Dear Students,

You are my inspiration! There is nothing more gratifying for me than to share my passion and love of history with you. My only hope is that I have also inspired your passion for learning and provided you with some useful deep thinking skills that you can apply in your future careers. You have a tremendous impact on my life. Every day you teach me how to become a better instructor, communicator, and person. So that I can continue to grow and learn from you, please share with me your comments and feedback below.

Warmly yours,
Kristina

  1. I take community college courses to expand my awareness of our world, past, present, and future. Kristina’s well organized, informative, and culturally relevant classes filled in an area of ignorance in my post-graduate educational background (psychology and political science). I gained an insightful historical perspective on the pervasive and constructive contributions of western civilizations from Sumeria to present times, and how our current era and future are built upon the cultural dominance of great western civilizations. I especially enjoyed cultural assignments that included a performance of CalTech’s classical orchestra and western art exhibitions at LACMA. Until Kristina’s class, I had neglected my cultural enrichment, even though Los Angeles County offers many opportunities to enjoy the arts. Kristina’s assignments awakened my soul and its thirst for beauty and harmony in a world filled with conflict. Having taken this journey through western history, I can attest that I have attained a broader perspective on human history, and appreciate the rise and demise of civilizations that leave behind cultural artifacts that become the foundation of subsequent civilizations. I have become inspired to see various places mentioned in our textbooks, including the seat of the ancient Roman Empire (all roads lead to Rome), followed by a Mediterranean cruise next summer. I look forward to discovering the history that Professor Markman made come alive for me. Thank you, Kristina, for the journey through a cultural time machine.

  2. It has been my pleasure to have studied twice with Professor Markman. First with Medieval History and then with the Superheroes course. She engages the students to not just study facts but to understand the story through the eyes of those who lived that period in history. Her ability to relate the Medieval world to 2018 UCLA students continue to inspire me as a history major. I also want to speak about the person who I sat with for two quarters. She held a weekly group after class where students discussed the readings for that week. It was my favorite part of the class. It wasn’t an honors seminar (189), it was just an educator sharing and bringing the readings to an understandable level for her students. I miss that weekly gathering still. As a CAE student, Professor Markman was open to helping me and understanding the difference between modification versus accommodations. This is something that the History Department has sadly not always been helpful with on my journey. Thank you, Professor Markman, for EVERYTHING! You are my hero!

  3. I really liked Dr. Markman! She’s funny, approachable, knowledgeable, and passionate. I have a list of quotable quotes from her on my desktop now – some highlights include “Honestly, Francis was the Snow White monk” and “These women had food brought to them and were adored around the land. A high life”.

    10/10 would recommend

  4. Thank you for making this class a very interesting and exciting course with your lectures and presentations. Enjoyed the class very much and because of it I’m eager to learn more about medieval history.

  5. Professor Markman is one of the best professors I have had at UCLA and I will be entering my last quarter here in a few weeks. I was not sure what to expect from this class and I was pleasantly surprised to see how excited and passionate Professor Markman was during class. She makes coming class 100% worthwhile because she has so much fun teaching us which makes the learning environment vibrant! The most helpful thing I learned in This class we’re from the writing workshops. I honestly thought I was a great writer until I took this class haha! Professor Markman sets you up for success because with the writing workshops you go over in depth, step by step, how to analyze a primary source, how to take what you have found in that source and turning it into an analytical paragraph, then forming your thesis and ultimately having the most kick ass paper ever. She said something in the first workshop that made me laugh and also turned on a lightbulb for me. We were looking at a primary source about lord vassal relationships and when we finished the activity she said “raise your hand if you wrote that this document was about lord vassal relationships” and honest to god, like 70% of us raised our hands, myself included. She said “that’s like showing up to a crime scene and saying ‘yes, there was a murder here’ and walking away” and I was like HAHAHAHAHAH oh my god that is so true what have I been doing my whole life?! Anyway, bottom line, TAKE CLASSES WITH KRISTINA MARKMAN!!! She’s amazing!!!! You WILL learn so much!!

  6. I don’t know about you guys, but if you’re anything like me, you worry about what kind of instructor you’re going to get stuck with for the next 10 weeks and how they’re going to approach the class. Imagine my relief when from the very first class, Professor Markman made the class feel at ease. She doesn’t simply teach history, she makes history relevant and relatable our contemporary ways of thinking. I actually wish we had more time, because I feel like she has so much more to offer on every subject that was gone through in class. It doesn’t matter if you’re a history major, or just looking to take a history class, I highly recommend UCLA students to take one of her classes.

