I'm not gonna lie, the people who hate on her teaching style and hate the overall topics of this course have underlying issues they need to work on... This course is very insightful and interesting. Professor Leap talks about gangs, race, organizations, and systems. If these topics don't interest you then don't take the class.
However, if they do interest you I would 100% recommend this class. Professor Leap is funny and her lectures were never close to being boring. The three hours went by super fast. Attendance is mandatory and there is a midterm and final (both papers). The midterm is in person and she basically asks you to define 5 terms introduced during class and asks you to answer 2 "essay" questions. If you read the books and take notes then you are guaranteed an A. The final is a take at home essay and is super easy. You just write 2 essays each 3-5 pages talking about the books you read throughout the class. EASY A!!

Final (50%), Midterm (30%), Attendance (20%)

This class is one giant non sequitur: there is zero continuity and no clear topic, purpose, or even a general theme. Topics discussed include jail, sexual abuse, spatial income inequality, covid, STDs in minority gay men, all tied together by Professor Leap wasting hours (yes) talking about her own family, personal anecdotes, experiences totally extraneous to class, etc. The entirety of this courses’ material could be condensed into a 2 hour period. That is not an exaggeration.

Prior to this class, I thought “I’d be ok with taking anything that gave me an easy A”. This class proved me wrong. It feels offensive, unbecoming of UCLA, and like a huge waste of everyone’s time. It feels like you in on some kind of inside joke with Leap where you both know that if the administration found out she was “teaching” this course she would get in trouble. I’ve never really thought “my tuition is going towards THIS?” until this class (really, and I swear am not a snobby person).

Leap’s frequent attempts at humor go beyond edgy and are totally inappropriate: insinuating that all American veterans “died for nothing” (which yes, elicited laughs in this class) is a totally careless statement and would be wildly offensive to anyone who has lost a loved one in the military.

Anyway, I know leap has a large cult of personality here (and this class is easy — like mind-numbingly easy) but I’d discourage people from taking this course. Contrary to popular belief, there are quite a few easy A courses at UCLA, the vast majority are taught by professionals who you’ll actually learn something from. Leap herself is a renowned expert on crime and gang culture — it’s too bad she puts so little effort into this class.

This class is WHACK. Dr. Leap is WHACK. The students, however, are also WHACK. Read to the bottom to hear the story.

Dr. Leap has a philosophy: don't worry about grades. Do the work, get an A. Super helpful, should create a very generous and happy student population, and a very free-flowing and efficient lecture period, right? WRONG. She still would spend 10+ minutes every lecture talking about course logistics. Section material was not integrated with course material well. The guest lectures were never integrated. Books were not integrated until the final. Some of the lectures/guest speakers were super interesting. But they didn't have slides or handouts, so we had to take notes if we wanted to reference a stat or something.

Three reflection papers and a final. Four required books (must be referenced in some papers and the final to keep you accountable). The highlight of the course was being forced to read these books. Just Mercy is required and it is incredible.

Story time:
Dr. Leap invites the Deputy Chief of the LAPD for Community Engagement to speak with us. This is a black woman. This is a black woman cop who supports defunding the police, spending more on community safety, etc., and she says so in her guest lecture. She is obviously not as left-leaning as the UCLA Pub Aff population, but jesus christ she is about as liberal as cops come. She is my ideal Deputy Chief of the LAPD for Community Engagement because she supports defunding the police!
But when I say that these students ripped her apart in the GroupMe, it's an understatement. "copaganda" "racist bullshit" "this is traumatic" like jesus christ can you just listen to someone that has been working on the ground, in the field, etc. before judging? She has lived the experiences of black women in LA, she knows what cops deal with, why shouldn't we listen to what she has to say? Anyway, rant over.

Take the class for the books and the easy A.

In the nicest way possible, this was probably the most useless course I've taken at UCLA. I don't think anything we learned was anything past common knowledge and I felt like the 3 hours we spent every week in class was just listening to the professor rant about some random topic. HOWEVER, the professor is probably the most kind, thoughtful faculty member UCLA has. She is truly a gem and her work within the community is really inspiring. Almost every in this course gets an A, so if that is your motivation, then take this course. If you're looking for a course where you're going to learn a lot of useful information, this may not be the one for you. Despite it not being super relevant I would take this course 100x again because of the grading and the (lack of) workload.

