Very easy class. One midterm and one cumulative final, both of which are in-class and are directly from the study guide. No trick questions either. There are also no assigned readings!! Some small lab assignments (attendance is mandatory in labs, but not in lecture), but they’re all meant as grade boosters before the final. If you go to his office hours he will drop hints about what will be on the final, but in lecture he also highlights the most important parts, which is nice because he talks very quickly and usually ends class well within the allocated 50 minutes. He is kind of a frat guy and is very loud, but does care about his students’ learning and presents relevant topics so that we can truly understand them, not just because he has to teach. I took it as a GE and would really recommend others doing so as well.

I am taking this class this quarter (Winter 2025), and it's probably the best GE I’ve taken at UCLA. The course is mostly memorization-based, with a midterm, a final, and weekly labs. The professor is amazing; he’s passionate about his research and work but understands that most students are taking this class as a GE, not a major requirement. He just wants us to learn the material, and he makes it so clear and straightforward. He’s also really funny and has a great personality, which makes lectures engaging. Since the key information is well-structured, studying for the midterm and final is fairly easy.

Gillespie the GOAT

I really liked this class and it definitely instilled a new found appreciation for our environment and concern for the effects of climate change on our planet. I found the lectures to be really interested, some weeks there are more videos then others but still really manageable. Usually, I would watch all the videos in one day and then take the quiz after, or you could split it up if you prefer to do it that way. The quizzes were really easy if you took notes on the videos, same for the final exam at the end of Week 6. The labs were the only thing that was really time consuming but the instructions are very straight forward and most people received at least a 90 on each one. I would recommend this class for anyone looking for an easy GE or just interested in the environment and climate change.

easiest GE ever, i recommend to anyone that needs it, or even as just a "filler" class for units because of how easy it is. prof would finish lecture wayyyy earlier, because he is so easy going, straightforward, and adds no extra fluff to anything. but his lectures are still insanely engaging i wish every prof was like him with material. you're honestly just learning about biomes, and it is graded on attendance to section, midterm, final, and group project. midterm and final he literally gave the study guides beforehand, and it was an exact replica of each. super easy btw there was not much to stress except memorizing. group project was a slide presentation on an endangered animal of your choosing. again, so insanely easy and stress-free class that was also fun.

Selling book: A Naturalist's Guide to the Tropics

text: **********

Looking for a good science GE? This class is great. Gillespie really enjoys what he teaches, and it shows. The class is engaging, easy, and the perfect balance to a tough schedule, especially if you know you've got a bunch of tough essay writing next quarter. You'll learn up-to-date thing about how we are affecting the environment. It's very interesting, and I have a textbook if you need one. *************

Selling slightly used textbook (still in great condition)

Visualizing Environmental Science : $15

email me if interested:
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BEST PROFESSOR EVER! literally trying to take his class every quarter.
I'm selling the textbook for the "indo-pacific coral reef field guide" and "A Naturalist's Guide to the Tropics" by Lambertini.

Text me **********

selling Visualizing Environmental Science for cheap. hmu **********