I absolutely LOVED this professor. You pick you your pencil & go nonstop until the end of class. He was so insightful, passionate, brilliant, and well-organized (although very liberal and opinionated) that I never considered missing a lecture. Increadibly inspirational. Great reading. I would highly recommend him.

Inspiring. He lectures concisely, passionately, and humorously. The amount of effort he puts into preparing his lectures and the gravity with which he treats the topics is evident. He will challenge you in a way that makes you respect and appreciate his intelligent insights and beyond-reproach dedication.

Great professor. Lectures are interesting and well organized (and extremely well prepared). Sometimes puts too much information into lectures and he talks really fast, but if you pay attention, you'll be fine. Clearly very passionate about his subject and takes his job lecturing a lower div class very seriously (which enhances his lectures).

This professor is amazing. I came to every class, which is really surprising for me. He makes you see a whole different side of American culture and questions the stereotypes we've created about the past. I had so much fun listening to him and there's not that much work

Great Professor and class. There is alot of work involved but it is well worth it. Hard A but an easy B.

Obviously puts a lot of effort into each lecture, revealing his passion and intelligence. He's funny, clever, absolutely hates cell phones going off in class, and can be somewhat intimidating. The readings can be a bit daunting, but a general knowledge of the topics discussed should suffice when writing the essays or taking the midterm and final.

really intelligent, passionate professor. lectures are very intense and packed with information - a very different perspective than you get in a high school history class. he's very liberal and opinionated. lots of reading and hard work, but it's a very doable class and very worth it.

awesome professor. straightforward and intelligent.

Very well prepared. Lectures are like a planned speech. Slides illustrate his points. Shows lots of film clips and the weekly movies are thought provoking. Reading is mid-level. He interprets everything from a Marxist perspective and regularly interjects Marxist phrases and key words into his speech - Funny coming from an Ivy Leaguer.

Very energetic and enthusiastic!

very smart guy

Very interesting guy, definitely has some radical opinions, but presented in an intelligent and insightful way. I don't necessarily agree with everything he says, but its difficult not to due to how charasmatic he is. I signed up for this class to handle my AC req, but its turned out to be one of the most interesting classes Ive taken here at Cal

Amazing lecturer! Very liberal with many radical views but it was also interesting to see American history from a much different perspective. He pushed his agenda pretty hard during the strike (for it) and he's either a Marxist or an anarchist, possibly both. Very passionate, I would recommend taking his class!

I am not an american studies major and i do not enjoy history at all, but Cohen made the subject incredibly interesting for me. There's a lot of reading but it's really interesting. I highly recommend that you take one of his classes because he's an incredible lecturer

Such a great professor! Keeps lectures SUPER interesting and yet still gets his points across quite clearly. And he's super hot, too bad he's married ;(

Amazing professor, very interesting and fun class. he definitely made me think of the world in a different way for a couples months. but now i am stuck with horrible profs who are decreasing my iq by the second...

Best professor ever!!!! He is awesome, interesting, and a genius. He will really make you think, and probably about stuff you never thought of before. This class is super amazing too

MIchael Cohen is a dreamy dreamboat from heaven. Seriously, If you wanted to be educated and not just spit out on the other side of the meat grinder, this is your chance. This a refresher in truth. So much more than what I thought U.C. fees would buy. Every once in awhile there is a raging beauty from which your gaze cannot be averted from.

Hottest professor at Cal hands down. What a Beauty...

This professor is amazing. He is charismatic, articulate, passionate, and absolutely on top of his game. He has a thoughtful and very through answer for any question you ask, and lectures are so interesting and informative. He also deeply cares about the educational process, and about his students.

I've taken multiple classes with him so far and every single one was interesting. Yes, he's opinionated and to some he may seem preachy, but his passion is what makes him so engaging. The readings are somewhat dull and necessary, but his lectures more than make up for them. He's extremely knowledgeable and very helpful during office hours.

Great class, very interesting material. However, Cohen kind of crapped out in the last month of the semester. He seemed far more interested in the Occupy movement than our class. Classes were canceled and the final book- the best in the class- was never even discussed. We were given little feedback on the two papers that made up our grade.

Professor Cohen is extremely intelligent and passionate about history and current social issues. His lectures are engaging and interesting, and he picked amazing books to read for his WWII class. The tests and assignments were very fair and he gives a lot of extra credit, so I think anyone who takes this class can get a good grade and learn a lot!

Amazing Professor.

I took his WWII class my first semester at Cal, and could not be more grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him. He is by far the most magnificent orator I have yet encountered in a professor. He is approachable, and charismatic, and takes a sincere interest in his students.

Excellent professor. I'm so glad I got to take one of his classes during my time at Cal.

