I took WAC 33 as a GE. Honestly, for the ling and philosophy credit, I might not recommend that. The class is a bit more difficult than your typical GE. The course goes very deep into its content and provides students with a range of history and perspectives. If you're interested in the topic, I'd consider taking it. David is very funny but has high expectations for his students. Do not expect to be able to skip class or space out. Honestly, he doesn't assign a ton of assignments besides readings that you really need to do. The letters to the colonized/colonizer are more of a creative writing sort of thing, so the class truly only has two hard assignments (thesis/outline and final paper). He gives the formatting requirements for these two. Put in the work and you will do well. The TA is also a great resource.

Professor Shorter is tough and has high expectations for his students, but he cares deeply about this course, his students, and being a great professor. He is very smart, and therefore has strong opinions, but he is also very willing to listen and change his epistemology if need be. You need to read and write a lot in this class, but it is worth it. Shorter also offers lots of extra credit opportunities. You will learn so much in this class. Highly recommend.

Professor: Shorter really is an interesting person. Although he can seem one sided at times, Shorter genuinely cares about his students and makes himself relatively available, whether he responds to your email as thoroughly as possible or actually engages with you in his office hours. Though Shorter does remember faces and names so if you are dozing off in his class, which he understands from time to time or your that kid that sits in the back with nothing to contribute, Shorter will focus less time on you when you seek his help (which is understandable, he would rather go the extra mile for someone who actually is doing the work).

Work: Shorter assigns reasonable to large amounts of readings. Honestly, you are going to love some, you are going to be "eh" about some and then there are going yo be ones you just want to get over! Again, Shorter does understand this but he wants you to at least try and think what the assigned readings are trying to make you think about.

Lectures: About two hours long. Very interesting if you finished your readings. Try to take a nap or eat something before you go because the lectures tend to make you feel tired because Shorter dives deep into the material and will continue on with his agenda, respectfully, and keeping up with the Lecture can be exhausting. Note: There are no lecture slides posted online.

TA's: For Winter 2012 my TA was Peter Haffner and he was a really chill dude who has worked with Shorter before and knows that this class can come as a shock to some students and will work with you in class and out to help you get the grade you want.

Exams and essays: In-class midterm and final. Not simple regurgitating exams. Shorter advises you to use key terms that he has EMPHASIZED extensively throughout lectures. These exams have no surprises and Shorter and the TA's are not sneaky about grading. With that said, GRAMMAR GRAMMAR GRAMMAR!!!!!!!!! I cannot emphasize how much this can either boost your grade or bring down all your hard work.

Great class! Would highly recommend this class to all my friends.

I'm a first year this year, and I took WAC33 my winter quarter 2013. I spent all of my time going to the TA sections, which were helpful when writing papers. Despite his strict writing requirements, it really does make the paper sound better in the final product. He's one of those professors who will recognize your hard work, and give you the grade that you work for. There are a lot of readings, but it all comes together and makes a lot of sense. You must have an open mind about religion and culture. I read a post saying, that this was a hard class but worth it in the end, and I could not agree more, which is why I decided to leave a comment about Shorter. The TAs are nice, he is a good lecturer, but I never really spoke to him in person for longer than a few minutes. He replies to e-mails. He's am intelligent man in his fieldwork of indigenous groups. Be prepared for the two papers. He has EC opportunities!!! And he lets you re-write the first paper, the Gill paper. On my first paper I got a -1.5/20 all because of "grammatical" errors. Then, a 3/20. Then on my last rewrite I got 18/20. It's worth it though. And the final paper, I got a 25/25. Ended up with an A+. If you can write, or like to, and want to delve into cultural differences, self-reflection, and meditate at the beginning of class, etc. Take the class. Your writing will improve, even if you think you're a stellar writer... If you have questions or seek advice on the writing style, email me at *************.

WAC 33 is a very challenging but rewarding class. This was my first WAC class, and I didn't expect it to be as great as it was! I wish I took it earlier in my undergrad career, because it improved my critical thinking skills and my writing by a lot! If you have the opportunity to take this class, you definitely need to sign up for it! David is an awesome professor; he's funny, entertaining, sarcastic, etc.). I always looked forward to going to class. Also if you need the course materials, I'm selling the course reader and the two required novels. Please email me at *************

I went into this class knowing that it would be difficult, and only wanting to take it because it would be my last GE.

I can honestly say that this was probably one of the most enriching classes I have ever taken at UCLA and I don't regret a single moment of it. This class, like other reviewers have said, has truly changed my worldview and has help me become more understanding of the worldview of others.

Professor Shorter is definitely not one of those professors that is going to take your bs excuses for not going to class or let you walk away with an easy A. You're definitely going to have to work for it, but hopefully you'll walk away with something much greater in value than a grade...or something like that.

His class is sometimes brutal but undeniably fair. His quizzes, in all honesty, are not difficult if you have done the reading. I probably missed only two questions the whole quarter -- not a big deal. The readings are sometimes dense, but they're always gone over in class.

Shorter is one of those professors that truly care and he might even change your life. Take this class, I doubt you'll really regret it.

WAC 33 was one of those classes you regret while taking it (the workload was pretty intense, especially for me who only took it as a GE) but learn to appreciate its worth after you're done with it. Professor Shorter's lectures always prompted me to rethink the very way I thought and entire systems of what I had been taught. The way I approach the world has been, I can honestly say, affected by the philosophical aspects of the class. Anyone interested in really gaining something from their experience at UCLA should consider taking this class. There was one 10-12 page paper due at the end of the quarter and readings for every week.