THIS CLASS IS NOT AN EASY GE!!!! This was probably one of the most time-consuming and confusing classes I have taken here. Now, the class is very interesting if you enjoy learning about the environment but the professor doesnt use a textbook, does not write words on the slides, and constantly mentions her other classes and opinions during the lectures. Although it is pretty funny, I took this class online but it has an in person discussion which often involves fieldwork at ucla and attendance is mandatory. If you have a good TA it is so much more helpful but if you have a bad TA you are on your own. The final is cumulative and there is no study guide or mention of what you should study besides to watch the lectures so you really have to put in the work in order to get a good grade on the midterm and final which are 60 percent of your grade. Literally everything she says in the lectures are up for grabs including the mention of any numbers and the videos she includes in the lectures. The workload itself ranges anywhere from 1-6 hours of lectures and I would never recommend unless you have to take this class for your major.

I can't say how much I disliked this class. First off three weeks after our midterm was graded, a point was randomly taken off my test grade dropping it from a B- to C+ and then when I asked Professor Illes why that happened she said she would get back to me with an answer and never did. Next she gave us a "study guide" to help us out which literally consisted of ALL the topics we had gone over as if that helped at all. Would not recommend if you're looking for any easy GPA boosting class.

Please don't even look at her for GEs, because for 100% of the time, she will screw you over. Class was fine with the help of good TAs and their engagement to try to provide the students with the proper guidance. Other than the TAs, I felt like the Professor would've failed everyone. Taking the test means you should already have consumed all the materials (lecture videos, etc.) she assigned in each module. First midterm average was a D, while the final was a little bit better, around a C. She would not offer students any curve and will NOT give you any chances to help improve your grade unless the whole class begs for it. Save yourself from this one.

Illes was my first professor at UCLA, and I've had her for 3 classes. She is GREAT. Very reasonable about grading. If you attend every class and take good notes, you will likely get an A. Very helpful and responds to e-mails quickly. Extremely knowledgable from her research experience and her lectures are very engaging. Also has a good sense of humor, which makes 3 hour lectures a little more enjoyable. Tests (a midterm and a final) are combination of short answers and essays, both of which are on basic principles and ideas that were taught. Weekly readings are worth 10% and are interesting and do not take much time. Also a research paper on an animal of your choice for another 10%. If you are debating taking any of her classes, DEFINITELY do.

Professor Illes is one of my favorite professors at UCLA. I have taken four of her classes, and from the first one that I took, I got into the habit of going to her office hours. She was extremely helpful in reiterating content from her lectures and making me understand the concepts if I had questions. She has a wealth of knowledge and actually passes that on to her students so they can succeed beyond the test -- something not all professors are masterful at. She is also an entertaining lecturer, and I was never bored in any of her classes, despite the fact that each lecture was three hours long. She usually kept it balanced by showing some videos relevant to the course material in between her speeches. If you want an excellent geography class, you should definitely take Professor Illes' classes. It's difficult to find even a decent professor, but Illes goes above and beyond to make her classes enjoyable and informative, and the information from her classes actually stick!

Professor Illes is engaging and funny in her videos, but she is brutal and cutthroat in my opinion. She basically does not tolerate late work unless your mom died. Her 90 multiple choice midterm questions (with no given study guide besides hours of rambling lectures) were written so vague and confusing and sometimes conflicted with lecture material and that was a huge scandal. The final was better, she dropped a study guide but it was vague and I basically only got a good grade because an angel student made a Quizlet. In terms of the class, GEOG 5 is a great lab GE to take, and in terms of the content it is very easy and comparable to AP Environmental Science. I took asynchronous lectures and in-person lab, so I watched 4-6 lecture videos ranging from 20-50 minutes a week, with the weekly assignment being to write 3 questions and answers per lecture video. The lab is mandatory with no makeups (depending on your TA), but the labs are incredibly easy and often group work.

Great professor!! I've had her for Animal Geog., Conservation in Developing Countries, and Geog. 5. Smart. entertaining, passionate, and very clear in what she expects from you. Her exams are straight forward and don't aim to trick you. You do have to take good notes and know them well before you head into her exams, but it's comforting to know that as long as you put in the effort you will get a good grade (and learn something in the process). Her work loads are fair. She does have 10-page research papers in her upper-division classes, but they are more than do-able, as she gives you the entire term to work on them. You can't go wrong with Prof. Illes. I wish UCLA would get more professors like her.

I think this class was really interesting and provided a lot of practical, base-level information on the climate crisis. I would definitely recommend that others take this, because the information in this class is very relevant and important. There isn't too much of a workload, but the online lectures can be long (4-6 lectures per week that are 30-40 minutes long). Her quizzes are kind of difficult so the written exams are usually easier (my TA was more lenient with grading, too). Labs are mandatory attendance and (usually) you can't make them up, but the labs are really easy.

So let me start by saying, I took this class a GE and I really though it was gonna be like an easy GE. This class is on the tougher side and the way to do well on the tests is by attending every lecture and legit writing down everything she says. Some of the questions on the midterm and final are very specific. The labs are very easy and if you can take it with Frida, she is the best. Here is the breakdown for the class.
Labs 20%
Midterm 1: 35%
Final: 35%
Project: 10%
I got a 100% on the labs, 80%, 98% on the project, 80% on the midterm and 96% on the final. The final is also significantly easier than the midterm. The class was super interesting and if you plan on taking this class the best way to do well is to study notes. She also gave an extra credit assignment that saved everyone's grade too. Good thing to know for the Midterm it covered weeks 1-4, and week 5 was the midterm. The final covered only week 6-9 where and week 10 was the final with like 1-2 questions from the midterm. Overall the professor is very engaging and it is a good class. I recommend just study and you will do good.

Fantastic Professor, but Be Ready for the Workload!
I absolutely loved this Geography class! The professor made every lecture so engaging and fun, which is impressive for an 8 a.m. class—I was never sleepy during her lectures. Her explanations were clear and logical, and I learned so much about animals. The visuals she used were stunning and really brought the material to life.
That said, the workload can be a bit heavy. There’s a lot to review for exams, and the story map project requires quite a bit of effort. However, she gives plenty of time to prepare and is very organized about it. If you’re willing to put in the work, this class is incredibly rewarding. I highly recommend her if you want an engaging professor who makes learning enjoyable!