This class is an easy A if you do your part. You need to memorize a sizeable amount of information, but it is pure memorization. On the midterm, I got a 92% and the mean was 85%, so I already knew I was on track for an A. The lab portion of the grade is an easy A as long as you participate at least once per discussion, do the bare minimum on the group project, and you do the 2-3 worksheets assigned throughout the quarter. I got bailed by not taking the final because I think I would have gotten a B+ on it and maybe ended with an A- instead of an A for my final grade. However, I might just be underestimating myself so just believe in yourself! Professor Gillespie is such a character! He made this class so great I actually looked forward to going to lecture, which is out of the norm for me. He is an amazing professor who gives easy tests as long as you memorize simple and straightforward information. I suggest you guys make a collaborative study guide through the discussion section on CCLE like my class did so you can answer the study guide questions as quickly as possible in order to have more than enough time to study for the midterm and final. All in all, I'd rate this class 10/10! No regrets!

This was one of the best classes I have taken at UCLA! Prof Gillespie was the most engaging prof I have ever had and I attended every lecture bc I legit wanted to. Class is super easy, he offered extra credit for ppl that got below a 70 on the midterm, and altered the class/final in a very fair manner due to the TA strike. Lectures were not recorded but slides are posted, however it’s helpful and fun to be in class. He often ended lectures early and lab rarely took the full 2 hrs. You have a super easy group project, mandatory lab sections a midterm, and a final and that’s it. Wish I could take it again!

All in all, I enjoyed this class. Dr. Gillespie is a funny guy who is super passionate about the material he teaches. As previous reviews have mentioned, he does enjoy ragging on Trump, but he does so purposefully, since he spends a lot of time discussing the state of our environment and energy sources and what we should do to preserve them. Class does end fairly early, and it can be quite common for lecture to end with 20 minutes left to spare or more. There is a midterm and a group project, and they did require some work but I did well on both of them. The final exam was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, so he and the TAs decided to give everyone a 95 on it to make up for all the chaos. As nice as it was to end the class on that note, I wish the class went into more depth about environmental controversies in Los Angeles, especially during the city's development. Overall, would recommend.

While I needed this class for my major, I would recommend it to anyone needing a lab GE, a GPA boost, or some time off. Professor Gillespie often admits that this is one of the easiest classes at UCLA, and he's absolutely correct. Lectures are funny, easy to digest, and reliably end at least 20-30 minutes early. The study guides DR G gives out are very helpful. While the textbook isn't really essential, it's an easy read, it's the basis for a few questions on each exam, and you can use any edition (I got mine for $7 on Amazon). Lab attendance is mandatory. Lab activities include drawing maps, nature walks, and watching movies. It's a fun time- all UCLA students should take this class.

One of the best professors I have had thus far. The professor has a sense of humor, is passionate, understanding, modest (which is rare), cool, and genuinely cares about the students' success in the class. There is a ton of material to memorize, however some of it is already common knowledge and it is also profoundly interesting. He provides study guides that reflect the test to its entirety. For those interested in taking this class, I will give you one question that will be unequivocally on the midterm and final.

How do you say hello in the Tongva language?
miyiiha

This question will be on the midterm and final!!! He managed to tell us at least once every two weeks (which is good). Also, the fact that he cares about the people who inhabited the Los Angeles region tells you already how compassionate and invested he is.

The content of this course was not the most interesting, but Professor Gillespie is super nice and the assignments were all very easy. The midterm and final were just memorization and easy with a bit of studying.

Definitely an easy science GE. Professor Gillespie brings tons of energy and humor to class. The workload was very light and I enjoyed this class the most in my 1st quarter on campus. 100% recommended

This class was mostly an Environmental Science class. During Fall 2021, it was 100% online and was probably the easiest GE I would have taken. Both the midterm and the final were on Google Docs and were exactly what the professor had on his slides. Gillespie was super engaging and really seemed to care about the information that he went over in class. He was a very chill professor too and seemed to enjoy what he does. The information in the class was also really interesting. During the first part of the class the material focuses mostly on different biomes and their current conservation status and then transitions over to more government regulations and more detailed exploration of these biomes. The lab was pretty easy too except having to wake up at 8 am and walk across campus. Overall, this class was a very GE and I actually learned something! I would highly recommend taking this class with Gillespie.

This class was a breeze and literally a breath of fresh air. His lectures were interesting and were entertaining. Labs were fun and hands on as we visited Sage Hill and the Botanical Gardens which I probably would have never visited prior to taking this class. He provides a study guide prior to tests, which basically had the same exact questions on the actual tests themselves. Labs were pretty easy as well. We had like one group project at the end of the quarter where we basically researched and presented on an endangered species of our choice. Loved this class!!

Gillespie has woke uncle energy and I loved every single lecture bc of it. Lectures were online/recorded so I watched all asynch but was still super engaged; his lectures are super super clear and easy to understand. The material is relevant, easy, and interesting!! The field trips to Sage Hill & the botanical garden were the highlights imo, super cute, good vibes. I ended up returning there on my own time to look at the plants again lol. Super easy midterm and final (fill in the blank kinda stuff), two online labs that took max 1 hour, and a final group presentation on an endangered species. This class was so cute, i would definitely take it again.