I took a couple of classes with Michael back in 08/09 and he was by far the most engaging professor while I was at CAL. Here I am years later, a professor myself and I came here to remember those who inspired me. He is also a wonderful advocate of student parents!!!

One of the most engaging and charismatic lecturers I've encountered. He blows my mind every time and I truly enjoy attending his class.

Professor Cohen is the best lecturer I've encountered at UC Berkeley. He challenges his students' notions of the world and forced us all to face uncomfortable facts about the United States and humanity as a whole. Don't skip the lectures. You'll be missing out.

This class has a lot of reading, but they are all very interesting. his lectures were amazing in my opinion and changed how i view race. very entertaining and you can see that he really cares about what he is teaching. the gsi's grade the essays and exams though, so youre grade depends on them entirely. def want to take another class with him!!

Prof. Cohen has undoubtedly shaped the way I critically think about race, the world and myself to this day. While this class was on the intersection of film and race, he seamlessly related our course material to today, w humor. Few professors have made a profound impact on who I am and Prof. Cohen is def one of them. Don't leave w/o taking him.

He is VERY liberal. Not much other than lecture notes, but a lot is expected from your writings. Grade definitely depends on your GSI. He's very opinionated, but definitely offers an interesting perspective on minorities and race. Do not take if you are not good at interpreting texts and doing analysis. Description of class does not match actual.

Super great lecturer, by far one of the best professors I've had. He really makes you think but keeps class interesting to the point where you genuinely hate missing.

I love this guy. He consistently blows my mind with amazing lectures. The end of this semester is the second class I've taken with him and I have to say every moment, every assignment is so worth it. This guy is truly the treasure of UCB.

Prof Cohen is an incredible, fascinating, intelligent lecturer. He really makes you think, and I greatly enjoyed coming to class every week. While I originally took this class just for AC credit, I still found myself engaged and interested in the subject matter. Take a class with him if you can you won't regret it.

He is a great teacher, his classes are fun and he is really laid back. The class is low work only 2 essays and 2 tests all year, this being said if you don't do well on one thing you get screwed over because there's not much that's going in the grade book. He sets up the class so that if you show up to class and movie night you will pass.

Two Exams, Two Papers. Exam 1 25%, Paper 1 10% ; Exam 2 35%, Final Paper 30%. However, beware of the curve as will you only get an "A" if you get more than 95%.

Class is graded by 4 things (2 Papers, 1 Midterm, 1 Final). His lectures are pretty interesting and inspirational, however they can be a bit long. Overall solid choice.

Great professor. Took his WWII class. Loved his lectures and he assigned good books to read. Tests were fair and well graded. Would recommend him.

One of the best professor's I've had at Cal during my four years here! He is very engaging in lecture and was one of the courses I looked forward to the most! He implements theory and current news into his lectures. Very accessible during office hours. Assignments are not too difficult if you attend office hours.

Cohen is my favorite professor so far. His lectures are so interesting. Attendance isn't mandatory but recommended because papers and exams focus on lectures and readings. Syllabus timeline goes by quickly so don't slack off on readings. Other than that, he has a clear grading guideline and expectation. Definitely will not regret taking his class.

Dr. Cohen is one of the best professors I have had, if not the best. His class was eye-opening and inspiring. He is a natural speaker with excellent lectures. I hope to take another one of his classes in the future.

Not only is this guy a straight up living legend, he is EXTREMELY passionate about teaching. He always starts the lecture with whats happening in the world then covers the lectures. Literally show up, take notes and you pass. Im not a good memorizer but his tests were extremely doable and he really makes sure you understand the material!

Dr. Cohen is a spectacular lecturer and his class was my favorite of the semester. He is lively, engages with students often, and makes difficult concepts relatively simple to grasp. Class grade was based on weekly discussion posts, two papers, and a group project. I definitely recommend taking a class with Dr. Cohen!!

Professor Cohen is incredibly intelligent, articulate, and very funny. His lectures were optional but I always went because they were so engaging. Easy class, great GSIs. Highly recommend.

Really cool guy. Interesting lectures, felt more like a fun podcast than a class. Wasn't too much work or too difficult. I hope I can take another class with him!

Cohen was an amazing lecturer. The class is not difficult if you go to lecture (midterm was mostly lecture material). Kind of a lot of reading but it's manageable. There are two papers, one midterm and one final. Cohen made the final a take-home essay. He's a really chill, funny, knowledgeable, and passionate guy.

Dr. Cohen was an amazing professor! Each lecture was incredibly engaging with his ability to talk to the class, his occasional humor, and clear lecturing. I always looked forward to going to his lectures despite them being very important towards exams. The class was very heavy on reading and writing but his lectures are well worth it.

