Suman is an organized lecturer and a fair grader. He tries to be interesting in class and most of the time the class is pleasant and fun to sit through, even if it is for 2 hours. Comm 10 is a very interesting class and though it is pretty hard, it's very possible to get an A if you put the work in. Study ALL the keywords he puts up on the board, make flashcards and take good notes and you will be perfectly fine. Start the essay early and don't take it too lightly, it's a pretty big part of your grade.

This class was the most challenging and most interesting GE I have taken at UCLA. It was no easy ride, but I got an A, which goes to prove that doing well in the class is very possible. Suman seems cut and dry from his spot at the podium, but you will realize that he is very helpful and concerned about his students when speaking to him in person. Don't take the class's bad reputation to heart. If you are interested in the material, and you are a hard worker, go for it! I definitely recommend it.

This definitely is not an easy GE but it also is no where near as hard as percieved. It is easy to get a B in the class and possible to strive for an A. The midterm and final are reasonable but the readings are necessary but totally interesting. Suman is really a good lecturer because he always keeps class entertaining and even throws in a couple good jokes and statistics. He is just one of those teachers that is really difficult to not like.

memorize everything and you just might get an a. its frustrating to feel like you understand everything when you go to every lecture, discussion, and do all the readings and then get a b in the class. i would not take this as a ge because i could have done way less work in another class yet still gotten a better grade.

This class began as somewhat interesting, but just went into word for word notetaking. If we could get his lecture notes there would be absolutely no reason to go to class. You might be able to get them from someone who has taken the class before because the course has been EXACTLY the same for years. He makes some comments that make him seem as mature as a an immature frat boy, and that's saying something. Studying for the tests isn't so bad: all you have to do is memorize simple concepts like you would in a psych class. There's no need to understand any concepts because there aren't any.

The Tannen book is very biased, but it's easy to read. Make sure to read the handout for the midterm.

This class isn't as scary as everyone makes it out to be! I have to admit it is time-consuming but only takes about a week of studying before the midterm/final and a day or two for the paper to do well. The rest of the time just go to lecture and take notes! A laptop definitely makes it easier on your hands though. You can do practically nothing all quarter as long as you take notes, do the readings a reasonable amount of time before the tests, and go to section (also do the worksheets the TAs post on the class website)! Especially if you have Hector, he pretty much outlines what you need to know from the readings for the tests as a gift to students who bother to show up to section. Memorize anything Suman writes on the board, all the lists are fair game for essays. Go to review sessions, TALK TO YOUR TA about your paper before you have to turn it in (a lot of people think they can go without it, but the TAs are incredibly picky about the papers). Also for the essays, you practically have to give every example you can recall from lecture and put it on paper to get full credit. Simplifying your answer just to save time from writing so much won't help, it's all about how much you can regurgitate. Overall just memorize everything verbatim and it'll be an easy, straightforward A (not like you have to understand any complicated concepts or anything).

Amen to the comment below. Emphasis: a LOT of memorization and REALLY boring

I took it for a GE so I could go someplace I had to be on finals week (early final). Anyways, this class wasn't too hard, I got a B+ in it, even though I think I should have gotten an A- (my friend got an A- with only a few more points, so I was on the cusp of it).

Anyways, the reading isn't too bad, the first book is kinda interesting, the second sucks ass. The first half of the class is on interpersonal relationships, the second on mass media. The first day is really funny, but that's it - the rest of the time you're constantly writing for 2 hours straight (10 min break in-between). The second half, mass communication, is extremely boring, just talks about the history of newspapers, books, TV, etc.

Anyways, the stuff you learn in the class really isn't much. Honestly, it's simply making up definitions and memorizing them. Nearly everything you learn in that class is common knowledge, just redefined and given a new word. Not worth taking if you don't have to, IMO.

Do NOT take this class unless you are planning to apply to the communications major. The material is interesting, but the word-for-word memoriztion and regurgitation required on the exams is ridiculous. Suman says he wants you to understand the basic concepts, which is a lie. He wants you to write down what he said word-for-word. The discussion sections were pretty pointless. I had Hector, who was a terrible TA. He wasted time waiting for people who didn't have anything to say beginning talking. And there were rumors that the sure way a girl could get an A was to offer him "favors." The paper topics are the most bizarre things I have ever seen, and simply allow the TAs to give good grades to the people they like. Because, after all, what makes a good paper on nicknames, instant messaging talk, online cartoons, or fluids? And in this class, you don't get the midterm or the paper back, so it's practically impossible to figure out what these people want. Seriously, if you don't need this class for the communications major, don't take it. There are better class to fufill GE requirements that don't require this kind of memorization and "oral skills."

This class was one of my favorite classes at UCLA. Sure, this class has a ton of memorization but you should've known that before taking the class. Discussion sections are optional but my TA was very thorough and helped me a ton with the reading material. There was a variety of topics to choose from regarding the paper that you have to write. The paper was probably the easiest essay I had ever written. I don't recall ever having a boring lecture despite the fact that this class is two hours long. The key to getting a good grade in the class would be to do the following: make flash cards at the end of every week regarding the key terms from lecture, read the book thoroughly, go to the discussion sections and to the midterm/final review sessions. At the review sessions, the TAs give us a myriad of sample questions from previous exams, many of which reappear on the current exam. My advice is to take this class; it is extremely interesting!