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- Luke Yarbrough
- CLUSTER M27A
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Basic Info:
Attendance and Participation: 30%
Weekly Quizzes: 20%
Response Papers: 25% (3 out of 4 prompts, 300-500 words each)
Final Paper: 20% (6 pages comparing 2 academic articles' research methodologies)
Co-Curricular Event: 5%
Midterms/Finals: None
Homework: Reading heavy. It can be up to 70-80+ pages a week of reading, and often bits from the reading appear on Quizzes. However, there were multiple weeks I didn't bother with the reading and still got full credit.
Attendance: Discussion attendance required. Lecture attendance is as well, there are 5 "pop-writes" in Lecture throughout term that make up 5% of your grade. You have one excused absence, but beyond that it gets tricky.
Other: There is a no-electronics policy for this class - not even for notes.
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Overall it was a pretty easy class, there was definitely a learning curve between the Muslims in the class and the Non-Muslims, but even for the Muslims this class went into detail on a lot of aspects that are unfamiliar to many. Notably, this isn't a religious theory class: so don't expect in detail discussions about say, Quranic verses or the concept of Tawhid. More so, it describes the interaction of Islam with the world: for example, topics like Islam and Linguistics (Translation), the concept of Waqf and application of Islamic trust in history, etc.
The work isn't too bad, it's definitely a lot of dense reading but most of it is skimable for those with some prior background on Islamic studies and history. The final paper is a bit tedious, but not unbelievably difficult. You get a lot of help and go through it step by step w/ your TA. The quizzes and weekly response papers are pretty light provided you at least have a general idea of the reading. The Co-Curricular event was pretty fun as well.
Professor Yarbrough is a great lecturer. He explains everything very well and is very approachable. Mohsin Ali's lectures were pretty good as well. However, Professor Slyomoics' lectures were painfully boring, not well organized, and a pain to get through (Though I will say her body of work was pretty impressive). In terms of TA's, they aren't created equal and having a good relationship with your TA makes the class way easier or harder. I had Fadhila Hadjeris, who was extremely nice and a pretty light grader, albeit pretty useless in terms of asking for help or feedback. I heard Azeem Malik is a difficult grader, but pretty helpful, though I cannot speak from experience.
Overall, Its not an amazing class but not a terrible one. It can be boring at time, some of the assignments are vague and the reading is heavy. It is a pretty easy A, though, and the Professors are pretty helpful and nice (besides Slyomovics). But all in all you learn a lot, even if you are a Muslim, and if you are a STEM student it's great to kill a lot of GEs.
Grade Distribution:
Attendance and Participation: 30%
Weekly Quizzes: 20%
Response Papers: 25%
Final Paper: 20%
Co-Curricular Event: 05%
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Overall, the Islam cluster is probably one of the more easier clusters at UCLA. There are no exams and only papers. This class has three lecturers: Yarbrough, Chism, and Metzger. While Yarbrough and Metzger are pretty good lecturers, Chism's lectures tend to just be rambles and aren't useful for the class. Attendance and participation makes up a big part of your grade and there are 4 pop-writes in the class. However, you can miss one of those pop-writes so it is pretty manageable. The quizzes for the first quarter were pretty easy and if you do the readings the answers should be very obvious. There are 3 out of 4 response papers you need to write throughout the quarter, but they are only about two pages long and if you tie it back to one of Islam's central pillars you should be fine. For the final paper they structure it very well so the TA (choose Brooke Baker if available) has a lot of time and opportunities to give you feedback on the formation of your essay. Before submitting the final draft you have to submit assignments relating to the theme you're going to talk about, the articles you're going to use, and your thesis and outline. Personally, I found the paper pretty easy. There is also one outside event you need to go to and write a two page paper about. It's only 5% of your grade but sometimes they offer really fun co-curriculars. Overall, I recommend taking the Global Islam cluster especially if you want your GEs fulfilled. I just wish Chism would become a better lecturer.