He's the best professor and course Ive taken here at UCB. Don't listen to the other raters. He makes lectures fun to go to, I attended them all and they aren't mandatory. Take if you want an easy A.

Prof Cohen was an amazing professor and lecturer. He was incredibly engaging and I managed to stay focused for the whole 1.5-hour lecture most of the time. He is funny, intelligent, passionate, articulate, and simply one of the best professors. I highly recommend this AC class, it was pretty easy if you do the readings and do the papers.

Professor Cohen is one of my favorite professors I have had at Berkeley so far. He is a very engaging lecturer, is consistently engaged in current events, and is very knowledgeable in his field. He emphasizes what is important for exams during lectures and writes fair exams despite no curve. Highly recommend it for the AC requirement!

Prof. MMC is one of my favorite professors ever! His lectures are so interesting and engaging, I promise you will never be bored. Definitely my easiest class at Cal. Midterm and Final exam and two papers make up majority of your grade. It would be difficult to get lower than a B+. Def recommend for AC credit and you will learn a lot!

Prof. MMC is obviously very passionate about this topic and it bleeds well into his lectures. Attendance isn't mandatory, but you will benefit more from attending lectures and taking notes.

best professor i've had at cal!!

By far the best professor I've had at Berkeley. You can tell Cohen really cares about his students and his lectures are incredibly engaging. There is a lot of reading for this class but it's not that bad and exams were fairly easy. I 100% recommend this class and this professor!!!

goated af i love cohen's class. engaging lectures, great accompanying readings, the midterm is just an in-class essay, and the final is a group project. i originally took this as a gpa booster but it's genuinely an amazing class. attendance is taken but you can miss a lecture or two without penalty. especially easy class if you're a marxist :)

I would take this class again for the lectures alone. Professor Cohen is fantastic! The harder part was my discussion- attendance is mandatory and it was difficult to figure out what my GSI expected. If you ever get a chance to speak with Professor Cohen, he is very wise and has a great sense of humor! Ask him for book recommendations.

Very good lecturer that captivates attention. Grading system is a bit flawed inherently as it is graded by your GSI and there is no standard system, meaning it's up to the luck of draw as to which GSI you get. Participation for discussion required, sometimes overly biased but overall a great course. Reading heavy in the second half.

He is the best professor and lecturer I've ever had in my life. Easy class. Probably the easiest class I've taken at Berkeley.

Professor Cohen is the best professor I have encountered so far. His lectures are full of so much interesting information and he is very passionate about his work. The class is graded based on race theories and a few great books - so it is very easy to succeed if you keep up with the readings and understand the theories. Please take this class!

One of the best professors I've had. His class changed my worldview and his lectures are amazing. 10/10 would recommend

AC27 was my favorite class I have taken at Berkeley, and I say this as a biochemistry major who initially only took this class to meet L&S requirements. Incredibly passionate/engaging and quite funny- if I have time in my schedule I would take another one of his classes just for the fun of it.

The concepts can be tough and reading is very important but Cohen is amazing as a professor and as a person. Love his classes and he is great.

Took this class while on Summer 2025. Overall, this class went pretty well for me. I found lectures were interesting, readings were OK (quite too much), and most importantly, grading was generous. Just do what the Professor and the GSIs ask you to do, and I believe you'll do well. Don't be late in submitting your assignments!

Great professor. I graduated in 2023, took Racial Capitalism class with him. Super interesting lectures, generous grading, funny and caring, and the guy knows his stuff. Best books I've read were assigned in this class.

One of my favorite professors of all time, I was always excited to go to his lectures and overall he was a really cool and genuine guy. Recommend 100%.

Probably my favorite lecture: super engaging and passionate, readings very interesting but long. Grade entirely depends on the GSI - no standard system of grading. Attendance is mandatory, classes not recorded or put online, but lectures are very engaging either way. Would take class again for Prof Cohen alone.

Super educated and knows how to relate history to modern day. It is a lot of reading but section does a good job at understanding them and he is willing to take questions during class. Books are recommended to be bought but all the PDF's of them are provided for free.

If you want to get an A, YOU MUST do the readings. However, lectures are so enjoyable, and I found myself happy that I chose to go to class. He assigns actually interesting readings. Just get the general concept and some useful knowledge for midterms, and you will be fine. Such a passionate professor, and this really radiates in his lectures!

Professor Cohen's lectures were genuinely some of the most eye-opening things I've ever heard in my life. I'm not sure if he's teaching AFAM27AC anymore, but definitely take a class with him. He's super super knowledgable, and his lectures are actually really fun and interesting to sit through. Insanely goated prof.

What a character! Very informative though, and long but good reading list. Only two essays and a midterm and final (timed write style).