I took a class with him during my first quarter at UCLA after transferring. However, I thought he was a complete joke because he tried so hard to be the “cool” teacher (it was his first teaching gig) and I dropped the class by the second week.

Fast forward to this summer: I only needed one more class in order to graduate, but alas, Sanchez was the only one teaching it! So I was forced to take his class again and went through the entire quarter thinking that I would end up failing—BUT I didn’t!

Grading Breakdown:
35% Quizzes
25% 6-8 page paper
40% Participation (in class and short online forum post)

Yes, you read that correctly—40% PARTICIPATION! But don’t let that scare you! I don’t know what kind of students the other reviewers are, but I am one of those shy, quiet, never say a word in class types. I’m pretty sure he didn’t even know my face or name by the end of the quarter. But since I did all the reading (thus receiving all the points for quizzes), did all the online posts and wrote a good paper I actually received an A! So if you’re one of those people who are terrified of talking in class, don’t let his “you have to participate to get a good grade” spiel scare you away.

There is a quick ten question objective quiz before each class. The quizzes are soooooooooo easy! Well…only if you read, obviously. The questions are always superficial plot details or what a poem is about. I thought the reading load was perfect. I honestly don’t know why people complain. I read everything the night before, posted random thoughts on the forum and received full points on all my quizzes with little effort. The best part? Since there is no final, after you take a quiz, you can just forget about everything you just read.

The paper really depends on how well you write in the first place. If you normally write good papers, then I don’t think you have anything to worry about—he seems to be a fair grader. But, do make sure to follow his “abstract” model because he is VERY adamant about it. Remember to write down notes when he explains what it … it will save you a lot of trouble later.

Yes, Professor Sanchez conducts his class in a very different manner. There are no lectures or structure—just random discussions between him and the more outspoken members of the class. Sometimes there isn’t even time to discuss everything. I pretty sure people only went to class because of the daily quizzes because “lecture” isn’t necessary. He can be entertaining though and some insightful knowledge does come out from time to time. You can’t deny that he has a passion for literature. But, if you don’t feel like listening, it probably won’t hurt you. Personally, I spent a majority of lecture playing games on my phone.

I really believe this was an easy A class. You obviously have to do some reading and work, but when is there ever no work involved? Just do the work and write a thoughtful paper and you’ll do fine.

I unfortunately have to agree with the two reviews below.
I chose to take his class after hearing about his "unconventional" teaching style; but "unconventional" really just meant he sounds like an overzealous preacher and slightly obnoxious at that.

He came to class late everyday. By the end of second week, I really didn't care if I was late or not since I knew he'd always be even later. He also said he'd take attendance, but never really did and by the time it was 8th week, less than half the class showed up (he either didn't notice, or didn't care).

Also, he is BIG on class participation (50% OF YOUR GRADE). For those of you who are more shy to speak up in class or just plain don't like raising your hand, I WOULD CAUTION YOU AWAY FROM HIS CLASSES. There is an online forum where you're suppose to discuss the works (which almost nobody read because nobody could understand them), but no matter how many posts you have, your chances of getting an A in the class is slim to none if he doesn't recognize your name from speaking in class. Honestly, I don't know why I kept going to class. I probably would've gotten the same grade if I had stopped going by 4th week.

The other 50% of your grade is a ridiculously annoying 12-15 page research paper that pretty much sucks your life away. He is indeed a nice guy and I've gone to numerous office hours, but every time I walked out feeling like he helped my paper none and only criticized it.

Also, the works we had to read were pretty horrible. Most I just scratched the surface of before I gave up and others just plain didn't read. And during lecture he offers no background or insight himself, just basically let's the few opinionated ones in the class talk on and on.

Overall, I probably would not take a class with him again. His teaching style is something I didn't particularly like and nor did I walk away with anything I felt valuable.

Although the review above may be harsh, it technically is all true. He didn't want to lecture or give us background information and, actually, only did that twice over the whole quarter (and even then, it was boring historical content which, at least for me, he did not relate well to the text). Having done other research papers, I felt very confused with his stringent constraints: he wanted you to write it by his "form" from the very opening paragraph until all the way to the end. I highly recommend that only Seniors should take this class. Even then, I'm no sure I would recommend this to any one of my friends. Compared to other classes, especially the 170, I felt like I didn't learn as much as I hoped I would in this Global South class.
Otherwise, he is funny and nice. He will listen to you and help you out with your paper as much as you need. I just didn't feel like the class had any structure to it. And I never knew what my grade was going to be. In other classes, you can tell by adding up your assignments and tests the ballpark of your grade. Here, literally stayed in a haze the whole quarter and went nuts over URSA until he posted. ...

Seriously, run for your life. This guy was horrible. I had Romanticism at 8am and he would be like screaming with anger or enthusiasm about Wordsworth or Wollstonecraft--way to early for that kind of teaching. He quizzed us every morning at the beginning of class and that's how he took attendance. Also, for the final research essay, DUDE GAVE US HIS MASTERS THESIS AS AN EXAMPLE TO LIVE UP TO. And I quote the following: "I want to see your thesis in the abstract, and then never see it again!" or "I want you to mention your research, and then never see it again!" When I asked him for help on finding good research/sources after I said my efforts were futile to live up to his standards, he said "well then I don't know, you shouldn't be an English major then. This is what we do." Really? I'm a transfer student doing English Honors and am in FIVE different honors societies, AND GRADUATING WITHIN A YEAR'S TIME and you're telling me I should change my major? Cool bro. And to top it off, he emailed us our final grade before they came out. DUDE PROMISED ME AN A- AND I GOT A B+ WTF

**DO NOT TAKE ANY OF PROFESSOR SANCHEZ'S CLASSES!**

honestly, if you think you think you can suck it up and try to get through his class, you're just hurting yourself, your gpa, and wasting your time.

by far the worst professor i have EVER had, and this includes my experience in community college as well.

i'm the kind of person who likes structure in a classroom, likes when the professor keeps his/her lectures interesting most or at least half of the time, and likes it when the teacher gets the students engaged in the work and is also willing to help those who need it.Unfortunately, this is not Sanchez.