  7. The passion that Kristina has for History and teaching is a rare find. Her love for her subject bleeds over to the students, making them equally as passionate about it as her. She is easily the most charismatic speaker I have ever encountered and her lecturing style is impeccable. Many History professors fall into the “monotone drawl” in which they just vomit out a bunch of information in a way that put students to sleep. Kristina does the exact opposite: as she once put it, she almost “barks” the information out at students in the best way possible. Her oratory skills are incredible, she is such a good and engaging speaker and I have yet to have a professor that engages her students as well as she does. Even beyond her amazing, oftentimes hilarious lectures, she is so concerned with student learning. She wants to teach her students lasting skills rather than just information they could forget within a year of teaching the class.

  8. She’s so passionate about her teaching, and that helps you get even more interested in the class topic.
    I just can’t put the countless good things about her class onto this, but the class is highly recommendable!
    Probably one of the most memorable history class in life for it being interesting and solid at the same time.

    Wow, I’m already excited about getting back to working on my final paper!

    -Johnny

  9. Kristina is very good at giving lectures and engaging students. She also encourages interactions between her and the students which is especially great for students like myself who are quite shy to approach professors. She is also a good teacher in the sense that she is enthusiastic about her lectures and uses a variety of techniques to support the retaining of the information. Taking notes by hand in her classes is highly recommended even though the lectures are a little fast paced. Additionally, she is very understanding and helpful so again, it is highly recommended to communicate with her throughout the semester. Lastly, the recipe to do well in this class is very straight forwards and Kristina repeatedly shows the way to get a good grade. As long as you follow everything that she suggests, take notes by hand, and study these notes before exams, success is almost guaranteed.
    It was an interesting and fruitful class, I would highly recommend this class to any of my peers.

  10. Loved her class. Her enthusisasm is off the charts!!!! It is, without a doubt, very engaging. It is a treat for auditory learners, and the visual powerpoints serve as main points. It can be somewhat hard for visual learners to follow along; however, any student that may have missed something is completely covered, as she is almost always open to office hours appts, going so far as to be willing to Skype with you from the comfort of your own dorm. She will tell you exactly what she is looking for, and, if an essay needs something, she will give you the exact note you can improve on to fix it.

    The quickest way to get on her good side? Ask questions, any and all pertaining to the material. The thing she does not like is a silent class. Be as engaging as possible.

    I also greatly appreciate the fact that she is willing to allow creativity to prosper, as she gave my class the option of doing a creative piece instead of the final. One of which was a very well written rap song, if the artist does say so himself. All in all, a truly enjoyable experience. Thank you, Kristina!!!!!

  11. Initially, I took this course as an elective because I am considering a minor in history, and it ended up being one of the most interesting and thought-provoking classes I have ever taken. Although I already had a deep interest in history before taking Professor Markman’s class, her lectures and commentary truly made me feel more confident that I wanted to study history, and her passion for the subject make the class interesting for everyone. For this I recommend Professor Markman to any and all of my friends who need to take a history class. Additionally, Kristina provides a great format for writing history papers that has helped me enormously. I am so happy that I took Europe and the World and if I could, I would take a class with Kristina again. Thank you!

  12. Kristina is very passionate about her field and this shines through in each of her lectures. The lectures were more interesting this way, as she engages herself and others in the topics and makes them more interesting. I also enjoyed the little details we would get about life during the Middle Ages. Professor Markman goes in-depth in her teaching, so you can expect more than surface level information. She grades fairly and the tests are very doable if you study hard for them. Kristina is also very accessible if you need help. Get involved in the class and share your thoughts! It makes the class a lot more valuable if you’re involved in the discussions and share ideas.

  13. I can honestly say that Professor Markman is perhaps the best instructor that I have had the pleasure of learning from. She had an obvious mastery of the era of the Middle Ages and her teaching style, consisting of mainly primary source material, allows students the rewarding opportunity to make conclusions on their own. Moreover, although the course was rather large (over 100 students) Kristina’s lectures always engaged students and were linked to the primary source material that we read for homework. For those primary source documents which were complex, she was happy and willing to go over them during office hours, which were equally as informative as the lectures. Similarly, she was always responsive by email.

    All in all, Professor Markman is a top instructor who, through her focus on helping students analyze primary source documents, forced me to think critically about history. While my focus is not on the Middle Ages, I believe that I now not only better understand the era from around 1096-1492, but moreover, Professor Markman helped further hone my historical mindset, making me a better historian and a more critical thinker in general.

