I love this professor! I took this course during the summer, it was very fast paced when it came to the lectures so his presentation of them were a bit confusing at times, but his final exam was easy; very straightforward questions. He requires two weekly summaries about lecture content but you can view the lecture later if you missed it since he records them all and the summary is very easy to do (10 min limit). Other than that he has 3 kind of book report type assignments due every 2 weeks, but they are easy readings and very interesting ones so the assignments are easy to do. He is also very understanding as I had a family emergency and allowed me to submit a lot of my work late and I thank him for that greatly.

Professor Sexton is one of the best professors I’ve taken at UCLA. His lectures are extremely engaging and boosts curiosity. I had him this summer for a 8:30AM class which is normally a time I find dreadful but I found myself excited to attend these lectures. The workload isn’t too intense but does take some effort. The class consists of attendance summaries for each class. As long as you engage with his lecture, it’s nothing too crazy. We had three essays (personal reading summaries) for three books. All of the books were extremely interesting if your interesting in crime. The grading is not harsh at all on these essays. We also had one final exam. Take the leap and you won’t regret it!

Professor Sexton is undeniably one of the best teachers I've had at UCLA. He takes time to remember your name and make you feel like he is there to learn something from you as well. You can see his passion for the topics he teaches while being entertaining and interactive. Something you do not see often is a professor having first-hand experience in what they are teaching, but Professor Sexton does, which gives a unique teaching perspective that helped me learn deeper. Although each class is mandatory to attend, time flies with his content that makes you think deeper about what you know about how our society views certain aspects such as the prison system and religion. I would not miss out on class because there are guest lecturers who add to the value of the class. There is a research paper due at the end of the quarter but you have more than enough time to finish it. Alongside that, we read 3 books that are fast-paced and easy to digest. His directions are straightforward and if followed you will have no problem leaving the class with a fantastic grade. Professor Sexton makes much time for his students through his office hours and quickly responds via email. There are extra credit assignments if you want an extra grade bump.

Please take Dr. Sexton!! He is not only an amazing Professor, but he is extremely empathetic. Last quarter was the hardest quarter of my life due to personal circumstances. Dr. Sexton was incredibly supportive and understanding. He truly cares about the success of his students! This course is also very engaging. You will read three short novels and engage in a discussion via canvas. There is a research project, but it is very manageable. The final exam consists of an essay question which is dependent upon the class lectures.

Professor Sexton is a really good professor and he really cares about his students. Especially with everything going on during this quarter he was very accommodating and showed support towards his students. This class requires you to read three books, all of which I found interesting and I'm not much of a reader myself, you then have to write an 800-900 word analysis about those books, and you are also required to submit two rounds of field notes which support your research paper or presentation you have to submit by the end of the quarter. The final was taken in a blue book and he displayed three questions on the board for you to answer in an essay format. His lectures could be more engaging, clearer, and straight to the point, I attended all of them and I really had to study hard for the final because I didn't catch some of the main points because I would often zone out. However, if you put your full concentration into lecture you should be fine. His lectures are not recorded but he posts sides. You should still attend lecture though because the slides are not helpful on their own. This class seems like a lot of work but it is graded reasonably and I believe it makes you a better sociologist.

Out of the three classes I have taken from Professor Sexton, this one was my favorite. Lectures posited well-supported arguments on the forefront of the field of religion. I believe that these arguments are especially relevant to anyone who practices or is even considering practicing. Even for agnostic people this class offers value via important historical information and the ways in which religion affects the secular world. The core of this course is the research project, this is the closest experience to grad school research in the soc field that I have seen thus far at UCLA. Sourcing data from your own research and exclusively peer-reviewed sources gives the effect of progressing the field of sociology using your own faculties.

This class consisted of a quarter-long ethnographic research project (short 5 page paper OR 8-10 presentation), 3 2-page book reports, and a bluebook final on lecture content. The grading was extremely reasonable and the professor was extremely understanding with extension requests.

Highly recommend to anyone interested!

This class has broadened my mindset and allowed me to grow into a better researcher and academic. I found myself wanting to learn and investigate all that surrounds me and the systems put in place for their true origins and intentions. Dr. Sexton was a key player in these investigations, and guided me in the right directions for my research project. I am a STEM major, but his classes within the sociology discipline helped in rounding out my education and broadening my horizons. I cannot recommend this class, amongst others enough!

I took prison religion with Sexton in Winter 24'. The class isn't listed, honestly, the class was a major waste of time. The topic isn't nuanced enough for 10 weeks and attendance is mandatory. He also will take it very personally if you miss class or don't remember the material. He grades very harshly and is often rude. If you disagree with a grade he gave he simply does not care. If you want to struggle and be unhappy for a whole quarter take this class otherwise don't there are many kinder professors here at UCLA.

I really enjoyed taking this class. I am a STEM major and was concerned about writing a 10 page paper as the final ethnographic report. However, Dr. Sexton helped me so much through office hours and made it much easier and less stressful for me to write this paper. The material he teaches is fascinating and he has real experience in the prison system which makes it even more interesting listening to him teach it. He brought in a retired FBI agent to talk to us as well and a couple other guests who all had fascinating stories to tell us about. Dr. Sexton is one of the coolest professors I have had and was just so much different than my STEM professors and it was a lovely change of pace for me. I recommend taking this class if you can.

Every single class requires attendance - which is graded. He gave 3 book summary assignments that were required to be four pages SINGLE SPACED. However, this style did force me to really go through the books and take in the concepts. I came to every class, took notes, and somehow found the final super challenging. I feel like the class wasn't really THAT interesting because the repeating message was that the prison system is poor and needs to be reformed. There were a lot of off topic tangents that had me lose focus. I felt like the class was disorganized and confusing. I was expecting this class to be a 10/10 given the incredible reviews for this professor. I mean, he is a cool guy, but I was disappointed going in with high expectations. I would give this class and professor a 6/10. I also expected this class to be easier than it was. The assignments are very time-consuming, and you have to work on them well in advance to not feel overwhelmed. I recommend this class if you are passionate about the subject of crime, but don't go in with expectations of this being the best class ever.