I was never a big fan of writing, and of course nor a fan of any writing classes. I can still remember my first ever writing class in college, where I really embarassed myself on the first day of class and felt very discouraged.

I walked into Tamar's class with a similar fear, but she definitely provided a class that changed my mind about writings. There are too many compliments that I can list for Tamar, because she is a great teacher and an extremely helpful person. I talked to her after our second class about my worries about failing the class, and she encouraged me a lot. Throughout the quarter, she had provided a lot of support for me where I feel I truly belong to the classroom and have agency over my writing.

Other than the academic part, Tamar is also extremely helpful in advising my future career options. I received an invitation for an opportunity from the military, where Tamar made time to meet individually with me to discuss the dos and don'ts with me, which really helped me with making my decision. In addition, she treats her students as adults, which is something I sincerely appreciate. There has been many cases where I feel discouraged because professors treat me as if I am still a teenager, and Tamar provides an environment where I feel I can discuss the class content with her both as a student and a grown person. Along the same line, she also encourage me to investigate on the realistic aspect of going into the career, such as stress management and income. Learning about how to research these information is really nice.

After all, the class is a hard class, but it is a great class for a writing II. I am a bio-related major, and I felt my writing really improved after taking the class. This is definitely not one of the easier classes I have taken, but it is definitely a class that I will take again and strongly recommend for others.

I would say she’s tough , I’ll admit but she is also very helpful. She gives you so much clarity and she is very very chill . The work you do might be a pain but it is very helpful. It helped me with my writing skills. Her group and individual conference which are mandatory are very resourceful , you get so much great insight and clarify on your writing.

I was hesitant to join this class at first because of the previous reviews from her other courses but I am so glad I trusted my gut and still took the course. Tamar is an incredible human first of all. She is deeply inspiring, kind, and not afraid to share her life experiences to connect with her students. I look up to her in so many ways as she has been one of the best professors I have had during my time at UCLA.

The grades are based on a "grading contract" so you are guaranteed a B if you complete your work well and can complete an extra assignment for an A. This may seem daunting but really isn't! Your goal in the class isn't to get 100% on a paper you're stressing over. Rather you get to learn how to write a blog, Op-Ed, and a create TEDTalk and have room to create something that is personal to you without having to worry about pleasing the professors expectations for an A. The class is also very based off of collaboration with your peers during class meeting but it really helps to create a great support system to build ideas.

The course is about climate science/change which is a fascinating topic that Tamar is passionate about and is very clear (makes you want to be passionate too). After taking this course, I believe I have learned so many great writing and speaking skills that go far beyond syntax or structure.

If you enjoy writing or want to get better at it, I couldn't recommend a better course.

This class transformed the way that I approach academic writing -- I feel like I know how to present hard science in a more digestible way, and also how to target my writing for specific audiences effectively. We focus on climate change and read the IPCC report, as well as Project Drawdown. The content and readings are honestly super enjoyable.

Tamar is also very down-to-earth -- the classroom environment is built to mirror the professional world. The course uses a grading contract. So, we approach classwork through the lens of a team; there's little-to-no lecture and most of your in-class time is spent like a discussion. [Meaningful] participation is super important, as is collaborating with your peers in writing workshops.

Do not be mistaken -- this course isn't an 'easy A.' But, the most important thing is your growth. We write three merit reviews throughout the entire quarter where we evaluated our performance and thought processes while writing in an iterative process. There are four main writing projects, as well as weekly discussion posts. No final exam. You're guaranteed a B if you do all the work. In your final portfolio, you also have the option of submitting an extra assignment to earn an 'Award for Excellence' -- or an A.

Tamar as an instructor is really special -- the classroom environment is very intimate and it's really cool. She embodies the work that she teaches and does a great job of showing that it's not hard to practice environmentalism. I highly recommend that you take this class at some point with her. It's a really unique and special experience.

Absolute GOAT. I put this class as hard, because it's not meant to be easy. Her whole methodology is to challenge your ideas on how to write and to give room for your own perspective to be noticed, and that has happened to me and my classmates. The negative reviews be tripping, this class isn't intended to be easy as I said. That being said, if you do revisions and show your thinking process in full, you'll have a much easier time getting the grade you want.

I learned a LOT in this class. Although reading the syllabus in the first week made the class seem daunting, with the two writing projects and the 6 hours of community service (not required), when it comes down to actually doing it, can I really complain if it was rewarding? I honestly would take this class again, but I wish I had gone in with a more open mind. This class is a lot of trust the process, don't get too frustrated with yourself, and you will turn out a much better writer. Great class to start your time at UCLA with because it really gives you perspective.

This class destroyed me all quarter. It is a lot of work: 2 writing projects, both 6 pages exactly, a 3-page writer's reflection and a 3-page community service analysis. The highest grade you can get on all the writing pieces is a B+, if you want to earn an A you have to do 6 hours of community service and write the 3-page piece about your experience. Adding up all the pages, it doesn't seem like too much, but you will rewrite these pages countless times. You write so-called "analytical writing" using the "personal pronoun" according to the methods in her self-written textbook. While it has the potential to make you a better writer, personally as an econ major it frustrated me knowing I won't be doing this personal writing again. She absolutely violated both of my writing project 1 & 2 drafts, and I had to work very hard to get them up. She tells you your grade but gives you time to improve your pieces which are all do on the last day of the quarter. Tamar is a very big personality, and you need to stay on her good side to do well (ie doing thorough annotations on readings, sucking up to what she writes in her textbook, agreeing with her politically, ect). I am very surprised I came away with an A-. Not easy by any means.

This class was much easier than I expected for a writing II class. There were only two main assignments: two research papers, around 10 pages each, that she guides you on during class. You can also meet with her one-on-one to get a tentative grade on each paper, so that you can know what to work on and you have a chance to improve your grade before it's finalized. Tamar is very funny, helpful, and casual, which creates a welcoming classroom environment.

I have PTSD from this class. This entry-level writing class was harder than my chemistry and Life Science classes combined and filled with pointless work. Tamar is rude, passive-aggressive, and pretends to be helpful when really she isn't. Unbelievable amount of work, unnecessary printing, and overall an awful experience. I left this class in tears on multiple occasions. Would rather go back to high school than experience this torture again. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH HER I AM BEGGING.

I would avoid this class. Her policies for attendance are ridiculous. If you are absent your grade gets marked down by half of a grade and 2 targets equal one absent. Harsh but even if you are there, she will give you an absence for not doing the homework or not doing it up to her standards. Now that is unfair! Most people in the class got an absence for not annotating enough in her opinion. The class is graded like this 75% is two essays and the other 25 %. is participation. This is how the participation is graded according to the syllabus “To get an “A” in participation, you must do more than is required. Therefore, simply being present, responding when called upon, actively participating in class and small group discussions, turning in all assignments on time, and coming to all conferences fully prepared and on time are not above and beyond elements of participation. Rather, those who earn an “A” in participation do all of this thoughtfully and deliberately, just as they do in writing.” you don't get any feedback on your participation grade, it seems very subjective. I felt like we had a lot of time to do the first one she assigned the prompt around week 3 but for the second she assigned it around week 8 and when people were asking if they would have zoom office hours she was telling them we had all quarter ???? like how the hell is 2 weeks all quarter? For homework, annotations are called they say I say and another is one she wrote called on your perspective. The class is 2 hours, with no breaks, very passive-aggressive wouldn't take this class unless you have two. She does have a required meeting where she goes over your essay and gives it a little Pregrađe and gives advice so you can fix it up before you turn in final essays.