This class has 3 components: midterm, final paper, and a final exam. The midterm and final exam are based on memorization only. The midterm and final exam are short answer questions. If you memorize everything he asks of you in the study guide, you'll be more than fine. I used to cram 2 days before the tests and got A's in both of them. I didn't find the need to attend every lecture; however, he does not hand out his ppt slides. The answers to the study guide are from his lectures; I found most of them on Quizlet and from fellow students. The final paper can be exhausting because it is really long. It's a 10 page (excluding the title page and bibliography) comparative essay. You basically compare two religious traditions. He didn't share his comments on the essays, but from my understanding if you stick to the prompt and START EARLY you're good. Overall, it is a good GE if you're good at memorizing and start your paper early in the quarter.

Great Professor really interesting class.

Easy class. Professor is really nice. There was a 10 page final report but he shortened it to 8 pages in the end. I'm not too religious but some parts of the class were interesting. Readings were okay too. Despite the final report being quite exhausting, I found it was a really nice experience. Basically, you can visit two different religious places, you don't have to but it is better if you do because it gives you more things to write about on your report. He lists down multiple locations and you have to compare and contrast the two religions. You can also write down your experience when you visited the locations. For the midterm and the final he gives you a study guide powerpoint which is quite a lot. All you have to do though is memorize the whole powerpoint because the exams are exactly the same as the powerpoint he provides. Technically you don't have to pay attention in lecture because you can just memorize the study guide, but paying attention in lecture and doing the readings will be better if you don't want to cram the whole material in a couple nights.

This is by far my favorite class I've taken at UCLA. I took it my first quarter of my freshmen year as an undeclared major, and came out wanting to be a study of religion major. The information is very interesting and gives you a great perspective on the history of Los Angeles as well as a good overview of the general study of religions. There was one midterm, a final and a final research paper. The tests were incredibly straightforward with basically the same questions as those on the study guide. The paper was given to you at the beginning of the quarter so you have plenty of time to finish it, and professor smith is very helpful during office hours and is always very interested in your work. I would 100 % recommend this class and will surely be taking a class with this professor in the future.

Honestly, coming as a freshman, I was just looking for a 4th class to take. I saw that this fulfilled a requirement and I was interested in religion. However, I joined like 2 weeks late, and I was really behind on the material. Because of this, I did kind of poor on the midterm. However, the way he teaches really prepares you for the exam and I'm pretty sure they grade really leniently on the final. Although others say to start early on the 10-page paper, I did start kind of late (like writing 5 pages til 5am the night before it's due) and I'm pretty sure he graded nicely on that as well. Just show that you're engaged with the communities you're visiting and try to implement what he teaches in class. The tests were somewhat straightforward (sometimes a question or two wasn't covered on the study guide) but he's a great professor and wants you to do well.

This class was very enjoyable as the content was very interesting and understandable. Dr. Joseph is a great lecturer and really knows his stuff - he is very informative and is a very nice person. He is very helpful and always willing to answer questions. He doesn't require a textbook, which is nice, and he provides the readings for each class. There's only the midterm, the final, and the final paper that make up your grade, so it's important to do well on all these items. Overall I'd definitely take any class with this professor again!

This class gives you a pretty good overview of many religions and how they play out in LA. Professor Joseph was great -- he encouraged questions and answered them thoroughly in lecture. You have to go to lecture, as he doesn't post his slides or recordings.
The workload was fine, you really don't have to do any of the readings. Midterm content was all laid out in lecture slides. But my advice is to start the final project early!! You go to 2+ religious sites and write a 10-page comparison paper on them. It's not difficult, just time-consuming.
Take this class!!!

I will admit I took this course because of the reviews here. Honestly, I'm surprised I passed this course with a B. I went to every lecture and took notes. I did not do any of the assigned readings. I passed my final and midterm with a B and never received my grade for my final paper, but I enjoyed writing the essay! The professor was hilarious, I didn't think I would be intrigued, but I was; he made learning about different religions fascinating. I DO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED going to class and taking notes. Everything in the study guide will be on your notes! I studied three days nonstop before my midterm and final and memorized my notes to the tea.

This class was easy. The information and slides were very straightforward. The professor doesn't allow you to take pictures of the slides and will call you out if you take some, he doesn't record audio or video, doesn't post the slides or weekly schedule, and doesn't send you the slides if you are absent. There are weekly readings but he basically told one of the students that we don't have to read them and he didn't ask about them during class once. He also takes attendance in every class by passing around a sheet of paper and having everyone write their names on it. The midterm was very easy. Final was pretty hard for me, but it's because I didn't study. The final 10-page paper made me suicidal. You have to visit a religious site and compare it with another one in an observational study/report. I waited until the last day to do it so if you start at least a week earlier you'll be fine. He offered two extra credit opportunities on the paper, visiting a second religious site and formally interviewing someone from the site. I ended with an A+ because it was so easy and the information he gave was minimal and exactly what he asked on exams (except for some questions on the final). Take this class if you're going to show up or if you have another friend who goes to the class who will send you notes and write your name on the attendance sheet. Otherwise, if you aren't going to show up, don't take this class.

It's a fascinating subject! The class is not difficult at all. The only assignments are a midterm, 10-page final paper, and a final. The tests are straight memorization of your notes according to the provided study guide, and the paper requires at least one in-person site visit to a religious ritual. The lectures are interesting, and since the professor does not record lectures nor upload slides, make sure to write everything down. The professor is a cool person too.