I have come to a revelation regarding teaching: although UCLA boasts many qualified professors, instructors, and T.A.'s, this doesn't necessarily mean they are qualified teachers. A teacher must be more than just a figure who is well informed of the material but lacks any the means to deliver the material in a manner that is easily digested by the student. Lal possesses ample knowledge of the various theorists and concepts discussed in class, yet tends to lose focus and repeat herself. I took her 101 class and received a B+ w/ little effort towards the extensive reading. I missed one class total and was able to regurgitate her lectures through my papers and apparently that was enough. My T.A. Brandon Berry was excellent and was THE reason I was able to learn anything, let alone stay awake. I cannot recommend Lal w/o a good T.A. and to anyone suffering from insomnia.

Please DO NOT allow the other reviews to intimidate you from attending Barbara Lal's class! She is an excellent professor as she is very knowledgeable about classical sociology theory, which IF you attend class regularly, will inevitably rub off on you! Professor Lal has made Sociology, a major which I intended on dropping prior to this class, intriguing as it has opened my mind to multiple perspectives. If you attend class and read the text, you will not only understand Professor Lal lectures clearly, but also do very well. All and all, Lal's class was more than fair - (2) 3 pg Midterms and (1) 10 pg Final - and IN POINT OF FACT, I would highly recommend her for any class if you plan on learning while at UCLA.

First of all, it is very difficult to reach her. For her lecture, she ofte jumps from one topic to another and so it's difficult to undersatnd what she's talking about. Her lecture is very unorganized. She doesn't seem to be concerning about her students' learning.