Dr.Belzer is an extraordinary guy, and his lectures evoke his years of experience and knowledge that he shares with the class every meeting. A class that becomes a community is hard to accomplish in such a vast institution as UCLA, but these unusual finds should be cherished. The class consisted of some different people that came from all walks of life, and they all contributed to the equanimity that was achieved through the communal effort every night. Inner exploration will be required, and it will teach you many things about yourself that you wouldn't have bothered to look into without the course. It sounds corny, but people have gained so much emotional and spiritual capital through the means of mindfulness practice. PSYCH 175 is one of those classes that you need to show up to get a good grade. Don't half-ass it.

This was one of the easiest, lowest-pressure classes I've taken at UCLA! I had no prior experience with meditation and I learned how to do it without much difficulty. The overall class grade was out of 270 points (240+ is an A), with the following breakdown:

Attendance: 50 points
Reporting weekly meditation practice: 30 points
5 journals (1 per week and only need to be about a page long): 35 points
Mindfulness project: 50 points
Take-home final/attending retreat: 50 points
Research paper/attending extra events: 55 points

Marv made it so that you can write either a 5-page paper or do a creative project for the mindfulness project. The creative project can be practically anything, from performing music to writing poetry to doing improvisational comedy, so I recommend doing a creative project! I did the take-home final instead of attending the retreat, which I recommend because the final was a piece of cake and the retreat was almost 3 days long. That being said, I heard the retreat was a good experience, so you'll be fine with either option. I HIGHLY recommend attending the extra events instead of writing the research paper because it has to be 12-15 pages long, which sounds rough for a 6-week, non-writing summer class. If you want to spend the least amount of time possible attending the extra events, check the ratio of time to points for each event—the walking meditation sessions, Thursday night workshops, and hot seat groups were worth the most points compared to the amount of time spent.

In terms of the professors, Marv is a LEGEND! He has an incredible sense of humor, plays great music, and he even danced during one of the Friday night mindful meetups. I found Matthew Brensilver and Cara Lai boring, but I loved listening to Diana Winston. Each TA is assigned to a small group of about 5-6 students who you have a discussion with during every lecture, which is nice because you get to meet people despite the class being held over Zoom. As a heads-up, this class is also open to people who aren't currently UCLA students, so if you log in to the first Zoom lecture and see a bunch of old people, that's why.

TL:DR Take this class: it's pretty pain-free, you learn how to meditate, and your GPA will thank you.

Marv is a gem. Sweetest, coolest, overall best guy ever, you'd be lucky to have him, I seriously love him so much. The TA's are amazing as well! The class is not like a "regular" UCLA course but I'd really recommend - essays/exams are optional and can be replaced by doing retreats or creative projects, readings are interesting, lecture is great - lots of meditation and talking with small groups. You meet so many wonderful people from all different walks of life and truly get in touch with yourself if you take this class seriously. But even if you don't, Dr. Belzer is worth taking this class for :) Overall very rewarding, and I can't say enough good things about Marv, what a guy

To give you an idea of how much effort is put into the making of this class, there were 22 TAs when I took it. They were all there because of a true passion for what they do, and it showed. Same thing for Professor Belzer and frequent guest speakers Cara Lai and Matthew Brensilver. This class probably saved my sanity. Couldn't recommend it more.

LOVED this class overall! Super great if you're trying to get into mindfulness, and there are many free workshop available to help you meditate and incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine.

I will say, however, that only thing that slightly bothered me and that I want to get off my chest was the 100% 'camera on' policy for some of the workshops. Attendance IS points for this class, and although there are other options if you would rather not attend a bunch of workshops, there are limited workshop options available. Sometimes your camera doesn't work, or you're not able to find a sufficient space to be 100% in solitude or with 100% no distractions, and I wish they were a little more accommodating of that. (The Zoom manager once messaged me asking why my camera was off when I had it off for 5 minutes... I was going to the restroom.)

So just be aware of that! If you choose to go the 'workshops' route instead of writing a research paper or taking the final, it's going to take up a significant chunk of your time. Very valuable, but still a lot of time! (And if you have other commitments, like work, commuting, research, etc that limits your time, you might want to reconsider or take it another quarter where you have more time.)

Please take this class! The staff working for this class (the professors, TAs, and guest lecturers) all have so much passion for the class and work hard to make it a worthwhile experience for students. It is very manageable and I suggest taking it alongside a possibly difficult class to destress.

The course itself works in a way to make you get an A. There are optional assignments:
- Take a final or attend a 3-day retreat
- Attend special events or write a research paper
- Create a mindfulness project or write another paper

I HIGHLY suggest just attending special events and mindfulness project over writing a paper. the take-home final was not bad at all so I would say it's up to you whether you want to attend the retreat or take a final. I will say the retreat is a bit demanding which is why I was unable to attend. This is a fun class so if you have the opportunity to take it you should!

wow. this class has taught me SO much. mediation is something that I viewed as a fluke before, but after this class ive learned that self-care is important. class is an easy A. take this class!! but beware, the professor does not do A+ so. the higher grade can be an A.
basically, you attend zoom (no need for a camera on), and every hour there is a google sign-in sheet. that's how the professor grades attendance. you have the chance to choose between a creative project or a final exam. and for the midterm, you can choose a research paper or attend meditation zooms. the class is made for you to receive an A literally so easy.