Well this class was a complete waste of time- I learned absolutely NOTHING of value. On the first day Melzer said it would not be a super difficult class (and I have to admit it wasn't a terrible workload). Basically there is a take-home midterm and final paper. I don't understand if she grades them for content or if she is just obsessed with writing because she must have mentioned transitions and links between sentences about a billion times. I think she focused waayyyy to much on our writing styles and not enough on what we were actually saying. This is a French intellectual history class- not a writing class and if you have not learned how to write a decent paper by now, that is your own fault.
Anyway, Melzer also said on the first day that there would be light reading assignments to be discussed in class each day. Well let me tell you, those readings took HOURS. Hours! AND she covered maybe a third of what we read- and that is a generous rounding up. She was disorganized, like everyone else here has said, and eventually I just stopped doing the readings because she would pick out 2 or 3 random paragraphs that she thought were important.
Lastly, she stressed that, when we were writing our papers, we should work on it for an hour or two per day, then when we finished we should put it away and edit it a few days later. This was possible to do for the final because she gave us about 3 weeks to finish it because she had to spend 10th week in France. But for the midterm, she uploaded the prompt late on a Friday night and said it was due the following Tuesday. How does that allow us enough time to follow her advice?
Overall, just don't bother with this class. You probably won't learn anything worthwhile- I know I didn't.

Taken Fall 2010.

I loved Professor Melzer and her material for the course, despite seriously considering dropping after the first lecture. That being said, if you are looking for a typical powerpoint/bruincast type lecturer, she is not the professor for you. Some have criticized her as being "disorganized". I disagree. She outlines her lecture points before each class on the board and goes through them all, time permitting. The time factors in not because she wanders on rants or rambles, but because she actually seeks real input from students. She really wants you to learn how to think through the material and learn to see multiple perspectives of the important issues she raises. She does know what she's talking about, but seeks your input.

She does have high expectations for writing, due in part to the fact that she also teaches writing courses. When it comes down to it, just have her read over your paper and do what she says--she definitely looks for a certain type/style/format of writing. The good part is, if you ask, she'll tell you what she wants and how to achieve it. She also awards improvement in writing over time with more points.

Also, unlike many French classes, she does not require in-class verbal participation. However, by the end of the quarter, each student had spoken because the atmosphere was more relaxed due to her friendly invitation (not requirement) to participate.

In my opinion, one of the best classes and professors of my 4-year UCLA career. Requires some work, but definitely do-able. I would take Melzer again. One of the most encouraging and engaging professors!