The best word that I can think of to describe Professor Okin is fair. He's a very good lecturer--it's easy to understand him, he conveys information well, and he does a good job of putting the right amount of information on the powerpoint slides. His lectures are straightforward, and there's no tricks in either the material or the exams. As long as you know the material, you will do well--it's simple memorization. That said, there is A LOT of information given to you in ten weeks, and I wouldn't call this class an easy A--there are quite a few questions that appear on the exams that are tricky in the sense that they cover details that are easily forgotten. I personally thought the midterm was easier than the final, but I also put in more time studying for the midterm. They're both well curved--I think an 80% on the midterm ended up as a 93%, or something similar. He gives very extensive study guides for each exam--thoroughly answer each question, listen to each podcast over again (he puts them all online--use this resource!!), and you'll do well.

Very brilliant professor and very good professor for first years. Studying for tests start on Day 1. The key to doing well on exams is engaging yourself in lectures and connecting the concepts together rather than remembering random facts. Not an easy A, but a very informative class nonetheless.

I thought Okin was a great professor. He explains everything well and his study guides correspond perfectly with his lectures, so he sticks to the course material and doesn't digress as much as other professors do. Unlike common stereotypes about college professors, he actually does care about teaching this lower division course and makes sure to post course material online and have office hours. In each lecture he always periodically asks if the students have any questions. I don't find him to be cocky or condescending. On the contrary he's an overall nice guy who is passionate about what he teaches. I'd definitely recommend that you take his class.

Okin is a painfully boring lecturer. His tests are multiple choice but they can be kind of difficult if you don't study intensely for them. Be careful that on the midterm and final he will focus on topics that he didn't stress that were going to be on there. Luckily, the labs are super easy so that helps boost your grade. I got a B+ in the class, but probably could have done better if I'd tried harder or ever gone to lecture. Overall, it's a decent class but there are definitely better classes to take for easy G.E.s.

Okin was a very mediocre professor. I found it very hard to pay attention to his lectures during the first half of the quarter, but the second half was actually pretty interesting, probably because he knew more about it so he was more enthusiastic about the material. However, I enjoyed his teaching style and he was very fair, so if you are interested in physical geography I would highly recommend this class. If you have no interest whatsoever, I would choose another class because the material is a bit dry if you have no interest.

Took Geog 1.

He was an outstanding professor. There were a few idiots in class who thought it would be okay to have a conversation in class while the professor is lecturer. At not one time did he ever kick anyone out that wasn't already annoying several other students.

He's a very interesting professor, easy to reach in office hours and seems truly dedicated to student learning despite his "wanna-be bad boy" attitude at the beginning of the class. He basically tried to scare anyone looking for an easy A off. Regardless, it was an easy B for me. I didn't crack open the book once. The labs are a given. You simply need to worry about being able to apply the concepts learned to varying situations and you should be set to go.

Prof Okin is kind of a douche. it feels like he wants to be one of those amazing life-changing professors, and thus accordingly tries to be "cool" and "bad-ass". however, he just falls flat. because he tries to do his lectures in a really conversational, "make-it-interesting-by-not-reading-off-the-powerpoint" style, he takes forever to say what could be said in a few words. that are on the powerpoint. also, it seems like he has some perverse need to kick a certain number of people out of class every quarter, and thus assert is position of power over us mere students. he kicked three out this quarter, and one or two in both lectures from last year i listened to online. it's really weird and stupid.
all that being said, if you can get through his lecture this class is really easy. labs are an easy 40% of your grade, and the tests, while being so ridiculously specific it's hard to study effectively for them, are curved so much that it doesn't really matter...

His lectures are a bit annoying at times, and it's really hard to stay awake. I haven't decided whether it's his style of teaching or the monotony of the subject, but I think it's fair to say it's a combination. The labs are a free 40% of your grade, and his curve is very lenient for grades so the labs are definitely a way to secure atleast a B. The first midterm results were lackluster for most of the class, and it wasn't an easy test but it was definitely manageable with 3-4 hours of studying (I got very high 90s). I found that all of his questions came off the concepts from the study guide. So to study, I would say just answer as many study guide questions as you can (thoroughly), and whatever you don't get.. go back to the podcasts and fill in the answer. Don't read, and please don't even buy the book. Going to class is sometimes beneficial because the podcasts don't always have clear quality but other than that, it's a fairly easy A.

I just finished Geog 1 and I really enjoyed it (and did well). My advice for this class would be to attend all his lectures (if you miss one watch it online and take notes as if you were in class) because his exams are based mostly on the things he says. The readings for the text book help support what he teaches, but don't stress over them. Skim the chapters. Look at the graphs. Read over the chapter summaries. Also, make sure you get full credit on all of your labs. They are not hard. It is just a matter of going to section and getting them done. It is a simple way to secure a high grade not based on exam scores. All in all, Okin is a great professor and he puts in the time (like having exam review sessions) to help you get a good grade. Take this class!

Great professor- probably my favorite at UCLA so far. Puts all his lectures online and tries to relate the subject material to things applicable to us. The class was very fair. Just pay attention in lecture and GO to his review sessions. I found that a couple of questions on the midterm/final were actually directly addressed in his review sessions... so they're definitely worth your time. take his class!