Her class is not too bad. But it takes a lot of time to watch the movies/documentaries after class and going to writing center. I don't feel like my writing ability improved significantly, but my Office Word composing ability definitely did (which is necessary for Grammar B)...

I came into this class hoping that it would be easy, but honestly, it was harder than I thought. Attendance is necessary and counts as part of your grade. Also, you need to actually participate a lot in discussions in order to get a decent grade. We have to do reading response journals that sometimes take hours to complete. The essays were interesting to write about; we have to complete three essays for the entire quarter and expand on two of them. She gives you comments during conferences and publishing, but she expects a lot of improvements to get a good grade. The class is not that bad if you make changes to her comments and participate in class, but the fact that 80% of your grade is based on the essays makes it hard to get an A in the class.

The last reviewer is a joke if he/she thinks being a sophomore gives him/her the credentials to disparage this type of essay. I was a senior in her class and never encountered this type of assignment but I learned so much from it, more than all the standard essays I had to write. Tamar teaches you how to think and the grammar b is the best way to get you to do so that is if you’re smart enough to take it seriously

Tamar is the best! I love her! This class is 80% based on your three essays and 20% on participation. Our first essay was about a documentary, second essay about a Black Mirror episode, and third essay was a Grammar B style essay. Classes were always a discussion which made it fun to hear other's opinions, and also share mine, and also because they were interactive, it made time go faster, rather than just listening to one person talk the whole time. I learned a lot in this class, especially through that first essay. After watching a climate change documentary by Josh Fox, I started changing my diet, analyzing my waste more and overall asking myself how I could do my part. That documentary changed my life and has inspired me to be a better person for the environment and Mother Earth. I loved also how in this class we would write our essays through the quarter, but we had time until the end to revise them and make them better, so we could get our final grade at the end. This gave me more time to develop my essays and make it better. I also loved Tamar's energetic, bubbly personality because it made class fun! She is a great, knowledgeable, understanding, and funny woman and I promise you won't regret taking her class!

I took this class over the pandemic and online so my experience with Tamar might be a bit different. The workload for this class was not heavy unless you left assignments to the last minute. There were 2 discussion posts due every week before class, but they aren't graded(although try on them bc they help you in class). There are no midterms, but there is a "final". Throughout the quarter Tamar helps guide you through 3 papers that are written over the quarter and gives you personal feedback on each one and how to make it better. Only 2 are graded and the topics were not super hard.

Participation is enforced in this class and there are a lot of awkward zoom silence when no one wants to talk. Tamar talks a lot tho and usually fills up the time, but she definitely likes to boast about herself and her husband at times. The textbook is written by them specifically so a lot of the answers she gives is "it's in the textbook and look at chapter 4 again." The textbook was only $20 so it wasn't that bad and it luckily isn't as boring as other textbooks.

The overall class is solid and Tamar really cares about her students. You need to put in a decent amount of effort but nothing crazy. I figured early on that I was going to have to pass/fail this class because I was heading towards a B/B- which somewhat dictated the amount of effort I put in. However, if you do what she says and put in the correct amount of effort, you will see benefits to your writing. If you just want an easy A to get your Writing I requirement done then I suggest a different professor. Oh and try to write in favor of what she supports. Even though she says she is open to all perspectives, it will just make your life a lot easier to take her opinions on the various issues.

Overall it's a fairly good class. If you put in the effort and work on your essays throughout the quarter, you should be on track for an A (I didn't do that hence the B+). Tamar is nice, but spends most of her time going on and on about stuff that doesn't really matter. It's a bummer that participation matters so much otherwise I would've skipped most of the lectures. Just listen for what she wants in your paper, and most importantly GIVE YOUR OPINION AND FEELINGS. She's not looking for a overview of your topic, but solely your feelings about it.

My least favorite part about this class is that she introduced a completely new style of writing (that she and her husband created) that you are expected to grasp within the first week or so. You then write your paper based on it and then bounce it off of your classmates, NOT her. You upload your assignments and she'll read them ofc, but you don't receive any direct feedback from her, just your classmates. This is super annoying because your classmates are also new to the concept so everyone's just guessing and making suggestions on how to fix your paper without knowing how to.

My advice would be to not overthink in this class and worry about your grade. She tells everyone that they are in the C-D range and then hands out good grades (assuming ofc you put the effort in). Attend class, listen to the important parts and ignore the rest, work on your paper regularly and you should be good.

Quick note that she makes you add two or three sources to your paper AFTER you're done writing it. She said we were done with our first paper in Week 5 and then in Week 8 reveals that you have to add sources to your first paper (keep in mind this is when midterms are going on and you are busy working on your second paper which is extremely time consuming). This is pretty much where I screwed up because I couldn't find the space to fit all of those sources in after I'd carefully cut down the word limit and finalized everything. Just a heads up because I know this will save someone lol

Tamar Christensen is a very personable lecturer who you feel actually cares about you. The class assignments boil down to some reading, as well as two 6-8 page essays. There is NO busy work in the class...as everything you do is a direct contribution to the essays you'll turn in. You have to submit the essays, of course, but they're only actually due at the end of the quarter, as she has you submit rough drafts throughout the quarter, and gives one on one personalized feedback face to face.
The second "grammar b" essay was a bit harder for me, as it was focused on alternative multimedia, but overall I think Tamar actually made me a better writer.

Tamar was super nice and her classes were interesting. This comes from someone who hates writing. Her directions are clear and all you write are 2 essays. Just read the material she gives you, show up to class and you'll be fine.

I was hesitant to join this class at first because of the previous reviews from her other courses but I am so glad I trusted my gut and still took the course. Tamar is an incredible human first of all. She is deeply inspiring, kind, and not afraid to share her life experiences to connect with her students. I look up to her in so many ways as she has been one of the best professors I have had during my time at UCLA.

The grades are based on a "grading contract" so you are guaranteed a B if you complete your work well and can complete an extra assignment for an A. This may seem daunting but really isn't! Your goal in the class isn't to get 100% on a paper you're stressing over. Rather you get to learn how to write a blog, Op-Ed, and a create TEDTalk and have room to create something that is personal to you without having to worry about pleasing the professors expectations for an A. The class is also very based off of collaboration with your peers during class meeting but it really helps to create a great support system to build ideas.

The course is about climate science/change which is a fascinating topic that Tamar is passionate about and is very clear (makes you want to be passionate too). After taking this course, I believe I have learned so many great writing and speaking skills that go far beyond syntax or structure.

If you enjoy writing or want to get better at it, I couldn't recommend a better course.