Overall, I really liked this class. It was the most eye-opening class I've taken at UCLA, but it's really up to you as to how much you'll get out of it. You really get what you put in. Professor Staub is a really engaging lecturer, and you can tell that he really cares about educating the class. He facilitates difficult conversations, tries to get as much feedback as possible, and welcomes all viewpoints. I had David as my TA and he's such a funny, approachable, and overall helpful TA. The main component of this class is the 3 hours/week of service learning you do from week3 -10. A lot of the locations are pretty far away, so it ends up being more than a 3 hour commitment per week but many people enjoyed what they did. For the workload, there's weekly readings, reflections, and 3 hour blocks of service learning you have to complete. The weekly assigned readings which actually aren't that long and he says their mandatory but you could totally go without reading them. That being said, I personally found the readings to be really interesting and valuable going into lecture, so as I said earlier, you get what you put into the class. The reflections varied week to week- most were reflections based on our service learning, but there was also a cool bus riding assignment and setting goals for the course. My recommendations would be to: Take your time researching the site you want to do service learning at (make sure you'll get something useful out of your time there!), be open-minded, and enjoy the course!

I loved this class! Professor Staub is a great professor. Unfortunately I had him during the pandemic, so all of our lectures were recorded and posted online, but he put in effort to make them interesting and to meet us through his office hours, which were fun and quick. The class itself is really interesting, especially for someone who isn't familiar with LA. But I would still recommend taking it even if you grew up there! It's a great way to learn about the different neighborhoods and cultures within the city. It's also a great way to learn about the many social injustices that occur within LA and how we can work to improve the city without feeling required to "fix it" or developing a "savior complex". You are required to work with a community organization, which is really fun. There are weekly writing assignments, but they are never more than 3 pages, except for your research paper and your final project. There are also no tests in the class, only the aforementioned paper and project, which you can write on anything you want, as long as it relates back to the class! I highly recommend taking this class, it was great! Also if you have the chance, Alan Goff is a fantastic TA :)

Take this class if you care about social welfare and social change. This professor is so accommodating, wants to get to know each and every student, opens your eyes to so many interesting concepts, and genuinely cares about well-being in every sense of the word. You have to be open minded to take this class, but trust me it's worth the engaging conversations

This class was very enlightening and super fun to take! Sadly I took it as soon as the COVID quarantine happened, so you would think it would have been less interactive and interesting. The professor and TAs didn't let that happen ! We had weekly critical reflections, two bigger essays, and were paired up to different community orgs . My TA Natalie was amazing, she was incredibly caring, empathetic, and did her due diligence to check up on us every discussion-not to mention added breathing exercises at the beginning and end of the session! 50SL is definitely a class where you can take a breather from any south campus classes and opens you up to a new perspective.

Professor Staub is probably one of the most caring professors I've had at UCLA. I took this class online, which is not how it was designed, but I thought Dr. Staub did an excellent job at translating it to a virtual setting. Of course, a majority of this class involves visiting and volunteering at a community organization site, but Dr. Staub and his team were able to cultivate a group of sites that we could volunteer at virtually. He was very supportive and understanding of the current situation, and told us on the first day that we shouldn't worry about our grade, that as long as we did our work we would receive an A. There was a good amount of reading each week, and you had to write a weekly response, but the readings were interesting, insightful, and topical. I also really enjoyed working for my organization, and I'm still volunteering even after the class has ended. Overall, this was an enjoyable, eye-opening class that I'm sure would be even more impactful in-person!

This is probably the best class I've ever taken at UCLA. This class examines a lot of social issues through the lens of learning about Los Angeles and its history. When you combine this with the service learning component and see the issues right in front of you, it truly is an eye-opening experience that makes for some of the most interesting discussions I've ever had in a classroom setting. My TA, David Flores, is one of the coolest people I've ever met, and I learned so much from his discussion. This class does take up a lot of time as you have to work at your service site and write weekly reflections on your experiences there, so it will take a lot of work. However, it is one of the coolest classes you will ever take, and I highly recommend it. If I could take this class again, I would do it in a heartbeat. Thank you Dr. Staub and David for making this class one of the best experiences I've had at UCLA.

Awesome professor and class! Highly recommend if you need to satisfy the diversity requirement and social analysis GE. Staub took the time to meet with everyone in the class individually and get to know them (I think that alone says a lot about him). TA, Andrea was also very kind. Coursework is interesting, work load is very manageable, grading is clear and fair, and the service-learning component was actually very enjoyable.

Took this class to fill society GE and because I enjoy volunteering and learning about Los Angeles, I learned and gained so much more from Professor Shalom and my TA, Andrea.
The TA's and Shalom are amazing people who are passionate and driven in the right direction. The class was not very demanding with minimal reading, no tests, and weekly reflections as well as the 3 hour requirement to visit your service learning site which they connect you to, based on your interests. Its also a great opportunity to network with future organizations that might hire you, or to just get experience interning or volunteering. For the reflections as long as you connect it to one reading and one lecture you should get As on them. Also readings are minimal since most of the class work is going to your service learning site.
There is also a $57 class fee that goes into a pool that is used for reimbursing all the students for transportation to their site whether you are driving, taking a bus, or using uber (as long as you are carpooling you will get reimbursed).
Overall, an amazing course. I learned so much from lectures, discussions, movies Shalom would screen, and the guest lecturers. Shalom requires that every student meet with him at least once during the year so it shows he cares very much about his students.

One of the most exciting and rewarding classes I have taken at my time at UCLA! Firstly, this class not only satisfies a Civic Engagement minor requirement, but it is also a great way to satisfy a GE requirement.
Professor Staub truly engages with his students and is passionate about the subject matter. The readings are, for the most part, interesting, and the material is eye-opening. This class helps students learn more about the city they live in, as well as the inequalities that underline it.
The service-learning component was compelling. We could choose a service-learning site from a variety of sites that deal with different social issues. Depending on the site, responsibilities varied. I, as well as other students, received offers from our sites to continue interning/volunteering there even after the course was done.
As for the grading, we were asked to complete relatively easy critical reflections every week to comment on the week's service-learning and connect it to course material. These reflections comprised 30% of our grade. 20% of the grade was up to participation points that mostly had to do with participation in discussion, talking, sharing, engaging with other students, etc. 25% of the grade was up to a research project on an area of inequality of our choice, and the remaining 25% was up to a subsequent research project on a strategic plan to address the chosen area of inequality.
Overall, I would highly recommend this class. It is easy to receive a good grade and the professor DOES offer extra credit (up to 2 percentage points, 1 for a half page reflection on an event related to class material.) The material is extremely eye-opening and pushes students to engage with and learn more about the diverse communities of Los Angeles.