At a large research institution like UCLA, it's very easy to feel like just another number. Thus was not the case in Prof. Gaffney's course. She went above and beyond in every definition of the word to ensure that we were appropriately engaged with the material. Her syllabus was accurate and the corresponding lectures were both topical and enjoyable. However, perhaps my favorite part of the course and arguably most impactful was the feedback she gave in response to our essays. Never has a professor shown so much care and attention towards the work I submitted by creating a video detailing critiques/general commentary. Prof. Gaffney is indicative of what teaching and education ought to be and if I weren't graduating, I'd enroll in her courses every quarter if I could. She is the blueprint and the new standard I will measure my professors against.

So, the class was overall good. The professor is super kind and genuinely cares for you to succeed, so if you have any questions, just email or visit during office hours. I had a little issue, so I emailed her for a PTE, and she was happy to issue it, so right from the get-go, I knew she was gonna be great. The structure is that we have weekly reading (2/3), and obviously it's not the whole books, it's a part of the books/works, and you read those, answer discussion questions about one that you liked, answer another student, and every 3/4 weeks you have an exam. The exams are just essays (topics vary), but the main idea is that you use the readings for the essays (the first exam, to an extant is an exception). During classes you talk about the readings, discuss future projects and how the class can connect with your major, and so many things, like overall it's fun. My ONLY problem was that participation (discussions and in-class discussions) is 20% of your grade, and the rest of the 80% are the 3 essays (first two are 20, and the final is FORTY PERCENT). So that really "annoyed me" because you kind of worry and get anxious for no reason, since if you mess up even one of the exams, they're worth so much of your grade. Other than that, she has a rubric, grades fairly, and as long as you follow that, write something interesting and use her feedback to fix everything, you should be good. Overall, this being an online class, I'd definitely recommend it; the topics were fairly interesting, and it wasn't a "burden class," where it had a lot of course load and annoyed me or took time away from other classes, so, if you can, and you want a upper division course, take it.

I was in the Revolutionary Fantasies class, and it was a super interesting course to take while not being too heavy! All the readings were engaging, and I was glad I could read them. Since the materials were so fun, it was an easy class to take. The professor is amazing and truly makes you feel like she cares about what you think. I would take all of her courses if I could. If you have the opportunity to take her class, I would highly recommend it.

It was the best class I've ever taken! Not work heavy, really, just a weekly discussion posts around 300 words with responses and then three videos where we told a story. The materials were really interesting and she gives great feedback on the videos you turn in. If you have the chance to take her, definitely do it! She's really understanding too. It was a great class to take with two heavy classes.

I've taken 3 of her courses so far, and all I can say is TAKE HER! She is the most understanding and caring professor I've ever had. All of her classes have the same format for the most part. It's usually 3 papers, two of them 4-5 pages and a larger one 7-8 pages as a lit analysis. Then, there is a weekly discussion post (300 words, (2) 100-word classmate responses. There is usually a good amount of readings, but they're always so interesting and you can choose which reading you want to do the discussion on. The prompts are broad enough that you can talk about what you want regarding the readings, and often, she'll make exceptions if you talk to her about something you really want to write related to the topics/readings. It's really a breeze and she wants to know your opinion on things/how it relates to the world today. She will also give you really detailed feedback on your essays. Sometimes she'll even make a personalized video for the feedback. Overall, her classes have been my favorite! Just take her!! Not a heavy courseload!!

Dr. Gaffney is a gem! This was the first time this class has even been offered and she takes an amazing approach to teaching science fiction through a labor studies lens. Canvas discussion questions about the readings every week that are discussed in-class, with a paper, midterm, and final that she is willing to offer a ton of help if needed.