As a person, Professor Deuel is absolutely amazing!! At the beginning, I thought he was sort of pretentious, but it was clear soon enough that he is just a nice, funny guy who really cares about the success of his students.

Academically, there is a LOT of work for this class. If you are looking for a light class to fulfill this graduation requirement, I recommend picking someone else. I will say, though, that even though there is a ton of work, it is not hard to get a good grade in this class. Just participate, do your work with effort on time, and you should be solid. Even if you do not do as well on the big graded papers, you have opportunities to revise them. Also, I believe that the work I did in this class truly did make me a better writer. Deuel, unlike my previous english teachers, cares about his students finding their true writing voice rather than forcing them to adhere to a certain structure.

One last thing I will note is that each we week we have a mini essay due with prompts that can get quite personal. For example, one week we had to write about what we are ashamed of. What's worse is that all of your classmates will read and leave comments on these essays... and you may even be selected to read it aloud during class. As a less emotionally open person, I found this activity extremely uncomfortable at first. By the end of the class, i grew to be more confident in expressing myself, but there certainly was a learning curve.

Professor Deuel is the best writing professor I have ever met. He shows total respect for his students and is always willing to hear our voices. His teaching methods create an environment where we feel valued and encouraged to express ourselves.

One of the most remarkable aspects of his class is the weekly one-page mini essay assignment. This task allows us to write about whatever we want, often incorporating our personal experiences based on the given prompt. This freedom not only makes the assignments enjoyable but also helps us develop our writing skills in a meaningful way.

For both the midterm and final exams, Professor Deuel clearly specifies what he expects to see in our essays. Despite providing detailed guidelines, he also gives us ample freedom to explore our ideas and express ourselves creatively. This balance between structure and freedom is rare and highly appreciated.

In contrast to my previous experience taking this course in Fall 2023, where the professor's expectations were unclear and half of the class received a grade of C, Professor Deuel’s clear communication and supportive approach have made a significant difference. I ended up dropping the fall class due to the lack of guidance, but this summer, under Professor Deuel's instruction, I feel confident and inspired.

Overall, Professor Deuel’s approach to teaching writing has been the most effective and respectful I have encountered, even compared to instructors in my first language. His dedication to student success and his innovative teaching methods make him an outstanding educator.

Thank you, Professor Deuel, for making Writing 1 such a positive and enriching experience.

This is the best class I have taken at UCLA! EVER! Light-years ahead of any other class.
I don't care if you're really busy. You will make the time. Do yourself a favor. It does take a good amount of time, but for the first time in my life, it's the only class where I actually wanted to do the assignments and looked forward to going to class every week. If you're pre-med, which I assume a lot of you reading this are, you've probably been brainwashed by UCLA pre-med culture to only want to take classes that will take the least time and give you an A. I'm usually like that. But that's not what college should be about! I could've gotten an F in this class and had to enroll in another quarter before graduating and I would still think that taking this class was the best decision of my undergraduate experience. (But don't worry I promise you will do just fine in the class and handle the work.) It's not only made a huge impact on my time at UCLA, but has changed the way I think about life, my interests, and possibly my career choices. I feel that what I learned in this class will be more valuable to me than any other med pre-req in helping me to become a better healthcare provider (or if not, person in general).

Nathan Deuel was the BEST professor/instructor I've had in my 4 years at UCLA. You will learn from him how to be a better writer, reader, and thinker. Other than being a terrific teacher, and super cool and interesting, he is the best because he truly cares about his students. He takes the time to really understand us as people so he can help us with our personal narratives. He even tried to help me figure out what to do with my life when he could tell I was very unsure about my career goals. Most other teachers I've had so far don't even know my name! He is in every student's corner, and is always willing to help read anything (like med school apps) even after the course is over. He is simply the best out there!

The community you build with your classmates is also amazing. I loved that I got to know them all so well over the course of the quarter because you don't get that often at UCLA. And you don't realize how much you can learn from your peers!

P.S. I'm convinced whoever wrote that comment "don't take it..." didn't take this class. Or wanted someone to drop so they could get off the waitlist. Don't listen to them.

