This class was really cool. Cooney's sense of humor made the material interesting and engaging. It was interesting to gain a new perspective on how women have been able to achieve different forms of power across different cultures from basically the beginning of time. Grades are made up of the midterm, final, and a 12 page research paper on any topic of your choosing. I'm not sure how much participation in discussion actually factored into the grade but I don't think it was too much. The midterm and final essay prompts were given beforehand so they were rather easy to prepare for. The hard part for me was writing the 12 page paper because I'd never written anything so long before and I had no idea know what my prompt would be. The TAs have little checkpoints throughout the quarter to keep you on track, but I didn't end up starting it until a few days before it was due. I wish it was a final paper instead of us having an additional exam because by the time the actual final came around my brain was too exhausted to put any real effort into it. It just felt extra to have both, especially for a GE. Other than my stresses about the paper, the class was really enjoyable. Would I have taken this class in the first place had I known there was this paper? Probably not. But am I glad I ended up going through with it? Heck yeah.

Cooney is so funny. I really enjoyed her lectures. I did well in the class by attending all lectures and doing very minimal reading. She gives you the test questions before the tests, so it is easy to prepare and you know what is expected of you. I definitely enjoyed this class and highly recommend it as a fun, easy GE where you actually learn a lot of history!!

This class was much harder than I expected it to be. It is heavily based on your TA and how they grade. My TA was pretty tough and expected a lot from our class. I thought it was going to be an easy, but interesting TA but it actually took a lot of time and effort, especially considering there was a 12 page final paper as well as a final exam

This was a a really interesting and engaging class but definitely not easy. If you want to get a good grade you have to put in the effort. You have about 2-3 readings a week on top of books that you have to keep up with. Also you'll have to make notes so that you can include the readings for your exams because they don't always come up in lecture or discussion. You also have to write a 15 page research paper on any topic of you choosing. The exams are tough (you do get to prepare for the exam essays in advance but also keep in mind that they're not easy questions or expectations- you basically have to make 3-5 essays for preparation and then memorize or at least learn them well, so you can write them out in class).
Another thing is that the professor really is amazing and does make the lectures come to life BUT she doesn't have any involvement with your actual assignments, which means that your grade is entirely dependent on you TA. So, despite the fact that this was a really engaging class, I think I would have reconsidered enrolling if I knew how much work it would be.

I enjoyed this class so much and had a great experience with my TA's grading. Since a huge part of your grade is based on the paper writing, my only advice is going to office hours and fixing what the TA asks you to fix and you are almost guaranteed a good grade in the class ! The professor is so much fun and her lectures are so interesting, you are bound to pay attention and listen ! If you are thinking about taking this class, defiantly go for it and DO NOT get discouraged by the big paper because it is not bad at all with the help of your TA. Good luck !

This class was one of my favorite GEs taken at UCLA. Professor Cooney is so funny and so engaging. She's just an awesome person and her enthusiasm during lectures only makes the material more interesting for us. The class itself was not too hard. There is one midterm, one final, and one research paper where you pick a topic of your choice relating to women in power throughout the ancient world. The tests itself are easy to prepare for - she gives you potential prompts and your TAs will even go through the prompts before the exams to give you points to talk about in your essays. Overall, great class, great professor and an easy GE, especially if this topic seems interesting to you.

I also have the required texts you need for the class. I'm selling all 3 books together for $35. Message me if interested! **********

Professor Cooney really cares about her students and the learning. She is funny and relatable and presents the material well. The course includes one midterm, one final, and a paper. Each week of the quarter is dedicated to a geographic area and she provides slides for the lectures. There are assigned readings each week as well that you will go over in discussion sections. I personally did not keep up with the readings and sometimes missed lecture but was able to prepare for the exams. My TA had groups of students prepare outlines for the midterm and final (which are in the forms of essays) which was helpful. The prompt for the final essay is given at the very beginning of the quarter because it is very open ended. There are certain checkpoints that the TA maintained so that you don't end up working on the essay the day before it's due. I personally found the content very interesting to consider and learn more about. In general, the workload can become a bit much if you cram for the exams like I did but it is manageable. Would recommend as a GE!

Selling all required reading:

"The Penguin: Historical Atlas of Ancient Civilizations"
"The Woman Who Would Be King"
"Cleopatra"

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I did not enjoy this class very much. The professor was interesting and engaging, but your grade depends entirely on your TA, and if you don't get a good TA you won't get a good grade. My TA was really strict and picky about each of his assignments, and that affected the grade I got at the end of the quarter. There are also a lot of readings that she posts for the quarter, and there are a lot that aren't helpful. She is a good professor but she gives all the power to the TA's, and she doesn't really check on them or pay attention to how they run their sections. Most of your grade will be based on the final paper, and again it's important you get a good TA.