Huppin is a great professor. I took 171 and 146 and although the courses are completely different, both classes were very interesting. Two simple papers, midterm and non cumulative final (146- both exams are multiple choice- tricky questions). He is very approachable and helpful, always responds to emails and definitely does not lecture on "murdering step-children, humans are robots, rape is an adaptation.. etc" It is obvious that the student does not fully understand the material and that is unfortunate. Overall, I would definitely recommend Huppin. He invites cool guest speakers, interesting video clips (anything from Finding Nemo to About Last Night). It is not an easy A but the material is very interesting!

I took 171 with Huppin last Spring and am currently taking 146 with him right now. Since all of these reviews are for 146, I wanted to write one about 171, but first I wanted to address the first posting. As is stated numerous times below, the first post regarding 146 is completely off-base. This class is interesting, informative, and does not in any way promote rape, murdering step-children or the other ridiculous claims this student has mistakenly heard. Huppin always presents a unbiased view and makes sure that we know that he isn't trying to preach a certain view. Anyway, just know this is class is a very interesting class, that is quite enjoyable. Two short papers, a multiple choice midterm and final, and interesting class discussions.

So onto 171. I really enjoyed this class. I remember Huppin saying something about how this class was taught like a law school class, but don't let that scare you. He is a very fair grader, usually curves, wants his students to do well, and is always there if you have questions about anything. This class centers on First Amendment Law and Huppin provides a nice variety of court cases that demonstrate some of the more interesting issues concerning freedom of speech and press. We covered free speech issues ranging from movie ratings to porn. The readings consist of court cases and the test are hypothetical situations to which you have to apply your knowledge of the court cases. I liked this class because it made me really think about the material I was learning. There isn't much memorization, he made it clear that he didn't just want students to come to the tests and write everything they had memorized. His tests are short answer so you we able to argue and defend your answers (having taken both his multiple choice and his short answer tests, I have to say I like the short answer better). Along with the midterm and final (which are not cumulative) there are two short papers which tend to be grade boosters. Don't let the law basis of this class scare you, it is still one of my favorite Communication Studies upper divs and I have taken quite a few of them.

Bottom line: take Huppin -- he is a cool professor, is concerned with student learning, makes sure his lectures and are engaging, shows funny clips and movies in class, gets guest speakers to come speak, tells good stories about his family, and is an extremely smart guy.