Zackey is the greatest, he is everything an educator should be. I first took Geography 4 with him then took Geography 2 again with him because he was so good, it was the only time I decided to re-take a professor. Both classes changed my life in some way, 4 got me thinking about international development while 2 got me thinking of bio-conservation in a whole new light. And what a genuinely pleasant and fun guy he is! There's always a smile on his face and he's always crystal clear about his topics. It's impossible to not do well on the tests as long as you've taken adequate notes all quarter. Make sure that when you take his class you begin to challenge yourself to open your mind, because he will change you forever if you're open to it.

Professor Zackey has lived and taught in Asia for several years and speaks from experience. He is extremely passionate about Chinese history, culture, and geography; and will often ask the international students in the class about their own experiences.

His slides are extremely dense in terms of slide count, so I'd recommend taking good notes in order to avoid having to go back to them before midterms.

The first midterm is a map quiz that is pure memorization (will probably take several days to study for). The second midterm was 100 or so questions --for which he used scantrons for the first time during my quarter, and most of the class scored in the C range.

This class was very interesting. I knew nothing about China before taking this class, and Professor Zackey really teaches you a lot of useful information that can stick with you, if you care enough to remember it. His lectures are very interesting, and he speaks about his experience living and working in China and allows other students to discuss their experiences in China as well. He is often a funny guy. He provided a study guide for the midterm, however, it did not correlate with the test exactly. The test was changed due to the quarantine that was implemented last minute. It would have been multiple choice, but was changed to a couple of essay questions which was totally fine. I thought the essay questions were a lot easier than the multiple choice midterm. Other than that, it was a good class. The best thing I can say is STUDY for the midterm and final. I did not study a lot for the midterm which is why I did poorly.

Some tips for others intending to take this class. Overall it is not a very difficult class, not a lot of difficult conceptual thinking but a lot of memorizing of small details that seems to be not that relevant/important. The only thing you should do to succeed in this class is to memorize all the information in his slide. The lecture and reading aren’t that important, he makes tests based upon the lecture slides and he gives a lot of curves. I got low 90s probably in both of my tests and I received an A+ for some reason. Definitely doable, especially if you have some Chinese background.

i took this class at 175b and professor zackey and edward his TA were the best people i’ve met at ucla they’re truly amazing people and care a lot what they teach about. i’m a relatively slow student and not very smart and managed to get an -A in this class after getting a 80% on the midterm which was weighted either 40% or 50% of your final grade depending how well you did on your final (better exam was more of your grade) his lectures are excellent attending in person is much better than zoom because he walks around the room and talks and writes on the board too. i honestly wish zackey taught more classes at ucla because i would be in them :(. his midterm was relatively easy and his study guide is really helpful if you take notes during his lectures you should be able to get a A easily if you just listen to them and don’t take notes probably a B. his map quiz is just memorization and it takes maybe a a couple hours to get everything down but you have like 2-3 weeks to prepare for it check quizlet there should be some sets on there to help you. he’s also super generous on the curve of the class because he doesn’t want to kill everyone.

This class was very difficult for me. First, we have a map quiz, where you have to memorize all the 30+ provinces in China, as well as many geographical features. The midterm was extremely difficult in my opinion and I received a 44, and there was no curve. The final project was confusing to be honest, I wasn't sure exactly what was asked of us. I just gave it my best bet and turned it in. I studied for days on end for the final and thankfully I passed the class. The professor is funny, to be fair. He seems like he enjoys what he does and both him and the TA are very knowledgable.

Professor Zackey is funny and cool and knowledgeable. I would take a class with him again if I could. His tests are very reasonable. I think most students would say he is chill.

This course was so interesting and fun! Prof. Zackey is a caring, likeable, and funny lecturer with lots of insight from his many years of living in and studying the human geography of contemporary China. The class is well-organized, informative, engaging, and a great high-level introduction to the political history, natural history, and geography of China. It covers all of the most important topics for beginning to understand China on so many levels - politics, culture, regionality, ethnicity, economics and more. The exams are moderately difficult and require a degree of memorization of important years and specific names of important lists, people and places. He curves grades to very fairly. Be warned that the first two or three weeks of lecture and studying for the midterm will involve a lot of learning history specifically.

This is a great regional geography class, and I really enjoyed taking it. Professor Zackey has spent most of his time in China, so if he offers this class, you should definitely take it with him. He is often funny and approachable. The lectures are very engaging, and the grading scheme for this class is fair. The tests can be challenging if you don't have any prior knowledge about China. The first half is very heavy in historical facts and timelines, so please be mentally prepared for that. There's a map quiz to memorize every China province and physical features of China, which I ended up finding very helpful to situate my mental map of where things happen geographically. The midterm score can really give you a heart attack, and the mean would be surprisingly low, but he is very generous with the curve. There's a project, a 1-2 page paper with your crafted visualization, which I think is quite fair. Overall, I like this class and have learned a lot about China from this class.

Professor Zackey is one of my favorite professors at UCLA. He's passionate about the subject which comes across in his lectures which are interesting and easy to follow. It's essential to go to class because he doesn't post slides online and some of the random tidbits he tells you can pop up on a test. There's one midterm and one final which are both pretty easy and don't require any intense studying to get an A. It's an easy GE, Zackey is a great professor, and the material is enjoyable to learn.