While there aren't any prereqs, the TAs grade as if you have background in film and expect a lot more from your film analyses without ever having learned how to do them.

I absolutely loved this class. When I took this class it was asynchronous with the section in person. I loved this because it allowed you to watch the movies on your own time and also allowed you to watch the lectures on 2x speed which I did and still got an A. Grade is based on Quizzes (there's 3 or 4 of them I think) which you take online and are super easy as long as you have watched the movies and semi paid attention to the lectures. Participation in section and a small presentation you have to give in section which is easy. There is a final group project instead of a final which is not that much work and easy to do well on if you get a good TA. I would definitely recommend to take this class for the GE. The movies are really good and the lectures are genuinely interesting. The professor clearly knows what she is talking about.

I took French 41 during Winter 2015.

She is an absolutely incredible professor. Coming from the Engineering School, she is the reason why I believe that UCLA has a stronger Humanities professors than Engineering professors. Very articulate, top-notch French (though classes are never given in French if that's a concern), all around great person. I unfortunately could not go to her OH because it conflicted with a class but I'm sure it would have been a blast if I did go.

The class went like every week a movie and then a lecture on the next day of class. So, 10 movies in 10 weeks (yes!) and a lecture following each one. Also, each film we saw had some thematic discussion of race.

Lectures were well organized and presented valuable information. She does go into a "lecture voice" i.e. droning voice, but if you are interested in the subject matter you won't find yourself lost in her arguments. She definitely made insightful analysis that made the films much more easier to understand and made me appreciate the film much more.

TA Discussion sessions were alright. My TA was a History student so not sure if he offers the best filmic insights to the films (but good insight into the history behind it). I think most students preferred the other TA but I'm not sure if she will be TAing for future classes as she got her PhD at the end of our quarter. With my TA, I was lucky to have some pretty insightful classmates talking about the readings and film. Each week, someone led a discussion with the reading but the TA frequently "intervened" to get the discussion going (we were a pretty quiet bunch). Overall, a very welcoming environment so always speak up no matter what your ideas are!!

The movie choices were also amazing. The Intouchables was the first one we saw and it's a brilliantly made fun film. I lot of people liked La Haine as well but I was alright with it (not particularly hyped about it). Excluding The Intouchables, my personal favourites were the one about a teacher in a school, the French colony documentary, Welcome to the Sticks, and Welcome. You won't have trouble finding a film that you will enjoy.

My only complaint about the class was that I hoped to learn more filmic techniques, specifically French film techniques as I adore the French style of films, and because the course title included "French cinema." I wasn't expecting a quarter discussing race in France.

Tests were a bit tricky. You had to memorize a lot of film techniques and be able to visually identify them. What made the MC test challenging was that that you can't easily identify the correct solution unless if you "became the word." As a result, I didn't do too hot on the tests. Thankfully, they were not the big proportion of the class.

Regarding the essays, there were 3 (?) essays we had to write. 2 were on selected films and the last one was any film we saw. I was very scared on writing them because I never understood how to write a good analysis essay in high school. But I guess my TA likes my style of analysis so I got A's on all my essays. Given how my writing generally lacks the "pop," I'm pretty sure most students got A's as well. Another thing about the leniency of grading is that I wrote my last essay the night before it was due and the others were written MAX 3 nights before. Ended up with an A- in the class (I think my final weighted percentage was an 89%)

In summary, awesome class, great professor, GPA booster GE, learn a lot about France, learn cool things about films, and have a great time. French 41 is THE class for the cultural analysis GE (thank gosh I didn't take the Ling GEs, would have missed out on this golden class).

I can't recommend this class enough. Definitely one of the easier GEs. The workload was super light, just occasional multiple-choice quizzes but the TA debriefs beforehand. Lectures were online and recorded and were not too hard to get through. The final is just a group project on a movie of your choice and it was pretty easy to do. Overall, pretty light workload and chill discussion, definitely a class worth taking.

Professor Brozgal is very knowledgeable and concerned. In french 41, we watch the films on Tuesday and have lecture about the film on Thursday.

Grade breakdown:
15% attendance
10% participation
15% 3 response paper (5% each)
25% midterm
30% final
5% leading discussion

I got an A- in the class because I didn't study the slides when preparing for the midterm. Nevertheless, I learnt a lot in this class and really enjoy it!

I LOVED Prof Brozgal. I didn't actually attend Office hours but I loved her lectures, her choice of films and her insights on each of them. I absolutely loves The Intouchables and La Haine. There was only one film in the class that was sort of boring. I learnt a LOT about film and French culture. This was an AMAZING GE!