I'll be honest--I hate nature. I don't even like walking on grass. I took this class because it was the only one that fit my schedule and I still don't like nature, but Professor Gillespie is a model for how all professors should be: Engaging, concerned, welcoming and passionate about what he does. He also throws in a lot of sex jokes and has an awesome radio voice. He's very fair and is shockingly willing to help with problems you might have. One of the best professors I've had--I'd probably say the best if I enjoyed the subject more.

Labs are a bore. But they're easy so I don't have any huge complaints. Try to get Pablo as your TA.

Take Prof. G. He's legit.

This is hands down my favorite class taken at UCLA so far. Professor Gillespie is an asset to UCLA. He makes lecture fun and engaging as well as quite enlightening in terms of what is going on in the world around us. I missed not one of his lectures because he made going worth-while. The lectures were not boring and there were no sleeping bodies throughout. I have recommended this class to all of my friends because I really enjoyed going and am sad it's over.

The midterm consisted of 52 multiple choice questions and a map which were all simple if you attended lecture. He gives you a study sheet basically telling you what will be on the midterm. He is not trying to trick you and actually wants you to know the material. If you go to lectures you'll know what is going on. The material is easy to remember because not only is it interesting but the vignettes and funny stories Gillespie attaches to it makes the material fuse to memory; the material is pertinent to know and take with you in the real world and not things you're forced to learn, never to hear of or use again in the future. You will take a few field trips, one of which is in the botanical gardens on campus. The other is given by Gillespie himself. He'll take you around UCLA to show you the native and non-native plant species we have on campus. By the end you'll be able to point out tree species around campus.

There was a power point presentation at the end of tenth week which was fun and not difficult at all. You get to choose the environmental topic. The final consisted of 52 multiple choice which again he gave a study sheet for. I thought it was fair and pretty straight-forward. Wish there were more professors like Gillespie. The only problem with this class is the inevitable comparison that I will draw from Geo 5 to my future classes. They will never live up. If you get the chance to take this class, don't hesitate.

This class was quite interesting. I think Gillespie made it really interesting. His voice--which sounds like that of a radio show host--kept me engaged and awake throughout all his lectures. He threw in a lot of jokes while lecturing, which kept the class lively. Midterm was pretty easy (52? multiple choice questions + a world map that you'll need to draw out). Final was slightly harder than expected but it was fair. There was a powerpoint presentation project due 10th week. That required some work, but it was fun. Overall, the workload for this class was medium compared to my other classes. I wouldn't consider it demanding or hard. There was a LOT of memorization though. Try to think of songs or acronyms to remember the material. But the exams were straightforward. I got an A (wasn't an "easy" A, so don't slack off).

I liked the class and the cool professor. He's one of those professors who leaves me a greater appreciation for the subject because of HIS genuine love and enthusiasm for what he teaches.

While the student who wrote beforehand was right in that the final examination was unfair (questions that did not relate to the lecture/important themes), it was mainly the fact that he left week 8 and had his TAs write the test. I think this was more of a special circumstance/occasion that he left.

I strongly suggest people to take this class, esp to really understand the growing environmental problems. He makes lecture entertaining & easy to listen to. MAKE SURE TO TAKE GOOD NOTES!!! about 75% of the test questions come from lecture, and 25% from textbook (he'll even tell the general questions that you need to know from textbook). so pay attention in class, do well in lab (or "lab" in terms of essays/presentations). and you'll do well in the class. It's a great class to take!!!! (I'm a geography major because of it..)

also, you can take geography 2 at the same time (to finish your life sci GE) because a lot of the information coincide.... This is what I did...and it worked out.

While the class/lecture itself was interesting, I was very disappointed in the structure of this class. Gillespie left the 8th week of class for India, and had one of the TAs to write the exam. The exam ended up being less questions than our midterm (only 53 questions) and worth 40% of our grade. The final covered info that the class was specifically told would not be on the test. It did not accurately test the understanding of the concepts we spent the most time on, but asked random questions from the book that was never integrating into lecture/discussion whatsoever. Many students complained about it so Gillespie said he would find some way to take all the questions out that were unfair/even HE didn't know the answer to. I have no idea how many questions ended up basically determining my grade, but I ended up with a B, my lowest grade so far at UCLA. I would not recommend taking this class with Gillespie because honestly, it ended up a complete disaster.

Dr. Gillespie is absolutely phenomenal. He's funny, very knowledgeable about the subject matter, and one of the most caring professors you'll ever meet. His class is incredibly easy, but you'll still learn a lot. The discussion seminars are pretty dull at times, but lectures completely make up for this. If you have a chance to take his class, grab it immediately because it generally fills up quickly. If you do, you won't regret it.

AWESOME.

Professor Gillespie is one of a kind. His lectures are informative and entertaining.. there's no textbook for his courrse so there's no need to worry about sleep inducing text. He's very approachable, funny, intelligent. Take this class! You'll be surprised how much you can learn in a class with little or no effort at all. My grade: A

Professor Gillespie is a very amazing teacher. He\355s very laid back, funny and dynamic with his lectures. He truly loves what he teaches, making this the BEST GE you could ask for. As for the class, there is NO BOOK, so you need to come to class every day and take meticulous notes, but you want to because he simply is so entertaining. The lab portion is really watching a few videos, going behind Hitch with Gillespie and surveying the native plants, and a 7-10 minute presentation at the end, and most (if not all) of the TAs are really cool. As what other people said before, his tests are VERY easy and straightforward. He give you a comprehensive review sheet for the midterm and final on things you need to know for the tests, and as long as you spend enough time memorizing the key topics and concepts, you should be fine. He\355s definitely one of the best and funnest professors on campus.

This was probably the most hilarious class that I've ever taken in my life for a couple of reasons. 1) there was no book 2) we literally trekked through the forest behind hitch 3) we had to learn the rules about traveling in Baja California and 4) Gillespie randomly says stuff that is so not PC that its AMAZING. honestly though, i would take another class from him because of his style of teaching. I think that he genuinely wants his students to learn. He's pretty easy because lectures are what count- if you go and pay attention (which is doable because he's so freaking hilarious) you're set for both the midterm and the final. He tells you EXACTLY what you need to know and as he says, "if you can't regurgitate it right back at me, you're on crack." Another cool thing about Gillespie is that he's totally approachable--he's not one of those professors that you feel like you can't talk to outside of class. While he might not remember your name, he will definitely remember your face and thats good because I think that he keeps a mental note of who comes to class, even if its a big lecture. Take him, you'll have so much fun!