I enjoyed this class but would have enjoyed it a lot more if the workload was cut in half. Anderson is an amazing lecturer - she's very engaging and I really liked going to class. I was scared to take this class because of the bad reviews below but it honestly was a lot better than I thought it'd be. That said, this class really does require more work than other classes. There's a lot of readings to do and 5 essays which are basically due every other week. You have to do the readings because there are 5 pop quizzes - a lot of people I know failed them, but honestly they're manageable and if you do the readings and actually pay attention to them (don't skim) you'll be good. Reading definitely took a decent amount of time but it wasn't the worst thing ever because the material was usually interesting, albeit a little redundant at times. Essays were frequent but not hard, they had rubrics that told you exactly what to do, and it's not too difficult to get good grades on them. You have to go to discussion bc participation is part of your grade, which is fine bc the TA's were all pretty cool. I loved my TA Ashton, he always facilitated great conversations and was super helpful for the essays. Aside from the workload, I really enjoyed this class. If you put in the effort it's not impossible to get an A or even an A+ so don't let the other reviews scare you. You basically just have to go into class knowing it's not gonna be an "easy a" GE.

This was a great class! I really enjoyed the material and content in this class. The professor is VERY organized and makes it very easy to follow along and understand the material. The readings are heavy for this class though, but she goes over them in class so it is easy to catch up if you fall behind. There are pop quizzes in this class, but she drops the lowest score and if you study your notes before each class, you will pass the quizzes and learn the material better.

YOU WILL BE SENT TO DEAN IF YOU TAKE THIS CLASS. OPEN MISCONDUCT REPORTS AGAINST DR. TERRI ANDERSON WITH UCLA SOCIOLOGY BOARD. HALF THE CLASS SENT TO DEAN FOR AI< SOLICITATION OR COLLABORATION. EVEN THE TA'S HAVE MISCONDUCT REPORTS AGAINST HER!!

Avoid this class at all costs. Professor Anderson is one of the most rigid and unapproachable instructors I’ve ever encountered. There is absolutely no room for conversation, especially when it comes to grading or clarification. She is extremely heavy-handed and strict about AI usage. You’ll be required to submit a Google Doc edit history link with every assignment so she can monitor everything you typed, every change, every revision. It feels invasive and unnecessary, especially for a sociology course.

Points are deducted randomly, often in tiny amounts like 0.1 or 0.3 points, but she gives no explanation or feedback when this happens. She’ll even call you out on Canvas for “using AI” or “not watching lectures” or “not reading,” even when there's no proof. She tracks your time spent on Perusall readings and makes assumptions based on those numbers.

The TAs are supposed to do most of the grading, but even they don’t have any power. If you want to contest a grade, Professor Anderson won’t answer your emails—she makes you go to office hours, and even then, she often won’t budge. Everything is up to her and her subjective judgment.

Expect weekly proctored quizzes with only 4 questions, and they’re always super specific, focusing on tiny, random details from the readings. Each week also includes a Perusall reading assignment, a discussion post, and often multiple readings along with over 100 minutes of video lectures. The workload is extremely heavy. The midterm is an essay and the final is an oral exam—again, graded solely by her.

This class felt more like surveillance than education. There’s no way to improve your grade, no opportunity to advocate for yourself, and no sense of fairness. I don’t recommend this professor under any circumstances.

seriously just don't take it. save your mental health.

I had physical health issues that pulled me away from the course. Emailed the teacher for an extension on an assignment which she requested proof of my health issues. She then replied "you know the late work policy" after submitting medical documentation and subsequently denied my request for an extension. Also reported the majority of the class for academic dishonesty which included me due to my midterm being "beautifully written" with the proof of "I searched on google if you can cheat". Absolutely avoid this teacher at all costs. If your work is awful, you get reported for cheating; if your work is "beautifully written," you get reported. She should not have a job at a professor if she is so paranoid about cheating that she forgoes any logical thought.

(TLDR; Course Material is interesting, but avoid this professor if possible. The grading and set-up have made this class a headache. There are better courses to take but if you are a strong student, you can do well in this class.)

