the class was 40% midterm, 50% final, 10% attendance. attendance was taken at random 3 times throughout the quarter. the midterm was an 8 page (max) paper where you had to create your own reality tv show idea and use that to analyze all the narrative elements of non-scripted tv that were discussed in class. the final was another 8 page (max) paper where you discuss the process/strategy of program development, casting, and marketing/distribution elements for your show.
this class was low maintenance and enjoyable. the guest speakers were also intriguing and gave good anecdotes. I would highly recommend this class!!

I took comm 188a because I want to apply to the communications major, but while this class may be listed under the comm department, it really should be considered a film-tv course. The professor, TA, and all the incredible guest speakers currently work in the entertainment industry, specifically in unscripted/reality television. The first half of the class covers all the narrative elements of reality tv, while the second half covers the logistical, production process, and pitching strategies. The lectures are engaging, the only problem is that they are 3hrs long and at night. Still, it is possible to pay attention with a yerb and a genuine passion for the entertainment industry.

There are only 2 eight-page papers that makeup 90% of your grade (40% for the midterm, 50% for the final). However, they can be fun to write, and if you put in the effort you will be rewarded with a good grade. My tip for the papers is to take notes during the lecture and regurgitate everything professor Jusko says with a flair of creativity. The other 10% of your grade is participation, which just means showing up to lecture.
The homework is not essential for the class or the papers; only bother doing the readings/screenings if they interest you (some of the episodes are fun to watch).

I highly recommend taking this class. The professor, content, and assignments are amazing!

Overall, this is a super straightforward and not difficult upper div Comm class. It focuses on the entertainment/reality tv genre, and Jusko likes to bring in guest speakers who work in entertainment to speak to the class throughout the quarter. There is no textbook for the class, he just posts the readings (sometimes the readings were to watch an episode of reality television) online. I stopped doing the readings after about week 2 because they just weren't relevant. He takes attendance randomly 3 times throughout the quarter (pro tip: check MyUCLA grades because he actually put the dates he was taking attendance and only took "random" attendance those days). Participation is about 10 percent of your final grade.
The only 2 major assignments are the midterm and final, which were each 5 pages max. Midterm was %40 of your grade, final was %50. The midterm was to analyze the narrative elements found within a TV show (either of your own making or one currently on air), and the final was to come up with your own show and discuss its production. Be careful: on the midterm I believe he was very biased about whether you wrote your own concept or used a current tv show. He seemed to dock people a lot more if you wrote about a show that was currently on air, and was much more forgiving if you wrote your own show (my friend and I made the same "mistakes" (if you call them that), but she got about 10% higher than I did for her grade. The only difference was her show was made up and mine was on air).
I would 100% recommend going weeks 3 and 8 because that's when he talks about everything you will need to know for both papers because he gives some extra details that can only help you.
Jusko is a really nice professor who genuinely seems to care about his students, and I would definitely take him again.

This is literally one of the easiest and most interesting classes I have taken. This would be great to start for your first upper div comm class. I didn't do any of the readings or the videos and still got an A on both the midterm and final. Remember to take notes, because this lecture was a 6-9pm, it's easy to get tired but the prof is VERY passionate and brings in guest speakers with high standing careers. If you are interested in going into film or in the entertainment industry this class is for you. As long as you take good notes you'll be set for the miterm and final. They're very straighforward and easy.

Great professor, obviously passionate about reality TV and has a very impressive resume. Often brings guest speakers that are awesome and connected in the entertainment industry.

Participation is 10%, and this just means attendance. He randomly takes attendance during the quarter so be at every class. Can't make it? Email him. Midterm and Final make up the rest of the grade, both of which are papers.

For the midterm, I recommend making a reality TV show versus going off of one that already exists. This is prolly confusing right now, but trust me, grading is much less harsh. I did one that already exists and got a B.

Highly recommend. Learned tons and met lots of people.