Don't take this class if you want to autopilot through. Do take this class if you want to develop your voice as an effective writer. We did so much writing in this class, which I found effective in testing out new styles and structures to writing. Class never felt like class since I was engaged in discussion. I really liked peer reviewing each other's work each week since I got to learn what works and what doesn't work. This class made me reflect on who I am, which I never really had a chance to do in any class prior and I think I am a little wiser.

This is an exceptional class! If you have time in your course plan I would highly recommend one of Deuel's classes. Or just make time. It'll be very worth it! Your writing improves exponentially, not just from the sheer amount of personal writing that you do each week, but from workshopping other students' essays and published essays, you'll really hone your taste and learn techniques that you want to try yourself. The workload is worth it, and if you remotely like reading and writing you're probably find it pretty fun. The class becomes tight-knit as you read each other's pieces; it's a great opportunity to build community and make class friends! I definitely consider Deuel's classes to be the most impactful of everything I've taken at UCLA.

Fav class at UCLA :) Before this class, I kind of hated writing and especially hated writing about myself. But in some strange magical way, this class made me slowly grow more comfortable with my writing. It was probably because we had to crank out a whole essay per week on top of all the readings and reading journals. So yea the workload is pretty tough, but it's worth it if you want to improve yourself. Professor Deuel is extremely helpful, inspiring, and friendly, and you can tell that he really wants to help you grow! Also, he's really funny, so that's a plus lol, I laugh so much in class. The assignments are the same every week: one mini essay, written feedback for a few essays from your peers, 2-3 readings, and a reading journal. We also had 2 midterm essays and 1 final. I learned a lot of general writing tips but also found my own style along the way. I also loved receiving feedback from my peers, they were super super helpful. Def take this class!

This was my favorite class at UCLA! Nathan Deuel is the funniest professor ever and he genuinely cares about his students. I would 100% recommend if you have a lighter quarter since there are a good amount of weekly assignments - weekly one page single space essays, feedback for 3-4 of those essays that you'll workshop in class, weekly readings and reading journals, two midterm essays, and a final essay. It kind of seems like a lot but it is all so so helpful. Take this class if you want to learn, not if you want an easy grade. It's so much and you really do grow as a writer. The professor takes time to read everyone's essays and reading journals before class so he really gets to know everyone individually. He brought in a cool guest speaker once and then we had a week where we met with him individually instead of class. Definitely take this class, even if you haven't done much traveling or any traveling at all. I set my grade here to pass because I am sure I'll pass the class but I haven't received my final grade since I am still in the class right now, but I kind of stopped caring about my grade weeks ago. This is the type of professor that you just want to impress so you try really really hard and end up learning so much!

This class has a great structure where you do the same short assignments on specific days every week. Beyond this you have a midterm and final paper. Professor Deuel gives a large range of what you can work with and how you can take your essays which is a great bonus. This class is full of conversations, critiques, and provides consistent learning opportunities. Deuel is a funny, interesting guy that makes the class experience much better than I would imagine Eng Comp 3 would be. This was probably my favorite class at UCLA, would definitely recommend. Also, do not let him convince you the class will be hard, just stick it out!

Take this class! I did not know what to expect from this class, considering my NSA chose it for me but I'm so glad chance allowed me to walk through the door of Deuel's classroom. I was bit nervous considering the fact that the class size was small with less than 25 students, but this class ended up being amazing! With a small class size, it enabled students to get to know each other more and engage more with the topics discussed. If you take this class be aware that every week you will write an essay on a creative new topic such as ''What is Truth'' and you will hear personal stories or essays from fellow students. I would highly encourage you to vocalize your own essay personal to your peers as it creates a bond between students when everyone shares something personal about themselves. But its a choice and essays from students range from being humorous, emotional, philosophical, or inspiring. Now to talk about Professor Deuel. Not to hype him up too much but he is the best professor that UCLA has! He always answers emails quickly, is a positive dude, and expects great things from students! Definitely a professor that is passionate on teaching and creating a environment where one can better their writing. Overall, this is a class that you will reminisce throughout your time at UCLA and one that you wish lasted longer than a quarter!

Deuel is awesome. This is one of those classes that you've been looking for at UCLA--you learn a lot, the professor really cares about you as a person and also your success as a writer/student, you connect with other students in the class in an authentic and genuine way. Deuel really knows his stuff and has had an impressive career in journalism. He is eager to help you grow and connect within the writing and journalism field. Take it!!! You won't regret it!