There is one HUGE reason to take this class — the light workload. It is an absolute boon if you struggle with time management. The course itself is somewhat average, but the workload and general difficulty is quite low.

If you're a finesser, this is the class for you.

READ the ratings CAREFULLY. This class is by far the easiest course I have taken at UCLA. The poor ratings you see are for the PROFESSOR. You never engage with the professor nor the TA unless you want to. I did not engage whatsoever and got perfect scores on EVERYTHING. I also had heavier classes to take care of so this was perfect for me as this is an easy 5-unit class. I would honestly forget I had assignments till Friday (which is when you submit your work) and knock it out in an hour, or if I got distracted, 2 hours MAX. So, although they state 11 hours workload... I really only invest about 2 hours each week watching the pre-recorded lectures AND submitting assignments. Although the class was not the most straightforward it wasn't difficult to figure things out and they were nice all quarter about people who did, for whatever reason, mess up.
TAKE THE CLASS, TRUST ME.

Class is consisted of:
8 TOTAL Blog Assignments (1 each week, skipping week 5 for midterm and week 11 for the final and are due Friday)
-about 200-400 words
-like 3 pictures
-like 5 references
-score: out of 4
8 Blog Assignment REPLIES to another student (only 1 for each blog you post due Sundays)
-a small paragraph does the job
3 Blog Event Assignments (attend a 1+ hour (zoom) or in-person art/science event)
-show proof of attendance
-a couple of photos of the event.
-a few references
-score: out of 7
-about 200-400 words
ONE midterm
-a presentation you submit.
-you come up with an idea relating to art and science such as a device that solves a human problem or really anything you come up with is a good idea. It can be the most random thing. The whole point of it though is that YOU came up with the concept and basically create it into a project and write why it's essential or why should it be invested in.
-a TON of reference (this part was annoying but not impossible)
-I sat at Starbucks for like the whole day, 2 days in a row, and finished it.
-Score: out of 20
ONE Final
-A paper on your midterm idea.
-Again, a TON of reference but not impossible.
-1500+ words no more than 10 pages (that's including references and pictures)
-Score: out of 25

Your Welcome :)

HORRIBLE teacher in every way possible. If you take her class your IQ will drop an average of 2 points every lecture.

Very easy class with a very small amount of work each week. Definitely recommend!

idk why the reviews are so low this is the freest class I've ever taken. when I took this class it was completely async. there's almost no interaction with the prof or TAs and you really don't need it as long as you know how to citations and submit things on time. will you learn anything meaningful? probably not, but it's an easy visual arts GE with only busywork

This class is easy, and the workload is light. That's about the only redeeming quality in this class. The content is so pointless that sometimes I cannot even motivate myself to spend just an hour or two each week writing the blog.

An a student focused on engineering, I thought the class would provide some much needed macroscopic perspective on science and technology, especially how they relate to art. Yet I find the topics to be a strange hodgepodge with little to no rigor. Vesna was not an engaging lecturer at all; her YouTube lecture videos, uploaded *years* ago, only had modest number of views, and that should tell you whether the majority of the students who take this class actually watched them or not. The grading was opaque and easily gamed (pretty much just follow all directions). I learned nothing new in this class.

Directions in the class are not clear until I started emailing my TA, her name is Symrin, she was very helpful in leading me in the right direction of everything that we had to write in this class. The first blog was the only bad grade I got. I contacted professor one time directly when I had technical issues in submitting my midterm, and she seemed to be very nice also and fast to reply considering it was a night time. The Quiz was not easy for me, but it's worth very little and there is an extra creding available, so it did not bother me much. I guess, the only way you will not get an A in this class if you do not ask your TA what has to be corrected when you receive your 1st blog grade, and for the midterm again email your draft with your ideas and ask for advice on it.

DESMA 9 is a really stupid class... i just took it for GE credits and changed grading base to P/NP. It's an online class so it's really convenient to take it during summer... SOOOOO BORING... i just hope i can pass

This class was a disappointment.
Look, it's online, so if you need a quick 5 units, it will work out great for you.

As this was an online course, Professor Vesna was present only on pre-taped video lectures. She never answered any e-mails, though, so you were completely dependent upon the TAs. My TA was a good one, so I got lucky. The lecture material and the assignments were good, but there are a few annoying things about this class.
You will have virtually no contact with the teacher, TA, or any of the other students and Prof Vesna's voice is very dificult to listen to. I would often mute the lecture videos and turn on the CC option so I could just read along.