Professor
Roger Waldinger
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2022 - This is a good class to figure out if you're interested in global migration. The class was structured so that each week you read the introductory chapter of someone's book on migration (we read about Indian migration to oil-producing Arab states, Brexit politics, Eastern European migration to the U.S. in the early 1900s, Vietnamese segregation in Berlin, etc. - all very specific ethnographies), which is typically about 20 pages, then you write a 300-500 word response to the Professor's prompt and pose a question to ask the author. Then every week we have a virtual meeting with the author in which they discuss their work in further detail and we can ask them questions. This could add up to quite a bit of work for only a 1-credit class, and sometimes took me an hour/week, but luckily we didn't meet every week, we only met maybe 5x throughout the quarter. So all in all, it wasn't too much work at all, and I learned some thought-provoking information.
Winter 2022 - This is a good class to figure out if you're interested in global migration. The class was structured so that each week you read the introductory chapter of someone's book on migration (we read about Indian migration to oil-producing Arab states, Brexit politics, Eastern European migration to the U.S. in the early 1900s, Vietnamese segregation in Berlin, etc. - all very specific ethnographies), which is typically about 20 pages, then you write a 300-500 word response to the Professor's prompt and pose a question to ask the author. Then every week we have a virtual meeting with the author in which they discuss their work in further detail and we can ask them questions. This could add up to quite a bit of work for only a 1-credit class, and sometimes took me an hour/week, but luckily we didn't meet every week, we only met maybe 5x throughout the quarter. So all in all, it wasn't too much work at all, and I learned some thought-provoking information.
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2020 - I took this my first quarter at UCLA and worked my ass off unnecessarily (didn't understand P/NP for fiat luxes) because there was a lot of reading/writing for a one unit class if you do everything assigned. That said, what an interesting class! Professor Waldinger is great. So kind and passionate about what he teaches. The live discussions were really engaging and the weekly discussion posts also really made you think. Super applicable to real life (we discussed plenty of current events/election stuff etc) and I learned a lot. I would absolutely take this again.
Fall 2020 - I took this my first quarter at UCLA and worked my ass off unnecessarily (didn't understand P/NP for fiat luxes) because there was a lot of reading/writing for a one unit class if you do everything assigned. That said, what an interesting class! Professor Waldinger is great. So kind and passionate about what he teaches. The live discussions were really engaging and the weekly discussion posts also really made you think. Super applicable to real life (we discussed plenty of current events/election stuff etc) and I learned a lot. I would absolutely take this again.
Most Helpful Review
FOR SOC 151: COMPARATIVE IMMIGRATION Mr. Waldinger is known around the country for his publications in immigration. He is SO intelligent! He was a great professor. The class: -Class consisted of 7 weekly essays (300-500 words; 21% of grade) - One midterm (10-15 pages; 34% of grade) -One final (10-15 pages; 35% of grade) - Attendance is mandatory (10% of grade; miss more than three days and you lose 5% of grade). How to get an A in this class: -Do the readings and answer the discussion questions (if you do them you will save a lot of time when the midterm/final come). -Save your weekly memos as midterm questions are relatively the same thing. - Show up Overall: I thought this class was awesome. Immigration is such a heated topic and I learned a lot. I would definitely take it again.
FOR SOC 151: COMPARATIVE IMMIGRATION Mr. Waldinger is known around the country for his publications in immigration. He is SO intelligent! He was a great professor. The class: -Class consisted of 7 weekly essays (300-500 words; 21% of grade) - One midterm (10-15 pages; 34% of grade) -One final (10-15 pages; 35% of grade) - Attendance is mandatory (10% of grade; miss more than three days and you lose 5% of grade). How to get an A in this class: -Do the readings and answer the discussion questions (if you do them you will save a lot of time when the midterm/final come). -Save your weekly memos as midterm questions are relatively the same thing. - Show up Overall: I thought this class was awesome. Immigration is such a heated topic and I learned a lot. I would definitely take it again.
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2021 - Yes, the class is intense. There are a lot of readings to do, and the material is not only sensitive but dense (yet VERY interesting!). However, if you are genuinely interested in learning about immigration, take it. Professor Waldinger has so much knowledge to offer, and he genuinely cares for his students. I got a 99 and 100 on the midterm and final, but I worked my ass off for it. If you think you will be procrastinating, I would say this class is not for you. I often stayed up while balancing four other classes to make sure I wasn't behind on the readings. I made sure to attend every discussion, participated to the best of my knowledge and actively asked questions to make sure I was understanding the material correctly. I attended the study sessions offered both by Professor and the TA. If it helps, I was juggling this class while reading a total of 2100+ pages (for other classes) at certain weeks, and I am the type of person who cannot skim for the life of me. If I can do it, so can you (with proper time management). Don't take this class if you are looking for an easy A; however, if you genuinely want to learn and are willing to put in the work, I truly believe it will be such a rewarding experience. Finally, if you plan on taking this class, GO TO OFFICE HOURS! I went to my TA's office hours, and even this in itself helped SO much. I do agree with the previous reviews that this class should be worth 5-6 units due to the intense workload. Conclusion: Difficult? Yes. Hard work? Yes. Intense? Yes. Rewarding? Yes. Is it possible to get an A? YES!
Winter 2021 - Yes, the class is intense. There are a lot of readings to do, and the material is not only sensitive but dense (yet VERY interesting!). However, if you are genuinely interested in learning about immigration, take it. Professor Waldinger has so much knowledge to offer, and he genuinely cares for his students. I got a 99 and 100 on the midterm and final, but I worked my ass off for it. If you think you will be procrastinating, I would say this class is not for you. I often stayed up while balancing four other classes to make sure I wasn't behind on the readings. I made sure to attend every discussion, participated to the best of my knowledge and actively asked questions to make sure I was understanding the material correctly. I attended the study sessions offered both by Professor and the TA. If it helps, I was juggling this class while reading a total of 2100+ pages (for other classes) at certain weeks, and I am the type of person who cannot skim for the life of me. If I can do it, so can you (with proper time management). Don't take this class if you are looking for an easy A; however, if you genuinely want to learn and are willing to put in the work, I truly believe it will be such a rewarding experience. Finally, if you plan on taking this class, GO TO OFFICE HOURS! I went to my TA's office hours, and even this in itself helped SO much. I do agree with the previous reviews that this class should be worth 5-6 units due to the intense workload. Conclusion: Difficult? Yes. Hard work? Yes. Intense? Yes. Rewarding? Yes. Is it possible to get an A? YES!
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