Teo is the man. Gives his cell number to students so that we can call him for anything -- school or personal advice. He has had one of the coolest lives, and tells great stories. The class is super easy, just read some stuff for discussion each week and write two 8 pagers for the quarter. Gives extra credit for going to museums. I have no interest in history or this class, but it was absolutely worth it to take a class with Teo.

If you're a UCLA student, you can't not experience Teo during your time here. He is one of the kindest and knowledgeable professors in the history department, if not in the school as a whole, and will ensure you come out of the class with a different perspective on the world based on the material you learn. He does an amazing job of weaving in history with stories, and is a captivating speaker who frequently attracts back an entire auditorium of students every single lecture.

The class itself is a bit reading-intensive, but it is by no means difficult and the material is very interesting, so you won't feel like it's a bother getting through the requirements. Don't bother getting the textbook; you won't need it, as the lectures and readings are so good and so thorough that you'll have plenty of material to write about anyway.

If I remember correctly, though, Teo did say that our class of History 20 would be the last non-Fiat Lux he would teach in the foreseeable future. But even if you never have a chance to take him in a normal class, definitely do try to get into one of those seminars during your stay here. You won't regret it.

I love Teo a lot because he's a really humble guy who knows what he's talking about. He really cares about his students despite there being 400 of them. It's too bad he's retiring, so anyone reading this did not luck out. This was by far the best history class offered at UCLA. You have 3 papers, but the second paper can be replaced with a performance, so get in a talented group. Extra credit can be earned from history writing center by having someone look over your paper and give you a stamp. I personally didn't do it and still ended up with an A, so if you want that A+ or have trouble writing, I recommend it. There's a lot of reading, but focus on the textbook and you'll be okay. There's three supplemental books you have to read as well and online reading to go along with discussion topics. Attendance in discussion is mandatory, so be there or face the consequence of 20% of your grade. I think you can only miss like 3 times before failing. There's a lot of discussion on religion in this class, so be prepared to learn more about that. The textbook is super expensive so borrow from a buddy or find it online. Take this class with a friend. It's more fun.

I LOVE TEO so much!!!!! He's an amazing professor who knows so much about history but still willing to learn from his students. Attendance is about 30% of the total grade. There are 3 essays in total, manageable. Overall, I highly recommend taking this class with him! I would definitely take this class again if I can!

The best Professor I've ever meet in UCLA. He is humorous and knowledgeable, and I really enjoyed his lectures. Assignments are three papers and they are super easy. You also need to participate in discussion sessions and write down weekly questions and answers to get credits. This class is one of the best GE and I highly recommend Professor Teo.

Selling Worlds Together Worlds Apart

email: ************* if interested

I'm selling the course reader for HIST 20. No highlighting, light wear from being in my purse. If interested contact me at *************

Ruiz is a boss. The course reader that you need to have for readings to use in your papers is $45.
Selling mine (very lightly used) for $20.
Email me at *************

The class was graded on 3 papers (8 pages take home) that counted as 2 midterms and 1 final. Each paper had two parts to it:
1. Analyzation of certain primary texts
2. Historical Essay Based on Textbook

There is A LOT of reading assigned, but to write the essays, you don't need all of that information (only bits and pieces from each book/text). Probably 5 or 6 books required, along with a course reader too. I didn't do a lot of the reading, but to get the most out of the class you probably should. I would not suggest buying any of the books for the class because many (if not all) of them are free online or can be checked out at a library.

Lectures were really entertaining, it felt like story time every day. All grading is done by your TA so it is important to get revisions/essay help from your own TA. The second paper could be replaced by a performance in class pertaining to the subjects learned. In my class a lot of people wrote songs and performed about the texts in the class, some people acted out a scene, there was a taiko drum performance. What other class can you do that! I wrote all the papers the night before with no peer editing, and got an A- on all 3. Wouldn't recommend doing that, but shows you that these papers are not super hard. A half letter grade of extra credit was given on each paper if you went to the history writing center and had them edit/stamp your draft (something i should have done).

Overall an awesome class, not a lot of work, really good professor. Teo cares about your learning more than the grade at the end of the class.

Best class ever at UCLA. Professor Teo should be the utmost paradigm of teaching history!!!

The papers can be annoying at times, but that's why you need to always keep up. Teo genuinely cares about you actually learning something important to your life (not about history only). The most important point of taking his class is not only his character, but that you will learn probably the most important knowledge for your life and wellbeing. Again, it worths everything to take his class!