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GEs fulfilled by this class:
Fall Quarter - Society/Culture: Social Analysis and Diversity Credit
Basic Info:
Attendance and Participation: 30%
Weekly Quizzes: 20%
Response Papers: 25% (3 out of 4 prompts, 300-500 words each)
Final Paper: 20% (6 pages comparing 2 academic articles' research methodologies)
Co-Curricular Event: 5%
Midterms/Finals: None
Homework: Reading heavy. It can be up to 70-80+ pages a week of reading, and often bits from the reading appear on Quizzes. However, there were multiple weeks I didn't bother with the reading and still got full credit.
Attendance: Discussion attendance required. Lecture attendance is as well, there are 5 "pop-writes" in Lecture throughout term that make up 5% of your grade. You have one excused absence, but beyond that it gets tricky.
Other: There is a no-electronics policy for this class - not even for notes.
-----
Overall it was a pretty easy class, there was definitely a learning curve between the Muslims in the class and the Non-Muslims, but even for the Muslims this class went into detail on a lot of aspects that are unfamiliar to many. Notably, this isn't a religious theory class: so don't expect in detail discussions about say, Quranic verses or the concept of Tawhid. More so, it describes the interaction of Islam with the world: for example, topics like Islam and Linguistics (Translation), the concept of Waqf and application of Islamic trust in history, etc.
The work isn't too bad, it's definitely a lot of dense reading but most of it is skimable for those with some prior background on Islamic studies and history. The final paper is a bit tedious, but not unbelievably difficult. You get a lot of help and go through it step by step w/ your TA. The quizzes and weekly response papers are pretty light provided you at least have a general idea of the reading. The Co-Curricular event was pretty fun as well.
Professor Yarbrough is a great lecturer. He explains everything very well and is very approachable. Mohsin Ali's lectures were pretty good as well. However, Professor Slyomoics' lectures were painfully boring, not well organized, and a pain to get through (Though I will say her body of work was pretty impressive). In terms of TA's, they aren't created equal and having a good relationship with your TA makes the class way easier or harder. I had Fadhila Hadjeris, who was extremely nice and a pretty light grader, albeit pretty useless in terms of asking for help or feedback. I heard Azeem Malik is a difficult grader, but pretty helpful, though I cannot speak from experience.
Overall, Its not an amazing class but not a terrible one. It can be boring at time, some of the assignments are vague and the reading is heavy. It is a pretty easy A, though, and the Professors are pretty helpful and nice (besides Slyomovics). But all in all you learn a lot, even if you are a Muslim, and if you are a STEM student it's great to kill a lot of GEs.
Grade Distribution:
Attendance and Participation: 30%
Weekly Quizzes: 20%
Response Papers: 25%
Final Paper: 20%
Co-Curricular Event: 05%
---
Overall, the Islam cluster is probably one of the more easier clusters at UCLA. There are no exams and only papers. This class has three lecturers: Yarbrough, Chism, and Metzger. While Yarbrough and Metzger are pretty good lecturers, Chism's lectures tend to just be rambles and aren't useful for the class. Attendance and participation makes up a big part of your grade and there are 4 pop-writes in the class. However, you can miss one of those pop-writes so it is pretty manageable. The quizzes for the first quarter were pretty easy and if you do the readings the answers should be very obvious. There are 3 out of 4 response papers you need to write throughout the quarter, but they are only about two pages long and if you tie it back to one of Islam's central pillars you should be fine. For the final paper they structure it very well so the TA (choose Brooke Baker if available) has a lot of time and opportunities to give you feedback on the formation of your essay. Before submitting the final draft you have to submit assignments relating to the theme you're going to talk about, the articles you're going to use, and your thesis and outline. Personally, I found the paper pretty easy. There is also one outside event you need to go to and write a two page paper about. It's only 5% of your grade but sometimes they offer really fun co-curriculars. Overall, I recommend taking the Global Islam cluster especially if you want your GEs fulfilled. I just wish Chism would become a better lecturer.
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GEs fulfilled by this class:
Fall Quarter - Society/Culture: Social Analysis and Diversity Credit
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