This class was really tough. I didn't have much of a background in legal communication before the class, and it really hurt me. The curve for this class matters greatly, and since a majority of my classmates seemed to step out of Harvard Law, they aced every test while I struggled to stay near the average.

The midterm relied HEAVILY on multiple choice questions from the course reader and cases we didn't talk about in class. Know everything. Read it over and over. The short answers were common sense.

For the final, he switched the test, made the multiple choice questions super easy and mostly from lecture, and made the short answer questions tough. For the final you need to memorize all of the "tests" and lists (you'll know when you get to the material) and know specific cases from lecture and the textbook that could back up your arguments.

Huppin was a good lecturer, but thank god I am done with having him as a teacher. Way too stressful for this Communication major. Never before had I cried with happiness for an A-.

I really recommend this class!
Strengths: Professor really does do a great job of engaging with his students and allowing the discussions take a natural flow. I was very comfortable seeking help, and I always felt that my input was welcome. I felt that I learned material that is very applicable outside of the course. In addition, it was really cool that Professor makes an effort to learn everybody's name. This creates a sense of importance and validation for the student, which is vital.
Weaknesses: Tests are pretty tough!

Great professor, super interesting class

If you're looking for a class where you can mindlessly regurgitate memorized information for an A, this is not the class for you. Only take if you're interested in putting real thought into the material and formulating your own opinions and expanding your base of knowledge and argumentation skills. That being said... Professor Huppin is an incredible instructor. He's knowledgable, approachable, insightful, fair, and clearly cares about student learning. The best part about him is that he doesn't just teach at students- he fosters meaningful discussions and pushes students to think critically and deeply about the course material. The readings were well-selected (if a little bit dense at times- be prepared for reading lots of Supreme Court cases), but I felt that there was plenty of time in class to explain and clarify them. I also loved that Professor Huppin discussed recent developments in the topics covered- it made everything we discussed that much more relevant to life outside the classroom. The midterm and final were both pretty short and not too difficult if you go to lecture, participate in class, and familiarize yourself with the cases. The two short thought papers were a breeze and great grade boosters. I highly recommend this class as a Comm. elective- also, it counts towards Honors credit, which is a sweet bonus.

huppin is a chill guy, but his lectures are boring as a motherfucker and it's really important to listen to them (at least for the first half of the class). some of the cases he uses aren't famous cases so it's harder to look it up -- so you need to pay attention, but it's super hard to pay attention. his tests are annoying and overly specific but if you really really study the readings it won't be that bad. the class isn't that bad, it's pretty interesting if you like law and you can definitely learn a lot, but if you want to do well you need to pay attention in class and actually do all the readings.

Tough class. Not sure exactly what he want from us on tests and grades seemed arbitrary.

VERY difficult class, would not take again - waste of an elective in CS. I'd rather take a nonlegal class about actual media or one of the more interesting legal/political classes like Presidential Comm. Learned a lot but often strayed away from what was expected. Intertwining video games into free speech was interesting, though.

Extremely challenging course. Too bad it's practically required. Otherwise I would not have taken it. Knowledgable guy but the lectures are bland.

he does not teach this

Professor Huppin was recommended to me by a senior and I'm so glad I took this course. I am interested in law school and this class helped to solidify that interest. The only required readings are online articles (fairly short) and the course reader. The course reader isn't too expensive, but it is necessary since a decent amount of multiple choice questions and a few short answer questions come directly from the reading.

Huppin is really funny and keeps the lectures interesting and engaging. If you're interested in law, you'll love this class - if not, still a really awesome class with a professor who cares about his students and will do everything he can to make sure you understand the material and can apply it well.

There is a midterm, a final, and two short papers throughout the quarter. The papers are "thought papers" based on a handful of readings or a film you watch in class. They are fun to write and easy to do well on. The midterm might be a little tough if you are taking this as one of your first upper division classes, but if you are used to upper divs it's quite manageable in terms of what he expects you to know. The final is a little trickier and requires more outside application than memorization, but I personally did better on the final since the material in the second half of the class was very interesting to me. The final is not cumulative.