I want to make it clear that Professor DeLisle is NOT a good lecturer. That being said, I do think some of the comments on here are blowing the difficulty of this class out of proportion. Taking this class basically as a GE (pre-major requirement for HBS), as a STEM major, I was initially taken aback by the discussed rigor of this course. When going over the syllabus, she mentioned that there would be 3 quizzes, each worth 10% of our grade, taken in discussion. I was like hellll nahhh let me drop this class because that is studying that I did not want to do. I am glad I did not drop it as it was the easiest A of the quarter for me (taken alongside 3 STEM classes). I am being so serious when I say they were such light quizzes. Figure out how to give yourself an overview of the readings (either by doing them or... ). Memorize the names of the authors and what tribe they are from-- they explicitly tell you so it's not too hard. Read the slideshows a few times before the quiz-- the quizzes will ask you the most niche details from the slideshow, but if you have a photographic memory of the slideshow, it will be fine-- if you don't, maybe try to memorize. The quizzes were so light, I scored above 100% on one because she offered extra credit. Also, THERE IS NO FINAL. These quizzes are the only difficult tasks asked of you in this class, and they are isolated throughout the weeks (not cumulative). The "reckoning with history" essay was so light I typed it in 2 hours and got 35/35. I don't know what these reviews are. Lecture is boring, but you kinda have to go because there are the most occasional in-class assignments like "what do you think about land?". Literally so easy, just for participation grade. I loved my TA, Celestina-- she was so great. She didn't provide any study guide for the quizzes, which the other TAs did, but she was so good at explaining the material in previous discussions, I felt it was fine. Professor DeLisle is passionate about history, but she is not good at instilling such a passion in her lecture slides. Overall, know your abilities. If you can memorize for the purpose of taking a quiz, take this class-- it'll be so light. If you can sit through a boring lecture 2x a week, take this class.

I don't even know what to say about this class. Had to take it as a GE and pre-req for my major, but I would NOT recommend this to anyone. There were readings we needed to do, but professor Delisle never went over them in class, so what was the point? There was an essay where we had to "reckon with history" but majority of the class was confused by what she meant when she said "reckon" (the instructions were kind of vague). Don't even get me started on the quizzes. The first one was so easy, it was everything we had covered. After that, she kept putting super detailed niche things that we barely covered/didn't cover at all. I'm a STEM major and I was doing more studying and stressing for this class than 7A...
The most unorganized class too. If it wasn't for my amazing TA I would've probably failed the class. Maintain your peace and stay away from this class.

I have mixed feelings about this class. I thought the readings were incredible-- interesting, well-rounded, and exploring a beautiful variety of different aspects of Native American life/studies. I also really liked the concept of our 'big' essay for the quarter-- asking you to examine how your perceptions/misperceptions of Indigeneity affected some aspect of how you see the world, and to tie in some of our readings. That said, it felt like most of what I gained out of this class was self-taught. I really appreciated the resources she was able to guide us toward (and enjoyed our one guest speaker), but her lectures were largely rambling about whatever she wanted to talk about; she had sort of a grandmotherly vibe, never answering questions directly, or really talking about the established topic at hand, but still somewhat interesting and endearing... nice, but not the best for a class. I stopped going to lecture eventually because it felt so irrelevant to my learning. I did well on the quizzes, but I can see how they'd be very frustrating, as they often referred to niche and surface-level material instead of trying to actually assess your understanding of concepts. It felt a little like it was trying to trick you, at times.

Anyway, I enjoyed the class, but if you're not already interested in the topic and willing to do a good amount of reading & your own analysis, you probably won't gain much. If you just want an easy GE, look elsewhere, and if you care about lectures being thoughtful & helpful, also look elsewhere lol. I liked the readings and the essay and not much else. Delisle is sweet, but not a great teacher.

This class was hot dookie. If you're a solid BS'er like me, it should be fairly easy to get by, but don't get it twisted: this was an awful, disorganized class that taught me next to nothing.

Every week, we'd be given two or so readings, which we'd barely cover, if at all, in lecture. In lecture, Professor Delisle just kind of yaps about whatever she feels like that day. She'll often go on tangents that are completely unrelated to the readings and the tests that we take. The quizzes are a mix of the easiest, most surface-level material covered in readings and lectures, and the most niche pieces of information that she'll write once illegibly on a chalkboard. The majority of the class tunes out during lecture or doesn't attend it because they know it is largely a waste of time, aside from the classes before quizzes, where she tells you what to study.

Do not take this class with Delisle. She manages to present such a vibrant and interesting history in the most boring, unclear, and unengaging fashion imaginable. She is often rude and accusatory, accusing my classmates and me of cheating, because we got together and studied. I firmly believe that if you are a diligent enough student, you can excel in this class fairly easily, but no class is worth the mental anguish of this disorderly mess.

If you like Native American history, do not take this class. If you don’t care and just need the credit, it will ruin your GPA. It’s a bunch of readings and videos, and she expects you to remember everything on top of your other classes. The quizzes are very confusing and change every time, so you never know what to study for. You also have to learn Native language for some articles, which makes it even more confusing. Overall, it made the topic so boring that I’m no longer interested. This class ruined my GPA.