I took his class in Spring 2015, and it wasn't as easy as I had expected. His tests are very nit-picky, as in you need to memorize his opinions on the subject matter that he only mentioned briefly during lecture, because he will ask you about it. I studied for days for his final, with note cards scrutinizing over the little details, and I still got a C on both the midterm and the final. My saving grace was the labs, which were easy to succeed in but somewhat worthless in the large scheme of the class. I would recommend a different teacher for Geog 5.

Boring and only tested on information he said in lecture.

Overall, his class was the worst Arby's I've ever been to.

I am in his class right now and Professor Smith seems awesome! He is passionate and interesting to listen to, and he also does not give a final exam. Instead there are two, non-cumulative quizzes. It is easy to succeed simply by listening up in lecture and doing the assigned readings. Geo 5 is a very popular course and thus a lot of people were unsatisfied with their lab sections. Although he could not give out any PTE's because of capacity limits, Prof. Smith was willing to attempt to make personal match-made switches between students on the first day of class. He did not need to do this, but by taking the time to accommodate all his students and their schedules, he proved that he really has their best interest at heart.

The class is good. Just listen in lecture and do all the readings.

Selling "The World in 2050"
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Very easy class, just boring for the most part. Labs were the absolute biggest waste of time I have ever experienced at UCLA, but it's an easy 33% of your grade. Final isn't cumulative at all, so you can throw away everything after you take the first midterm. Just make sure to memorize everything, even nitty gritty details. Go to lecture and write down everything that isn't on the slides, even mundane little anecdotes WILL be on the tests just to make sure people go. These two things were the difference between an A- and an A for me. Some of the material was honestly really interesting and this is one of the few classes I can say that I learned something worthwhile in.

I took Geog 5, which is GE, and loved it. He is sweet, funny, and a good lecturer. The material is interesting, and the tests are very straight forward (all multiple choice) he makes it very clear that if you attend lecture and pay attention, you'll do great in the class. He is a great prof and I'd highly recommend him!

Loved the class, the professor, and the materials. He posts lecture slides online but he leaves out some stuff and he includes stories from the lecture on the midterm and exam. His lectures were pretty interesting and he's a sweet guy. The final exam was not cumulative and all you need to do is study the lecture notes and read the book so you can rock the multiple choice questions. I got an A.

ridiculous grading curve. only 5 people got As on the midterm and final out of the whole class so he had to curve a lot. He is a nice guy, but honestly, this class was a complete waste of time. If you're not interested in environmental science, do not take this class, even though it's "easy." It's better to just take a harder class you're actually interested in.

Yeah...it's an "easy" GE. However its easiness isn't even worth it...the class is boring! It's my last GE, and I'm glad to say it's over, but there are more interesting GE classes out there, so I wouldn't recommend taking this class unless it fits really conveniently into your schedule.

TAKE THIS CLASS! It's an "easy GE" but it also gives you a real understanding of environmental issues... I gave up seafood after his fish farming lecture! He's really passionate about the material, and it shows in his lectures. The class was interesting and interactive - especially the botanical garden field trip. Go to all the lectures. It preps you for the midterm/final - which are pretty basic information if you pay attention in class - and they just rock. TA sessions are cool, because you get to watch videos like An Inconvenient Truth. One of my FAVORITE professors at UCLA!