I signed up for this course based on the reviews that it would be an easy A. I am a business/econ major and have an interest in art history as a whole (I took AP art history in Europe and frequent museums and galleries) however I had no previous exposure to african art. Like others have said, this class does require a lot of memorization, however this is only to be expected with an art history course.

All of the TAs seemed to be very pompous and pretentious, and this reflected in their grading. The TAs, like many other courses, are the ones who determine your grade, so make sure to stay on your TAs good side and to behave not only in section but lecture as well (many times the TAs would turn around from their front row seats and just glare at people whispering or quietly texting... they're pretty intense). Also make sure to go to their office hours so you can understand what they exactly want for their papers.

As for Nelson, he is a funny, outgoing guy who seems pretty informed about the topic. Taking notes in class is important -- just make sure to write down the name of art piece and all of the information Nelson tells you about it so that when you are reviewing for exams you can review your notes easily. Sometimes lectures do get boring (if you fall asleep in the dark easily then this class is not for you) but my class wasn't too early in the morning so it worked out.

The exams weren't difficult for me. I studied moderately beginning the week before and studied my notecards (picture of the art piece on the front and name of the piece, artist, date, region and description on the back) thoroughly the day prior. They are pretty time crunched so make sure that you know every piece confidently because it's pretty hard to predict which pieces Nelson will test you on.

Overall, I would recommend this class. It's not THE easiest GE but it definitely doesn't require much brainpower and does require mostly memorization. Let's just say if you have a good memory, take this course. I ended up with an A, however was unsure of my grade throughout the quarter because my TA was late on getting assignments back. Goodluck!

This class had more memorization than my LS 2 class.
Not worth the time or effort if you are a science major: farthest thing from an easy A!
Nelson is very interesting, but he is irrational with material to know.
If you want an B+ or higher without putting in the time of an LS class, stay away.

First, some notes about the class: if you're a south campus major taking this as a GE, it'll do just fine, though you probably won't be interested in the material at all. If you've got a good memory (especially when it comes to tidbits and subtleties) and can write well under pressure (on the midterm and final), then you should do just fine. In fact, save your money and don't buy the books. I pulled off a B+ in the class without opening a single one of them. That being said, if you don't read the books, you MUST go to lecture and pay attention (like others have said, make a basic drawing of the slide and then write what he says about it).
Now, regarding the professor: like I just said, you must go to lecture since it's probably easier (and certainly more entertaining) than reading art books. Fortunately, prof. Nelson is a great lecturer. He's very entertaining, makes a lot of sarcastic comments and funny quips, and is enthusiastic. Despite any lack of interest I had in the material, I still enjoyed lectures and found it easy to pay attention and take notes. Definitely one of the best (and more memorable) profs I've had for a GE class.

i am extremely sorry that i have nothing to tell you about prof nelson because i never went to lectures but i have one thing to tell you about exams and assignments: they are not fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!