Where to begin...

I'll start with the positives because there's so few. Lacayo is nice and sometimes funny! She carries herself as a professor and I respect her for that. Unfortunately, at an institution like UCLA, it’s not enough to carry yourself like a professor; it's a fair expectation that you do the job of a professor as well.

The course material in general is easy to comprehend, whether you do the readings or not. But it's the stringency of grading, non-existent explanation of expectations regarding assignments, and the truly shameful quality of office hours that make this course the worst course I have ever taken - no hyperbole *cue loud booing*. (For reference, I am a 3rd year & have taken multiple classes in the department. I received my only A- (ever) in her class and I doubt it's because my work ethic/study habits/writing style drastically worsened.

My biggest gripe with this course (Afro-Latinx 188) is with the grading. For the course, you’re required to write a 2 page mini essay, in-class essay, and 6 page essay. However, for all these essays, Lacayo will repeat the word “analysis” without any true explanation of what - precisely - she is looking for. For the midterm Lacayo instructed for us to “write down” the requirements, with no given rubric or written prompt (she literally could’ve emailed it). Though frustrating at the time, I realized how unfair this was when upon returning the midterm, she created a moving goalpost of expectations - informing us that many of us did not fulfill a requirement that she never mentioned (I would know, I take hyper-meticulous notes). Also, she gave us four, yes a measly four, days to write the final essay worth 40% of our grade - assigning the prompt at the last class for no apparent or justified reason. And if that wasn’t enough, the TAs, both non-Chicanx department related grad students, were terribly unequipped to assist with any relevant plight regarding the course - really nice people though.

Lacayo roughly assigns 50-100 pages of reading a week, which is to be expected at UCLA; yet, she does little to no close reading. The word “unpack” often appears in her lectures but 15/10 times, Lacayo does not “unpack.” She instead resorts to YouTube videos and simply reiterates the same 3 words, without truly engaging the text. If you're looking for engaging lectures or if you're under the guise that doing all the readings will assist you, I’m sorry to report thus is not the case.

Think you can remedy the aforementioned issues by visiting her at office hours? No can do! When you go to visit her one (1) scheduled office hour slot for one (1) hour to *hopefully* get insight on what exactly she wants, she will probably show up 30 mins late, repeat the word “analysis” a couple hundred times, and then send you on your merry way.

If possible, avoid Lacayo and her courses unless you willingly enjoy unnecessary stress.

I really enjoyed this class, especially as someone who doesn’t identify as Afro-Latinx because it taught me a lot about the community in many different ways. Because I have no personal connection to the material, I thought that it would be harder for me to grasp the concepts taught in the class. However, through Lacayo’s lectures and the reading material, I was able to grasp the concepts easily. It’s hard to understand the concepts if you skip out on either the lectures or the articles because they work hand-in-hand. I’d recommend skimming through the articles right before class if you don’t like reading.

The grade is based on participation/attendance (10%), a 2-page paper during week 3 (20%), a midterm paper written in class (30%), and a 5-page final paper (40%). If you do everything you’re supposed to do for the class and actually immerse yourself in the material, it’s easy to get an A in the class.