One has to work very hard to get an A because Prof. Gillespie provides a huge amount of information and fact. The only way he can get away with it without students turning against him is he great attitude. His lecturing is very entertaining and informative. He chooses many practical subjects, which make you interested in what he is teaching. TAs are excellent and the discussions very productive. We had a tour of UCLA botanical garden, Gillespie gave us walk through the northwest side of campus, students pair up, create a poster, and present environmental topic of their interest... Nothing feels forceful or abstract. Even though I'm a social sciences major and took this class as my GE, prof. Gillespie made it very fun and worth my time and money. I'm graduating in few weeks and will always remember him as one of the best professors I've had at UCLA.

I wouldn't trust the aforementioned review--Gillespie's class is a piece of cake. The 9:30 AM lecture time was a bit early for me so I ended up attending usually 1 lecture of the two a week, if that. I read the book for a grand total of 5 minutes, so I would recommend against purchasing it (it's pretty expensive anyway). I studied for a good 2 hours the night before the midterm and got 100% on it. I feel like this class is probably one of the easiest at UCLA, and the sea of athletes (particularly the football team, along with many track athletes and softball players) upon entry to the first day of lecture attests to its difficulty level. The class is particularly easy if you took AP Environmental Science in high school. The labs are a bit tedious and disconnected from the lecture, but the outdoor ones are very interesting, albeit very basic. Professor Gillespie is a kick though. To be around his personality is alone worth taking the class, and he is very entertaining and sincere.

Be prepared to deal with this school's finest, though (and by finest I mean stupidest), and don't be surprised if after this class you are a bit concerned about the intelligence level of UCLA students (or lack thereof).

While this class is very enjoyable, and Prof. Gillespie is great, I would not call it an "easy A" class.

Unless you're great at memorization, the tests will probably be difficult. I admit that I didn't always go to class, but I took great notes and borrowed friends' notes, and studied, and the information just didn't all stick (I ended up with a C). The tests require you to know a lot of detailed information, numbers and such, and less broad ideas.

That said, I still had a great time in the class. The 9:30am start time was a little dissuading (hence my not always going), but Professor Gillespie really has a passion for the subject, and is great at getting it across to his class. The field trips were educational and fun, and lectures were never boring (except when his dad lectured us on population growth).

Overall, I'd say take this class if you want an enjoyable experience and you don't care too much about your grade (unless, like I said, you're good at memorizing tons of facts).

he made plants like the coolest thing on earth... no really he does! super nice guy, i never even fell asleep even when the class was at 8 am!!! if i weren't graduating i would totally take him again!

Despite the easy reviews, I really did not think that geography 5 was all that easy. It was a lot of memorization. The professor himself is a awesome person, and I respect him and appreciate the effort he makes to make the course interesting. He seems like someone I can be friends with, and he is very caring. However, the course, I am sad to say, was somewhat of a waste of time. I left the course feeling like I did not learn much that I couldn't simply have looked up in a textbook. The material wasn't made accessible enough or applicable enough to life. I say, you can find an equally easy GE in which you can learn more and be more productive. Also note...do NOT take an 8 a.m. if you are not a morning person.

Do not believe all these reviews! They don't take into consideration the 8:00 am class, on most of which prof. Gillespie takes roll, and the worst of it is that you're penalized big time if you don't attend! His lecture are quite organized, but his midterm and final were NOTHING that I expected. He asked the deepest details that he expects you to remember when you have a big load of stuff to memorize. I recommend you go and find another class cause this one is OK I would say, but not at all what those reviews praise.

I LOVED PROF GILLESPIE!!! he was by far the BEST professor i've had at UCLA so far. His class was easy, BUT he also taught me a lot. He made class so interesting and was not at all boring like most professors. I never thought i would like learning about trees and the environment so much. He was always available to help you out and any way and even gave us a tour of Botanical Gardens during section. Don't even buy the book! GO TO EVERY SINGLE LECTURE and take good notes. Even though the class was pretty early (9:30), I was always happy to attend. Th only downfall was when he had a guest lecturer! The TA's are pretty nice, too. Take his class- you definitely won't regret it.

class consisted of:
1 midterm- [took me 30 minutes!]
1 project/ presentation- it's like a science
project in junior high
final- very easy!!
Overall grade: A

Funniest man at UCLA. It is true that he is easy... but he is so much more than that. He is a great teacher and really cares about learning. I had no interest in the subject beforehand but to this today I still notice things that he mentioned in class. Take him!

Oh man, this has got to be the easiest science GE with a lab out there. Gillespie is hilarious and the midterm and final are totally easy as long as you make a moderate effort to study. The labs are easy too. Seriously, I could not be worse at science and I got an A no problem. Take geography 5 with Gillespie!! (Oh, unless you're an uptight Republican.)

Dr. Gillespie makes geography a blast. He is so animated, entertaining, and passionate about his subject. Labs were a bore, but Gillespie's lectures made up for it! One week, he leads all of the labs through a hike, using a maschetti to cut a path through tall plants. TAKE THIS CLASS if you're a non-science major!