Going into this class, I thought it was going to be a normal GE that I can easily get through. With that being said, it was an easier class if you engage with the material, but moreover, it became a class that I was very excited to go to and engage with. The professor was very engaging, considerate of his students, and overall one of the best people to listen to and learn from. The class material was very interesting and related to many aspects of everyday life that many people may overlook. As a geography class, it isn't focused on mapping, but rather demographics and how they are affected in society as a whole. The readings and assignments were very interesting, giving you a chance to learn about new ideas and establish your own opinions in relation to them. The tests were very correlated with the readings and lecture material, so I recommend attending every lecture and do teh required readings. Overall, this class had a great impact on me as a person and my overall learning at UCLA, one that I would take again if I could.

SUCH AN AMAZING PROF! He is so sweet and funny, and all his lectures were so interesting. He truly cares about his students and all his topics were so inclusive with race, gender, sexuality, class, etc. As a first-gen Latina, I felt like UCLA wasn't a place for me until I met him. One regret I have is not thanking him in person for being an amazing professor.

I've had professor Herrera a few times before and honestly, he is THE best professor I've ever had at UCLA. He's funny, kind, and truly cares about his students. His lectures are engaging, educational, and very helpful when studying for midterms, finals, or writing papers. I cannot stress this enough, but he has been so incredibly kind and compassionate during these troubling times (covid/online learning) which has made learning and getting through the quarter easier. Don't get me wrong, his class still requires you to put in 100% of your effort to do well and get an A, but Bottom line, take him if you can, he's amazing.

Man, I mean, take this class if you're like hella woke and like when your professor pushes his own agenda rather than teaching the content of the class. I, like many others, took this class for it to be an easy GE, but it honestly just turned into a nightmare. The readings were not interesting, and the lectures just made me groan. It got to the point where this class became an actual burden on my day; I didn't like walking in or logging on and hearing Prof. Herrerra yell at us to "attend class," as we literally sat stark in front of him. This became the class that my friends and I all bitched about, because it was universally despised.

And god, the take home tests. That final took 20+ hours, no lie.

Look, I will be honest. This, like many other classes, are entirely dependent on your TA; you get a good one, you're fine. You don't, you're not. My advice would be if you want a class you can most likely earn an A or A- in pretty easily, sure this class might be for you. But I honestly the amount of mental strain this class took was just not worth my time, regardless of the grade I receive.

Herrera is such an amazing professor. I love dropping in his office hours and enjoy going to lectures in the class. This class would be relatively easy if you do all the readings and go to every lecture. There were only reading reflections (bi-weekly), midterm, and final. For midterm and final, he made them be three take-home essays in my quarter, choosing from 5 prompts. The reading reflection was basically just answered the prompt and integrated at least one reading into your two-page essay. For discussion, participation matters, so speak up in the class. The course exposed you to many different lessons that you had never thought of, and you will find everything interconnected which is super cool!!!

Overall, I would recommend this class to anyone, literally anyone. This class would be a perfect GE in social analysis for you. Even though you are not super interested in geography, I still recommend you to try out this class! Geography is more than just maps and you will discover that through this class. It is a fair A class—if you put in work, you will get a fair grade—and not too heavy in workload. I LOVE THIS CLASS and I believe you would love it too :)

This class was one of my favorite this past year, both because of the material presented and the clear passion that Professor Herrera has for the subject. You learn about widespread social issues that are relevant to the present and allow you to construct a deeper historical understanding of the past via issues like Muslim surveillance/injustice, oppression against people of color, queer spaces, migrant stories and more.

His slides were very word heavy, often holding paragraphs worth of information. I personally had to type relatively fast to keep up. To someone who has never taken a course like this before, the terms and ways things are worded may be confusing (or just very new) at first, but you learn to develop thoughts as a "cultural geographer" would. The class may a little reading heavy at times, but it is interesting and thought provoking content.

Speaking to exams, they involved IDs, definitions, and free response questions. You are provided an extensive study guide beforehand with the important topics and questions, so it is not difficult to do well if you commit yourself to studying those things. There can and will be other questions/topics, still.

I wanted to make it to this class every lecture because of the content and the evident passion. It has made me consider a minor in the geography department, or similar course of study. The course ended with Professor Herrera sharing his own inspiring personal story through education and applause from the class. Truly, a wonderful experience.

Pretty easy GE, though grading on exams can depend on how lenient your TA is. The midterm average was an A. Material is mostly common sense, and Herrera is entertaining and funny, but after the midterm I got a bit lazy about attending lecture since he often just read straight from the slides. He did provide a study guide with all the key terms to know for the exam, and some FRQ questions were taken almost word for word from it. I definitely fell behind on the readings but still got a 100 on the midterm. It’s doable, though I crammed by summarizing a lot of readings. For the FRQs, you need to reference the readings and use specific examples. My TA, Angela was very supportive and graded fairly, and genuinely wanted students to succeed. Overall, it’s not bad, but you still need to put in effort and keep up with the readings.

I absolutely loved this class! Dr. Herrera is a gem of a human being. His lectures were engaging and thought-provoking. Everything we learned in this class was so interesting and made me see environmental injustice through a new lens. Attendance was not mandatory, but I went to every single lecture because he is such a great lecturer! Workload was extremely light with just a weekly discussion, 2 reflection papers (3 pages minimum), and a final take-home exam (which was just another paper). Easy A class and very stress-free. I highly recommend taking this class!

You do not want to miss out on taking a class with Professor Herrera. The kindest person you will ever meet. Workload is extremely manageable and all presentations are very engaging. Very understanding if you miss a deadline. This class is my absolute favorite too.