I thoroughly enjoyed the content of this class and it has honestly been my favorite one so far, content-wise. However, the professor has deterred me from taking classes by her ever again, which is unfortunate. I understand her reasoning behind the strict AI policies and the lockdown browser quizzes seeing as this is a completely online course, however she was unreasonable when it came to grading and student success. My TA was great, but similar to what others have mentioned, the professor would go back and re-grade discussion posts, which (in my case) always resulted in a lower grade. There is only so much you can fit into a 6-8 part discussion post that should be around 500 words (per her instructions!) and I would often get docked for not expanding enough on specific topics when my posts were already 600-700 words.
This is definitely a class where you must be on top of things, as assignments are due throughout the week, although I wouldn't say they are super time consuming. It is definitely do-able if you manage your time well and don't procrastinate. I don't have much to say about her quizzes, except they are only 10 minutes long, 4 questions each, worth 2 points total. I averaged a 3/4 on most quizzes, but I was really into the course material so I'd say I knew it pretty well. Some of the questions are nit-picky, and very specific so pay attention to vocab, names and what each person is related to.
Her Oral Exam, wow. 10 minutes recorded zoom session with her or a TA where you were asked one question and had to answer it using course material, FROM MEMORY. So yes, we had to ensure we knew Week 7-10 material including lectures, readings, podcasts, and documentaries (overall 20+). In addition, to this day, I don't believe anyone from the class has seen a rubric for that exam, and when requested, her answers are vague, avoidant, and unclear.
Lastly, she sent many students to the Dean for alleged AI usage, so you must be very thorough when citing and the google docs policy. She also somehow received screenshots of the entire GroupMe for the class, and also sent many to the dean for that as well. It is unclear how she received these screenshots; I think it is important to mention that she may have entered that group chat under a false name or received it from a student. So please, be mindful and careful. Overall, the conduct of this Professor does not seem to be in the interest of student success (in my opinion). The only mode of communication between students feels monitored and surveilled, creating an uncomfortable, stressful environment for learning. Please avoid this class if possible, or keep to yourself and be very meticulous when completing and submitting assignments.

Stay away from her! Do not take any of her classes! The course itself is pretty easy, at least the content isn’t hard, but her grading standards are unclear and extremely subjective. There’s a weekly discussion that has to be over 500 words, and quizzes with LockDown Browser + CAM, but the answers are hidden, and it feels like she grades based on her mood. There’s also one paper, but she might send your paper to the DEAN'S OFFICE without giving you any reason. As far as I know, she sent almost the whole class there, and for the few who weren’t, the grades were still very low. She refuses to communicate and doesn’t seem to know her own course material well. You won’t feel like you have basic rights in her class. She’ll ask you to share your Google Docs and make her an editor. But that doesn’t help, she might still accuse you just because you type “too fast,” even if you did everything correctly. It’s honestly terrifying. DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS!!!!!!

I promise you this is the worst professor you could take at UCLA. If you want to spend your time contacting the chair of sociology then take this professor. She provides extremely unclear grading criteria and contradicts herself in the rubric and when grading. Everyone failed the midterm ESSAY. She has falsely reported many students to the dean for AI use and cases were dismissed. She has a ridiculous AI policy and should not be teaching at this level nevertheless an online class. You are quite literally being set up for failure in this class. This only good part about this class was my TA. The professor goes back and re-grades what the TA's have already published just to take away points. Do yourself a favor and save yourself a headache and do not take this class with this professor. Interestingly enough, this class is about mental illness, seems like she could use some of the material for herself.

I have never felt the need to write a review until I took this class. Professor Anderson is quite hard to work with, both from student and TA perspective. She is very rigid and is unwilling to comply to outside factors that can impact a student's focus and school engagement. Understandably, she is against A.I. (which I had no qualms with), but the fact that she teaches about mental health and has so empathy or sympathy is crazy to me. I had a lot of personal things going on while taking the class and she did not care at all. Her class is structured with mandatory discussion sections, one Persuall assignment due on Wednesday's, and on Thursday's you submit a discussion post and take a quiz. YOU HAVE TO DOWNLOAD A LOCKDOWN BROWSER FOR THIS CLASS. This wasn't a deal breaker for me but it is crucial information for some. Also she uses Google Docs and needs you to include it in a specific spot or else you just loose credit, even if the work was 100% yours or if it was submitted in a different spot. If you want to do well in this class, know every material front and back as if you were the author. It's bad when the TA's think the way she operates, makes decisions, and grades is literally robotic. The course material is very interesting but genuinely just find a similar class or different professor if the subject matter interests you. Save yourself the hassle and protect your peace. I really enjoyed the course if it wasn't for how the professor is dismissive of her students and the efforts they put in, especially if it is their first time taking a class in this department with no prior knowledge of the subject matter. It makes students not want to try and/or exploring the material further.

Horrible teacher, never take her classes. All the bad reviews here about her are true. At first TA gave me all the best grades, and at the end of the course the professor reviewed all my grades and gave me F. Too many assignments for the summer course.