Interesting materials, but he's condescending when you ask questions.
No doubt he is amazing with 152A, definitely take that. However, 142 is one of the most difficult upper divs I have encountered. The mandatory textbook was $250 for the cheapest used version and there was an awful amount of reading. Felt it really sucked that he made this textbook mandatory considering its price and that he is the author. Beware!
Took this class cause I just needed upper division units and it turned out easy. Attendance is mandatory and there is a lot of reading. 3 midterms and a cumulative final, but if you show up youll pass.
If you do not show up to lecture or you take crappy notes, you will not do well. If you don't read or read last minute, you will not do well. Common sense. I highly recommend taking reading notes! It sucks but it's how I became number one in the class. If you do all of this and start to study a week prior you will do fantastic! 3 tests and 1 final.
3 tests & 1 final exam. Teaching is boring & he wrote the textbook that the class is required to use. Many of his teachings are completely made up like 'the greater upper force' you search that up on the internet & nothing will show up. harsh grader & lecture heavy class. Would've been alright if he taught real material instead of his made up stuff
John is a wonderful professor! He makes it obvious what he is looking for on tests. I appreciate the review sessions before exams. He talks fast in lecture and does not post the slides, but his lectures are always very interesting and he makes it fun.
3 midterms and 1 final. Easy A but you still have to work for it. Pure memorization but the subject is really easy to memorize. Some stuff is common sense. Does not mark off wrong answers so list as much as you know on tests. Never went to lecture and only read book + went to review sessions.
Though this class was interesting, it lacked a lot of information for LGBTQ students, as it was primarily focused around heterosexuality. The reading is very heavy, and if you don't do it, you will not do well on the 3 midterms and final. This class is not an easy A or an easy GE. You will need to put in work to get a good grade.
I attended every class and found the way he taught to be difficult to understand. I understood the readings and everything in the lecture, but when I would take the test, I'd write paragraphs and still not do well. I would talk to him and he would say thats what he said in lecture. I've talked to others who had similar experiences
I loved this class, but I do not recommend to take if you have a heavy course load for the quarter. Getting an A is doable, but you have to read, study lecture notes, memorize study guides, read boxes, & memorize charts! I spent a lot of time studying for this class, so keep it in mind. It was a very enjoyable class and The Baldwins are amazing!
Professor Baldwin was wonderful. The topics discussed in class weren't always comfortable, but he always made sure to take the best possible approach. He was funny, while also being super informative and knowledgeable. I loved SOC152A, and I think everyone at UCSB should take this class. Theres 3 midterms and a final, and everything is curved.
everyone should take this class at UCSB !! Go to lecture, its fun and very informative. dont need to read, the study guide covers allll the reading needed for the midterms. 3 midterms and a cumulative final. u gotta study your ass off for all the midterms and know literally everything from lecture and the study guide , its an honest A and doable
Baldwin is by far the best professor I have had ever. He loves what he does, knows what he is talking about, is extremely engaging, and wants you to succeed. If you show up to lecture and do the readings, you will do great in the class. This is a class I look forward to going to--his lectures are so informative. Highly recommend to anyone!!
Should take wether you're a sociology major or not. It's information everyone should be aware about and it's very interesting and useful. If you know the study guide by heart, go over the lecture notes, and read the *BOXES* in the textbook you should definitely be able to get the A. The Baldwins also make the lectures hilarious and relatable!
A ton of reading, sometimes 70 pages a week and it's information heavy. 3 20% midterms (5 short answers, 6 multiple choice) and a 40% final (double midterm length). Attendance not mandatory but I strongly suggest it, correlates well with reading. Review sessions offered before every test that are super helpful. Great material though, worth taking!
He is very enthusiastic and clearly loves HIS lectures and concepts. All his lectures are clearly opinionated. A lot of the concepts he talks about do not exist. Google it, you won't find it. This class is psychology based not sociology based so don't get fooled. Myself and many other classmates are disappointed. Ridiculous. Do not take this class.
People love him and I don't get it. Ok he is nice but I got all As and Bs and UCSB other than in this class. I read the material and studied but kept failing his tests which made no sense to me. I took socialization at community college and got an A. This class ruined my gpa. Also there is no such thing as the great upper force but it's on test.
Took both 185P and 152A, and loved them both! They were a lot of reading, but the material was always so interesting and you can tell that John and Janice are really passionate about what they do. 185P was honestly confusing at times because of the abstract concepts but the exams weren't bad at all as long as you really study. Excited for 152B!!!
Took all 3 (185,142,152 Easiest to hardest) tests based off lecture and some readings. Graders look for specifics. Lectures are interesting but found in 185 a lot of the material was unrealistic and misleading. Memorize specifics and you be straight.
would not recommend if you have a radical perspective on globalization and capitalism. Baldwin's perspective is highly skewed and honestly ridiculous imo. He raves all quarter about capitalism and is completely naive to the exploitation of it. it's really frustrating to listen to his flawed/ignorant reasoning and have to agree with it for tests
Don't do it fam.
One of the hardest Soc classes I've taken at ucsb. Really enjoyed his 152 class so I decided to take 142 but it was a huge mistake. I studied 24/7 for this class and it took a lot of time away from my other classes. Heavy reading and you are expected to know everything from all readings and lectures to do well on the tests. Ruined my gpa BEWARE.
MUST TAKE. this was one of my favorite classes I have taken at UCSB so far. I had 2 midterms (6 multiple choice, and 3 short answer essay questions) and a final though the Baldwins (John & Janis) usually would give three midterms but the quarter i took it was cut short. There's ALOT of reading, but I didnt . GO TO LECTURE & REVIEW SESSIONS!!
I took this class thinking it was going to be easy but beware, it ended up being my hardest class of the quarter. From learning anatomy, disorders, STI's, contraception, it's a lot of reading and memorization. However, this class is something I would recommend EVERYONE to take, so much useful information. Just don't expect it to be super easy