This class was all right. It was a three hour class at night once a week, where Vonblum would lecture about real-world problems so there could be a lot of information to get down and you also watch several movies. There is also a discussion section where the TAs basically focus on the important information that is needed to do well in the class. There are two papers in this class and a final quiz. The papers are 6-7 pages and not too hard to write; as long as you are a decent writer and use a few sources and make good arguments to back up your thesis, you will do well. I had Nina Monet as a TA and she let us be creative with the papers, so she didn't really have strict expectations for the papers. The final quiz is meant to help you if you did not do well on the papers, and you only have to answer 5 out of 7 questions and it's really easy. Selling the textbooks that were really helpful for finding sources for the papers. text me at 310-927-7573. Highly recommend this as an elective course if you need something with a light workload!

I'm a south campus major and I took this class for easy upper division units. That being said, this class is interesting and it's super refreshing to listen to lectures given by someone who genuinely cares about educating young people (let's be honest, most math and science professors couldn't care less if undergraduates left their classes learning nothing valuable in the long run). If you're like me, you have no idea what "criticism and public arts" means, so here you go: this class focuses on concepts such as analyzing artworks based on form vs content (ie. how do you evaluate a technically brilliant work of art with a terrible message like the glorification of Nazi Germany?), taking a stand against the status quo, and critically evaluating the world we live in based on our conscience instead of what we have been led to believe our whole lives. You will read 2 books and watch 5 films (2 in class), and apply the concepts illustrated in these decades-old works to the society we live in today.
There are two 6-7 page papers and a final quiz. The papers are easy to write as long as you have attended class and paid attention. The final quiz is a GIFT because you only have to answer 5/7 of the questions. If you get all 5 right your grade gets bumped up by 1/3, and if you get 4 right, your grade stays the same. Pretty good deal. My TA, Shey, was really great and assigned a "creative assignment" (you can literally do anything you want to present your understanding of topics covered in class) that also bumps you up 1/3 of a grade as long as you complete it. The downside to this class is that lectures are really long (3 hours, and this quarter it was from 5-8pm!), so it can be hard to stay focused the whole time even though it is interesting. He does give breaks halfway through which are helpful. Overall, I definitely recommend this class.

Easy class... as long as you pick the right TA. I cannot stress this enough: if you get stuck with Nina as your TA, do NOT take this class! Nina gives additional assignments and her average for the first paper was a B- with the best score being a B+. However, if you're one of the lucky ones who scores Venoosheh as your TA, the class is an easy A. Venoosheh only gives A's and A minuses. The easiness/quality of this class is solely dependent on the TA you select. More so than other classes at UCLA. Choose wisely.

Vonblum is one of the best professors at UCLA, he is extremely passionate about civil rights issues and his class is very interesting. The TA's were very cool, I had Garcha, she was really sweet and an easy grader.

I can't believe that professor Von Blum got any bad ratings AT ALL!! His lectures were very very intersting. People complained he's loud and out there... I'm sorry but that beats my boring, dry, monotone Sociology professors anyday. He's an awesome teacher that really cares not passionately not only about his material, but his students as well.

He's always available to help, explain, or go over anything. We had two papers due the whole term, and if you went to class, it was very easy to tie the material he gave us w/ our own ideas and to get an A.

He's the best, and it'd be a shame not to have him before anyone left UCLA

Anyone that says that Prof. Von Blum is NOT one of the greatest teachers at UCLA is WRONG!! He was the most awesome professor and his class was not only intellectually stimulating, but very interesting also! He raises many important issues that every student should learn about and be aware of. Therefore, his class is DEFINITELY worth taking. On top of that, he is genuinely the nicest guy...when I went to his office hours, he wanted to talk to me, not only about the upcoming paper, but about my plans for the future and how my day was going. It was nice to see that a professor truly cared about his students. His 2 papers are not hard, but you must have strong arguments to back up your thesis. The only downfall of the class was one of his ta's...she was awful! otherwise i would highly recommend the class to anyone -- comm majors and non-comm majors!!

Professor VonBlum was awesome.. He was really opinionated but i liked that...i think teachers that tell you that they dont want to influence your judgements are a joke...cuz they are there to influence us....overall he wase xcellent...if you participate and take initiative you will love his class....