  14. There are no words to describe how incredible Dr. Markman is. She is passionate about what she teaches and makes it enjoyable for everyone. She has a great sense of humor. There is never a dull moment in her lectures. She engages with and cares about her students. She takes the time to get to know them. She provides you with the tools you need to succeed! Her lectures are not so much based on a timeline of events but rather, she wants her students to enhance their critical thinking skills. She wants to teach her students to think about why things happen, the result of those situations and what it could perhaps lead to next. She is hands down, one of the best professors I’ve ever had. I highly recommend her to anyone who is thinking about taking a history class or who is a history major.

  15. Kristina Markman is one of the most passionate professors I have ever encountered. After just one lecture, I could tell how much she truly enjoys History and teaching it. She cares about her students’ success and improvement throughout the course and makes students feel welcome in communicating with her outside of lecture. Not only does she care about student learning, she also cares much about the quality and organization of her lectures. Every lecture is jam-packed with information, but every piece of it is pertinent to the learning experience so that the student can get a bigger sense of the world and time period she is teaching about. She also takes care to plan a class around topics that are actually interesting.

    The assignments and workload are very reasonable and is meant to help students understand the material. I have taken three classes taught by Professor Markman, and each quarter’s workload has a different breakdown. However, one thing is always consistent, which are the readings. Trust me, if you want to save money on textbooks and want to avoid reading 90 pages a week, she is the professor to sign up for. The only reason I will not be taking a class with her the next quarter is because the class doesn’t fit my schedule.

  16. Professor Markman is a very intelligent, kind and caring Professor who comes across as someone very interested in making History accessible and enjoyable for all her students. Her organization is exemplary. I particularly appreciated the thought she put into designing the course and into each lesson. Professor Markman also takes the time to provide constructive feedback for writing assignments (something that does NOT happen enough within UCLA’s History department). I felt like I understood exactly what I was being marked down for and what would be expected of me on the next assignment. I really felt like Professor Markman cared about my engagement with the material. Thank you!

  17. Professor Markman has quickly become one of my favorites at UCLA and I’m a bit sad I couldn’t take a course with her before. She takes so much of her own extra time to make sure her students get the help they want and need. Plus all of her help is actually helpful! If she spent even half the time she spent helping me with other students, I’d have to say she is the best professor ever. From the reading to lectures to homework, everything in this class was well thought out with a purpose of helping the students learn valuable lessons and skills.

    • Kristina found a way to make lectures fun and engaging each day. Her enthusiasm for teaching is apparent as she presents information in a way that calls for interaction of all students in the class. I enjoyed this course and will be sure to take a class with Kristina in the future because of the positive experience.

  18. I first added her class because I thought Markman was a cool last name and it turned out to be one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve made.

    Kristina is a very kind and compassionate person and a standout instructor. Her level of devotion to her students is unmatched, and she brings medieval history to life in her lectures. Her essay commentary is on point and she knows how to guide students to success. On top of that, she is funny and always maintains a lively and engaging classroom.

    Truly an exemplary professor, and a highlight of my UCLA experience. Thanks Kristina!

  19. Professor Markman’s course was the best history course I’ve ever taken. She was engaging and dynamic and explained all topics in a very clear and informative way. None of the readings felt superfluous and her lectures were enjoyable–and I should note that I never thought history lectures would be for me. I felt ready for all our tests and was relieved that she gave us plenty of chances to get a good grade. I just finished my last quarter at UCLA and am graduating this year, and still feel a bit sad that I won’t be able to take any more courses with her, as I’m sure I would have enjoyed those just as much.

  20. Kristina is an amazing professor. Never before have I seen a professor who has dedicate so much time to her students as she does. You can tell that she is in the right field. Anyone who wants to succeed in her class can, because she provides you with all the tools necessary to do so. No one can say that they didn’t get the help they asked for. This was my first history class at UCLA and before the quarter started, I just expected to learn facts about medieval Europe but I was so wrong! I’ve learned so much more than that. Kristina teaches you how to be critical and see significance about not only history, but about the world. Kristina’s advices on how to write papers have been so helpful and I truly believe it has improved my writing skills big time. She has even put together writing tutorials that can guide you through the process of writing a paper. This professor makes you want to do better, she really encourage you to give your very best. I wish all professors could be like this, she has inspired me so much and I hope to be able to take another class with Kristina in the future! Thank you!!

  21. Kristina is one of my favorite teachers. She has always been very approachable and talks with you in a way that makes you want to learn more and participate fully as a student. She is always encouraging and helpful. She is straightforward with what she expects of her students and makes sure to give you every opportunity to succeed. She not only helped me with the assignments in her own class but helped me work out some issues I was having with papers in other classes. She genuinely enjoys what she does and makes her course fun and entertaining to attend. She assigns reading that is directly relevant to what we are learning and her lectures contextualize and explain the importance of the assigned primary source documents. She lets you know what is going on with history events on campus and gives you opportunities to participate which I appreciated. I wish her the best in all of her future endeavors. I highly recommend taking her courses and talking with her outside of class as well.

