesting and was a perfect GE for any STEM major as it involves out field and is not heavy on writing

Dr. Alexander's class overall is very easy to get an A/A+ in. The midterm and final are jokes and the discussion sections are laid back. The study guides are pretty much the exams (really just memorize the terms). You're going to need "Science in Europe, 1500-1800" by Malcolm Oster and if you're interested please email me at ************* ($20)

WORST PROFESSOR IN UCLA. Amir Alexander even puts himself to sleep during his lectures. The course material is already dry as it is, yet he somehow manages to make it a torturous task to sit through lecture (which is mandatory). He is extremely unpleasant and unhelpful. The course material is so irrelevant and boring. Lecture has no similarity with what you are tested on. His slides are non-existent. So much work for what is supposed to be an “easy GE.” Don’t be fooled! History 3A with Amir Alexander may possibly be the worst decision you make in your life. Consider yourself warned.

The exams and midterms were fair as it only encompassed what you have learned in class. The material of the class were quite interesting but I always find myself sleeping through the lectures. As long as you do all the response papers and the weekly readings you will get an A.

Alexander is not a fun teacher. He clearly does not prepare for his lectures and often stalls to find the next thing to say. However, his class is easy to understand and pass. He does not require much work, but attending the classes is counted toward the final grade. The subject itself is interesting but is a misnomer. The course is actually about the history of the philosophy of knowledge. Take this course for an easy A.

Great class! So interesting!

Selling both required books for cheap! Message for details at **********!

Professor Alexander was nice in the sense that workload was not heavy and exams were not ver hard. Actually, it's probably quite easy compared to other history classes. If you are here for a good grade, it's definitely there if you do all the required work (and there weren't so many). In this way, the professor is pretty concerned about the students. One thing that could've been better is the lecture material. There are only a few pictures in every lecture without any notes on the slides, and the professor doesn't write notes on the board either. Everything I learned through this course is from Wikipedia and the textbook. The TAs were very helpful and nice. Overall, I would recommend this class as a GE.

Selling Dear, Revolutionizing the Sciences and Oster, Science in Europe 1500-1800 for $35. phone: **********
Email: *************