This class is very much what you have read from previous comments. Attendance is mandatory, but attendance is also all you truly need to succeed in this class. Show up, pay attention, take notes, and you will be fine. The class consisted of 2 reflections on outside events, a photo analysis project, a midterm and a take home essay final. That is it. You can get by without doing most of the readings if you focus during lecture. At times the class can be rather dry, especially during more of the history lectures, but in general, Lunenfeld does a good job of making the topic interesting. I highly recommend taking this course. Not only is it rather easy, it is also interesting and worth while.

Take this class if you want an easy GE. There is no discussion, and you only have to attend two lectures. He does take attendance through an app called Arkaive, but you can leave after you check in. I never read any of the required readings or paid close attention during the lecture, and I still passed the class. Of course, once the midterm or final essay comes, I encourage you to look at the slides and the readings. I do regret purchasing the "required" book since I never read it besides using it as a reference in my final essay.

SELLING:
The Secret War Between Downloading and Uploading: Tales of the Computer as Culture Machine by Peter Lunenfeld.

It was the book used in DESMA 8.The book is just like new. selling it for $10
text me if interested **********

Pretty easy class overall. He's very helpful during office hours and helps edits your papers. TAs also are open to proofreading your papers and they also grade them, so I would suggest giving them your essays for them to look over. I would recommend this class if you want an easy ge!

Professor Lunenfeld is easily one of the most engaging professors I've had at UCLA. I finished this class and immediately looked for other classes to take with him. Would highly recommend him and any classes he offers, whether you're a DMA major or not!

This class was honestly a waste of my time. I thought that I would enjoy this class, even as a person who is a science major, because I do enjoy learning about media and all of its effects but i was WRONG. The lectures themselves were some of the most boring things I've ever had to sit through and I did not learn anything. Aside from their being barely any assignments [a photo response, 2 reviews, a midterm, and a final (which are three, 750 word essays)],no discussion, and only really having to check into class and being able to leave after(which I didn't always do), I regret taking this class. Most of my regret stems from the fact that the final is complete B.S. and asks questions that honestly only the professor would know the answer to since he literally makes up his own material (time periods, words, etc.) that does not actually exist, which means there is no other research you can do other than read his books (which also are very vague and do not make much sense). I was actually disappointed because I thought I was going to like the class. However, he did show a really good movie in class for a week and for that I am grateful.

Honestly, idk if I would say this is a very easy GE class. I was super excited to take this class b/c I was interested to learn more about media arts, but this class didn't really fulfill my expectations. The lectures were super boring which made most students just come in only to do attendance on the Archive app & leave right after. The other assignments such as picture response and exhibition reviews were super easy to do. However, the midterm and the final were kinda hard for me to answer b/c I had to incorporate materials from the lectures or the readings & it was hard for me to explain them in my own words. The questions definitely were challenging & required organizing & effort, and with my TA Tristan who was known to be that one DESMA TA who grades harshly, I struggled even more. Tristan was nice and understanding when I turned in my final paper 4 days late b/c of COVID-19 breakout, but it was a bit sad to get an A- from DESMA 8 where literally all of my other friends got an A or an A+. If you are a good writer, this class might be right for you, but if you hate and suck at writing as much as I do, then I would think about taking it. This class wasn't bad but wasn't the best either.

based af

Prepare to open you eyes and consider media from perspectives you may never have considered before. Lunenfeld's classes, especially this one, are nothing basic. You will delve into interesting and dense topics regarding the history of media and where it is going. These concepts are not particularly easy - but participate in the discussion and the lectures and you will find it enriching. The readings in this class can be hard, but they are some of the most interesting and perhaps revolutionary I have read at UCLA.

The class was not difficult and the content itself could be super interesting, but the professor's delivery was pretty boring. I always found it hard attempting to focus in his class, and taking notes never really seemed worth it making my motivation even lower. There are only a few assignments and they are not too bad as long as you meet the deadline. The most annoying thing about the class was that in person attendance is taken using a GPS app, meaning you can only select "here" if you are actually there in person. Towards the end of the quarter, people would gather outside of the Fowler and get close enough for the GPS to pick up that they were there and then leave....so I guess there is ways around it.