This class was one of the most interesting classes I have taken in UCLA so far. Professor Sayeed takes care to ensure that we learn outside of the classroom, and frequently invites different guest speakers to lectures so as to provide us with different perspectives. Her lectures and slides are incredibly clear and well organized, and she highlights key terms that would definitely come out for the quizzes and midterms. There was once she brought the first and only Muslim judge into lecture to speak with us, and many other times where she brought in various PHD candidates from other universities specialising in a variety of topics to teach us too. Grades comprise of 30% participation (in discussion sections only, not for lectures - but active participation is required i.e. students have to come prepared with answers for reading prompts. This really depends on your TA - I had a pretty strict one, where even though I attended all the sections and responded to every prompt earnestly, I received 97% for participation), 15% quizzes (there are 2 pop quizzes, normally given nearing the end of the course. Quizzes do require you to study beforehand), 10% midterm (requires memorisation of arabic terms, and ID and response for readings), 20% papers (2 papers 10% each, TAs tend to grade harshly at the start and more leniently towards the end) , and 25% of the final paper. The final paper requires a field trip to a local Muslim institution of your choice (note that transportation is not provided, although Professor Sayeed makes the effort to coordinate with select institutions beforehand). There is a lot of flexibility in the paper as long as you consult your TA/Professor before embarking on the project. There are many extra credit opportunities to take advantage of, many of which are extracurricular seminars where Professor Sayeed was the facilitator. Overall, even though the class was a lot of work, the assignments and lectures were all very interesting and engaging. Would definitely take this class again.

Islam in the West with Professor Sayeed was one of my favorite classes at UCLA. Her lectures are very engaging and thought-provoking. The discussion sections are also fun; I had a lot of meaningful discussions with my TA and classmates. By taking this class, you will be one step ahead of everyone else in understanding issues regarding Muslims in the West.

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Overall, the class is really easy if you like to memorize things! The exams are short essays though, and I believe she did easy quizzes throughout the quarter.

I guess the pros and cons of this class can be summarized by the following:

--The professor cares and you will learn A LOT about Islam

Now normally, a class where you learn a lot, and where the professor cares is a good thing. In many ways for this class, it is a good thing: the professor responds to emails, the professor has engaging lectures, and the course modules are very well designed. Furthermore, I learned more about Islam than I ever imagined I would have. Regardless of your experience with Islam, you WILL learn about things you will have no idea that existed. This class really opened my eyes about what Islam is and isn't.

That said, the professor acts as if this class is the only class we're taking. The workload makes engineering upper-divs look like cakewalks. During a typical week, you will be assigned 80 or so pages, and you WILL be tested on them. One week, I was assigned 160 pages of reading. Yes, that's right, 160 pages of dense reading, that ranges from really engaging to mind-numbingly boring. You will also need to acquire Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World and An Introduction to Muhammad. Those books are NOT listed as required books, but they are.

Exams are generally not too bad, but you will have 3 of them, weighted equally. You will be given a study guide for each of them, and exams are short response. Fortunately, the study guide has questions that will be on the exam. Modules are also graded on correctness, and discussion sections are mandatory, with participation graded. Discussion sessions do cover tested materials.

In normal years, there is a final paper required for this class. Fortunately, due to COVID, it was made optional (no-harm), but I imagine it would be hard to do

Maybe if we were on the semester system, the class would not be as bad. Unfortunately, we're on the quarter system. so the class has horrible amounts of work.

But if you are really interested about Islam, and have a lot of time on your hands, this class actually teaches you a lot.