Great class--selling textbook for $40, some writing. Text for details **********

CS 172 is single-handedly the most valuable and rewarding course I’ve taken at UCLA. The course offers an excellent overview of employees’ rights to express themselves in the workplace.

Like most courses at UCLA, CS 172 has immense academic value. What distinguishes CS 172 from your typical academically-valuable UCLA course (or even an ordinary law-related undergraduate course) is that CS 172 also covers material that has incredible practical value for students. It exposes students to important employment laws that will inevitably affect them in the future — as they begin their careers working for companies, go on to manage employees in the workplace, or launch their own businesses.

Professor Fink is an incredibly skilled instructor and is able to elucidate complex legal concepts to students with no legal background whatsoever. Before taking the course, I was concerned that my lack of legal knowledge would put me at a disadvantage — but by the end, I ended up knowing more about the law, the legal system, and my rights than I ever expected to. He conducts the class sessions in a way that forces students to learn and broaden their intellectual horizons, rather than memorizing and regurgitating facts and arguments. Looking back, I’ve taken more away — academically, personally, and professionally — from CS 172 than ever imagined possible. It sparked a new intellectual curiosity I previously didn’t have. More so than any other course I took at UCLA (with the possible exception of Negotiation with Prof. Johnson), I left the course feeling more prepared for life outside of UCLA.

It’s difficult to pay attention at 5pm on weeknight, but that’s not a problem when a course is conducted with Fink’s dynamic and engaging style.

If I were in a position to mentor current UCLA students, I would urge them to take CS 172 with Professor Fink — regardless what their major is. It’s the type of class that offers everyone, regardless of background, something valuable in the end.

one of the best decisions i ever made at ucla was taking all of finks classes. during summer, theres 164 entertainment law and 184 arguing contemporary social issues (debate class). for winter/spring, 167 free speech on campus and 172 free speech in workplace.

164 and 184 were cool because fink invites his friends who are prominent people in the "real world" to guest lecture. my favorite class was 172 because it is basically an intro to employment law and anyone who is working can immediately start putting classroom knowledge to real world use.

167 and 172 are scheduled once a week, three hours with 1 midterm and 1 final, and comprehensive review of test materials the week before and after. despite what everyone says about the "easy" a, you have to at least have a general grasp of the concepts and read through the cases to be prepared because the tests are not easy; they are curved. and for the a+, you have to participate! thats why there you will see pre-law school "gunners" in class that talk all the time (because an a+ is a 4.33 for law school applicant gpa calculations)

fink is the preeminent employment lawyer in la and highly knowledgable and respected, but that shouldnt intimidate you. he is very nice to all his students, mentors them, and wants everyone to succeed. make sure to actually read the assigned cases for the test and for the "pre-law" students also the "cases of interest". finks style and socratic method will definitely prepare you for law school (some of his past students are now at ucla law, usc gould, berkeley boalt).

tl;dr fink is a smart lawyer that teaches great classes at ucla. take all of them.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND - Professor Fink’s Comm172 Free Speech in the Workplace class. Overall the class experience is well structured and engaging. The hypothetical cases are challenging, but he teaches you to apply legal concepts, which he explains throughout his lectures and readings.

Furthermore, Professor Fink introduces controversial topics that call for deeper evaluation, which he wants to ellicit student’s responses throughout classroom discussions. In fact, after class there is usually a long line of students wanting to ask even more questions, which he kindly stays after and answers. He’s very generous with his time, thus, showing his genuine concern for students!

His style of teaching Free Speech in the Workplace, provides students useful the legal concepts pertaining to workplace conflicts and worker rights. This is enormously helpful to students, since we will all be employees or employers after we graduate. Did I mention Professor Fink is a legal expert in employment law.!. So, students are learning from “a legal expert in employment law!”

I give Professor Fink’s Comm 172 class, A Five Star rating.!. AWEsome.!.

I took Communications M172 Free Speech in the Workplace with Professor Fink. I've also taken Free Speech on Campus and an Entertainment Law class as well with him. Overall his classes challenge you to really analyze the material he gives you. Throughout his classes he provides numerous hypotheticals, challenging you to apply to legal concepts you have learned from the cases.

Professor Fink tackles controversial issues while he plays devils advocate throughout classroom discussions. His style of teaching appropriately suites the classroom and its' context as it causes students to critically analyze everyday controversies from a legal perspective.

His class, Free Speech in the Workplace, provides students with information that is particularly useful as the legal concepts we learn pertain to the workfield and our rights as future or present employees/employers.

