His class, "The Politics of Past" has been one of my favorite classes at UCLA so far. If you think you are considering a profession in archaeology, this class is a must.

Not only did I learn a lot about museums, collecting, NAGPRA, etc., but you learn so much about how archaeology really gets done -- and how so much of the field really isn't about just the science of it.

This class has a decent amount of reading each week, but its not too dry. Class is structured as a "seminar" of sorts. Generally, Professor Schachner lectures or shares stories for part of the class. Then the class usually breaks up into groups to discuss, or there is just a general class discussion. Overall, class wasn't too boring, and was sometimes pretty entertaining.

Your grade in the class is based off of participation, a take home midterm, a museum project, and a final paper. None of these were overly difficult.

The Professor always responded to my e-mails in a timely manner, even on Saturdays, and gave great feedback on papers. He cares a lot about writing, and that shows in his grading. However, he recognizes hard work and improvement.

I got an A in his class and I definitely recommend this class to others!