DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS IF IT IS TAUGHT BY MENSING (TA)!!!!
This was supposed to be an "easy" summer class with a somewhat light-ish workload, but omg this class is making the whole class crash out.
First, there is no grading rubric provided until the assignments are actually graded; when asked for the rubric and why the grades came out that way, there is no clear feedback, and she says the rubric is used for "subjective" grading. Ok, whatever that means.
Second, there is no flexibility whatsoever. She accepts no late submissions, and that means NO LATE SUBMISSIONS. You broke your leg and were hospitalized when the assignment was due? Great, now you can either take the 0 or get 30 points docked off your assignment.
Also, literally every Zoom session involved some kind of technical difficulties, but that's not the worst part of this class.
+) You can't get an A+ in this class; she doesn't use them. But you can get an A-.

The professor knew what she was talking about and was very insightful. She had a lot of slides, which pretty much had everything you needed to know for the tests written on them, so lectures aren't necessary if you really want to skip. I learned a lot from this course and enjoyed some of the topics. The discussions were easy and included a one-question assignment per week on the weekly readings. The discussion readings were interesting and included cultural aspects, but the lecture readings were purely about biology. I didn't really read any of the lecture readings and still got an A. The study guides, final, and midterm, however, were very time-consuming and consisted of over 100 vocabulary words. The tests had two short essay questions, three short-answer questions, and about 40 multiple choice, which were relatively easy if you completed the entire study guide, which had 10 short-answer prompts and about 120 vocabulary words. There was also a final project, which was also pretty easy (a short paper outline and a 5-minute podcast recording). She provides a lot of extra credit opportunities, which, in combination with discussion assignments and the final project, were able to boost my grade from my lower test scores. Overall, it is a worthy course that challenges memory skills and includes a lot of key biological terms and concepts in relation to culture.

loved this class. i would highly recommend it if u already have a basic understanding of biology and genetics. it is a more "science-y" anthro class, but super manageable. midterm and final were in-person with m.c.& free response. discussion was required and had an article to read beforehand that was socioculturally relevant to the diseases discussed in class.

I hate nearly all the classes I've ever taken at UCLA, so when I say this one wasn't that bad, it really was not that bad. Would recommend if you are a global health minor

This is probably my favorite class I have taken at UCLA so far. If you're pre-health you'd definitely love this class. It has basic concepts from LS7B but is not super difficult. If you have never taken a biology class it may be a bit tough but Dr. Bigham is a great lecturer with good, informative slides. The tests were not hard at all because your TA's would tell you what was on it, if not, give you sample questions that are a slightly harder to ensure you do well. Only 2 exams (1 midterm & 1 final) but they are weighed the same and Dr. Bigham is super receptive to student concerns and advice and willing to adjust grading to address low scores. No paper, no quiz, no lecture attendance, weekly reflection paragraph based on readings, but you honestly did not need to read them to do well in the class since she only takes content from the lecture, which are recorded. I say it's easy, but you still have to put in the time to study and watch the lectures in order to do well. This class is for people who are genuinely interested in diseases, may not appeal to non-biology lovers.

I took this class for fun, just for some extra units, and I'm glad I did. This class is mostly about certain diseases, how they spread, type, symptoms, etc. as well as cultural and genetic aspects that affect the spread of those diseases. There were two exams (non-cumulative) and a final presentation instead of an exam due finals week. My TA was very helpful and a nice grader, so I did pretty well on the final. I did worse on the second exam than the first, but it was good enough, that with the extra credit I did, I ended up with an A+! Definitely recommend this class for fun or if you need an elective (or prereq).

I loved this class so much! Not very similar to any other Anthro class I’ve taken here. Professor Bigham is a great lecturer, very funny, and very welcoming. She obviously knows what she’s talking about and loves to answer questions during lecture or in her weekly OH. There is a midterm and a final exam, both in-person, that consist of MCQs, SAQs, and one LEQ. She gives lots of study and review materials for each. There is only one short reading to do each week, and these will be discussed in sections. In another review you will see someone saying this is the hardest anthro class offered here, and they are either stupid or have never taken another anthro class at UCLA.

This class is taught by a TA during the summer but it was one of the easiest and most enjoyable upper divs that I have taken! The only assignments were quizzes based on the reading, reflection papers, and a final term paper. Super manageable and interesting content!

Personally, I loved taking this class. I have no background in genetics or epidemiology, which definitely made my time here a little more difficult, but overall I had a great time. I won't lie, it is probably one of. if not the hardest, anthro classes at UCLA. You will have to memorize specific gene mutation, what they do, as well as the ins-and-outs of certain diseases. Studying for tests took hours, just because there is so much content. However, despite all this, I truly enjoyed this class the most out of the quarter. Professor Bigham is incredibly smart and knowledgable in this field. Her method of teaching is pretty quick and concise, but she will always pause the lecture if you have a question. Additionally, everything we learning in this class was so interesting. I left it wanting to know more about these topics. I would highly, highly recommend this class to anyone who is thinking of taking it. It won't be easy, necessarily, but it is completely fascinating.

- Professor Bigham is a very knowledgeable professor and teaches very well. Class is essentially taught on lecture slides, which are useful for both the midterm and final. Professor Bigham knows how to properly explain each topic, and answers questions students have during class very well. The readings we were given which were for discussion section were also interesting to take a look at.
- The work in this class consists of submitting a question based on readings, midterm, final, and most importantly a final paper, which is a research paper. There were also a couple of extra credit opportunities given out.
- I highly suggest if you take this class that you keep up with the coursework, attend lectures even though they were not mandatory, and study! If you do all of that you should succeed well in this class.