This class is about the themes, process and development in non-scripted television show. If you're looking to get into the television business this class is for you! Professor Jusko is an exceptional professor that can definitely keep you awake during the weekly meetings. This is a night course from 6-8:50 p.m., and he never runs out of enthusiasm so he keeps you engage into the lecture. Your grade is made up from two exams: a midterm and final essay, both were 8-pages. Midterm is 40% and the Final was 50%. Don't be discouraged because of the length of the essays. These essays were probably some of the more entertaining and fun essays I've ever wrote in college. There is weekly readings but they are engaging and very low stakes, probably 20/30 pages at the most. Attendance is mandatory! He does take attendance at random so just make sure you show up. Someone said that if you check grades and exams on MyUcla, you can see what dates he will count for attendance, but I did not see the dates until Weeks 6 or7. And after that you pretty much need to show up to get the material you will write in your final paper. He also invites special guest who actually work in the television industry for you to engage with and ask questions, which I thought is a plus.

class was long and at night, hard to pay attention !! thought this class would be easy A but ended up having to p/np because grading was harsh. new TA this year, maybe that was the difference but when I went to discuss the paper and why I got marked off some points, didn't feel as though the TA had a good reason to dock and was just saying things and defending his choices because I asked and he didn't want to give me points back :/

prof is a producer himself, knows a lot about the industry. brought in cool guest speakers too

I enjoyed this class however it was not an easy A. The class itself is 3 hours long from 6-9pm. I found myself having trouble staying engaged and ultimately skipping class. Thankfully he was tolerant about attendance at the end of the quarter due to the pandemic. Usually tho he takes attendance randomly 3 times throughout the quarter. DO NOT FOLLOW THE DATES IT APPEARS HE WILL BE TAKING ATTENDANCE ON MYUCLA. These are not accurate!! The class material is super cool if you are interested in reality television or just media in general. The first half of the class consisted of learning about the narrative elements of nonscripted TV and the role producers play in creating story. The midterm is an 8 page max paper analyzing the narrative elements of a show that we have created. I think it used to be you could pick an existing show, but he changed it this year. Overall this does take a fair amount of brainstorming to come up with a show of your own, but that's really the hardest part. The format of the paper is extremely organized and it was easy to meet the page count. The next half of the class goes over the development process and distribution of a reality show. This is super informative if you want to know about casting, pitch process, production, etc. The final is another 8 page max paper going over the producer's development stage of your show. This one was slightly harder bc it was a bit more technical rather than imaginative. Overall I think midterm & final are both 45% of grade & attendance is 10%. The lectures are recorded which is good if you're like me and can't focus in a 3 hour lecture. Jim is a great guy, very knowledgable about his field, and concise. Lots of distinguished guest speakers that can answer all of your questions about the industry. The TA Malcolm was pretty cool too and was a PA for major shows like Vanderpump. This class is definitely worth it if you want to work in the industry but don't know where to start, I learned so much! The grading is pretty fair I am pretty bummed I ended up with an A- tho bc I put a crazy amount of effort into my papers. Like I said not an easy A but the knowledge you gain from it is very applicable.

I took comm 188a because I want to apply to the communications major, but while this class may be listed under the comm department, it really should be considered a film-tv course. The professor, TA, and all the incredible guest speakers currently work in the entertainment industry, specifically in unscripted/reality television. The first half of the class covers all the narrative elements of reality tv, while the second half covers the logistical, production process, and pitching strategies. The lectures are engaging, the only problem is that they are 3hrs long and at night. Still, it is possible to pay attention with a yerb and a genuine passion for the entertainment industry.

There are only 2 eight-page papers that makeup 90% of your grade (40% for the midterm, 50% for the final). However, they can be fun to write, and if you put in the effort you will be rewarded with a good grade. My tip for the papers is to take notes during the lecture and regurgitate everything professor Jusko says with a flair of creativity. The other 10% of your grade is participation, which just means showing up to lecture.
The homework is not essential for the class or the papers; only bother doing the readings/screenings if they interest you (some of the episodes are fun to watch).

I highly recommend taking this class. The professor, content, and assignments are amazing!

Professor Jusko is a gem. His lectures are entertaining, and he is clearly passionate about his work. He brings in guest lecturers who are currently in the entertainment industry to speak to the class. They all have different backgrounds which helps students better understand what part of the industry they may want to learn more about or go into after graduating. The class's topic, Non-Scripted Television, is really interesting. I wasn't very interested in reality TV before, but he sure does make it sound cool. He's a casual guy who just wants students to enjoy themselves. He requires participation but says, "If i call on you and you didn't read this week, just let me know and I won't judge you... it's fine." I barely did the readings, BUT the ones I did do were very interesting (and short... I should have read more). The only assignments in this class are a midterm essay and a final essay (each around 5-6 pages). He prepares you well for them (for the most part) and grades well. He doesn't want to see anybody do badly, so if you need help, just talk to him right after class. He's not on campus much, so when he does have time to talk, go! Overall, a super fun class, not too hard, and helpful for figuring out life if you want to go into media or entertainment.