Another great aspect of this class is Professor Fink's willingness to help out his students to the best of his ability not only as a professor but also as a mentor. Throughout his lectures he is constantly giving out advice to students for their future careers and he is readily available to answer questions outside of the classroom as well.

If you have the opportunity to take one of his classes, take them. You will NOT regret it.

As others have said, Fink definitely cares about the class doing well and always welcomes students to seek him for help. I'm not looking to go to law school, but I still found the information/workplace laws from lecture to be extremely useful.

It's an "easy" class because of the super generous curve that Fink gives since he wants everyone to be able to graduate on time, but the tests are really not that easy (eg. getting a C on the midterm meant getting an A). Tests are all about testing how well you can apply the laws you've learned in class to hypothetical situations. You'll to need to at least skim the readings for important points before lecture to know what Fink is talking about and pay attention in lecture because tests will be based on lecture. Personally, I found some of the material confusing because Fink isn't giving you the answers to hypotheticals directly in lecture (I guess this is the make you think part) and Fink's lectures are definitely structured differently from other classes (I would say that there wasn't really any structure and we would often go off on tangents).

Anyways, this is a class I would recommend to anyone because the information is really useful. Even though some of the material isn't straightforward easy, it's not a hard class because of the nice curve. Plus, lectures are generally entertaining, and maybe you'll learn something about Chinese culture because Fink is constantly showing his love for it, especially on tests.

Professor fink has by far been my favorite professor on this campus. He shows extreme concern not only for the students' grasps of course content, but also future plans and what goes on in professional life. He was always available to speak and when you get some time with him it's really informative. I didn't feel intimidated speaking up in class because I knew he welcomed all discourse. I made sure to read all of the cases before class, that was helpful for me, especially because i'm pre-law. This class will really inspire you to be a lawyer... or at least be more informed. Most useful class and best lecturer at UCLA. Don't miss an opportunity to take all his classes, they're really fun! I'm already signed up for 2 in the summer :)

Took him in the summer and he was fantastic . Don't leave UCLA without taking a course with him. He truly cares and cases our really interesting. He goes over the cases in class. The class wasn't difficult and very enjoyable.

My only regret after taking M172 with Professor Fink was having taken it in my final quarter at UCLA. As a South Campus major - and I'm sure other science majors would agree - my experience at UCLA (from a Professor standpoint) has been disheartening to say the least.

The Class:
M712 met once per week in a 3 hour lecture. I know a 3 hour class seems like a long time to be in a classroom, but trust me - you will actually enjoy (or at least recognize the legitimate value of) the information in each lecture. Our class had two exams (1 midterm and a final), both of which were multiple choice. Make sure you go to the lectures (**doing the reading alone will surely NOT prepare you for the exams at all**). Fink tests your understanding of the legal concepts behind Free Speech and the Workplace, with the legal cases in the reading serving as nothing more than examples falling under to the overarching concepts that are the focus of his lectures. Often he will pose examples in lecture that show up verbatim on the exams, so show up to class, actively participate, and take some good notes. You may find - as I did - that your very approach to seemingly irrelevant situations changes.

The Professor:
Professor Fink's lectures transcend conventional teaching ideology, promoting student participation through a socratic teaching style, and manage to do so in a highly engaging manner. I can honestly say this was the first class since I can remember that I actually looked forward to each week, despite it being 3 hours in length. He genuinely understands his responsibility as an educator; challenging his students on both the academic and personal fronts. Sadly, the 'mentor-approach' to teaching and dedication to student development seem to be Professoral traits nearing extinction (at least on South Campus as Profs are more focused on their research, reluctantly teaching students solely because their research contracts with university require them to do so - not out of a desire to educate). It's refreshing to see a Professor that genuinely cares for his students, managing to both educate and arm them with knowledge applicable far beyond the classroom. Fink is a generous grader; from the course breakdowns above this is no secret. At a surface level students rejoice and faculty shun this fact, but it is important to recognize that Fink's generosity is entirely dependent upon the effort and dedication he sees from the class.

Bottom Line:
What differentiates Fink most from other Professors is this: you will be recognized for hard work and you will feel noticeably more prepared after this class.

I have no idea what everyone here is talking about, Fink is an amazing Professor but he is far from an easy A. The "rampant cheating" happened one quarter when unscrupulous students decided to take advantage of the Professor. Taking a class with Keith Fink is the best thing I did my entire time at UCLA, I highly suggest everyone do the same and learn some useful real life knowledge. It's a shame UCLA doesn't have more caring Professor's like him. It's even more of a shame that a Professor who isn't an asshole with grading is considered the easiest A ever. Just because you can get an A when you do the work doesn't mean it's easy.