I never had the chance to interact with Dr. Pierre personally as all lectures were prerecorded BUT this class was AMAZING. It was very easy yet also very engaging. There was a variety of lecturers who all offered unique and personal perspectives on a variety of topics. The material was all super interesting and very eye-opening as well. I saw another review that suggested this class be required for all students and if that was ever possible I would agree 100%.
Overall: easy, interesting, and very manageable workload. Best possible GE you could take IMO.

I learned so much more than I was expecting to about the history of the United States through this class, and believe that this class should be required for every college student! The professor Dr. Pierre was incredibly kind as well, considering the hardships a lot of students have faced during the pandemic. The workload is manageable and the class was asynchronous! Definitely would recommend this as a GE to fulfill one of your requirements!

This was the perfect class all-around. You have to submit a discussion post every week and the grading is very fair with that. The exams follow really closely with the class materials. We were given about a week to do them so you could split them up which made it stress-free. Lectures are pretty short and are very well-done. The class teaches you very important lessons about African American history and the challenges they face in society today. My TA, Mauri, was very fair with grading and had a lot of passion for the subject. So, I highly recommend her.

Very knowledgeable professor. Took the class during covid-19 pandemic. She doesn't record any of the lectures or discussions, so that was kinda hard because I had a 15 hour time difference (I was waking up at dawn trying to listen to her speak), but she gives very detailed lecture notes that were very useful for the exams. Her exams are open book, and in the form of short answers and essays, and she gives you a week to do them. Super accommodating on that part. We have to finish 3 books throughout the quarter, so each week we had about 2-3 chapters to read, and a reading response to submit. But the responses make sure that you're reading, and they really help for the exam. Overall a great class. I definitely recommend you take this class.

I really liked this class and learned so much from it. We were assigned to read three ethnographies through the quarter, and each was very interesting. Also, we were assigned to watch movies that were eye-opening and fabulous. Being an IDS major, I really took away important ideas that will help me with this major. You won't regret taking this course because when you finish it, you realize how much you have learned in just 10 weeks. Grading is as follows:
Attendance+participation+response papers=20 points
Exam 1=25 points
Exam 2=25 points
Exam 3=30 points
The exams are not cumulative. You read a book in three weeks, attend the lectures, watch a movie and take the exam. Most answers come from the lectures (the professor posts lecture notes for the students) and the rest is from the movie and the book. Her exam questions never confused anyone as they were very clear and easy.
Professor Pierre is very knowledgeable and passionate about the topic. I also had an amazing TA, Sita, who is very smart and helpful!
Take this class! You will love it!
Good luck!

This class was online and super easy GE. Just had weekly discussion posts and then an open note midterm and final that was based on the lectures that were posted. Also had to write an essay for a novel, but not a ton of work and interesting information

I took this class asynchronously even the discussion were asynch. It was a great class though. The prerecorded lectures were precise and informative. Quite a bit of writing for the class and discussion section. But def doable.

I adored this class. Prof Pierre is an interesting lecturer and the actual material taught in the class I found super intriguing. There is a fair amount of reading but you don't really have to read all of it. Is is helpful however to read the two required books, which were overall both good reads. I would absolutely recommend this class as an easy GE, as well as if you are interested in this area of study.

This class is pretty interesting and informative and you get to learn a lot about black studies. If you take it during summer there are three lectures per week with readings accompanied and sometimes there are also screenings to watch, which can be a lot of work so it's very important to stay on track. The grading consists of 30% discussion board questions, 35% midterm and 35% final. Midterm and final are short answer and long essay questions, both open book. The lectures are done by multiple professors so it's really nice to get different perspectives. I definitely recommend this class for everyone!