Unfortunate to say, but he is by far the worst teacher I have ever had. He expects students to write perfectly on the first try. Hello? Writing is all about getting your ideas down on paper FIRST, and THEN editing them into a final product. Expecting perfection at the get go is ridiculous for a writing class. PLEASE, If you value your time, take another class? He basically stands and talks for the entire class period--nothing about the reviews in the book, just whatever he feels like. Less talking, more review! And more writing exercises! Oh, and we won't mention all the dirty jokes. While he does have an interesting perspective on the world---moving out of spain at the second world war won't save his class from making YOU want to move out of California. FAR away.

This prof doesn't grade right. Just be his pet, write simple essays that don't have grammatical errors and you're off to A-land. If you're on his good side, grades won't matter (esp. if you're a hot white chick). He says the last essay grade determines your final grade, but it's just bs he makes up to make the class sound legit. I got a D on my last essay and still pulled off a B+ cuz i was on his "Okay" side. And yes, always pretend like you like his corny jokes and participate!

This class does not teach you very much about Spanish at all. All students learn is to prooferead well. The only way to do well in this class is to be grammatically perfect. The Professor takes off one grade for each mistake made in the paper and all papers are to be written in class. This is not as easy as it sounds. Even if you have the topics beforehand if is very difficult to write perfectly in another language in one sitting.

As far as Professor Cruz-Salvadores goes, he was very nice and friendly but he made a lot of inapproprite sexual jokes which we were all expected to laugh at. Since his classes are very small these jokes make one feel especially uncomforatble because he is usually looking directly at student when he makes them.

Overall, if there is another Professor teaching this course you should take them.

anybody who wrote anything negative about jose needs to get the stick out of their @**. he is by far one of the best teachers ive had at ucla. i was apprehensive about taking his class because of the reviews, but im so glad that i took it. whoever says you dont learn a lot obviously didnt apply ANYTHING. there is a practically nonexistent workload and he has an amazing energy. whoever said that you cant talk in class didnt try...he always wants people to practice speaking and for people who said that getting on his good side doesnt guarantee you an A go cry to someone else. this is college and of COURSE kissing butt isnt gonna get you and A...its spanish COMPOSITION not speaking! all you really have to do is get an A on the last composition which is easy! he gives you the topics BEFORE HAND!!! all you have to do is write your essay before class and memorize what you want to say. your papers dont have to be even CLOSE to perfect...all you have to perfect are THREE aspects of composition. i cant believe that people are blaming HIM for their own lack of interest and poor planning. he tells you straight up how grading goes, so just learn the three things you need to learn. gimme a break if you cant do that! and if you cant memorize an easy one or two page essay, im scared for you when you have to memorize something significant for another class!

Cruz Salvadores is a good guy, but you don't learn very much. What you do learn to do is proofread very thoroughly, but you can escape getting lower grades by writing in simpler sentences. He's funny and kept me awake in class with his really off-the-wall comments. I made an effort to talk to him and ended up with an A; although participation doesn't play a large part in the rubric, he also doesn't believe in "using calculators to figure out grades," so I don't think it can hurt to get on his good side.

I had a love-hate relationship with this class. This is the love side: going to lecture because you don't do anything (but attendance is taken so you have to go anyways). You just talk about life and all sorts of random things with him. He's actually a really really nice guy. He's a real character and he makes funny noises (his laugh makes me laugh). If you have cool people in the class, you'll actually want to go. We all got along well and I made lots of friends. Cruz Salvadorez is really approachable. This is the hate side: the grading!!! One mistake lowers your grade by ONE FULL LETTER GRADE. That means if you make one mistake, you get a B. You only need 4 mistakes to get an F. The only way to get an A is to be perfect. I don't know about you, but I'm not perfect so I struggled in this class for a while. A lot of people who are native speakers dropped it after they failed every paper. I got several really good proofreaders and still ended up with C's on two papers. Luckily on my last one (you have 4), I got an A so I ended up with a B in the class. Don't worry about failing the first one, it is only the last 2 or 3 that count towards your grade. Weird, and unfair grading. You could go without participating in discussion at all and still get a better grade than someone that talks and tries to get on his good side. It is also weird that the people who don't speak as much in class are the ones who usually get A's... Just remember to always show progression. Do not, DO NOT get an A on a paper and then later on get a C, or your grade will be screwed. I could go on forever but I'll stop now. I heard the other teacher (name starts with a D--?) is waaaaay easier.

This class was definitely different than I expected. All the class consisted of was writing 4 one-page essays, none of them graded on content or anything really other than "errores fundamentales." Basically, just have a good proofreader and read your essay a few times before you turn it in. Don't be too discouraged by bad grades early on- your final grade mostly just depends on your last two essays and maybe the final quiz. I got really low grades in the beginning but I still got an A in the class. Cruz-Salvadores is a decent guy who likes to talk a lot, so maybe your listening skills will improve. But don't expect to have a lot of speaking practice- it's mostly a one-ended conversation...

For all the whiners about how harsh Cruz-Salvadores grades...learn the accents!!! It's not that hard!

But yes, Cruz is a strange one (what is in that water bottle exactly?) But if you just talk to him, all will be fine. I still visit his office after three years. He's always happy to see me.

Yes, Cruz-Salvadores may talk about weird things (what is in that water bottle of his). But I was always one to smile through the hard times. It's only one class. Instead of cursing Cruz under my breath, I simply talked to him...about Madrid, his work at the Getty, El Greco. Yeah, I'm a butt kisser but I also got an A+ in the class. Also, Cruz-salvadores still remembers me and asks me how I am. You have to make the effort in this class. For all you who don't know accents, it's not that hard!!!