Professor Stone is great and all, but his class is not easy. He even tells his students that if they want an "easy A" that English Composition 3 with him is not the way to go. However, the only reason that this class isn't easy is his grading. It's unclear in what exactly it is he is looking for in a paper. He wants unique points of views of the stories he has you read, but he doesn't want you to deviate away from the story. The class consists of 2-3 papers and that is where a majority of your grade comes from and it's hard to get anything above a B+ on his paper. He even says that it is because most students don't write about "what he is looking for." The grading is immensely subjective and his revisions are so vague and sometimes even contradictory. I went as far as going to the Undergraduate Writing Center to raise my last paper to an A and even they didn't understand some of the revision comments and what exactly I could do to change the paper and give him what he was looking for.

Overall though, I enjoyed the class! I just wish there was more direction in how to go about bettering the papers he had us write. I am selling the book "The Classic Fairy Tales" by Maria Tatar Second Norton Critical Edition for $10 is anyone is looking to buy it. It is a little worn from the front cover, but the book remains very much so intact. Email me @************* if you are interested.

This professor was a cool guy, he had a lot of jokes but overall he was extremely boring. I found it hard to stay awake in class. You have 3 essays but these essays are challenging. He is a really tough grader as well. I went into this class thinking I was a decent writer but apparently not. Unless you are going to be an English major I recommend to pick a different EC3 teacher. Do not make the mistake I did and put yourself through unnecessary stress.

BEWARE!
This was the hardest class I have ever taken at UCLA! I simultaneously took two STEM classes alongside this class, and I cried more than I ever have over a class because of this man.... His grading is too harsh, and my friends and I would torture ourselves over his essays only to get a B-. The amount of work I put into this class was disheartening as it often felt like my effort was not being recognized. I scraped by my teeth and barely managed a B!!! Which in this case was my goal. I didn't even want an A! I JUST WANTED TO PASS! Thankfully I did but I would not recommend this class to anyone who needs to fulfill the Writing I requirement. I wouldn't recommend this class to English major as it really just a blow to your GPA to be honest. With the amount of effort, you have to put into the class, you could easily get an A in any other class. Plus, the articles as so long and hard to understand. When in discussion, you basically have to cater to what he believes. Additionally, because of his AI issue (as the other reports state), he is more encouraged to have in person exams and papers in future quarters! Thankfully, I was not one of the students accused of using AI, but the other reviews are true and he often gave full on speeches about AI. Though he is a kind person, he class was just too much for a Writing I class. This class put me through it and I'm so happy that it's over.

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!! Although mixed reviews might suggest that working hard pays off in this class, it truly does not. I wouldn't say I'm the best writer, but I'm far from a bad writer. This class was the most difficult, tedious, and stressful course I've taken yet. Professor Stone, although kind as a person, is insufferable to work with. Constantly accusing the class, and myself, of using ChatGBT for essays (I literally didn't). I used the same word twice in continuous sentences and he claimed that it was evidence of AI. His grading is so rough and basically impossible to get an A unless you're already talented at writing and have a passion for it. So much work for a Writing 1 class for no reason. Terrible mistake I made taking this class.

Professor Stone was not a helpful professor. At the beginning of the quarter he warns the students that this class is not going to be easy. If you decide to take this challenge and believe you will be ok, I wish you the best of luck. I ended up having many issues that most of my peers experienced as well. He felt attacked by AI and would bring it up every class. He attempted to fail many students for the "use of AI" even if none had been used, and wouldn't accept evidence. He claimed that his writing experience would help him determine if AI was used and wouldn't budge on his "opinion." There were many other issues that arose, things such as him not working with students and harsh grading as well as dry humor. I would not recommend this class to anyone, even if you are in dire need. Listen to the other reviews; GET a different professor or be prepared to barely pass/fail this class.

Do not take this English class if you have other options!! I have so much to say about the rigor of the class and the Professor himself. Don't get me wrong, he is a chill guy outside of class but as an English professor, not so much. He sets unreasonably high standards for his students on every assignment he gives out, even for a summary that is worth 5% of your grade. In the beginning of the quarter, he does warn us about the difficulty of the class and how it's to help us achieve academic success in the future. However, it's just too much to handle. He's super harsh on grading and his feedback is not very helpful. This class should really just be designed to be the same level of difficulty as AP Lang or AP Literature (considering it's for writing one). For him, if you get a B on his writing, other professors would give an A. He also unfairly accused many students of using AI bots like ChatGPT for his essays, though some of these students actually worked very hard for his writing assignments. Most importantly, he decided to add in a final test--in which you have to memorize 12 passages we read over the course of the quarter and the writers' names AND know them very well. It's practically impossible to get an A unless you know what is he looking for exactly. If you do take this class, I wish you the best of luck but my friends and I collectively agree that it was seriously so hard to endure. In conclusion, the difficulty was extreme and grading was way too harsh for simply a writing one course.

This class was definitely difficult from a workload and grading perspective, but I honestly really enjoyed the content. You can tell Prof. Stone really cares about his students, and I believe my writing really benefitted from his class. He is actually the best teacher ever. Not enough good things to say about him!

This class was hard. Although the material (fairy tale) is interesting, we weren't assessed on our interpretation of the fairy tales but on our analysis of scholars' opinions about a certain fairy tale. Professor Stone is a very nice person. You will feel like your work is being valued and read carefully. However, he wasn't a very helpful professor academically. He wasn't very clear about what he is looking for in your writing, and pretty vague on how your writing should improve. He also is very very strict on grading. I enjoy reading all those materials and learning about fairy tales. I also appreciate how the professor really tries to engage the class and make us feel welcome. But this was a very hard class. I put in huge efforts for all 3 papers and all ended up with B.

The class is a lot of work, but has good payoff as the tasks effectively help create interest difficult/initially boring texts. He fosters a collaborative classroom environment, and the discussions that happen in class are super helpful to understand/articulate ideas better. He also provides great feedback/guiding questions on rough drafts and through office hours

Professor Stone is a great professor. Although, his standards are very high for his students, which is reflected through his grading. The class is graded on participation (informal assignments), 3 essays. After taking his class, his teaching has definitely helped me improve immensely on my writing and critical thinking skills. His class is definitely not an easy A class, however, it is definitely very rewarding. I definitely recommend taking Professor Stone