Dr Leap taught me so much about myself. This isn't just a class with theories, this is how the real world, and people work. Her teaching still is PERFECT for me. I came from a very non traditional background, ending up at alternative school in H.S. and returning back to college in late 20s. Her lectures are extremely engaging and she will keep you hooked on coming every single lecture. NO SCREEN POLICY: Truthfully I could have cared less, she was so interesting in her lectures, guest lectures, and class material I could careless about having a phone or laptop next to me. the class is Midterm and take home final. Don't think because the final is take home that it is easy... YOU NEED TO DO THE READING AND WORK. 4 books to be read. Not too heavy, but understanding the concepts and general idea of the reading is CRUCIAL to get an A. It is completely possible for 95% of the class to get an A if they just do the work and pay attention.

Not only will you get an A if you do the work, but you'll take something from this class that you will never forget for your own life, and for those you love around you.

I absolutely enjoyed this course and Dr. Leap is truly great at the work she does. Prior to this course, I never have been as emotionally moved in any class in my life. The topics that she covered throughout class were definitely relevant to our daily lives. They hit especially close to home if you grew up within the environments discussed in lectures.

Since it is a 3-hour long seminar, I felt that I was spacing out at times so I wished we could have interacted more with our peers. You cannot use your phone or laptop, which may seem torturous but she makes the class go by fast. Also, do not ask her questions about your grade or something already on the syllabus. As for grades, I think the last two recent reviews sum the class up pretty well. It truly is an easy A. The books were amazing reads and not at all your typical textbooks. They actually give insight into the stories of individuals who have had personal or familial encounters with youth incarceration, child welfare, intimate partner violence, and so much more.

Her cursing and humor may come off as brash to some students, so if you’re opposed to that then probably don’t take it. But, she truly cares about students’ learning. I loved her style of teaching and 100% recommend taking this class. During Week 9, she hosted her open house office hours where you can come to talk to her about literally anything and this is how I really got to interact with her, ask for advice, share stories, and get a free cookie! Overall, I always looked forward to attending each class. I hope to take another class with her again.

I loved this class. Professor Leap is fantastic— she is engaging, funny, and real. This class was absolutely the highlight of my week. Leap explores topics relating to attachment, loss, and gangs. It is extremely interesting, thought provoking, and also an easy class to get an A in. Literally just go to class and read the books and you’ll be fine. Clearly some people have a problem with how Leap teaches the course, but please take that with a grain of salt because she is EXCELLENT. The guest speakers were amazing, and I truly felt like I learned something new every class. I personally love Leap’s philosophy while teaching. If you have a problem with a professor who keeps it real, cusses sometimes, and actually knows what its like to translate theory into to work, don’t take this class. I found her teaching style refreshing, engaging, and honestly nothing less than excellent. If I were to recommend anyone of any major a class to take, I highly recommend this one. 100000000/10 worth it.

AVOID Professor Leap if you stand on values and have self respect. I dropped this class and walked out after a week. The very first class Leap talked about sleeping with another professor, but that’s okay “since he died”, her hatred for religion, and numerous inappropriate personal issues. The course is hectic and not structured well. No phones or any devices are allowed in her class. I’m surprised she hasn’t been fired. It’s shameful she teaches at ucla and normalizes gross behavior to impressionable young minds. So if you think this class is an easy A, you’re wrong, and this lady seriously has issues.

I loved everything about this class. Professor Leap was outstanding and her lectures were very engaging and did not bore you. The ta's were very good as well and helpful. Participation does matter because they take attendance by giving you a slip in the middle of the class to turn in at the end of class. The midterm was easy and as long as you read the books and pay attention in lecture then you should get an A+ on that midterm easily. The final was a take-home essay and that was very easy as well as long as you took good notes throughout the quarter and read the books as well. The guest speakers who came throughout the quarter were amazing as well and made the class more interesting. I would recommend taking this class because it is chill and an easy A for sure.

This class was the highlight of my winter quarter. Professor leap assigned four books to read over the course of the quarter, and they were very impactful. For grades, you have to do two reflection papers and a final policy brief. The reflection papers are easy if you read the books, as you're just providing your own opinion and connecting it to class. The policy brief is a little more strenuous and was due the Friday before finals week, so keep that in mind.

Leap proclaims herself that this is an "Easy A" class. If you participate, it feels more like a discussion than a lecture. The TAs are all great, and we had the pleasure of hearing about their studies in their graduate work. If you are a Pub Aff major/minor, this is a class that will stick with you years after graduation.