He has no structure to his classes, his books are expensive, rare, and usually boring and difficult to read. If you ask for help on a paper he'll give you obscure advice and when i asked him to give an example of what he wanted for the final research paper he showed us one of his graduate papers...i asked for a student example and he said "no i dont have one"...he's completely unhelpful on his own assignments!!!

sure he gives no final, he also gives no help, no learning experience, makes no sense,and you'll have no interest in his class. you'll be fighting to get out of your seat once class starts because each class starts with a 10 arbitrarily-questioned quiz (he usually doesnt even remember the questions he asks, how do i know my quiz is going to be graded correctly!?) and then he moves on to discussing the readings which goes by soooo slow because usually nobody likes the books we're reading so good luck trying to get people to talk about them.

HORRIBLE! I had such high hopes for this class this being my last year as an AM LIT MAJ at UCLA. Global South and American Lit? Yea, right! Try BORING books that the majority of the class could barely comprehend. Faulkner, Marquez and Walcott ate away at me for weeks. He never came to class prepared with lecture and wanted for us to speak and discuss the novels which always turned out to random conversations plagued by people's opinions and heavily lacking evidence from the text. Yes, we spent 2 weeks per text and yes, you could participate online on the discussion boards but 50% of your grade was participation...in a class made of 45 students! HELLO! The other was a research paper which he made from 10 pages(1st week) to 12 pages (2nd week) to 20 pages (7th week)pages with 3 to finally 10 sources! If you like classes where talking and having a good time suit you and a 10-15-20 (God knows what he decides) paper decides you final score, go for it. If you like structure, assignments and ways to improve you vocabulary and overall perception of the Global South, you might want to try someone else. Being an ambitious student who cares for her GPA, I appreciate professors who are clear on how one can go about earning an A and have a shot at graduate schools/professional schools/etc... And no, I'm not a slacker (I have As and one B at UCLA).

I took Professor Sanchez for my last three upper division classes for my English minor during Fall 2012 and Winter 2013. The classes were English 133, English 164B, and English 163A.

I am going to be the first to say that upon entering Professor Sànchez's class, he was very intimidating and after turning in my first two rough drafts - I took two classes in one quarter- I felt like I did not write. If you are looking for an easy A, this isn't the class for you. His style of writing works. If you take the time to seek his help, you will not regret it. There is a lot of reading and yes there are quizzes every day of class, but his system works. When you complete his class you will feel like a better writer. He cares about you learning and your writing as much as you do. He has a funny sense of humor. I agree it would help if he used a different example upon introducing his writing technique, but that doesn't prove anyone from getting an A in the class or anyone who is striving to be a better write. Remember that this is UCLA. Challenge yourself. Accept his challenge. You will be a better writer and student for it.

I took Later Romanticism with Dr. Sanchez. Students are quick to berate professors when they do not achieve certain desired outcomes, namely, good grades matched with light coursework. I have grown immensely under Dr. Sanchez's instruction. He requires that students prove their comprehension of the material through frequent quizzes, and that they write strong. If a student seizes the opportunity, they will acquire some really brilliant insight about romanticism, and emerge as far stronger writers on the other end of the course. There is no midterm, and no passage ID final, but simply a final paper that needs to be well written. Dr. Sanchez provides his students all the tools they need to achieve this end. I was aware of his relatively poor rating on this sight and felt compelled to debunk existing notions. If you're not willing to invest in the course, no, Dr. Sanchez will not be your best friend, but for those of us that cared to grow, we loved the course and felt privileged to study under him. I would liken the process of selecting classes and professors to sitting down at a bar. Will you choose a vintage wine or a craft beer? Or will order your appletini–zero sophistication that goes down easy.

The problem with a lot of UCLA students is the constant search for "easy A's," "chill professors," and many other shortcuts we really should not be taking in college. We've lost the desire to learn and the drive to work hard, and as a student who fit the description I mentioned earlier, Professor Sanchez changed my way of looking at learning.

He makes you work hard. That's a fact. He doesn't let you leave class early, unless you notify him. Understandable. He grades heavily on what you contribute to the class. He wants your input! He is doing his job right.

He has daily quizzes. Why? Because you're an English major and you should be reading.

He has you write a lengthy term paper (10-15 pages in my case), but he reads ALL of your drafts very thoroughly and provides more feedback than "be more specific." I took his class the second quarter of my senior year and I never thought my writing could change at that point. On the contrary, it improved!!! He did this by teaching me how to love writing, researching, and having my own say on what these brilliant writers put out into the world. As opposed to my usual hatred for writing anything over 3-5 pages, I actually looked forward to writing and submitting this paper.

If you want an "easy A" don't take him. Don't be an English major. Switch to Sociology.

If you want your degree to mean something in the long run, take him as soon as you can.

Unless you have committed a serious sin and you feel the need to repent and go through some form of purgatory in this lifetime, do not take this class.