I really enjoyed Amr's class on paleoethnobotany this quarter and I would highly recommend him as an instructor. The assigned readings were very manageable and extremely helpful in supplying background information before the lectures. Although this course was a three hour seminar on Mondays (the WORST day of the week), I was never bored or struggling to pay attention. Amr kept the class engaged with interesting case studies and frequent lab trips. He would entertain any questions we asked, even if they were slightly off-topic, and provide extra references over email. He structured the class around our interests and worked to help us succeed. Besides regular participation and attendance, the course required a final presentation (approx. 30 mins each based on our class size) and a final paper. The topics were not assigned, so I actually really enjoyed selecting my plant species, learning about its archaeological significance in the field, and sharing that information with my peers. All in all, the course provided me with a wealth of resources and knowledge to apply to my own research. 10/10 would recommend!

I loved this class! Amr is very passionate about the topics and was extremely helpful and supportive through the quarter. There is a good amount of reading assigned but it is all relevant to the coursework and easily digestible. The class takes field trips to relevant labs and overall I feel like I gained a much better understanding of the field. Amr is also very responsive over email, so it’s easy to get support should you need it. It’s also nice to have a class with presentations/ papers instead of exams. I would take this class again in a heartbeat!

Ustadh Amr is absolutely delightful! He always delivers insightful lectures while also keeping them fun and engaging. I personally look up to him as I know that when anyone asks for anything--help in class or even advice outside of class--he is genuinely glad and ready to give 200%. As for the class, it is not too much work, but you will still learn a lot about the Arabic language as well as the culture! Easy and meaningful class to take with Amr, definitely recommend!!!

AN N EA 15 the most engaging class I have ever taken as a GE! Amr is a very organized, responsible, and accessible TA. Every week he posts videos to help his students focus on certain aspects of the readings and is always willing to meet students outside of class during office hours. I can tell that he always has his students' best interest at heart as he even allows for students to make individual appointments to check in on their progress.

I took AN N EA 15W with Dr. Cooney as the professor and Amr Shahat as the TA and I really enjoyed the class (my section was a hybrid with Dr. Cooney's lectures online and my discussion sections with Amr in person). I would definitely recommend taking the course with Amr as the TA. He did a great job of expanding on the course material in discussion + reviewing it with us, and he also tied the material into different areas of history and the present. The final essay for this class sounded overwhelming when they first described it to us, but the course breaks the project down into manageable steps/checkpoints so you don't have to stress as much. Amr was also very available to answer questions via email or during office hours, help us find more resources for our papers, and work with us on our outlines/drafts. I was definitely a little nervous about taking this class because I don't have much of a history background, but I ended up really enjoying it and if you're looking for a solid writing 2 class, I'd definitely recommend this one.

This was probably my favorite GE I took at UCLA. As a pre-med science major, I had a hard time finding GEs that were interesting to me, but this class was amazing. Dr. Cooney and TA Amr were so engaging and had a genuine passion for the material. They wanted to teach for the sake of helping us comprehend the material and gain an appreciation for the cultures and the women we learned about. Amr was always available for office hours where we had insightful discussions about the lecture and discussion material. He also gave me feedback on my essays during office hours. Amr does research directly in Egypt's catacombs so he's extremely knowledgeable about the material and has experienced several of the sites we learned about first-hand. I could not recommend this class, Dr. Cooney, and Amr enough. Take this class if you're even remotely interested in the material, as they will make it engaging and you'll walk away from the class with tons of fun, interesting facts and knowledge you'll want to share with others.

I took this class excited to learn about ancient leaders from Dr. Cooney. Having Amr as my teaching assistant made the class absolutely amazing. He would bring in primary resources from Egypt and teach us how to interpret the history of the items. He taught our class hieroglyphics and how they were used in a historical context. Amr made me feel confident about my writing and the complex history of these ancient rulers. He was one of the best teacher assistants I have ever had at UCLA. Would highly recommend having him as a teacher!

Amr was a super helpful TA. You get your feedback on written assignments through zoom meetings with your TA as opposed to written notes. I found the meetings to be super helpful and he was very knowledgable on the subject as well as helped clarify the structure of the final paper. About 70% of your final grade is based around the final paper, from writing your thesis statement to an annotated bibliography to your final draft. You won't feel unprepared at all in this class.