Bro these lectures were so so so long and absolutely useless. Thankfully, the assignments weren't based on what was taught in the lectures. It is a super easy GE, and I would recommend it - just don't go to the lectures. Also my TA didn't really speak English, so when I would ask her something she would high key just confuse me more and not answer my questions at all. NOT HER FAULT FOR NOT SPEAKING ENGLISH it just made it hard to have her as a teacher.

This class was pretty easy, and it wasn't necessarily over the top too difficult. The lectures aren't too important to attend, but they definitely are interesting if one can pay attention. There were two quizzes, and while I definitely benefitted from going to lectures for the first quiz, the second quiz was information that was within the modules. The two papers were also fun to complete. They were assigned about 3 weeks apart, and they took about 6 hours each max. The final was a playlist on any genre of your choice, and overall, the class was extremely doable if you don't fall behind. Even if you do though, the readings weren't required, but it may entirely depend on your TA. I'd definitely take this class again as this is probably one of the easier classes that one can take without needing to try too hard on.

His lectures are insanely long and boring... good news is they're not required. Discussion is required but very chill as the TA usually just goes over what was discussed in lecture and any upcoming assignments. Readings are not mandatory. There are 2 quizzes that are take home and open note, 2 papers that are graded very generously, and a final project. I seriously do not know how anyone wouldn't get an A in this course, definitely recommend taking as a GE or a fourth/fifth class.

Though he may be boring at times, I genuinely think that this class is a class you should definitely take! :) You don't really have to be there most of time except discussions but even when you are there, he has really fun guests talk about their different experiences in making music. Also I really enjoyed the KPOP and Hatsune Miku unit towards the end of the quarter, very fun LOL. From what I remember, you just have some take-home quizzes and 2 papers. The final was SO CHILL, you just had to make a Spotify playlist and explain the significance of each song which was really fun.

Very easy class -- nearly everyone gets an A. There's like no work at all - your grade is just a midterm paper and final paper + project. That's literally it! Only downside to this class is that Ruskin is an extremely boring lecturer -- a great man and clearly passionate about the subject... but he just is so boring. First class lecture hall was full, by week 2 lecture hall was 1/5th full... by week 8 there was nearly no one left. Heavy historical analysis of pop music (so you're focusing a lot on the 80s/90s) instead of what you would consider "modern pop" today. Discussions were boring as well, but mandatory. Just show up and you'll be good.

This class was such an easy GE. Your grade is mainly 2 papers and a final project, all of which were graded super leniently (at least with my TA). The lecture can get a bit boring, but you don't have to go. Some days are guest speakers and those are fun! Definitely recommend this class for a low effort GE.

This was a cool class if you are interested in music around the world and definitely informative. The lectures are two hours long and the professor is not the most entertaining so it can be a little hard to stay engaged at times. For the quizzes you mostly have to be at lectures because he puts specific details on them if you missed it. My TA was helpful and the workload is very chill.

Very easy GE. The lectures were very long and not very engaging (other than the times guest artists came in). All the content you are tested on can be answered without listening in lecture and the paper topics were fun to write. The final was to create a spotify playlist which was very cool. Overall very very easy class and would recommend as a GE but not very interesting.

Perfect for a GE! This class is easy and interesting, no prior knowledge needed. Many people don’t come to lecture but I would highly recommend it even if you do other work because they are really fun. You’ll definitely find cool music to add to your playlist and the guest speakers Dr. Ruskin brings in are engaging.

TLDR: One of the easiest GE's that exist at UCLA, but some changes to this quarter pushed that back slightly.

Not quite sure about previous quarters, but for this quarter, he started Canvas exams (open for 24 hours) that have questions pertaining to class lectures. Some of them pertain to the lectures on certain days, so if you miss class on that day and it shows up on the test, that's a loss of a free point. Most of the questions on the test pertain to concepts we learned in class, though.

Lectures are not mandatory, but discussions are mandatory. One midterm exam on Canvas, one final exam on Canvas. Both are MCQ's only.
One midterm 1 paper, one midterm 2 paper, one final paper.

He invites guests for special performances and talks (we had two guests this quarter). One of the guests was just starting their music career, another was a 12-time Grammy nominee (6-time winner) for Hawaiian music.

Hopefully his lectures in the future are a little bit more engaging. His lectures felt really really slow, and we would just stay on one slide for 30-45 mins.