This was far and away the WORST class I have ever taken. Like others I saw the good reviews for this professor and so I was lulled into taking this course. Professor Saiedi was incredibly racist, sexist, homophobic and bigoted in general. Just for evidence here is some of the crazy shit he said: He went on multiple rants criticizing critical race theory for "teaching everyone to be racist towards white people." He talked about how America was suffering because the "sanctity of marriage was at risk" and specifically mentioned how "minorities are the ones who have problems with this the most." He emphasized that both the West and Capitalism in general should be celebrated for "ending slavery and working to stop racism". And, at one point he literally said that "all people, black, white, YELLOW, RED, should love each other." Everything he teaches is his own opinion, there is no critical thought of the Baha'i religion. You aren't taking a class about religion, you are being preached at by a fanatical man. I took this course during Winter 2022 so I could drop till week 9... I had an A in the class but after hearing him spout on for an hour about "sexual deviancy" in America, I realized I literally couldn't take one more second of this, much less have to regurgitate his antiquated views on the final, so I dropped it.

This is the first course I have ever taken with Prof. Saiedi. I was trying to find an upper div class to complete my requirement and I haven't taken any parts of the series before and I didn't even know what a Baha'i is, but Prof. Saiedi was incredibly engaging, funny, and his class was so interesting. He is so knowledgeable about his teachings and really cares for his students! I have never felt so passionate about a subject I have never heard about after taking this class. I would recommend him to anyone :) Absolutely outstanding.

By far the best class I've taken and best professor I've ever had at UCLA! You do not need any background on the material in order to do well because the Professor presents everything clearly and elaborates in depth. He is one of the kindest, most intelligent Professors I have ever had, and anyone even slightly interested in Iran or the Middle East in general should definitely take this class. I feel like I seriously learned so much just by taking his class, and in addition to actually teaching you important things about the world, it's also fairly easy! All he assigns is one midterm, one final, and one 4-6 page research paper, all of which he prepares you for extremely well and none of which are difficult. Attendance is a part of the grade so you have to attend lectures, but if you do and actually pay attention, studying for the midterm and final is super easy because you are already familiar with the topics and concepts. Bottom line, everyone should take this class, it was amazing and Professor Saeidi is outstanding.

Professor Saiedi is a great professor. While his lectures can sometimes be confusing, he was happy to answer any and all questions and was very welcoming in his office hours. I would recommend this class to any and everyone and I hope to get to take one of his classes again.

I took professor Nader Saiedi based on his bruinwalk reviews but he was one of the worst professors I have ever take. He is a bigot and islamaphobe. All he does is preach in class about how great Bahai faith is and how violent Islam and Muslims are. There are so many people in the class that were uncomfortable with the way he said things and unfortunately he didn't start showing this terrible side of his until week 3 when it was too late to drop this class. I lost all respect for him the more he lectured. He didn't care about his students at all and would actually tell us to get out when we would come to his office hours. Putting the terrible and discriminative person that he is aside, his teaching style is absolutely disorganized and unclear. There are no readings for the class so everything you learn from the class is based on what he says and he does not say anything in a clear way. He does not distinguish between his views and opinions and the teachings of Baha'i faith so when you write on the exams his opinions he marks you wrong. I lost brain cells in this class, worst class I have ever taken, I would rather die than take this class again.

Professor Saiedi is by far one of the best professors I have ever met during my time at UCLA. His course is super interesting, especially for those with even the slightest interest in iranian Studies. The class consisted of a midterm, a final, and a research paper. While the material is challenging, Professor Saiedi presents in chunks, so that you don't feel overwhelmed. By the time you have to take the exam, you'll feel super ready. Definitely take his class if you get the chance!

He is amazing. Period.

He is awesome. He is such a great professor and I learned so much from this class. He is one of the very few professors on campus that actually cares about his students. He wants to get to know each and every one of us. He is so smart... He literally knows everything about everything. I recommend him and his classes to everyone. I wish he taught more classes so I could take them with him. The class is also set up great. He is great! Definitely get to know him if you take his classes.

Guys take this class! I took all 3 quarters with him. This class is absolutely AMAZING. I feel so blessed to have spent my first year at UCLA taking his courses. He is so passionate about the Bahai faith, and it is incredible watching him lecture about this beautiful faith. He is a kind man with a huge heart. He is also a very honest man. DO NOT CHEAT. He sees everything. He is a great professor so there is no need to. Do the study guide ahead of time and prepare for your exam. You will do great :)

Professor Saiedi is one of the best professors I’ve had during my time at UCLA. Everything I’m going to say applies to each of the three classes in his M105A-C series. His lectures don’t include slides, he just talks, but he’s so passionate about the Baha’i Faith and its history, writings, practices, etc. that it’s always a pleasure to listen to. Sometimes the concepts are a bit dry or complicated, but he’s an absolute master in simplifying complex topics and very easy to schedule office hours with, so it’s never a problem if you simply meet with him to clarify.

The classes each consist of a midterm, a final, and one short 4-5 page research paper on a topic of your choosing related to the Baha’i Faith. For both exams, he gives you ~25-30 study questions in which he picks 3-5 for the exam. The answers to these study questions are clearly answered in lecture, so if you GO TO LECTURE (a must), study mildly hard, you can absolutely get an 100% on these exams. They’re very fair.

Overall, you will absolutely learn a whole lot throughout the course, and pull off an almost guaranteed A if you attend lecture and put in the time to memorize and understand the study questions that he essentially GIVES you.