This course was offered during Summer Session C, 2022. The class covered foundational sociological theories focusing primarily on the works of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim, and how their contributions helped to shape both history and contemporary society, Dr, Yeritsian was a fantastic teacher. A great communicator, and despite being a remote class, his lectures were concise, emphasizing the most important aspects of the assigned reading material, some of which was long, complex, and dense. The three graded essay assignments, gave us plenty of freedom to engage meaningful contemporary issues and phenomena and tie these to concepts and theories we learned. Thoroughly enjoyed the class, and it was excellent preparation for Sociology 102 taken in the fall quarter, as well as for the major in general. Dr. Yeritsian was always accessible and helpful during office hours, and also by appointment. He encouraged me to work on critical thinking and to developing stronger writing skills that continues to help me tremendously. Thank you so much. Would highly recommend--A++

Professor Yeritsian is very knowledgeable and he makes a theory class very interesting! He gives good lectures and clearly explains the course material. The class overall is organized well. If you do want to learn and have a strong foundation in sociology, take him! He is very professional in his job. The class requires effort and time that will surely pay off later. There are always options for classes where you don't learn anything, but in this class, you would gain a lot of knowledge that will be useful later in life as well. One of the best sociology professors at UCLA! Enjoyed his class, and highly recommend taking him!

All of the reviews are outdated. I am currently taking him in Fall 2022 and he is easily the rudest professor I have ever met. He talks in a way that makes it extremely difficult to grasp what he is saying and will try to argue with you if you're asking a simple question. Your grade is based off of 3 exams. Its 30 questions multiple choice and 2 blue book essay questions per exam. Not the hardest but if you can't grasp the concept, they are difficult. I truly would never take a class with him again just because of how rude and entitled he acts.

Dr. Yeritsian is an outstanding professor. Before taking Soc 101 I was anxious because I heard that it is a dense class. However, Dr. Yeritsian makes it so simple and manageable. The class was organized into 4 modules. No midterm or final, just 4 assignments total. These were 4 page papers at the end of each 2 week module. He really knows how to explain concepts without confusing students. He provides relevant readings (in pdfs, no need to purchase anything) that are both interesting and helpful in learning the material. Dr. Yeritsian truly cares about his students. He will not stop helping you until he is certain that you are confident with the material. He is great at relating real-life examples to what we are learning to make everything more understandable. I didn’t even get an A on all my papers, but its not important because the experience with the professor was just so wonderful. He is caring, understanding, and just an overall great educator. Take any class you can with him! The best!

Professor Yeritsian is one of the clearest lecturers I have had. He lays out exactly what he expects, which made the course feel very straightforward even though the material is challenging. Since I took this class during summer session, there were no homework assignments or discussion sections, everything came down to the midterm and final. Because of this, keeping up with the readings was not optional; it was the backbone of the course. This should not be a hard thing to do seeing as how you have 1 reading before each class.

He makes the room feel open and encourages people to ask questions or talk through difficult ideas without feeling intimidated. The course was about the main sociologists like: Simmel, Marx, and Durkheim. He walks through the hardest concepts and highlights important quotes so students don’t get lost in the academic language. He is very passionate about his field and it is obvious he cares about whether students actually understand the material, not just whether they pass the tests.

A few things to clarify based on other reviews:

- Comments claiming he is a “bad professor” are misleading. He expects students to think critically, and some people simply do not like being pushed intellectually. The professor is not hard the tests are hard.
- If you believe you can use ChatGPT to skim your way through this course, you will be disappointed. Half of every quiz is directly from the readings, and he phrases questions in ways that expose whether you actually read or not.
- The course is challenging, it is sociological theory after all, but if you genuinely do the readings, you will be fine.
- Since there is no homework, there is really no excuse not to keep up with the material.
- He does curve, and the curve is generous. If you have a basic grasp of the concepts and can articulate your thoughts clearly, you will do well.
- He is approachable, responsive, and transparent about his expectations so you will not be confused. One of the most organized syllabuses I have seen.
- Attendance is recorded, for me it was a written response about concepts or readings during class, which also helped reinforce the material.

