This class is really interesting if you need it as a GE, for your major, or if you're just interested in film. I learned a lot from this class and I really enjoyed the movies we watched and the cultural aspect of the class. The paper was graded fairly and wasn't that hard to write as long as you watched the films and used specific examples of concepts that you learned in class. The midterm and final were online, which was nice since you could take it on your own time but the questions were very specific so you need to make sure you remember details from all the movies and examples the professor said in lecture. The only thing I didn't like about this class is that the lectures were very long; on Tuesday's we watched the movie, which would usually be around 2 hours, and Thursdays we had a long lecture to go over the film. Discussions are also mandatory and participation matters. If you're looking for a fun class with not a whole lot of workload, I would recommend this class.

Amazing class! I had never considered analyzing films--I was just taking this class for a french minor and for a GE. Professor Brozgal was awesome and I am so glad I took it. The movies were all good (with the exception of the 1930s propaganda one but it was still interesting). My mind was boggled by her lectures every time because she would analyze film elements so in-depth and connect them to the readings and historical context of the films. My TA Katie was pretty nice too!

I really enjoyed my time with Professor Brozgal in French 41. In the beginning, my motivation in taking this class was to fulfill a GE; however, I am so happy that I was able to enroll in this class my first quarter here at UCLA. She is incredibly kind and understanding. After attending her office hours once, she remembered my name. It is so gratifying to hear your name in a classroom of 120 students. Whether you want to talk to Professor Brozgal about your thesis for the 2 short essays (10% of your grade each) or your upbringing during her office hours, she is open arms. The model of the class is one day is a screening day and the other a lecture day. I have been able to enjoy some of the best French films in this class. Her lectures sound like essays due to how well spoken this woman is :). The grade composition is made up of 1 midterm and a final, both which are online and multiple choice. There are about two hours allocated for the exam, but I only used about 30-35 minutes.

10/10 Would Recommend!!

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.

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.

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.

this class is a GE i would recommend. the workload is not that bad but is definitely dense (they usually average 40 min - 1 hour per video). the movie choices were also pretty interesting (recommend watching la haine even if you don't take the class). the class itself focuses on the conversation of race within the french context and history... so you get a different perspective on the issue of racism and classism and how that affects France today. there are three big quizzes for the class and as long as you took notes on the lectures, for the most part, you should be fine... there were definitely some questions that were a lil too nit-picky on some of the details so be aware that every so often you'll get a question like that. but again, the questions are heavily based on the lecture solely. also, because this does entail some film analysis there were some moments where even the professor or TA couldn't really give you a definite interpretation or answer on a particular concept of the films. so there were some moments where you were going into something a lil blind (even then these were very specific and isolated situations that occurred and weren't that big a deal). discussions are where you do the most engagement with the class, make sure you participate even if it's for a little bit. that's where you get most of your participation points and also you get an idea of who you would want in your group for your final project.

tips:
- make sure you stay on top of the due dates.... the professors and TAs aren't mean about due dates but they also aren't very lenient about them either... also for the final project there are multiple deadlines for it and those submissions are how you get points which eventually add up if you keep missing them
- the class is heavily dependent on your readings, lectures and movies so you can't really slack off on them. the three quizzes and final are really the only assignments you have throughout the quarter so you don't have as many opportunities to get points/improve your grade if you mess up. hence, make sure you pay attention and do your work.
- pay attention to the film vocab words... because the class is more focused on using movies in context of race in france, the film analysis stuff can get lost in everything when it comes to taking in content. but because the 'methods of evaluation' are dependent on your formal film analysis skills, you need to brush up on your vocab and understanding of formal film topics/concepts. this will especially help with your individual film analysis presentation and your final group project
- watch the video lectures at 1.5x speed... the videos average about 40 min- 1 hour and you have about 3-4 to watch per week on top of the movie and readings.... the material itself isn't hard to comprehend so i wouldn't say it's more difficult than some other classes but it's still a lot of information and i don't recommend trying to procrastinate it all in one night

This is probably a more controversial review, but Prof Brozgal did not teach any live lectures for this quarter (so all of them were pre-recorded) but she did have in person office hours and came to class once. Her class is a little bit harder to follow, her lectures were really dense (though I played them at 1.5x speed, it did take me longer than its original duration to do my notes as I went along) and she does not offer extra credit. I came into this class with no background in french/linguistics/humanities/history so this was probably why I found it very difficult to follow. Every week you are assigned 1-3 readings, 1 movie, 2-4 lectures so it is quite heavy in terms of workload but the lectures are async so you can take them anytime during the week. Discussions are in person. THIS IS NOT AN EASY A OR EASY GE. It is doable, and messing up 1 quiz will not drag you down but you do need to invest lots of effort and time into this class in order to get that A.

I took this class as an elective and it was actually really interesting. Prof Brozgal's lectures are pretty interesting and the movies she assigned were generally really good ones. The class was asynchronous and all we had to do each week was watch the lectures read some material and watch the movie. She gives you a suggested "plan of attack" on what order to accomplish these tasks in.
Discussion sections are where you start to have some work. I had Rebecca Glasberg as a TA and she deserves a shoutout! She's so sweet and engaging, super accommodating, and everyone had a lot to say in discussions.
You'll have 3 quizzes throughout the semester, not too many questions and you have plenty of time to look through your notes and lectures.
For discussion section, you'll need to participate a little. It's hard not to because there's so much to say, and it's easy points. You'll have one screen grab analysis where you pick a screenshot from one of the movies and analyze it. And there'll be a group project at the end of the semester where you pick a movie and present it according to the class material.
Prof Brozgal also offers an extra credit option. And she holds optional weekly interactive sessions to check in with everyone and discuss materials further. You can post questions to a google doc if you can't make it and she'll answer them during the session which she records and posts to CCLE.
It's not exactly an "Easy A" class but its definitely a possible A class if you put in some work.

I took this class asynchronously and highly recommend it as a GE. The movies can definitely be... boring, to say the least, but they're not the worst and some of them were quite enjoyable. Definitely watch the lecture on 1.5/2 X speed, Professor Brozgal talks a little bit slow and it makes the note-taking process sooo much faster.

There was never an exam in this class, just 3 quizzes every ~3 weeks covering the cinematic elements and film we had watched during the week prior. They're only about 20/30 questions and I was always able to finish them pretty quickly.

The way she sets up the "plan of attack" for each week was incredibly helpful and I found it to be quite useful to the course materials we were covering that week. I hardly ever did the readings unless they were short and I don't think I missed out on that much in doing so, as she would go over the important things from each one during the lectures she recorded.

Very interesting and eye-opening class, definitely recommend especially if you're trying to complete your diversity requirement. :)