This is by far the class I attended the most consistently since starting at UCLA – in part because I enjoyed Abbe Goldman's lectures, but mostly because I was completely lost without them. The knowledge Goldman imparts in lecture cannot be duplicated through reading the course reader or skimming friends' notes, but is extremely valuable. She deconstructs good writing so that it's simple without being formulaic, which will change your life – and that's not a dramatization.

I definitely didn't give Goldman the attention she deserved, but still got a lot out of the class. She edits all of your homework assignments (turned in anonymously) and gives you tips on how to improve for the next week's assignment. In class, she also aggregates the most common flubs and analyzes particularly good portions of readings and collected assignments. You don't need to be interested in journalism to take the class and the skills she teaches aren't strictly journalistic. She'll call you out in edits if your homework is missing pieces to the story, but that's more dependent on your ability to construct a coherent piece. That said, if you've never played the reporter role, her homework assignments might force you out of your comfort zone (if you'll let them).

Goldman really makes you think about the intention behind your writing - from the really broad structural strokes to the grossly detailed syntax. She's myopic, but relevant and it's well-worth any anxiety she might induce while trying to get you to participate in lecture.

I wouldn't say you need to try very hard to get a good grade, and certainly not for a passing one. But Goldman has that quality that makes you want to impress her and try harder, if only to prove you're as competent as she makes you think you are.

Abbe Goldman's class blew away most of the classes I've taken during my time at UCLA. This class dramatically improved my writing skills and helped me understand best practices for clear and concise writing.

Goldman issues about one assignment per week, which she grades anonymously. DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO WORK ON THESE. Abbe is a very experienced editor and can tell if you didn't work on the assignment until the last day.

The class was interesting during lecture, rigorous in grading and overall a really well-balanced 10 weeks. I would absolutely recommend taking this class for anyone interested in communications, PR, journalism or really any job that requires writing and working with others. Abbe is a terrific journalist and professor, and UCLA is pretty lucky to have her.

Awesome class! We read case studies (10-20 pages of reading) before class and then debated the ethical issues presented in each one. The cases were super interesting, and the professor was great at showing us how to argue both sides. Easy midterm/final and weekly posts to online forum that were ~1 paragraph. All you need to do to ace the class is to go to class and offer your thoughts on the case studies, which you prepare before class and post on the forum. You don't even need to study for the midterm or final to get an A. Seriously.

Professor Goldman has been in the journalism business for years (she is a Pulitzer-prizewinning news writer) so she really knows what she's talking about. She loves to talk to students and is super friendly/funny, so don't be afraid to get to know her! She's also quite entertaining, so you'll be engaged the whole time. Even if you don't want to pursue journalism, it's fascinating to learn about these issues because they are so relevant to our lives. You'll develop critical thinking skills and learn how to articulate arguments in an open, safe environment, with tons of encouragement from the professor. And, you'll have fun doing it!

This is one of my favorite classes I have taken at UCLA. Abbe is an incredible instructor and I can guarantee that you will come out of this class with new insight and skills. She's an incredibly tough grader, but she provides you with all of the tools you need to be successful. You are assigned a paper to write at the beginning of each week and it is due the following class. She expects clear, concise and meaningful writing. The prompts include a Ledes assignment, a Vignette, a Profile, an Opinion piece, a Breaking News piece (she provides the "news"), a Public Relations piece, and -- potentially -- a Science piece. What she expects from each assignment is very clear and she is unbelievably good at meeting with students to help them. She wants you to do well and gives you every opportunity to succeed. The class is not easy, but if you listen to her feedback and trust what she tells you, you will leave this class a much better writer and thinker. She also grades anonymously which is great because your work is the only thing that matters.

Abbe is an incredible professor. She was one of the first where I felt like the student-teacher relationship was just easy and not intimidating, tough or scary. As long as you do the work and follow all the rules (and there are a LOT of rules) down to a tee, you'll be totally fine. I loved the small-group setting because I'm usually afraid to speak up in larger classes, so participating was easier for me. The anonymous grading helped a lot too – since there were a lot of people in the class that Abbe knew from before, the anonymous grading took out the bias and made everything a lot more fair. Overall, definitely take this class! My writing is so much clearer and more concise now, and I'd say the work was definitely worth it.

To put it simply, Professor Goldman cares. She's an energetic teacher who clearly wants to see her students improve as writers. And this class was a lot of writing, as expected. There are plenty of instructions to help guide you, but it can be overwhelming sometimes. Just go to office hours to clear things up if there's confusion.

Participation is crucial so don't take this if you don't want to be involved. Attendance is also important.

Ultimately, I was highly entertained by Professor Goldman and appreciated that she approached things in a down-to-earth manner.

Professor Goldman goes out of her way to make sure that students are treated fairly (she grades anonymously and doesn't know who submits each exam, and is incredibly accommodating of circumstances that affect the class). She does spend the first 10 minutes of each class talking about how the class is structured, which doesn't add much, but the rest of the class was really engaging and everyone in the room leaves wishing it were longer. I'd definitely take this class again- one of the most engaging and interesting ones I've enrolled in at UCLA.

You might think "Journalism ethics? What is that good for?" but this class teaches you about how to argue your beliefs and to argue them WELL. It is useful to everyone, and such a fun class for Comm and non-comm majors. I nearly dropped this class the first day because of the bi-weekly posts in the forum online and fear that the professor expected too much from us, but take this class! I can tell you now that it has been one of my favorites at UCLA.

We learned socratic style, which was nerve-wracking for me, but I soon got over it as soon as Abigail called on me. She learns everyones names and fosters a small-class environment- even in a 75 person lecture! The cases were interesting. I never dreaded this class since I always looked forward to discussing them.

One thing I will say is that being a good writer really helps you in this class. I wouldn't let that stop you from taking this class, but I think that a large part of why I got an A on both exams is that I came is with a pretty strong writing foundation. The exams are graded anonymously which I loved (Why aren't all tests done this way?), so don't expect your participation in class to help you on exams.

Professor Goldman is amazing! One of the greatest professors I've had at UCLA.

Goldman is a great professor and really knows what she's talking about, especially concerning writing/journalism. This was probably one of the most practical classes I've taken at UCLA - I feel like I can apply this knowledge outside of the classroom. The whole class is based on refining your writing, which can be useful for anyone. She is very funny and although the grading on the writing can be harsh, she is fair and does it with the intention of helping you learn and grow. There was about one assignment per week, assigned on Mondays and due on Wednesdays, in addition to relatively light reading assignments. Definitely take this class if you want to improve your writing.