  22. Kristina is such an amazing TA! She’s so knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. Her discussions probably taught me more than I ever actually learned in class. She was always so helpful when it came to the assignments, and I’m so thankful I had her as my TA.

  23. Kristina, you have been by far one of the best TAs I’ve had in my two years here at UCLA. At any moment when I wanted clarifications or just an answer to my own questions, you provided me with much insight that inspired me to keep learning history. Thank you for always being there to help either in person or emails on the weekend. I did not always understand much in class but whatever I did not, it was definitely cleared up when you talked about the subjects with such passion and vigor. Thank you for an amazing quarter.

  24. Kristina is an inspiring teacher from her involvement in class to her student aid outside of class. She cares so much about every student and works really hard so that our learning process of the material is as clear and understanding as possible. Her class was just as much interesting as it was challenging. I can definitely say that she helped me improve my writing skills in a way that will help me with future classes. History 96W was one of the few classes I truly enjoyed, despite the time it started, this whole year. If there is an opportunity to take another of Kristina’s classes I will definitely sign up for it. Thank You Kristina for being so passionate about what you do.

  25. Kristina is one of the best teachers I have had at UCLA, and this is coming from someone who believes that most UCLA professors are terrible. I have had PHD level professors with years of teaching experience who couldn’t even come close to the quality of her class. Kristina cares so much about student learning that its almost impossible to not succeed. She is warm and inviting and is able to push a student to do the best work they are capable of without alienating them or making them feel like she is unfairly targeting them. I am happy to say that Kristina’s class and her encouragement pushed me to the next level in my academic work and looking back I don’t know how I made it this far without the knowledge I gained in her class. Thanks for a great class. For the record, I would take any class regardless of subject with her.

  26. Kristina is hands down the best TA I have encountered at UCLA — and I only had her for an online course without even meeting her in person. First off, she is very knowledgeable on the subject and I often found her comments or study guides very informative and thought-provoking. Secondly, she truly cares about her students’ learning. She posts weekly study guide with great detail and depth; she also gives lengthy feedback on each individual forum post (which was our biweekly written assignment). She is also always available to answer questions on either course material or logistics. Thirdly, she is a very effective communicator and discussion facilitator. In fact, I was quite amazed at how she managed to organize such online forum discussions where people were actually responding to each other’s long posts and having real conversations — I hardly see that even in in-person discussion sessions yet Kristina was able to achieve that on an online forum. Lastly, Kristina has a way of making her students feel comfortable voicing their thoughts while be encouraged to produce their best work. Kristina has made my online learning experience so much easier and more rewarding than it would have been!

  27. Kristina is truly an effective and inspiring teacher. Her passion and preciseness showed me the beauty and nuance of history. Even though it was an online course, she managed to make the learning experience personal and enjoyable. Kudos to Kristina! 🙂

  28. It is an incredibly challenging feat to engage and hold the attention of any audience for 30 minutes, let alone three hours. Yet what drew me in from the first day of class was Kristina’s charismatic presentation of the curriculum–her explanations of the themes and concepts conveyed her obvious passion for medieval history in a way that made me curious and kept me focused in the discussion. It was so clear to see the amount of preparation work she had done to plan the course, as every reading and excerpt was clearly connected back to the overarching theme of identity negotiation and the treatment of minority groups through our classroom discussion, and it was that kind of transparent dedication to her students’ education that made me personally more invested in the class. I’ve recommended her seminar to many of my friends because I know they will enjoy and appreciate her teaching style.

  29. Kristina was a superb instructor and gave her students more time and consideration than any other TA or instructor I have had while at UCLA. It was clear from the first seminar that she was going to go out of her way to improve our writing and that she would be herself available to us. She was so genuine in her concern for her students and she spent the time meticulously reading each writing response, outline, and then final paper and gave wonderful feedback so that my writing noticeably improved.

    In addition to her time in her office, Kristina gave her students an engaging experience in the classroom. I was nervous that a three hour seminar on medieval writing would drag on, but Kristina found wonderful writings for us to analyze and made a comfortable space for discussion. All students were called upon to be engaged and we were able to delve deeply into each of the texts. It was clear that Kristina has extensive knowledge in her field and she passed on her knowledge to her students in a meaningful way-meant for retention- so that we were not merely called upon to regurgitate facts but to truly understand the material. I learned so much and would highly recommend Kristina to any UCLA student who wants to get the most out of a class.

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