Although all my classes were prerecorded because of COVID, he was by far my best English Professor. He made me see the beauty in texts that I hated (like Samuel Johnson's preface to the dictionary or Elegy in a Church Courtyard.) While many professors (like my English 10C) professor only summarize the readings during lecture, Makdisi actually takes specific examples, quotes, and art from the time period to make powerful and nonintuitive statements about a piece. There was not a single lecture I didn't like. The only complaint I knew of were that he sometimes uploaded his lectures late or he wasn't entirely organized. But the quality of his lectures I think more than made of for that. He deserves to be a distinguished professor.

I think all of us were let down that this class was online and asynchronous. Everyone was pretty miserable that Makdisi's magnanimous nature didn't translate 1:1 in online lecturing and that e-mail communication wasn't great and directions could be confusing. However, office hours with Makdisi were a real treat and he's quite the opposite of the person he seems to be over email. I enjoyed the content of this class, some of the lectures were uninteresting while others slapped. Kind of a mixed bag, but I'm happy with the ground of both canonical and noncanonical surveys in the course. The class looks at how each text interfaces with power and class dynamics (lots of British politics), and Makdisi is particularly good at unpacking orientalist/occidentalist themes... he is the nephew of Edward Said after all. Makdisi a lot of the time cut the time short on really great texts he assigned, but when he focuses on one piece he does a great job toeing the line between historical context and textual analysis. I didn't buy the course reader and was fine, if anything I lost out cause I didn't get to enjoy the texts but if you are worried about the class difficulty you shouldn't. Gabriela Valenzuela is the funniest TA. She actually got me excited about the English major and the value of close reading — if you ever see her name listed anywhere do not hesitate and enroll into that section. Definitely some shortcomings in the class, but at least you won't have your hands too full, and you are bound to learn something you didn't know before.

The class lectures are fascinating, but the sheer amount of reading material will leave you pretty exhausted. If you want a challenging class, this class is for you. Our TA, Arielle, was great and well-informed on the material and responded quickly to any concerns or questions.

Took during COVID. Professor did the best he could. My TA Enrique was the only reason I did well in this class. He was great. The class material is interesting and ties into bigger social/class themes. Overall I'd give the class an 8/10. The first essay was easy, but the second was tough. Midterm was easy, but Final was ROUGHHHH.

If you're an English major, dreading this class after 10a- don't fret. 10b is a lot better.

Professor Makdisi gives interesting lectures, but if you haven't slept in days and may doze off, stay home because he will call you out and throw a temper tantrum (he takes it very personally)

This class, like any class at UCLA, gives your grade up to the discretion of your TA. The breakdown is as follows:
Participation 15%
Midterm: 15% (Guaranteed A pretty much- take-home/ practice for the final)
Paper #1: 20% (5 pages)
Paper #2: 20% (5 pages)
Final: 30%

IMPORTANT: HE DISCUSSES ALL TERMS/ TEXTS/ MAIN IDEAS THAT GO ON THE FINAL IN LECTURE
*definitions are pretty easy// he makes the themes very obvious but the final essay prompts will ask you to do way more than the midterm prompts will// THE TEXT IDS ALL COME FROM THE EXCERPTS HE TALKS ABOUT IN LECTURE- he does not post slides so attendance is very helpful

The final is broken down into three parts
1. Definitions: (10 questions- worth 20 points)
2. Text Identification/ contextualization - name/ author: (4 questions- worth 20 points)
3. Essay questions- about a page long: (4 options pick 3- worth 60 points)
--------For each essay, you will have to use two texts as evidence - can only use text once in all three questions

I had to take the class for my major, but I enjoyed it and recommended it, especially if you are interested in the time period.
ps. I didn't really do a single reading ever, but I knew most of what was on the final from studying quizlets for about 3 days straight- use quizlet, it absolutely saved me

I loved Professor Makdisi! He was very easy to understand and pretty funny. He also began lecture with an introduction to the time period and different terms that were important to the period. This helped a lot with our reading and allowed for a greater understanding of the texts. He wanted his students to do well and his essay topics and final reflect that. He isn't one of those professors who tries to trick his students. He only tests on what he's taught and is very understanding. Absolutely loved him and his lectures. They were comprehensive and I was never really lost. He drilled certain themes into our heads and never went off topic. Would highly recommend him!

Professor M was pretty good, if a little dry. Lecture doesn't involve slides but all material is valid for the final, so attendance is mandatory. My experience was greatly affected by the single worst TA I've had at UCLA. Both grading and responding to emails was extremely slow. Feedback on essays was not as constructive as in other English classes.

I REALLY liked this class. Prof. Makdisi is a great professor--very reasonable and intelligent, incredibly clear and articulate. His lectures were always interesting; I think the few times I saw people fall asleep were more due to the class being at 10:00 a.m. than the lectures themselves (don't fall asleep BTW--one person did once and he called them out on it). He doesn't allow laptops and his slides are mostly pictures or just a few words, so make sure to take good handwritten notes! He also doesn't allow people walking in late, so you absolutely have to come in on time.

There are 2 papers, both 5 pages, and if you improve on the second one he allows the TA to adjust your first grade. Very reasonable, doable prompts (and I think you can create your own topic as long as you get approval from your TA). No midterm, and the final is really fair as long as you study (a few term definitions, IDs, and short essays--I was really worried but it's much easier than it sounds). A few reviews here have complained about the final, saying there was no Blake even though he spent a ton of time on it, but that didn't happen with this class--he only spent one lecture on Blake, and I don't even remember it being on the final, so he must've changed it.

DEFINITELY recommend taking 10B with Prof. Makdisi, and probably any other class too. Super great teacher!