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

Overall, I don't think Sigmon is a bad professor, but he's not the best by any means. His lectures in person were definitely more interesting than online, as we had online lectures for the first four weeks of the quarter. He basically just reads the slides and adds a few comments here and there. The midterm consisted of writing five short essays, and for the final, we had to write six. We also had to write a term paper due three days before the final. The TAs made us take difficult quizzes every week before we were lectured on the material which created a very stressful environment. I would spend all my Sundays on these quizzes, and though I did fairly well on them, everyone was extremely stressed, and the average of the quizzes were consistently low. The quizzes were only worth 10% of the final grade, but the TAs expected so much from us. I somehow managed to snag an A, but this was probably the most stressful class I've taken at UCLA so far.

I did not read past week 2 and got an A. The tests are 'tough' but I finished it in half the time allotted so it's doable. The tests were also short answer to a bunch of different prompts. All I did for the midterm and final was look at the slides literally the night before and recall the key points in relation to whoever he put on the study guide. I attended most lectures and discussion sections but found myself so tired--it was something about being in Dodd Hall and his lectures. Sometimes he was funny but you really have to be motivated to take goooood notes. I took notes but never reread them like ever so it might've been easier had I done that. Just focus on his interpretation of the readings and when it comes to the tests just answer it in the way you think he would answer it. My TA was Joseph Murphy and he was helpful too in giving a rundown of what was covered in lecture.

Not sure why there aren't more honest reviews about Sigmon. He's the worst sociology professor here at UCLA. Avoid him at all costs. His lectures add no value because he just reads off his slides in a monotone voice making it very hard to stay engaged. Sigmon doesn’t believe in using technological devices so be prepared to take notes with a pen and paper. Worse of all he is very unaccommodating to students who’ve gotten covid and have shown no empathy.

I really liked this professor, he gave really entertaining lectures and actually made the material interesting which is impressive considering it's a theory class. The workload is somewhat heavy, but most of it is pretty straightforward so as long as you attend all the lectures and discussions you should be fine on the exams and term paper.

I absolutely LOVE Professor Sigmon. He is so humble, funny, kind, generous, caring--an excellent human being overall. He makes the material so interesting and understandable. If I were to learn the material by myself, I would be completely lost. He, however, offers bite-sized pieces of the material, and he often uses amazing real-life stories to explain concepts. Attendance is not required but helpful. The exams are a reflection of the powerpoint slides. No trick questions!

Really great lecturer, one of my favorite professors so far. Some of the works we had to read are pretty dense, and after reading through them I would not have a strong understanding of what the work was about, but after going to lecture I would feel confident about my understanding. Prof Sigmon also works in unique perspectives you don't normally read in sociology classes such as Nietzsche and Freud, but after reading you understand their influence on the fields. Work load isn't too bad. Weekly discussion post, 1 midterm, 1 final, 1 final paper.

This class was definitely in the middle. The professor is easy-going and easy to communicate with, however, the material is dense. He does go over it quite well and explains things to his best ability!! The midterm is quite hard because it is multiple essay questions on dense material and so is the final so be prepared for that.

Professor Sigmon is the best! His lectures are helpful and he's funny, which is a big plus for me. Theory is difficult, but my TA was a QUEEN, and I love how the professor bases his tests of his lecture slides, so definitely look at those when studying. He doesn't try to trick you at all. There's 2 weekly responses to the readings, which are based on effort, midterm (got 96%), final (98%), and an A+ on the term paper. The class is super doable as long as you actually read most of the readings at least, and put an effort to understand. Go to office hours and you'll be okay!

Professor Sigmon is a gem. He is very passionate about what he teaches and makes his lectures engaging and funny. GO TO LECTURE AND SECTION! Those were where the readings were broken down; it helped everyone understand the material more clearly. I recommend going to office hours because my TA was a queen as well! There is a midterm exam, term paper and final exam. There are also reading responses that you have to complete twice a week (I personally did most of the readings). This was a very doable class and was definitely one of my favorites.