This person is batsh!t crazy. Anyone who tells you otherwise is crazy, too.

Her views on just about everything are totally skewed.

Sidenote: She honestly shouldn't represent UCLA as a faculty member. As a communications person, she should at least conduct herself as a civilized human, which she doesn't.

Yes, Marde is scary at first, but after the first two classes, you start to realize how great of an instructor she is. It's not like the other speech classes, in which you are taught how to give a speech well. In this class, you're taught how to TALK well, in any situation. At first, it took me a while to understand why we did speeches so slowly and had so many discussions about random topics, but now I understand that she really did teach the students how to talk well. The class got very close with each other and with Marde herself. Go to her office hours; she's an incredible woman who's done a lot so it's fun listening to her. She also really, REALLY cares about her students and she'll help you with anything you need.
There are 3 1-page analysis papers in the beginning of the quarter for 3 short books. You have to watch 1 TED Talk every week, and you submit a 5-7 page rhetorical analysis of this paper at the end of the quarter. Other than that, there are supposedly 4-6 speeches, but we didn't get to that many.
Overall, I definitely recommend Marde. It's hard getting used to her, but once you do, you will NOT regret taking her class.

If I'm going to be completely honest, then I'm going to say at first I agreed with all of these reviews. At first I didn't like her. But the truth is, Marde is an amazing woman and her class really does make you learn a lot.

If you asked me if I thought that this class would teach me anything I would have laughed at you and said absolutely not, but to be honest, it really did.

Marde has an interesting way of teaching, and if you can't handle the truth or an unconventional classroom structure then don't take this class, but if you want to learn - if you really want to hear the truth and make yourself not only a better speaker but a better person, take this class with Marde Gregory, and stick it through.

Not dropping this class is one of the greatest decisions I have ever made.

Yes, she is disrespectful. Yes, she will make you feel sad. DEAL WITH IT.
If you have any aspirations of doing anything with your life, especially in the communications industry, you will come across people with whom you don't see eye to eye.
Marde has no rubric in her class, and it can get boring and redundant. Make sure to do work ahead of time, because at the end of the quarter she will ask you to do all the work in a couple of days.

Also, Marde sets up a facade the first couple of days and you WILL HATE HER. Don't worry, she softens up, and once she opens up to you, she is actually an extreemely sweet and empathetic person.

GRADING: She is the toughest of the professors for Com1. With that being said, it is still Com, and the average is a B. If you are confident in your ability to speak in public, then you will probably get an A. If not, you are better off taking the class with another professor.

I'm currently taking Comm 1 with Marde. For those of you calling her a terrible person and a terrible teacher, you're all a bunch of idiots.

Although Marde's style is not that of your typical professor she's an amazing teacher. While most professors would teach you out of a book and give you boring lectures, Marde teaches her class through her life experience and knowledge.

She's definitely not a typical professor so if that's what you're looking for just leave. Marde isn't afraid to say exactly what's on her mind and that's what makes her special. She won't lie. She won't bullshit you. She will tell you the truth, because she truly cares about your life.

Those of you who said you don't learn anything, again you're idiots. I've learned more in these 2 weeks then I have in most of my entire classes. To learn in this class you have to listen, and by listen I mean truly listen and participate in discussion. If you listen and just nod and agree you're not learning anything. You need to truly listen with care.

Take this class if you want to learn. Don't listen to these assholes berate an amazing woman.

http://www.oid.ucla.edu/publications/teachersguide/policies/behavior/probehavior

Keep the above link handy if you're looking to enroll in Marde's class. Watch her break each of the code of conduct and then ask yourself if this person is fit to teach?

I am not someone who shy away from difficult classes nor valid criticisms, so please understand that my comment is not driven by a low grade I received from her. Heck, I don't even post on Bruinwalk nor in need of taking any of her classes before I graduate (Which will be in 2 weeks). My evaluation is solely motivated by the terrible experience I had with one of her classes during my stay at UCLA.

To start, she is by far the most unprofessional, rude and almost repulsive person I have ever came across. Ever heard of Queen Bee syndrome? That's her with her internship opportunities. She uses it as a dangling carrot in order to verbally harass and abuse students within the Comm department.

