Bascara is very knowledgable about the material and is passionate about his students engaging in it. However, the readings he assigns are very heavy with about 4 20-30 page readings a week and his lectures don't have any structure. No powerpoints, just reading off of something the whole class without any true sense of the topic. The assigned readings for that day won't necessarily relate what will be discussed.
Readings are 'required' but I know most people including myself did not read most of them in their entirety. You'll essentially only need to read some articles to write the 2 short papers, 2-3 in-class prompts (which kinda draw from personal experiences), and final paper. There is also a final group project which can be anything related to the Filipino American experience. Will note that for ALL his papers/project, the prompts are very vague so have fun with that.
However, he grades pretty easily. But good luck trying to find out how you're doing in the class cuz he didn't post any grades until the end of the quarter. (but don't worry too much, just put in the work which isn't too much and you'll most likely get an A) He's overall really nice, but he can be hard to contact. Visit his office hours if you ever want an extension instead of emailing.
Being Filipino, it was great to be in class where I learned a lot about my culture. Interesting class, but could be better structured

You can tell that Prof Bascara just wants people to try and put effort into what he is teaching. Often, class time is filled with either an assignment we present to the whole class (individually), doing an independent assignment, or meeting with our groups for the final project (we meet very early on in the quarter or for general class assignments. Needless to say, he does not spend a huge amount of time lecturing. He kind of allows us to do the readings and learn about Pilipino through research and first hand experience (attending events).

Workload: The readings are INTENSE. As in, most people in the class will NOT be able to get through the readings. Luckily, if you at least read a few of them (deeply) you should be fine. Other than that, we have two papers and a final group project to complete. We also have to attend a Pilipino event and write about it. Most of the other assignments are completed in class.

Grading: Does not seem to grade things throughout the quarter. He does give feedback on some assignments though.

Attendance: He does take attendance every class and does not have recorded lectures. However, I noticed that he will bring his iPad to allow a student or two to join the class via zoom. Which is super nice of him. Though, I wouldn't recommend relying on this option to attend class because so much of what we do is group work, which is impossible to do on zoom.

Textbooks: He provides most of the readings for free on BruinLearn. There is one book that we need to get, but it can be found online for free.

Professor Bascara is a nuanced thinker. His lectures and assignments reflect that. The class was in person and I was often confused during lectures however, he is very helpful during office hours and is clearly passionate about the readings and material. The exams were essays and there are research and writing activities during class that counts toward your grade, however, the essays are a big part of it (35%). The essay prompts are complex and took forever to write but Professor Bascara is a nice grader, I believe he gives you a better grade than you deserve. He gives insightful commentary for your writing assignments, and it is an overall interesting class. I left with a greater appreciation and understanding of Filipino American culture. There is a lot of reading, I got the required book free online at libgen. I recommend taking this class if you want an A, the workload is heavy but he grades nicely.

I took his Filipino Experience 133 class. He is very professional and a very easy grader. I turned in many assignments that I thought I did not do too well on but he always gave a better grade than I deserved. His format of the class is very easy. He makes you appreciate Filipinos and their history. TAKE HIM YOU WILL ENJOY IT AND AS LONG AS YOU SHOW UP and do the work YOU'LL GET AN A!!