I'm a little surprised by the reviews because I actually found this class to be a little challenging but I thought it was a pretty good class overall. I thought it definitely wasn't horribly difficult at all but I also thought the exams weren't very straightforward. I got an A- in it and also got an A- in 100B so I don't know if that says anything... Professor Smurda was a great professor but I also found her lectures/content to be not so straightforward and a little dry at times. But overall a good class!

By far this has been the worse class I’ve taken at UCLA. The readings are redundant, so you better not have anything else to do because they will consume your time. The writing assignment is a complete joke with unclear guidelines, but points will be deducted based on subjective measures such as and I quote “to me it feels to long.” The lectures are a pain to sit through. I’m a senior with a record of As and Bs in all my classes, but I got a C in this class not because I didn’t do well on the exams and not because the material was hard, but because the professor and her TA had to much power and control over my written assignment, so because they both personally didn’t like me they were able to make sure that I did poorly in this class. Dr. Smurda should be sued for unfair practices along with her TA Macrina Cooper-Smith.

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.

I love learning about social psychology and this class is definitely one of the reasons why. The lectures were clear and easy to understand and I enjoyed having discussions during class and office hours since there's SO much you can get into with the material being taught. A big part of it was review from Social Psychology but it definitely goes into the specifics of the material which I really enjoyed. Dr. Smurda also made the experience amazing, she is very clear and the exams aren't difficult at all. I had a rough end to the quarter but even then, I got a decent grade on the final. Would definitely take again if I had the chance!

I loved the textbook. It was easy to read and actually applies to your life. The lectures are always interesting, but you do need to study because the test covers a lot of material. Great class, great professor!

Professor Smurda is a great teacher and is engaging and passionate about the subject. She is very helpful and approachable. Some of the material is a bit dry and repetitive which can lead to a wandering mind when in class or reading. Most of the stuff isn't difficult to understand, but reading is absolutely necessary for this class and there can be quite a bit of it.

The exam questions are application based so memorizing terms isn't very helpful. The paper is not difficult at all and participation requirement is through Tophat which is quite easy to fulfill.

This class was very interesting and I am amazed at how much I learned about myself and others. This was my first psych upperdiv, so all of the concepts were new to me unlike others who were familiar with some of them from Psych 135. Professor Smurda is engaging and does her best to make the lectures fun and informative. I never missed any lectures even though they're bruincasted, which helps for reviewing for the exams. The midterm and final are both multiple choice exams and are heavily based on the lectures, but also include a few questions from the readings which often coincided with the content from the lectures. The tests are tricky though; I didn't do as well as I would've liked despite feeling confident both times so they must be taken seriously. The application paper was relatively simple and involved applying social influence concepts to a situation in our lives. As far as participation, only 70% is required to receive the full 10% for your grade. Overall, this class is fascinating and I would recommend Professor Smurda, but be prepared to put in the effort to do well as it isn't as easy as it may seem.

I had such an amazing experience in this class. Dr. Smurda is a wonderful professor and one of the best I’ve had at UCLA. She is super approachable and helpful. The class itself is extremely doable and if you study well for the midterm and final you are guaranteed a good grade in the class.
Breakdown:
Midterm: 35%
Final: 35%
Paper: 20% (super easy, applying concepts to your personal life)
Tophat participation: 10% (only need a 70% on this to get 100%)
Extra credit: 1% added to your final grade if you complete 3 hours of SONA.
Lectures are bruincasted, but I honestly never skipped because she is such a great lecturer. The material is super interesting and very applicable to every day life. Also, if you’ve taken 135 some of the concepts are review. Dr. Smurda generally cares about her students and will even remember your name if you go to her office hours or participate in class. Take her! You won’t regret it.

Straightforward class. 2 tests (35% each), clicker questions, and a very doable paper. There was only one textbook for this class and it was a GREAT read. I really recommend reading the book because it definitely helps you process the concepts for the test. Lectures are also bruincasted which is super helpful for studying (or for whenever you don’t feel like getting out of bed). A few topics are repeats from 135. Professor Smurda is caring and super helpful. If you’re looking for an easy (but also interesting) upper div elective, take this class.