I took communications 10 to fullfill a G.E. requirement, not as a major prerequisite. As a result, I probably did not have as great of interest in the class as many of the people who took it, and it's probably one reason why this class seems like a difficult GE. The lectures are fairly interesting (though long), and discussion is helpful, but the amount of memorization definately distracts from the value of this class.

Ultimately, I got an A. If you want to get an A, you need to the following:

1. Go to lecture and take notes. Use a laptop so you can write quickly and bold important terms.

2. Go to discussion. Even if you haven't read, the TA will basiaclly outline what you need to know.

3. Go to your TA's office hours to talk about the paper. They love to give B's on the paper. Going to your TA will help you improve your essay into the A range.

4. On the tests: be as thorough on the essays as possible. You'll probably run out of time (I did during the midterm) so bring a watch and pace yourself.

5. Memorize the lists. A lot of people make flashcards. My friend and I would try and write the lists out by memory and then teach each other the individual topics.

6. Get other peoples notes, from either past or present quarters/quarter. (There are a lot of these floating around) This doesn't mean skip lecture, but reading another person's notes can help clarify different topics or expand on things which you took poor notes on.

That's about all I can think of. Overall it was a decent class, especially if you are a comm major. If you're not, just be prepared to put in a lot of time for a G.E.

i really liked his class. it is true that the first half of the class is probably the most interesting to most people because it is about dating and relationships. the second half is about old school journalism, radio, tv, newspapers, etc. this is my choice of study so it was interesting to me.
suman was always available in office hours. he helped me understand concepts i didn't understand. when i told him i understood, he made me put into my own words what i understood it to be and made me use examples. this was really helpful because i really was able to explain what i iniially didnt know.
i don't remember what the midterm looked like, but the final was half challenging, half easy. this is a very memorize memorize class but it's all worth it.

I had Suman for both Comm 10 and the honors section, and I always enjoyed going to both. The lectures are funny and interesting. He doesn't take himself too seriously, and his lectures incorporate very recent issues into older ones. A lot of it is common sense, but it's also really interesting to look at certain concepts or practices that we are accustomed to (such as dating practices) and analyze them.

I wouldn't say it's an easy A, you'll definitely do best if you go to lecture and do the reading. But I had put off taking the class because I'd read such bad things about it on here, and I don't know why people had such a problem with the class. Discussion section is also optional, although I wish that I had made myself go to section more because it did help.

Overall, if you're looking for a class that you can sleep through and get an A, then take a different class. But if you want a class that you'll enjoy going to and will change the way you look at the world and people, then take Comm 10.

I really liked this class, but wouldn't reccomend it unless you're planning on being a Comm major, or if you just really want to challenge your memorization skills. Here is some advice to make the class easier...
1. FLASHCARDS
2. FLASHCARDS
3. Go to Lecture and take good notes with at least one example for the words he puts up on the board. They will be asked for on the exams.
4. Go to discussion with your TA, they help review the reading. Go even if you think you know the material: they will give you some hints as to what will be on the exams.
5. Go to review sessions- ALL of them. And read and study the posted Review Handouts online.
6. Do ALL the readings. The final has ALOT of reading material on it. More than you will expect.
7. Sit in the front if possible.....it's hard to read his writing when you're in the back.

Overall, I really enjoyed this class, and Prof. Suman wasn't too bad looking either. haha. He is a really good lecturer and definately knows his stuff well.

Final Grade Recieved: A

Suman is a great professor - he tries to make the lectures as interesting as he can. Of course, first half of the quarter was more easier since it was on material that you can relate to. However, when it came down to second half of the quarter, I started to fall asleep in his class because two hours was too much. I heard before coming into this class that whatever grade you get on the midterm is whatever grade you'll be getting in the class. I didn't want to believe it but it was true - I got a B on the midterm, got a B on the paper and passed the class with a B. Of course, I had another final thirty minutes before this one, which is NOT A GOOD IDEA!! Overall, comm was an interesting class and if you're gonna take it, take it with Suman.

I thought I would enjoy this class. Nope. Lectures were just waaaay too long--2 hours! --for content that I felt could be condensed into an hour. It was entirely scripted. He tells the same jokes in the same places every quarter, every year. I know he's an incredibly nice guy--you can tell. And he can crack a joke--he really makes the first lecture fun since it's about dating and relationships. But after that, it's hard to stay awake in class. It was a hard class to get an A in, but easy B. For the midterm, I remember making flashcards for his entire lecture. Final was a killer because you basically had to memorize the content and author of about 20 articles in order to write the essay. Also, on the first amendment essay, there were about 20 points that he listed out one-by-one that you had to hit in order to get full credit. I've never seen an essay format like that--and it drove me nuts. Choose your t.a. carefully--they really make or break your grade.

I liked Suman a lot. The first half of the class is really enjoyable, and the last half, while pretty boring, is not completely unbearable because Suman manages to give pleanty of funny examples in his lectures. It is NOT an easy GE, but if you have to take it for the major, just remember to take really good, extensive notes, and study hard. I disagree with the person who said Suman doesn't care about student learning. I took the honors section and it really seemed as though he wanted us to learn and was interested in the group project we did.

Honestly, I thought Comm 10 was easy, and I enjoyed taking it with Prof. Suman. He made most things more interesting than they actually are, and he has a fantastic sense of humor. Don't let the amount of information that you have to memorize scare you because, hey, if you made it to UCLA, you've gone too far in life to be intimidated by things like that. Good note-taking skills are a must-have for this class, and you have to come to absolutely ALL of his lectures and pay attention to what he's saying. You also have to regularly attend section because that's where the readings are discussed, and seriously, you wouldn't always have the motivation that it takes to read all of the issues on the Taking Sides book (yawn), so you'd need your TA's help with that. Oh, and I strongly disagree about Hector being the best TA for this class because I actually had him, and he was the WORST ever. Susan Kim was the best, so if she's TA-ing for this class, go get her.

hahahhahaha!!! if you are reading this i laugh at you because that means you probably are having to take comm10. seriously, GOOD LUCK. let's see, over the span of 10 weeks and 40 hours of class, you will be taking notes non-stop for about 37 of those hours (you get a 10 minute break each class in the middle). bring a laptop, its the only way to keep up with the notes unless you get the notes from a previous student since the notes are always basically the same as past quarters. here is the best advice i can give you: DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO GET HECTOR AS A TA OR AT LEAST GO TO HIS SESSIONS. he will cover EVERY SINGLE topic going to be on the midterm and final. take great notes in discussion and that should help you with about 50% of the exams. other than that, it is a TON of memorization. if you have another class that has a final and/or midterm on the same day as a comm exam, DO NOT TRY IT. i had 2 midterms on the same day and ended up so mentally drained just from studying for comm (memorization can exhaust your brain) that i failed my other easy midterm. thats all i have to say about this class. peace and good luck

Nightmare. every single lecture puts me to sleep within minutes. his lectures have all the enthusiam of a morgue visit. his lectures are slow, tedious, and boring. to be fair, there is minimal day-to-day homework, but when it comes time for the midterm and final, you better be willing to memorize endless pages of notes. it's like this: talking about relationships is fun...listening to the "ten steps of relationships" for two hours is not fun....memorizing the 10 steps, or 15 qualities, or the 12 components of whatever topic is tedious, and boring. i felt i have learned absolutly nothing in this class that i didn't already know from common sense.