TAKE THIS CLASS! As a transfer student I was nervous about the transition from a Community College to a 4-year University. Professor Speer made sure that my experience in this class was a positive one. I will admit some of the readings were difficult, but Speer went over them in class and discussed it until everyone understood. Such a caring and understanding person in light of everything going on. I really wanted to take him for Sociology 182 for Winter 2020, but the class filled up so fast, and rightfully so. Speer is hands down the BEST professor in this department. Honestly, the BEST professor at UCLA!! Also if you're good he'll show his dogs Bogart and Nyla.

TAKEN DURING COVID-19 ONLINE INSTRUCTION:

Speer is a great professor, he engages with his students a LOT in his slides-based lectures which makes the classes go by super fast. He is friendly and likes to see students engage with the material, makes himself very accessible for office hours. He canceled our midterm and restructured our class to assist students having difficulties with online learning, which was really appreciated.

He has a cute dog that he often shows us before/after class, which many of us really got a kick out of. Speer is a HIGH DEMAND professor so if you're able to take a class with him I definitely recommend prioritizing it when you register so you can actually get in!

The final paper was 30% of our grade and based on assessing Marx and his predictions on capitalism, so if you are into Marxism, this class will definitely be an interesting one! One thing I will say though is that it was fairly long (8 pages) and required 5+ outside credible sources, so it took up a lot of my energy. The readings are very hard to understand but his slides are set up to help you process them before and after, which I appreciated as well. You read works by Marx, Durkheim, and Weber.

I recommend him as a professor for SOCIOL101, which is an especially dense class that is made very digestible by him.

After taking this class, I know I am very comfortable with the way Speer lectures. I am so excited to take more classes taught by Professor Speer.

I honestly really appreciate the minimal stuff he has on the slides because he goes in depth explaining them. So the best way I know for me to take notes for this class is typing what is on the slides and possibly under whatever statement, I also type what he says. I am able to do this during the live lecture, but if you cannot keep up, his lectures are also recorded!

As for his assignments, I believe they are fair and straight forward. If done correctly, they are helpful in possible essays, because you would then have citations for explaining certain concepts. However, if you are not sure and still do the assignment, this quarter and usually these assignments are graded on completion anyways. Therefore, in discussion, we would usually discuss the questions or concepts in class.

I was not looking forward to this class at all as it's learning about old theorists and reading their boring, dense work. However, Professor Speer made this class super interesting, was able to break down the content into understandable terms and it was actually a fun class. Some of the concepts are definitely hard to grasp but it is important to do so. I really do recommend going to office hours for Professor Speer and/or your TA to discuss the readings and ask any clarifying questions. I know office hours can be scary, but for this class especially it is so important in order to really understand the necessary material unless you are some genius who can easily read and comprehend the works of Marx, Durkheim, and Weber.

I LOVED THIS CLASS AND DR. SPEER!! He made the class so fun and engaging. The material was really interesting, and the professor has a great personality so it made lectures fly by. Dr. Speer is super caring and is always willing to help students. He is an amazing lecturer and is super patient. This class is a 10/10.

A- cause of my final paper mostly. I'm not sure when I took this class, but it was incredibly engaging. This class with Prof Speer is probably a good introduction to upper-division in general. He is really kind and respectful towards his students and makes sure to give time for each slide or any questions that come up. There are weekly assignments, but not only are they graded on completion, but they actually contribute towards the tests (crazy, I know). Now 101 has a lot of info, so don't underestimate the course material.
Everyone always talks about Wisam, I didn't have him as a TA, but honestly just go to Isaac, if you need help.
I'm taking soc 156 with Prof Speer now which is how I ended up here to see if he had any reviews for that class too. I think he taught 147 at one point, but I already took that class over the summer. Anyway, yup.

To excel in this class you have to be engaged with the material. You want to take notes beyond just want Speer says because he does not post the same slides, only key terms, so its kinda important to go to lecture. If you can get Wisam as a TA, GO FOR IT!! Wisam makes understanding this stuff a piece of cake. I got an A- in the course and I really only studied everything Wisam clarified. There is a list of questions for the exams and you choose a few to answer. Speer is an interesting professor, slightly witty.

Honestly this class isn't an easy A. There are homework assignments every week that are graded based on completion, so thats cool, but the midterm, final, and final paper, are hard. If you actually attend the lectures, listen to him and take notes on everything he says (because even though he posts his slides, he only posts key terms - doesn't go in depth), you'll do well! You kind of have to care about whats going on too, or else it can be really boring. I loved every bit of it though, I took him for soc 102 in the summer too. Try to get Wisam as a TA if you really wanna do good!!! Hes literally the best