GEOG 5
People and Earth's Ecosystems
Description: Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours. Exploration of ways in which human activity impacts natural environment and how modification of environment can eventually have significant consequences for human activity. Examination, using case studies, of real environmental problems that confront us today. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
1 of 3
AD
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2020 - DISCLAIMER: I took this class when it was offered as an online course. This class was super interesting but it was a lot more work than I expected. We were required to do a weekly discussion post, attend our discussion sections, a weekly quiz on our readings and lectures, and a weekly lab assignment. We also had a final paper due week 9. The first few weeks of this class were very technical as we were learning about climate, the carbon cycle, and other stuff. Later in the course, the material was a lot easier as we discussed population growth, environmental injustice, and other interesting topics. This class does require a lot of independent work but it is not too bad as long as you keep a consistent schedule. Participation is also really important in your discussion sections! Overall, I really enjoyed the class and would probably take it again. Just make sure to stay on top of your work and you will do fine.
Spring 2020 - DISCLAIMER: I took this class when it was offered as an online course. This class was super interesting but it was a lot more work than I expected. We were required to do a weekly discussion post, attend our discussion sections, a weekly quiz on our readings and lectures, and a weekly lab assignment. We also had a final paper due week 9. The first few weeks of this class were very technical as we were learning about climate, the carbon cycle, and other stuff. Later in the course, the material was a lot easier as we discussed population growth, environmental injustice, and other interesting topics. This class does require a lot of independent work but it is not too bad as long as you keep a consistent schedule. Participation is also really important in your discussion sections! Overall, I really enjoyed the class and would probably take it again. Just make sure to stay on top of your work and you will do fine.
AD
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2025 - Very easy class, and interesting too. Barely any HW, some interesting labs in section. Section is also super easy - show up and you'll get full points. Midterm and a Final are both insanely easy and straightforward as long as you study for an hour or two - he gives you a study guide with all the potential topics on the tests. Shouldn't need to stress (or cheat) at all. Course content is interesting enough. Some super cool stuff and some kinda boring stuff, like the repeated biomes and weird facts that aren't too important, but I was interested a good amount of the time. Better than most other classes I've taken here. Gillespie is an amazing prof who cares about students, makes jokes during lecture, and puts in the extra effort to make his class enjoyable. Love this dude, he's the best prof I've had at UCLA. TA was Godoy-Fernandez and she was the best, definitely get her if she's still TA'ing later on. Only complaint is that Geog 5 doesn't count towards the Geography Major or Minor. It's just a fun class that's a GE. I was thinking about minoring in Geography, but wasn't aware of this, so I kinda wasted a course spot for the quarter since it was only a GE. Nevertheless, course was interesting and easy enough that I'm happy I took it. Just wish the Dept was more clear on this. Overall, very thankful for this class. Made my quarter a lot easier. If it's open, definitely take it.
Fall 2025 - Very easy class, and interesting too. Barely any HW, some interesting labs in section. Section is also super easy - show up and you'll get full points. Midterm and a Final are both insanely easy and straightforward as long as you study for an hour or two - he gives you a study guide with all the potential topics on the tests. Shouldn't need to stress (or cheat) at all. Course content is interesting enough. Some super cool stuff and some kinda boring stuff, like the repeated biomes and weird facts that aren't too important, but I was interested a good amount of the time. Better than most other classes I've taken here. Gillespie is an amazing prof who cares about students, makes jokes during lecture, and puts in the extra effort to make his class enjoyable. Love this dude, he's the best prof I've had at UCLA. TA was Godoy-Fernandez and she was the best, definitely get her if she's still TA'ing later on. Only complaint is that Geog 5 doesn't count towards the Geography Major or Minor. It's just a fun class that's a GE. I was thinking about minoring in Geography, but wasn't aware of this, so I kinda wasted a course spot for the quarter since it was only a GE. Nevertheless, course was interesting and easy enough that I'm happy I took it. Just wish the Dept was more clear on this. Overall, very thankful for this class. Made my quarter a lot easier. If it's open, definitely take it.
AD
1 of 3
