Harrison seemed to know what he was talking about when dealing with Italian culture and cinema. However, the reading that he assisgned was often unrelated to the films and usually very dense, sometimes dealing with philosophy and pyschology. Every discussion involved a three question quiz, and sometimes the questions were WAY OUT THERE (you'd have to remember some tiny detail about the reading or the film.) There were three assigned essays throughout the quarter, which weren't that bad, although the prompts that he assigned were often confusing and could leave you wondering if you answered it well. (They made up about 30% of the final grade). The lectures were ok, however some of the movies were incredibly boring. He also has a midterm and a final. Before each, he gives a brief overview of what will be on it. However! Don't believe him...He told the class that only a few questions would be on the reading...it seemed more like half the questions were on the readings/philosophy/psychology. He is a poor test writer, and half the questions didn't even make sense or were very vague. The Italian culture and history part was probably the most interesting thing I learned in the class, so if you're looking for a GE that you think will interest you for the movie aspect, don't take this. He is a funny and nice guy, but as for the class, it could have been better.

Italian 46 was an ok class. The reading felt like it never related back to the class and his multiple choice were tricky. The films were ok, some were better than others. If you can find another ge to take, take another one unless you're really in to Italian film

Interesting class, and nice because you basically just watch movies for lecture. Harrison usually gives background info before starting the movie, and occasionally these lectures can drag on, but are mostly interesting and informative. You don't need to do all the reading; I didn't buy the text and only read parts of the reader that seemed important, and I got an A-. His exams are all multiple choice, and pretty fair. They don't have trick questions, I actually ended up missing points on the midterm because I thought too far into them. I didn't make the same mistake on the final, and did well. He's pretty funny, and this course is an interesting look at Italian society, I would recommend it as a pretty easy GE.

This class is fascinating. Professor Harrison is the most intelligent professor I've had at UCLA. Plus, he has a great sense of humor. He makes his students think, welcomes all questions, never speaks down, and picks truly interesting articles to include in the reader. Usually reading is just a pain, but in his class it really improved my understanding and evaluation of the films, and culture in Italy. You have to write 3 papers, only 2 pages each, on assigned topics pertaining to the films. You also get to chose which film you want to write one. The papers were pretty easy to write considering the topics were so interesting. Professor Harrison is passionate about what he is teaching and concerened with his students learning and wants us to think critically.
I highly highly recommend him.

Professor Harrison is fascinating. His class turned out to be so much more interesting and fulfilling than I had expected. Students learn about films, Italian culture, politics, philosophy, psychology, and themselves! Don't be intimidated by the long class hours. He screens a movie every week and talks about the film and the readings on the second day. His lectures are always interesting and so engaging. He is very knowledgeable and knows what he's talking about. But he is not one of those boring intellectuals. He's funny and easygoing. If you are tired of listening to professors read from their boring and pointless powerpoints, or want to learn something valuable without having to force yourself, take his class.

loved this class. you get to watch amazing movies. he's definitely one of the more strange and eclectic professors i've had. a great choice for south campus.

Great lecturer, funny guy, easy tests, and some of the best foreign films out there - essentially your ideal GE. This class was a blast.

Professor Harrison is a wonderful professor. The course that i took with him was interesting, fun, and definately worthwhile. The films he shows are captivating and the way he interprets them is equally so. The midterm and final are quite easy as long as you attend all lectures and pay attention to what he is saying. It helps to read the book and especially the course reader. Viviana is also a wonderful TA who is easy to talk to. The papers are also simple and just take some interpretation and well understanding of the meaning of the film. As long as you are trying both the TA's and the professor will help you do well in the class. Definately recommended!

prof harrison is a great lecturer. he is such a funny guy and encourages all students to come see him. as for the TAs, most definitely choose Viviana. she's the greatest. as for exams, please doooo study. although the class is based on analyzing movies, the midterm and final focus mainly on the connections between the readings and the movies. a lot of his exam questions are brought up in class during his lecture, so do attend the analysis day.

Professor Harrison is a good lecturer. The class was pretty interesting.

The midterm and final were easy, yet hard at the same time. For the midterm 100 people from a class of 136 got an A or B. It was about the same for the final. However, you still have to study for the exams. It may look easy, they are just movies, yet the questions are detailed and you have to come to the lectures and take good notes. The exams make up 50% of the grade.

The next 30% of the grade are the three papers. They are just about 500-700 words, which equals about 2 pages (double spaced). They are pretty simple, you analyze the movies. The TA checks these, so it is important to get a good fair TA. I had Marco, he was an excellent TA.

The next 20% are the quizzes, attendance, and participation in discussion. The quizzes contain 3 simple questions. If you go to the lectures and pay attention, you should not have a problem with them.

There is a small curve, nothing big since the majority of the class already score in the A and B range. If you are on the border, they will bump you up.

The movies are in Italian, so you have to read the subtitles.