There is a lot of nightly reading for the class but the essays are short, however, there are three of them in addition to the final. You are given plenty of time to do each essay. The questions were a lot to answer but they weren't impossible. The final was in person and a study guide was given in advance. All test questions were on the study guide, but it was unknown how many would have to be known or other specifics. He does his best to answer all questions and is very willing to take questions. Lectures are pretty dry but he does stick to important information. He is an amusing person (he's a little weird) wish that came through in his lectures. Overall he's a nice guy who wants you to succeed, but it's a class at UCLA, it requires a lot of work.