Gorin is an advertisement for law school, don't fall for it. He only lectures for the first three weeks, after that you just listen to all the individual presentations.Total waste of my time

Gorin is totally biased, he always gives more credit to the guys than the girls. Especially if you are an assertive woman with a strong personality, his comment is usually that you are coming on too strong, while the more giggly girly girls are complemented on their "nice demeanor". Assertive guys who try to be funny, theatrical, or over the top are rewarded, while girls are punished for similar behavior. You only get one shot at your speech, and your grade is a crap shoot. For example; I happened to be the last speaker in a row of bad speakers one week, and Gorin tends to judge you depending on the quality of the group as a whole, and his mood. Several class mates agreed my presentation was pretty solid. Bottom line; if you are a guys guy or a girly girl take this class, but if you are an assertive woman with a strong personality, it is wise to avoid Gorin. The only upside is that this class doubles as an elective and a practicum class for this years transfer students under the new CS program.

Gorin is a likeable professor, but his grading is very unusual. participation is a MUST in order to obtain a better grade, so if you're shy don't even think about taking this class. its true that there is only one paper and presentation to the whole class, so if you think you'll ace both then you're in the running for an A. However, remember you only get one chance, and if you mess up your presentation you're screwed. Personally, i wish i didnt take the class because i felt like it was really hard to get my participation points in a 80 person class, even when you're trying really hard (your arm starts to hurt a lot).

This class is unlike any other class I've taken at UCLA. Not only is the class truly applicable to real life, it is also a different view on public speaking and courtroom debate. I highly recommend this class for students that want to actually practice their speaking skills and also talk to a professor that uses these skills in the courtroom everyday to get real, useful critiques on their speaking.

Gorin doesn't really teach--he doesn't seem to care too much. The class is interesting... for awhile. If you enjoy public speaking, you might have fun with this class. The courseload is pretty easy and the paper at the end of the class is quick and simple. The only pain is that the class is from 5-8 PM and you have to go to every class because he counts participation points. Other than that, it's an easy class with minimal work.