SOCIOL 101
Development of Sociological Theory
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Comparative survey of basic concepts and theories in sociology from 1850 to 1920. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Most Helpful Review
dr. lopez is a strange man: he doesnt like you to shake his hand and his lectures are totally confusing. i dont think he even know what he's talking about half the time. i did all of the reading on time and still never understood one of his lectures. he relies completely on the TAs and doesnt offer any help unless you have gone to see the TA first and even after that you have to practically beg him. i would never suggest anyone ever take this man for a class. he is terrible!
dr. lopez is a strange man: he doesnt like you to shake his hand and his lectures are totally confusing. i dont think he even know what he's talking about half the time. i did all of the reading on time and still never understood one of his lectures. he relies completely on the TAs and doesnt offer any help unless you have gone to see the TA first and even after that you have to practically beg him. i would never suggest anyone ever take this man for a class. he is terrible!
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Most Helpful Review
Everything in this class is based off of the TA's grading. You have a paper due on the reading each week, an extra credit paper at the end of the quarter and a written midterm and final. It's just a super boring subject and the readings are agonizing but I just read tons of summaries and articles on the readings to clear it up better (instead of reading the actual content) and ended up getting an A in the class. Definitely a good professor to take this with, but depends on TA mostly!
Everything in this class is based off of the TA's grading. You have a paper due on the reading each week, an extra credit paper at the end of the quarter and a written midterm and final. It's just a super boring subject and the readings are agonizing but I just read tons of summaries and articles on the readings to clear it up better (instead of reading the actual content) and ended up getting an A in the class. Definitely a good professor to take this with, but depends on TA mostly!
Most Helpful Review
Great professor. Very organized. Everything you need to know for the exams come from lecture - he will not surprise you with passages that he does not discuss (or passages that the TA does not discuss). Midterm was short essays on Marx and Weber. Fill-in-the-blank questions from their works. Take-home exam was paper on Durkheim and Marx. Final exam was short essays on Durkheim and Freud. Fill-in-the-blanks on Durkheim and Freud. And finally, a comparative essay between Freud and Marx and/or Durkheim. My scores: Midterm: 88.1% (Studied the night before; was 2 fill-in-the-blanks out of 12? or 16? I forget - from a 92% ++) . Paper: "B" (85%? Not sure...?) Final exam: ??? I didn't study enough Freud... I don't know what I received. There was a slight curve applied and I ended up with a B+ overall. [By the way, I hated reading social theory. I managed somehow.]
Great professor. Very organized. Everything you need to know for the exams come from lecture - he will not surprise you with passages that he does not discuss (or passages that the TA does not discuss). Midterm was short essays on Marx and Weber. Fill-in-the-blank questions from their works. Take-home exam was paper on Durkheim and Marx. Final exam was short essays on Durkheim and Freud. Fill-in-the-blanks on Durkheim and Freud. And finally, a comparative essay between Freud and Marx and/or Durkheim. My scores: Midterm: 88.1% (Studied the night before; was 2 fill-in-the-blanks out of 12? or 16? I forget - from a 92% ++) . Paper: "B" (85%? Not sure...?) Final exam: ??? I didn't study enough Freud... I don't know what I received. There was a slight curve applied and I ended up with a B+ overall. [By the way, I hated reading social theory. I managed somehow.]
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Most Helpful Review
First, this is a "Thought Control" class in which you'll be prohibited to use "system's world" theories (i.e.Marx/Weber)to argue against this professor more favored "life world" theories (i.e. Durkheim/Parsons). Second, this is "A movie going class." If you don't like movies of any kind, don't bother to take this class because you'll hate it. Some movies shown in this class are DUMB and make no sense to class theories at all. Third, Prof. Sherwood and his theories is all over the place! He can't even generate a decent prompt for the final paper. Thank god! The TA is decent and helpful.
