While the student who wrote beforehand was right in that the final examination was unfair (questions that did not relate to the lecture/important themes), it was mainly the fact that he left week 8 and had his TAs write the test. I think this was more of a special circumstance/occasion that he left.

I strongly suggest people to take this class, esp to really understand the growing environmental problems. He makes lecture entertaining & easy to listen to. MAKE SURE TO TAKE GOOD NOTES!!! about 75% of the test questions come from lecture, and 25% from textbook (he'll even tell the general questions that you need to know from textbook). so pay attention in class, do well in lab (or "lab" in terms of essays/presentations). and you'll do well in the class. It's a great class to take!!!! (I'm a geography major because of it..)

also, you can take geography 2 at the same time (to finish your life sci GE) because a lot of the information coincide.... This is what I did...and it worked out.

While the class/lecture itself was interesting, I was very disappointed in the structure of this class. Gillespie left the 8th week of class for India, and had one of the TAs to write the exam. The exam ended up being less questions than our midterm (only 53 questions) and worth 40% of our grade. The final covered info that the class was specifically told would not be on the test. It did not accurately test the understanding of the concepts we spent the most time on, but asked random questions from the book that was never integrating into lecture/discussion whatsoever. Many students complained about it so Gillespie said he would find some way to take all the questions out that were unfair/even HE didn't know the answer to. I have no idea how many questions ended up basically determining my grade, but I ended up with a B, my lowest grade so far at UCLA. I would not recommend taking this class with Gillespie because honestly, it ended up a complete disaster.

Dr. Gillespie is absolutely phenomenal. He's funny, very knowledgeable about the subject matter, and one of the most caring professors you'll ever meet. His class is incredibly easy, but you'll still learn a lot. The discussion seminars are pretty dull at times, but lectures completely make up for this. If you have a chance to take his class, grab it immediately because it generally fills up quickly. If you do, you won't regret it.

AWESOME.

Professor Gillespie is one of a kind. His lectures are informative and entertaining.. there's no textbook for his courrse so there's no need to worry about sleep inducing text. He's very approachable, funny, intelligent. Take this class! You'll be surprised how much you can learn in a class with little or no effort at all. My grade: A

Professor Gillespie is a very amazing teacher. He\355s very laid back, funny and dynamic with his lectures. He truly loves what he teaches, making this the BEST GE you could ask for. As for the class, there is NO BOOK, so you need to come to class every day and take meticulous notes, but you want to because he simply is so entertaining. The lab portion is really watching a few videos, going behind Hitch with Gillespie and surveying the native plants, and a 7-10 minute presentation at the end, and most (if not all) of the TAs are really cool. As what other people said before, his tests are VERY easy and straightforward. He give you a comprehensive review sheet for the midterm and final on things you need to know for the tests, and as long as you spend enough time memorizing the key topics and concepts, you should be fine. He\355s definitely one of the best and funnest professors on campus.

This was probably the most hilarious class that I've ever taken in my life for a couple of reasons. 1) there was no book 2) we literally trekked through the forest behind hitch 3) we had to learn the rules about traveling in Baja California and 4) Gillespie randomly says stuff that is so not PC that its AMAZING. honestly though, i would take another class from him because of his style of teaching. I think that he genuinely wants his students to learn. He's pretty easy because lectures are what count- if you go and pay attention (which is doable because he's so freaking hilarious) you're set for both the midterm and the final. He tells you EXACTLY what you need to know and as he says, "if you can't regurgitate it right back at me, you're on crack." Another cool thing about Gillespie is that he's totally approachable--he's not one of those professors that you feel like you can't talk to outside of class. While he might not remember your name, he will definitely remember your face and thats good because I think that he keeps a mental note of who comes to class, even if its a big lecture. Take him, you'll have so much fun!

great class ! Gillespie comes to class knowing what to say and what to teach. exams are VERY straight forward, just study his review sheet and your notes and you're set! his lectures are filled with great jokes...simply put, he makes going to lecture worth your time.

I was in Dr. Gillespie\355s class and I can tell that he is a really great teacher. It is true that you have to memorize a lot of stuff in his class, but if you follow his study list, you will end up with great results. As a person, I totally loved him since he was a nice guy always willing to help in case of any difficulties occurred and you laugh with him a lot. Even though there were too many people in my class, it was still fun and the tests were pretty easy. And in fact you do not have to buy the book, lectures will be enough.

Best professor I've ever had at UCLA! He's really into the class and is very friendly, which makes the class that much more enjoyable. The midterm and final only covered information from the lectures, so make sure you go to class! They were multiple choice and sometimes the wording was a little convoluted.