If you have to or want to take Geo 5... take it with GILLESPIE! He is by far one of the most engaging and entertaining teachers I have ever had. I laughed out loud almost on a daily basis in his lectures from his crazy stories in South America or his impersonation of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Other than that he presents content in a very simple way, going through his notes by hand on the white board. Overall and EASY and Fun class to take.

I loved this class because of who Gillespie is. He wore flip flops, a shirt, and sometimes sweats and was super chill about everything. These topics he discusses are engaging and helpful. I recommend this class to anyone, with a background on it or not, if you want an easy A and a good time. I'm a political science major but too bad I'm not a geography major. Now, he's one of my favorite professors!
TIP: Sit in the front of the class. He doesn't use powerpoints or a microphone/speaker. He talks loud and writes on the whiteboards.

Grading Scheme:
Midterm: 30%
Final: 40%
Discussion/Labs: 30%
The lab consists of: 1 group project + attendance/participation & easy worksheets on videos in class.

Book: Visualizing Environmental Science by Berg and Hager (it's like $5-6 for a used 2nd ed. one on Amazon). It can be ANY edition, 1-4 because all of them have the same content, according to the professor. He tries to make things cheap for everyone; he understands our college struggle.

Selling slightly used textbook (still in great condition)

Visualizing Environmental Science : $15

email me if interested:
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Gillespie is amazing! His lectures were very interesting and I loved going to them. His tests are pretty straightforward, though he does make you memorize a lot of numbers and percents (he tells you which ones). There is a group project which was alright, just get a good group. I studied for about 2 hours before his midterm and 4 hours before his final just going through his notes and making notecards, and though I didn't do as well as I'd hoped on the midterm (82%), I got an A on the final and an A- on the group project so I ended with an A- in the class.

Professor Gillespie is a very interesting lecturer, his course is actually fun at times and he even made an attempt to connect with students during one of the labs, best professor I've had at UCLA

Gillespie is passionate about the environment, which makes this class more engaging. He is really funny making lectures fun to attend. He hands out study guides before the midterm and final that have all the information for the tests.

Gillespie is a charismatic guy with a booming voice who wears flipflops to lecture. I understand why everyone loves him. But the class itself is just an easy A that's kind of a waste of time for anything else. Didn't really learn anything of importance that I didn't already know. Also, you really don't need the textbook at all, so don't bother buying it!

This class is hands down the easiest GE to take at UCLA. The tests were both super easy and Gillespie is the homie so he says what will be on the tests more or less during office hours. Geog 5 is a must-take class. Gillespie is so chill. The labs are fun too. You get to go to the botanical gardens and walk around for one of them. No need to read the textbook at all.

Very good professor! No need to read the book, tests are based off lectures. Very funny and engaging! Easy class, learned a lot.

Highly recommend!!

Professor Gillespie is an excellent professor and I really enjoyed this class. He is an engaging and entertaining lecturer and he really cares about student success. I was not overly interested in geography prior to this class, but now I'm considering a minor.

I found the course material very straightforward and interesting. There is no need to do the textbook readings because the exams are based almost entirely on lecture. Gillespie gives out a study guide before the midterm and final which tells you exactly what you need to memorize. I thought both exams were easy. I made an A on the midterm and a perfect score on the final. Gillespie is also happy to help students in his office hours.

I thought this was a fun and informative class. I would recommend taking it!