First, this is a "Thought Control" class in which you'll be prohibited to use "system's world" theories (i.e.Marx/Weber)to argue against this professor more favored "life world" theories (i.e. Durkheim/Parsons). Second, this is "A movie going class." If you don't like movies of any kind, don't bother to take this class because you'll hate it. Some movies shown in this class are DUMB and make no sense to class theories at all. Third, Prof. Sherwood and his theories is all over the place! He can't even generate a decent prompt for the final paper. Thank god! The TA is decent and helpful.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2021 - I really loved sigmon’s class. A king. I’ve taken theory courses before & absolutely remembered NOTHING but in sigmon’s class I have retained almost 90% of the information. I, for some reason, never understood concepts by theorists like Marx & Nietzsche, but he made me be able to understand everything. It was an interesting class... sometimes boring tho haha Some people were complaining about his exam this year (it was all multiple choice) & how it didn’t test on conceptual facts but rather specific facts directly from his lecture... but personally I think this is easier. I took detailed notes in class & copied his lecture down word for word then read my notes after every class. I mean I don’t like short answer exams so maybe I’m biased towards his exams. Professor Sigmon also does an excellent job at summarizing & going into detail about the specific readings we had to do. A lot of the readings are dense so even after reading, I tended to not understand everything that was talked about but after watching the lectures, everything made sense. We also had an essay which really just depends on who you have for your section TA. Basically, if you want to pass this class, watch & take notes on all the lectures (don’t procrastinate) & then read the lecture notes so you can retain the info. Skim the readings before lecture though so that lecture makes more sense rather than you trying to learn all this new info by yourself. Sigmon wants us to succeed!! Good luck
Winter 2021 - I really loved sigmon’s class. A king. I’ve taken theory courses before & absolutely remembered NOTHING but in sigmon’s class I have retained almost 90% of the information. I, for some reason, never understood concepts by theorists like Marx & Nietzsche, but he made me be able to understand everything. It was an interesting class... sometimes boring tho haha Some people were complaining about his exam this year (it was all multiple choice) & how it didn’t test on conceptual facts but rather specific facts directly from his lecture... but personally I think this is easier. I took detailed notes in class & copied his lecture down word for word then read my notes after every class. I mean I don’t like short answer exams so maybe I’m biased towards his exams. Professor Sigmon also does an excellent job at summarizing & going into detail about the specific readings we had to do. A lot of the readings are dense so even after reading, I tended to not understand everything that was talked about but after watching the lectures, everything made sense. We also had an essay which really just depends on who you have for your section TA. Basically, if you want to pass this class, watch & take notes on all the lectures (don’t procrastinate) & then read the lecture notes so you can retain the info. Skim the readings before lecture though so that lecture makes more sense rather than you trying to learn all this new info by yourself. Sigmon wants us to succeed!! Good luck
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2020 - TAKE THIS CLASS! As a transfer student I was nervous about the transition from a Community College to a 4-year University. Professor Speer made sure that my experience in this class was a positive one. I will admit some of the readings were difficult, but Speer went over them in class and discussed it until everyone understood. Such a caring and understanding person in light of everything going on. I really wanted to take him for Sociology 182 for Winter 2020, but the class filled up so fast, and rightfully so. Speer is hands down the BEST professor in this department. Honestly, the BEST professor at UCLA!! Also if you're good he'll show his dogs Bogart and Nyla.
Fall 2020 - TAKE THIS CLASS! As a transfer student I was nervous about the transition from a Community College to a 4-year University. Professor Speer made sure that my experience in this class was a positive one. I will admit some of the readings were difficult, but Speer went over them in class and discussed it until everyone understood. Such a caring and understanding person in light of everything going on. I really wanted to take him for Sociology 182 for Winter 2020, but the class filled up so fast, and rightfully so. Speer is hands down the BEST professor in this department. Honestly, the BEST professor at UCLA!! Also if you're good he'll show his dogs Bogart and Nyla.
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