Amazing course and amazing teachers!! Originally just wanted to take it for fun, but now I'm motivated to strive for the honors course. Highly entertaining, and the professors have great control of attention and amazing public speaking skills. Very valuable course

I had him for Soc 152A and Soc 142. He is an awesome teacher with fun and interesting lectures. The class is NOT easy and requires that you do the reading. There is a lot of memorization involved but as long as you attend lecture you will enjoy the subject and it will make studying a lot easier. Soc 142 was easier than Soc 152A but take both!

SOC MAJORS- take any and all of Baldwins classes! I had him for 152A 142 and 185P and enjoyed all of them. To do well you need to read and attend lecture, the material is interesting and worth the work! His short answer test format allows you to write what you know and get a fair grade. He cares about his students so go to his office hours!

hard midterms and they are graded by students

I have taken 5 classes (152a-b-c, 142, 185) with John. They are all the same format (3 midterms, 1 final, all short answers). If you are taking these classes expecting a GPA booster, don't. If you are interested in actually learning something that will change your life forever, take them all! Must read & attend lectures to get good grade!

John is the best professor at UCSB. Period. Those who do not take at least one of his classes are missing out. Take all of them if you can!

John is the most enthusiastic, inspiring professor I have ever had. I have taken 3 of his classes thus far and I just cannot get enough! If you want to get the most out of your education and actually learn and feel motivated about LIFE then take one of his courses and you won't be disappointed! His lectures and courses are designed for success!

He was teaching the class as he goes because all his old material was outa date. Sick class, with guest lecturers almost every week. They were all interesting. Posts all notes, readings, assignments, and study guides online. Ample opportunity for extra credit. Theres a lot of reading every week, but the assignment that goes along is easy.

This was a great class! There is a lot of reading but its very interesting, enjoyable! There are two exams, one paper, and you have to lead one class discussion....it is a student lead class where we just talk about what we think on issues! Very fun and interesting!

Great class! I did not find it hard at all (I am now in the 152 b class). The professors are great, totally amusing! I want to say there are 5 tests, all have a few mult choice and then like 6 essay questions and you pick 5 questions to answer. Then list everything you know about the topic...not too tuff if you go to lecture/review notes!

I have taken all 3 of Baldwin's classes offered at UCSB and he is one of my favorites! He has the most passion of every teacher I have met and is so excited to help students and teach. He makes you feel excited about the material as well and his enthusiasm is contagious. The tests are comprehensive but as long as you read thoroughly, you're good!

Very popular, but I don't know why. Teaches like the students are 12, does nto seem to have updated the lectures for 20 years, a bit cheesy. The sex class is not for those of us who are older, it would be a great class for freshman Tests are hard, the format is not short answers but the questions are not straight forward, do the reading

the professors are very nice, but the class was harder than it should be. the reviews were pointless, and the TAs were not very approachable. study EVERYTHING about aids for this class.

This class was waaay harder than the comments made it oi though it was going to be. For the tests you need to know EVERY little bit of information from the lectures and everything from the textbook chapters. This class requires soooooo much time and studying doesn't even guarantee a good grade because they will randomly put things on the test.

Hands down, the worst teacher i have ever had.

Baldwin is an excellent teacher. He is easy to understand and follow and speaks very clear. As long as you go to his lecture which are interesting than you should do fine in the class. He is also very helpful. Don't hesitate to ask him something you don't know or understand.

I have taken 3 classes from John: Soc 152A, 142, and 185P. Read the book and go to all the lectures because the tests are very difficult!! He is a very animated lecturer which keeps the classes pretty interesting. I would definitely recommend him.

The class was a lot of work. Make sure to go to class because they will test on random things they only say in lecture. The TA reviews are extremely helpful, they tell you absolutely everything that could be on the test. Don't go to John or email him if you have any questions, he is rude and unhelpful. Janice is pretty nice and helpful though.

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Unless you have your entire life to commit to this class, don't take it! Exams are terrible. Poorly written & graded harshly. He asks questions from topics he spent 30 seconds on in lecture. Book is bad too, but read it! Don't bother going to office hours for help, he treats you like you're wasting his time and will never give you a straight answer

Need to read the book, and by read i mean extensively if you want a good grade. Details are needed on all the exams, and good luck on the final because it wasnt that easy. Professors are alright, they seem to really want to teach the subject and look out for the welfare of the student body. cool subject hard class.

Don't understand this prof's popularity. He taught class completely from his notes, no spontanaity. Any question from the students threw him because it took him away from his prepared material (prepared down to every "funny" comment like a overly rehearsed comic). Missed almost every appt. I made with him (honors contract)- just never there.

Took them for 152A and 152B. Great teachers. Always fun and informative.

I could not cope with this class...It's like taking a High School Sex Ed course all over again. This class seems to cover more on Biology and Anatomy than Sociology. I don't understand why this class is held in such a high perspective.