In the class I took with Marde, most of her remarks to the class were borderline personal attacks. Throughout the entire quarter, there were no organization, sense of direction or expectation what we'll be learning or measurable rubric for evaluation (Hence, the grade you'll receive is completely arbitrary and dependent on her mood or her fondness of you). She showed up late constantly and dismissed the class late as well (Sometime 30-40 minutes late). Most of her lectures consist of her rants about the UCLA Film Department or other professors within the Comm department.

Once in a while, she'll let you know what she hates, and if you like what she hates, guess what? You're simply stupid, and she'll shoot you with one of the most awkward dirty looks you'll ever come across. This may sound almost too surreal to be true, but this professor is really that narrow-minded and completely full of herself!

In sum, if you want to take her classes because you're intrigued by all of the fuss on Bruinwalk, do it. You may like her and disagree with me, but you'll learn that my depictions are spot on.

However, if your intent is to learn, avoid her. The only thing you'll learn are her beliefs and opinions - She does not approve of or value yours.

Lastly, if your goal is to simply score an internship because she's reputed to have connections within the "industry" yet you simply despise her as a teacher, try the career center, network on your own through events sponsored by the department or events by various departments within UCLA. They are much more connected, helpful and does not require you compromise your personal integrity in the process. Again, this advice is exclusively for those who absolutely cannot stand her but are in her class solely for possible internship assistance - Really, you can do better. Have some faith in your own abilities.

To be completely candid, there are plenty of internship opportunities out there that does not require you to kiss up to a professor in order to have him/her help you; personally, I was able to secure one without her assistance and managed to turn that internship into a job offer in the process.

AVOID THIS PROFESSOR AT ALL COSTS.
In all fairness, I can't speak for how she grades or how hard she actually is because I dropped this class after two lectures. Some people claim she's well connected and can hook you up with valuable internships. Maybe that's true, but the fact is you will not be able to handle her overwhelmingly terrible character long enough to access them.
I agree with many of the reviews below. On the first day of class, she entered 10minutes late (also dismissed the class more than 20 minutes late) in a complete fury, grouchily addressed the class, asked a confusing question, and labeled each student who attempted to answer an "idiot" with no sense of playfulness or kidding. She challenged the class with questions like "do you think you're smarter than me!?" bragged about herself "can I tell a story, or what?" (she couldn't) and berated students for not conforming to her incredibly confusing logic. She was quick to pick favorites though, labeling a select few students a "very smart" among all the others she called idiots.
I have no encountered a more repulsive, cross, or unbelievably insulting instructor in my life. The fact is, unless you are a graduating this quarter and no other classes fit your schedule, you have no reason to enroll in her class because there are several other Comm 1 professors and certainly any of them would be better than this witch.

Today was the first day of my COMM STUD 1 class with prof. Gregory, and i HATED it. I get what she's trying to do with all these weird way of leading conversations and arguments, but it was just too much. She almost made this girl cry by FORCING her to tell her life story that she didn't want to. I don't want to say anything bad about the way she wants to teach her class, but i do think that she needs to be AT LEAST considerate of others. Her whole point of the lecture was that "you need to be interested in others", but she totally contradicted herself via her actions. I'M DROPPING THIS CLASS.

I really enjoyed Comm 1 with Professor Gregory, not because I necessarily learned a lot, but because it was easy to just talk and earn a good grade. I only gave two speeches the entire quarter and ended up with an A in the class. Yes, she can be a little off the wall, and classes have no structure, but here's the trick to a good grade with Gregory: TALK! And definitely go to office hours. She wants to see you engage in meaningful conversation, and can even make a conversation about shoes meaningful, so if you really engage in the conversation and don't get too opinionated (keep an open mind, but stand your ground for what you believe), you should be just fine.
Don't do any of the reading, come up with compelling topics for your two speeches, and listen to what she is interested in when considering what you are talking about (sex, religion, and politics seemed to be her favorites, so pick something exciting that pushes the boundaries of those topics and she'll love it).
bottom line, go to office hours and let her talk about herself, she might even buy you dinner, and make sure you talk, talk, talk!

Gregory is definitely a unique individual with no structure in her teaching style. You will walk into class every single day wishing that maybe, just maybe the course will take an unsuspected turn for the better. It doesn't. It's pretty much a waste of time that you can spend on other homework or studying or even taking a nap. It's ridiculously boring and all students do is keep pulling her on to the unnecessary conversations that take place everyday in class. Go to her office hours, kiss up, and i'm sure you'll end up with a nifty grade. But other than that, be prepared to be ultimately bored out of your mind for the next 10 weeks. :]