As this is my first quarter after transferring to UCLA, I was super concerned about my grades and adjusting to a large university like UCLA, especially given the fast-paced quarter system. Fortunately, I was able to enroll in this class. Dr. Mays is an excellent professor who possesses a deep knowledge of the subject, which is very personal to him. He is down-to-earth, and I appreciate that he doesn't have the Hotep attitude that some professors in African American Studies may exhibit. The course content is very manageable, and if you have previously taken an African American Studies or Indigenous Studies class, you should find this class a breeze! Good luck, yall!

Very funny guy and made lectures engaging and informative!

The professor does not align what he tells students in class about grading to his actual grades. Would highly not recommend.

Probably one of the smartest and funniest professors I've ever had the pleasure of taking. We got distracted in class a lot with hilarious sidebars and his unique approach to pedagogy. Class discussion ranged from current political situations to, "what did you have for breakfast?" There was no BS with him, he always spoke truthfully, and was sensitive to student needs. I think some people in the class expected him to teach more, but his response to that would have been something like, "just read my book: An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States" The guy is a celebrity and has done really amazing academic and organizing work. He's constantly at conferences and writing more books, but he does make time during office hours, which you should 1000% take advantage of, and just have fun for 2 hours a week when you take the class. Also, goes without saying but in case you care about this sort of thing, it's an easy A, just do the reading!

Professor Mays has to be one of my favorite lecturers at UCLA. Not only is he INCREDIBLY knowledgable about this subject, but he is also super down to earth which made learning online a lot less stressful which ultimately led me to being much more engaged in the material. I was confident that I would enjoy this class to at least a certain extent when first enrolling; however, I never expected that I would take as much from it as I did. Overall, this class was an instructive, introductory course on how to better decolonize the mind. Whether it be through the sprawling set of readings we were assigned, the eye-opening films, or the insightful (and very funny) lectures, this class has challenged me to unlearn false parts of the American history taught to me in my childhood.