Dr. Lakins was a great professor. Her lectures are fascinating and her ideas are clear and easy to understand. Although her midterm exam was tough due to TA, Professor Larkins really wanted to help students. If you often go to her office hours, she will help you a lot. In the end, I got a high score on the final exam. And the professor is willing to write me a letter of recommendation. I really like this professor's course.

I took this class fall of 2023 as my first UCLA Sociology class for my double major. I was scared to take this class because of the harsh reviews it got, the bleak grade distribution, and the negative things I've heard about it from word of mouth. However, this class was one of the most straightforward and easy-to-follow courses I've taken at UCLA. I loved Professor Larkins as well as my amazing TA, Shibang. I honestly have no idea why this class has such a bad rep when it's so well-paced and very manageable. The Professor was so helpful and considerate of her students and even gave us extra credit questions on the exams (on the first exam she told us the answer). She and all the TAs would also go around the class answering any questions we had on the test (if you asked the right way they would basically tell you if you selected the right answer or not). I never felt like I didn't have support in this class and I truly felt like the Professor and TAs just wanted me to succeed and learn.

The class had three exams (all multiple choice) and three writing assignments (the first one is individual and the last two are group OR individual). Also, the exams are not cumulative which was awesome. The writing assignments were super straightforward, and if you put together a good group you will do well for sure. Just make sure to study for the tests using all the material she put on the slides and from the textbook chapters the topics are from. I wouldn't bother reading the textbook until the study guide comes out because she'll put down every term and topic you need to know for the test. Just weed through the textbook for each one instead of going through the whole book. Also, if she brings in any guest presenters, info from their presentations will be turned into about three questions on the exams so take some notes.

Good luck!

One of the most disorganized and rudest professors I've ever had. For some context I had enrolled this past quarter with a surgery date set months prior. On the first day of class while reading the syllabus I noticed the first exam happened to fall on the date of my surgery. So I took the initiative, went up to her on the first day, and let her know in advance I would need to take the exam earlier or do a makeup. Shouldn't be an issue, right? Fast forward a month later before the first exam/my surgery date, I email her a week before (no response) then remind her again a day before that I need to take the exam still. She then proceeded to tell me the exam wasn't ready yet...a day before (??). Ok...so I opt to do a makeup exam after my surgery once I've fully recovered since it's still early in the quarter. I follow up with her via email, nearly dying in bed as my throat has quite literally just been cauterized (tonsillectomy; do not recommend), where she says the only date she can do is a week after my surgery to do the makeup exam. At this point I am nowhere even close to being fully recovered and after long debate (with extensive doctors notes and records) I tell her that this date just simply won't work. She doesn't respond. For weeks. So imagine my perspective where I'm sitting at home in extreme pain, not able to speak or swallow, and now stressed that I'm not gonna pass the class. Fast forward another month, she says I can take the makeup exam WHILE doing exam 2. This was already cruel to begin with, but I obliged since I had already studied for that exam when I was supposed to take it. Anyways, come the date of second exam and an email reminder, she "forgets" to print the makeup exam and tells me to take it the day of the final...a month later. Insane right? So, FINALLY, COME DATE OF THE FINAL I TAKE BOTH THE FINAL AND EXAM #1 that I was supposed to take 10 weeks prior. So, I pretty much spent the entire quarter stressed out thinking I was going to fail since I did had a 0 for the first exam the entire duration.

That being said, the coursework itself is pretty easy. If you want to be babied or talked to contradictingly like a kindergartener then this class is for you.

Larkins is a great professor and is very engaging. She presents the material as clearly and simply as possible and does a great job condensing the textbook material. I didn't always read the textbook but still did good because of her explanations. She gives clear study guides of what's gonna be on the midterm and final that were helpful (final is not cumulative :) ). She gives two short individual writing assignments, one short-ish group assignment and a final group research paper. I don't really like group work but it was manageable and her instructions were clear. Her lectures are engaging and always asks students questions. She is approachable and definitely wants everyone to understand and succeed. She does research here and doesn't teach classes super frequently so if you have the chance to take a class with her I recommend. (Edit: Idk why people are leaving bad reviews and idk why people are saying the tests were hard I thought they were really easy as long as you were paying attention. Unless you're a born hater I don't see how you could not like Larkins)

This class was OK. The lectures were pertinent to the exams, and helpful. But, I thought the exams were excessively wordy and sometimes like trick questions. There are lots of opportunities for extra credit, and the assignments are reasonable. I did not like the group projects because there is no accountability for members of the group. If my group members had done their portion of the work, it would be more manageable, but doing the work of 3 or 4 people was unwieldy. It would be better if the final assignment was a bit smaller, so that it could be done alone or with a partner. I also disliked how attendance continued to be required, even though the strikes were going on and I felt uncomfortable crossing picket lines. She also takes attendance randomly and inconsistently, which seemed unfair because the one class you had to miss could end up being the one that counted. This lecture was also not recorded, which would have also been helpful for those who did not want to attend due to the strike or who were experiencing illness. There was lots of information only available at lecture. Overall, this class could be changed to accommodate students better. The course information itself was what I expected it to be and does help inform students of research methods in sociology.

The class consisted of three writing assignments (two being 500 words and one being a 1000 word group assignment), one multiple choice midterm, a group research paper, a multiple choice final, and attendance (lecture and discussion). The professor is incredibly nice and accommodating. She gave us an extra credit assignment in the beginning of the course and offered EC on our research paper. I enjoyed the content as well. For the midterm and final, she gave study guides of terms to study. I enjoyed the course and would definitely take this professor again.

I would recommend taking this class in the Summer! Dr. Larkins was very engaging and helpful with anything about the course. ATTENDANCE IS INCLUDED IN YOUR GRADE. She goes in-depth about what you need to comprehend from the slides, so pay attention and try to engage if nothing seems clear. Midterm and final review guides were provided, which helped immensely for the exams! The textbook is offered through Inclusive Access, and it wasn't easy to find other versions or copies online.
If you enjoy engaging lectures and energized professors, this class will be perfect for you! Would definitely take this class again if I could :))

Tough grader. The most terrible class I have ever taken.

Love - Hate relationship w this class

Dr. Lakins was a great professor. Her lectures are fascinating and her ideas are clear and easy to understand. Although her midterm exam was tough due to TA, Professor Larkins really wanted to help students. If you often go to her office hours, she will help you a lot. In the end, I got a high score on the final exam. And the professor is willing to write me a letter of recommendation. I really like this professor's course.