As someone who is NOT a sociology major, I stumbled upon this class by accident as a late add... what a blessing it turned out to be... This class was probably one of the most important classes I have taken at UCLA, and I am about to graduate. Organized, thoughtful lectures, reading materials and willingness to communicate throughout this course make it unique from all other college courses I have taken. The workload is not much, it is super doable if you stay on top of it. I was added 3 weeks late in the class and was able to pull of getting a good grade in the class, that should tell you alot. Professor Sexton is very accommodating and actually LISTENS to his students and takes time to sit and talk with every student about concerns or any other matters (I know, you dont see this alot at a school this big). The class consists of participation, 3 quizzes, a final, and a final project where you study a religion. It seems a lot at first, but trust me, you will have so much fun doing it and it is really hard to not get a good grade because everything you have to do is listed, along with the help from him and TA's every week throughout the quarter. Quizzes are multiple choice, straight up and not meant to deceive you. Overall, a really fun, informative, educational and super interesting and fairly easy class... Take this class, you wont regret it!!

I really enjoyed this class and I think I learned a lot about the sociology of religion from Professor Sexton! I never would have though I would take a religion course as a Sociology major, but I'm glad I did. The readings he provided were also very engaging, however, be warned you will be quizzed on the readings but because they are pretty good reads you should be fine.
This class also featured guest lectures from the authors from some of the readings which really helped give me an insight on what I read and its always nice to interact with an author whose work you've read before.
This class also featured an ethnographic paper on a religion of your choice, which I found to be very fun to do. Although it is a bit of work to schedule and conduct interviews, it was a fun way to conduct your own research.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this class to any Soc major because Professor Sexton is a good professor and if you follow all of the required materials and assignments you should do well!

The professor makes lecturers interesting by applying concepts to current events. Overall, I recommend this course if you are interested in furthering your knowledge on religion and the role it plays in society. Throughout this course I had the opportunity to conduct my own field research, which is experience I can utilize as a future researcher. Additionally, this course has allowed me to have a better understanding of how scripture, culture and tradition influence actions within communities. For example, prior to this course I would never have considered that there was a relationship between religion and environmental sustainability. However, this course allowed me to see that there is not only a relationship but a strong influence from religious groups' perception on environmental sustainability and its impact on the surrounding environment politically, economically and socially.

The course sociology 121 added depth to my perspective on religion. Specifically on Christianity and its branch in Roman Catholicism (because of the term research paper), their relationship with environmental sustainability, and how that translates at various levels in the United States. Professor Sexton and T.A Batac made my experience rich. Doctor Sexton holds so much knowledge, lectures with passion, and is easy to communicate. T.A Batac's enthusiasm facilitates communicating comments, questions, or concerns on assignments like the book quizzes and the ethnographic research paper.

The books we read like James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time and Robert P. Jone's White Too Long were incredibly eye-opening. Like others we read, these books helped lighten the shade off my glasses and, in my opinion, believe that all should read these two books once in their lifetime. Doctor Sexton has some of the authors of the books we cover come to class and speak about their piece and research, which is always rewarding as they hold much knowledge. It helps grasp the material and opens a line of communication for us to expand our network if it interests us. Doctor Sexton's flexibility for our term paper allowed me to discover and experience a new research method in Dirbagging. I enjoyed the procedure because it allowed me to develop a study on terms that felt right for the occasion, helping create a unique approach to researching the religion we students have the option of selecting.

Thanks to Doctor Sexton, T.A Batac, and my time and effort, I increased my understanding and confidence to hold a critical conversation of Christianity and its branch in Roman Catholicism in the United States with an emphasis on environmental sustainability.

Read, Research, and Participate = A- (I don't do well with timed/multi-option quizzes or else: A :D)