I'm selling the book and the course reader for Ethno 50A together for 80 bucks! The course reader alone is 50 bucks if you buy it in westwood, so it's a pretty good deal! Both are in perfect condition, no writing, highlighting, or creases. I only used it for a summer session! Email me at ************* if you are interested.

GREAT CLASS! If you can get into it, you will seriously be so happy all quarter! Not only is the material and coursework manageable, but it is very interesting. I came into the course looking for an easy GE and ended up gaining a liking towards jazz music--even attending an extra jazz concert towards the end of the quarter.
Harrison is very passionate about his music, but he is not at all overwhelming. He makes lectures interesting and gives you the information that you need to know and will want to know. I gained a real appreciation for the music and his way of teaching. He would rather you get a good grade and learn to appreciate the music. Class is composed of midterm, 2 papers, performance report, and a final. Final and midterm are multiple choice.

Take this class!!!

RIDICULOUSLY EASY GE CLASS!!
TAKE IT!!!!!!

All you have to do is basically memorize musicians and their instruments as well as little facts he tells you in class. There are also songs you have to memorize as well. He's a super nice guy, very down to Earth. There are also 2 papers and 1 performance report but they're so easy it's a joke!

My grades:
Paper 1: 92%
Paper 2: 99%
Performance Report: 100%
Midterm: 100%
Final: 99%

I only studied ONE DAY prior to the test!

I really liked this class and how it got me back into jazz music. I did learn a lot of material and even bought some of the songs we needed to memorize for the midterm and final. Harrison is very charismatic and will keep your attention during lecture. I regret not going to his OH and getting to know him better. In addition, if you take this class fall quarter, there's the jazz concert towards the end, which he encourages you to go to in order to complete the performance report. But I enjoyed the concert regardless of whether I had to write a report on it or not (I just recorded the performances with Voice Memos and listened to them later when I was actually writing the report). I think if you sort of like music already, you will definitely enjoy this class. The essays are a little painful, but the rest is pretty easy. The people below me are idiots; no shit this class is easy, but it's also a very good GE class.

Ridiculously easy class, easier than high school if you can believe. The tests are all multiple choice. Half the class is usually the Ken Burns documentary which you really don't have to take notes on. Just make a list of all the guys he mentions and what instruments they play and you will be set. He's actually a really good lecturer if you go to class, but most people stopped showing up, which I kinda felt bad about. It's a good class, pretty interesting, and doesn't take much of your time.

I am a freshman and I signed up for this class purely based on bruinwalk ratings. I'm going to give you an honest account of my experience with this class....
Lecture: Boring. Just plain boring. Half of the kids did not pay attention during class, and half of those were on facebook and the other half were sleeping. And the other half of students who attended lecture were struggling to stay awake. But in the end, barely anyone came to lecture. If you don't feel the need to be there, then just copy the notes from your friends.
Discussion: What we talked about in discussion was pointless, but going is crucial because it's part of your grade. The 9:00 Friday morning class was not exactly my favorite. Your T.A. decides a portion of your grade (2 essays and 1 concert report each worth 10% of your grade), so make sure to go to their office hours to get specifics on what they want for your paper.
Textbook/Course Reader: The textbook doesn't help for the tests or anything, but for the essays it helps you better understand the concepts you have to write about. You can use the course reader on your essays as a source but that is pretty much the only benefit of wasting $30 on it.

Other advice...
1. Get going on your papers early so that you can bring them to your TA's office hours. Also, the sooner you check out books from the music library and do your research, the wider selection there will be.
2. The movies/clips Harrison shows are interesting so don't just bail on those class days.
3. Memorize songs/musicians because they really matter for your test.
4. Pay attention to the study guides if you get them from your TAs.

I ended up with an A+ in this class and had the hardest TA. It's not that hard of a class, just make sure to really cram for the midterm and final and you'll end up with an A.

True, this class is not as easy as others are saying, but it still is pretty darn easy. Professor Harrison is cool, unlike South campus professors who are not. You are required to go to discussion, not lecture. There are 2 papers to write for this class. Do well on these. Also you must go to a concert. Go to another concert for 3 PERCENT EXTRA CREDIT!!!!. The midterm and final are both memorizing names and who played what instrument. You must also recognize songs and who played the songs? THIS CLASS WAS A VERY EASY CLASS, TAKE IT ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE A FRESHMAN.

HOW TO MAKE SURE YOU GET THE EASIEST A OF YOUR LIFE

1) Do not go to lecture, just get the lecture notes from a friend (make sure the friend isn't a premed, hahaha lol that was a joke, a good joke hahah!)
2) Email your papers to your TAs to have them review it before you submit the paper.
3) Give yourself at least 2 nights before to cram. 1 night to cram the notes. 1 night to cram the songs.
4) Do the extra credit concert report, IT ADDS 3 PERCENT TO YOUR FINAL GRADE.
5) Go to discussion sections and make sure to sign in; attendance is checked.

GOD I WISH EVERY CLASS WAS AS EASY AS THIS! HAHAHA LOL!! FUCKING NORTH CAMPUS IS SO EASY! I WISH THAT FOR MY BIRTHDAY, I COULD BE A NORTH CAMPUS MAJOR! HAHHAHAHAHA!!!!

THIS CLASS IS NOT AS EASY AS OTHERS ARE SAYING IT IS! I went into this class hoping to get a break from the two other chem classes I am taking, but I found that this class is no cake walk. For each midterm, I had to memorize about 100 musicians and the specific instrument they played... and this was only half of the exam. The rest was half based on the textbook (over $100 at the Ackerman Store) and his lectures. There was a lot of reading to do... about 4 chapters per week. There was sooo much information. My TA graded my essays very strictly. She is a jazz major for the graduate program and knows just as much as the professor. I would even go on to say that this class is hard.

I loved this class! Professor Harrison is so passionate about jazz and really wants his students to do well. You learn so many interesting things and listen to a lot of great music in this class. Whether or not you are a fan of jazz music to begin with, you will leave this class with a much better appreciation for it. I highly recommend taking this course, because it's fun, interesting, the essays/exams are not too stressful, and Professor Harrison is an awesome teacher! If you attend class regularly, you should do very well!

I took the class Fall 08 and I have to say that the class is very easy and the teacher just makes it even better. Harrison is a jolly fellow and although it's a two hour class, most of the time we get out early or he plays songs that take up class time. Just memorize the songs and lecture notes and you're good to go. And you don't use the coursereader at all unless you want to cite it in the two essays that you are required to do.