Overall: I would absolutely recommend taking SOC 101 with him. He explains theory in a way that makes dense ideas understandable, encourages real engagement, and genuinely cares about his students. If you put the effort in, you will get a lot out of this class. I liked his teaching style so much I took him again for a different class. Do not get me wrong, the tests are hard. I am honestly a terrible test taker, and I still walked away with a B. I am telling you, if you put in the effort and actually keep up with the readings, you will be fine. The course is challenging, but the expectations are clear, the lectures help a ton, and he gives you the tools you need to succeed.

Dr. Yeritsian has been one of my favorite professors! He makes his lectures very interesting and does an amazing job making the content understandable and relatable. There were only 4 short papers that made up the course grade and all were very managable. I would totally recommend anyone to take any class with him. He truly cares about his students and is a great professor.

Great class. Prof Y is very clear in lectures and makes his expectations clear. No homework assignments or discussion section (took in summer) so it was midterm and final based. Doing the readings was essential and he makes a great effort to get students to engage. Many people participated which hasn't been my experience in other classes. I took another class with him in summer which was very interesting. I would definitely try taking SOC101 with this professor. We covered Simmel, Marx, and Durkheim. He made these dense topics and readings interesting and cares for each students success. I would recommend. Attendance was recorded through short responses in class - 7 in total.

Dude. This was one of those courses you take at UCLA that melts away the stress of being at an elite institution and reintroduces you to curiosity regarding education. I loved the fact that Professor Yeritsian not only assigned NO homework or busy work, but he had extremely through lectures with slides based on the weekly readings and I only had to spend a handful of hours weekly completing the readings (including annotations), then 4 hours a week in person at lecture. There was no discussion but it wasn’t needed because covered so much in class, tailored to our individual curiosities as well. It really made a difference for me that Professor Yeritsian cared to learn everybody’s name in the class and proceeded to address us by them throughout the course, remembering his students in a way a previous school teacher might. This course totally changed my relationship with course materials and fluency. Professor Yerirsian isn’t overbearing with involvement, since we’re all adults and don’t need to be babysat, but when you ask for help or extra time he NEVER hesitates to ensure your questions are addressed completely. He isn’t one of those professors that forces you to come to office hours on different dates or across campus (although the option is always there) I just feel like he genuinely enjoys his job and completely understands the subjects he teaches. 10/10 would take again to go even more in depth on sociological theory

If you are thinking about taking Sociol M176 with Professor Yeritsian, I cannot recommend it enough. It was one of the most meaningful and intellectually rewarding classes I have taken in college.

First off, everyone learns differently and meshes with different teaching styles–so the only real way to know if a class is right for you is to take it yourself. That said, I can speak from personal experience when I say that Professor Yeritsian is one of the most impactful professors I have ever had. His classes are challenging, yes, but in the way that college should be: they ask you to think deeper, study differently, and really engage with the material.

Some students have left negative reviews saying he “does not help” or “is not engaging”–but I have to strongly disagree. He absolutely lays out a clear and structured path through the course. The difference is that he expects you to meet him there. He provides detailed slides, study outlines, and frames the content in a way that makes everything build on itself. It is up to you to take that framework and do something with it–to sit with the material, make connections, and ask questions. And if you do? He is always available to talk, clarify, or help you think through ideas. His office hours are some of the most stimulating conversations I have had, and I always leave them feeling more grounded in the material.

I had taken his Sociol 101 class before this one, so I knew what I was getting into. That class changed how I study, how I think, and honestly, how I see the world. It was the first time in college that I found myself excited to study–genuinely motivated by the content, not by the grade. I found myself constantly talking about what I was learning with friends and family, wanting to share ideas that had stuck with me long after class ended. His teaching made me fall in love with sociology and shifted the course of my academic path.

When I saw he was teaching M176, I enrolled immediately–and it was just as engaging and thought-provoking. The material was complex and layered, but so interesting. I walked away from the class not only having learned a lot, but also having felt that familiar sense of intellectual curiosity and excitement that his teaching brings out. If you are someone who wants to be pushed, who values depth and structure, and who is willing to do the work–this class will not disappoint. Professor Yeritsian’s classes are not just about passing a test; they are about expanding how you think. And that kind of learning stays with you.