I have no idea what the recent people have said. I thought MacDonald was a cool professor, and his tests weren't that hard, as long as you went to lecture. He likes to specifically mention what concepts (almost all from the book) he will be testing in class. Also, it's important to pay attention to the graphs, because he asks you to replicate them.

TA selection was top-notch. I had a really nice TA who was concerned about learning. The labs were tedious and annoying, but I think they are the same for all Geog 2 classes.

And trust me, if you are looking for a Life Science w/ lab GE, take this class, not Phy Sci 5. I wish I would have decided Geography as my second major before taking that class.

this is seriously the worset possible GE class u can take. first off for anyone actually reading this, here's a truthful fact that should turn most ppl off: he explicitly tells the class that he designs the class so that the average grade is a B- or C+. i mean CMOONNNN...! it's biogeography, who gives a crap about what the hell biogeography is to take a class that requires you to work harder than most north campus major classes! ok here's why this stupid class has a B-/C+ average grade, the professor writes his own wonderful book so he probably loves the fact that he wants you to read FOURTEEN FREAKING chapters in one quarter! i'm talking about 40 pages of a typical boring science book. so do the math, 10 weeks in a qtr, 14 chapters...oh the fun. so basically that's the class, going to class 3x a week and hearing about basically the most boring useless horsecrap ever and then going home to read 14 chapters of it in one quarter. no online notes, no slides, no studyguides for tests, nothing. u just read, go into the test and cross ur fingers. dont take this crappy GE class unless u want a bad grade or wanna work way too hard for 5 GE units that u can get elsewhere for alot less effort.

Professor MacDonald points out specific concepts in lecture that will be on the tests, and since he wrote the textbook it is pretty easy to study. His lectures were pretty boring, besides a few occasional jokes. A lot of his slides were graphs that came from the textbook but it was important to remember those graphs because he would ask you to replicate them on the midterm and final. He was also late a lot to lecture and took forever to set up his powerpoint, which was kind of annoying. He ended up having to cut some of the course material. Overall, its a good GE to take, the labs are interesting and fairly easy.

I think this is because I'm a north campus person, but I couldn't stand this class! MacDonald is a very cool, enthusiastic and smart professor, but I found it difficult to become interested in his lectures. The readings also bored me to tears.

However, if you ARE into geography, I do recommend him!

MacDonald is a friendly and energetic lecturer; however, I didn't find his classes to be that interesting. It's not really his fault, though, since I find biogeography to be INCREDIBLY dull...I kept falling asleep during lectures and while reading the textbook. If you're really into science and nature, then I do recommend this class; otherwise, look elsewhere to fulfill your GE.

Professor MacDonald is a great lecturer. He actually made biogeography fairly interesting, which is something I didn't think was possible. He's pretty funny and easy going so the class isn't tough to sit through. My only complaint is that the midterm and the final were both supposed to be written. The midterm was great because if you knew the stuff you did well. Then the TAs threatened to strike and the professor changed it to a much tougher multiple choice test instead, which was really annoying. But overall, a good professor, especially for a GE.

What an awesome professor!! Prof. Mac Donald is all around one of the best Professors at UCLA, and is one of the reasons I decided to become a Geography Major! He knows so much about what he teaches, and teaches with such enthusiasm, that it is hard to ever be bored in his class. His TA's are awesome and labs were interesting and hands on. He wrote the book for the class, and the lectures follow it exactly, which is very very helpful! I did great on the midterm, but the final had to be multiple choice in case the TA's went on strike. I thought it was easy still, but I ended up with a B in the class when I was pretty sure I would get an A, so maybe it was harder than I thought. I recommend taking a class with Prof MacDonald, whether you are a Geog major or not!!

Professor MacDonald is a super lecturer but his final was a little unfair. Everyone did really well on the midterm so he made the final relatively hard in order for him to have his "curve." Other then that, his class is enjoyable and interesting. He wrote the book so he knows what he's talking about. But don't rely solely on the book. You have to show up to lecture to find out what is specifically going to be on the test. I studied way too hard for the first midterm. I could've slept.

I took professor MacDonald's biogeography class (geog 2) and I found the class to be pretty easy. He's got a very laid back style and really knows what he's talking about (he's a botanist and the dept chair) and his TA selection is top notch. His book (which he wrote) is easy to master, but expensive, and is the foundation for his lectures. Lectures are important for knowing what parts of the book will be covered in detail on the exams. Overall, I recommend him to geography students and to other students looking for a good life science GE.

I took this course as a GE and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would definitely reccomend it. Professor MacDonald is really enthusiastic during his lectures and you can tell that he truly enjoys what he is teaching. But too bad he doesn't put his power points online. And his TAs grade kind of hard.