I was scared to take lab class because I had terrible experience with 100B which I put lot of time and effort and ended up with C+. Dr. Smurda was very clear and does not trick students in terms of exams or grading which were helpful. I was taking this class with Psych 115 and were not able to put in lot of effort into my final paper and midterm, but ended up with B+ which was a lot higher than I expected. Definitely require work in research, group presentation, and writing paper, but it was definitely doable and seemed to reflect your effort in class unlike 100B. Definitely good lab class and I am taking another course with Dr. Smurda currently!

This was my second time taking a class with Smurda and honestly, I felt the class was pretty simple and easy. This class is really easy to understand if you have already taken Social Psychology with Smurda as most of the material is basically the same but even if this is your first social psychology type class you should do fine. As long as you show up to class, pay attention, and do the reading assignments then it's easy to understand the concepts. I felt the tests were fair and the paper assignment to be pretty simple as long as you followed the directions. Each test is worth 35% of your grade and there are two of them for a total of 70%, 20% of the grade is the paper, and 10% is little quizzes. Plus she gives 1 extra credit percentage too. Overall I would recommend this class the material is interesting and Smurda does a good job explaining it.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience in this class. Exams were largely fair although the questions could be very specific – it is recommended that you know understand each of the studies she covers, and make sure you do all the readings because questions from there will show up. The material is fascinating, but lectures are based on PPT slides and are very content-heavy (50-60+ slides per lecture, sometimes more) and can be a little dry – although most of the slides consist of pictures and graphs. I would DEFINITELY recommend writing out notes on everything she mentions or using audio to text to transcribe everything because solely studying off her slides may not be enough/they may lack important information for exams.

In replacement of a mandatory textbook, the professor assigns several social psychology readings to do that are relevant to discussion sections. The readings were interesting and I honestly preferred them immensely to your run-of-the-mill dry textbook, which probably would have succeeded in making a subject as interesting as social psychology sound absolutely boring. Sections are also useful and engaging, and help you understand the readings and prepare for exams! I really enjoyed my TA, Ben.

The professor can be accommodating but sometimes can seem to get a little irritated by students' persistent questions, which is honestly understandable.

This was essentially how the class was structured during Winter Quarter of 2021 (online):

SECTIONS: There are 6 sections, you can miss 1 without penalty. Section grade is based on attendance, thought questions, and in class participation; no curve. You have to submit a discussion seed (short, thoughtful response) for every reading, and you have to be engaged during discussions.

LECTURES: Attendance/participation is optional/recorded.

GRADES: Based on 2 exams (40% midterm, 40% final) and section (20%). Exams are MCQ, no make-up exams offered except for with thorough documentation.

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES: Total of up to 2% added to final grade through –
1. Research participation: Earn 1 extra credit % point by participating in experiments through Psychology Dept Subject Pool.
2. Earn 1 extra credit % point by participating in at least 70% of polls during regularly scheduled class time.

This class was pretty interesting. I did not really enjoy the books assigned however, because I found the connections to lecture somewhat confusing. But overall, the lecture content the professor teaches is very straightforward and useful even in daily life. Like others have said, studying the content on the slides is not enough for the tests, it is helpful to rewatch the lectures or read the transcripts. This class wasn't too bad but the exams were somewhat tricky.

This is the best class that I've taken so far at UCLA. Prof. Smurda has changed my thinking about the world.

She presents everything in an interesting, clear way and she's very patient with students. Her tests are fair, but you do need to study. Overall, I would highly recommend taking this class and really any class with Dr. Smurda.

This was a really interesting class! I definitely learned new things about social life!
However this class was extremely difficult for me. I honestly thought I wasn’t going to pass because I got a low score on my first midterm.
Thankfully she was nice enough to alter the grading scale 35% for lower test score and 45% for higher test score.
20% discussion.
I surprisingly got a B however, I had to study a TON for my final. I’m just happy I passed.
Professor was very friendly & offered 3% extra credit (: without this I probably would have got a C as final grade

Dr. Smurda is a wonderful professor. Her lectures are clear, organized, and engaging. I took this class over zoom but enjoyed every lecture! During the first half, Dr. Smurda goes over content from lectures followed by a midterm. The midterm was a little difficult but you should be fine if you pay close attention to the lectures and DO THE READINGS. The second half involves a group project so you will be split into breakout rooms pretty often. Overall, this class was interesting and I would recommend this class to fulfill your lab requirement.

Dr Smurda is a really nice lady who cares about the content of what she's teaching. She also cares about all the students. Although she reads more (off her slides) than other professors, I didn't find it a hindrance to my enjoyment of the course and materials being presented. She is very relatable, has a good sense of humor and certainly prepared everyone for the exams. Social Psychology is a fascinating subject. There's a lot in it. Like most Psych courses, the subject matter is expansive. This is a great course. Really interesting. I would recommend taking any course with Dr Smurda. Get to know her. Get to know all of your professors. They are all really interesting people!

This class is my absolute favorite class that I've taken at UCLA by far. This class also changed the way I see the world and people around me. Dr. Smurda is an amazing professor and her lectures were highly enjoyable and extremely interesting.

Like the other reviews mention, her grading is a bit unfair. Your entire grade is pretty much based on just the midterm and the final so beware. I have never studied so hard in my life before. I feel like I gained so much knowledge from this class and worked very hardly, yet the B I earned does not reflect how much effort I put in. However, the material is actually very interesting to study so at least you won't be bored!

Dr. Smurda is really funny, accommodating, and truly wants all of her students to succeed. I would highly recommend taking diligent notes and really tuning in to each lecture in order to do well. Her exams were closed note, which is another reason I had to study so hardly. Dr. Smurda offers extra credit opportunities as well, so if you want to boost your grade even more I would do those.

Overall, I would definitely recommend taking this class! Although I am usually a straight-A student and received a B in this class, I am still very glad I took it because I learned so much and see the world around me differently now. Take at your own risk.

Dr. Smurda is such an engaging professor and this class is pretty easy. There's a midterm and a final - no papers. Her final isn't cumulative and I honestly only studied for five hours total for the final and it was so easy. Her slides are super clear and just make flashcards for all of the studies she talks about and you're good to go. You don't need to know names or dates for the most part and the studies are so interesting that I remembered them without studying anyway. I had a really good TA too (David Pinsof) and discussion was really fun. The 'textbooks' are just chapter books and they're all super interesting and easy to understand. TAKE THIS CLASS WITH HER