I absolutely loved Dr. Mehdizadeh's class. She is so passionate and well-informed on all the topics she discusses and it shows. She also does a great job of addressing the several nuances of diversity as a concept. Participation is essential in this class - even a large component of the grade is based on it - but don't worry about that as the topics are very engaging and evoke natural participation. The class is very heavy on workload but you get used to it with time. The assignments in this class are as follows: a reflection (on as assigned reading) due at the beginning of every class, and a 3-5 page final paper - which is supplemented with a 3-page personal reflection and an annotated bibliography. We worked on several drafts of this final paper and its components throughout the quarter. The professor holds individual meetings and peer review sessions to help us improve our drafts up until week 10.
Personally, I think having so much writing work was very beneficial as it helped me get writing practice. I believe my writing skills have dramatically improved over the course of this quarter thanks to Dr Mehdizadeh.
IMPORTANT WARNING: Dr. Mehdizadeh might seem a bit harsh at first, and the coursework might feel too heavy to handle in the initial weeks. So if after the first class you are tempted to drop out, I'd highly recommend waiting it out. Even I was initially intimidated by the workload and the seemingly harsh grading scheme. However, I assure you that one gets used to the workload and even the grading is eventually lenient.
I really think Dr. Mehdizadeh is the best professor I've had at UCLA and I'm going to miss her.

I don't see why everyone is raving about this class. I did like prof Mehdizadeh, but personally I did not find the material engaging or very interesting. It wasn't life-changing like most reviews make it out to be nor did I really see improvement in my writing.

The class is very work heavy, and you really need to participate. She also seems to grade harshly at the beginning, and then loosens up once you turn in your final submissions I assume just to motivate you to actually try rather than glaze by at the bare minimum.

Do I recommend this class? Sure, if you have the time - you'll most likely get an A if you put in the work and you'll get the diversity requirement out of the way. It was also a nice change to be in a 20 ppl class rather than a large lecture hall.

In a nutshell, TAKE THIS CLASS. If you're looking for a fun, memorable EngComp class, do take this!

Hands down, one of the best classes I took in my two quarters at UCLA, if not the best. Professor Mehdizadeh ensures the point of this class is for us to leave as better writers and more critical and compassionate individuals. In the initial few classes, it might seem like a lot of work and she acknowledges that too, requesting you to hang in there. Trust me, you should. Over time, you see a change in your own writing and will enjoy immensely the work you might have complained about earlier. Her teaching style is very participatory in nature and places you at the center of your own learning experience, while she chips in with very meaningful insights. She offers a lot of help on your final essay with individual and group conferences. This class is as good as you want it to be.

The topics we covered in Winter 2020 were 'Race and Technology', 'Women in STEM', 'Transgender Rights' and 'Immigration and Undocumented Status'. We could all pick a topic we wanted to to work on for our final essay. While the topics might seem over discussed, her take on the class, the articles we are meant to read allow you to really form logical arguments for your stance rather than support politically correct or popular opinions on these hot-button topics. There's really something for everyone in this class.

Overall, very much not a fan of this class. Honestly, I am very very surprised at how positive all of these reviews are. I talked to many people in my class and they all had the same opinions as I did. Dr. Mehdizadeh can be pretty condescending in the way that she talks to students and although she acts like she really wants to help you, she offers incredibly ambiguous suggestions to your writing. Although I thought that this class wasn't absolutely terrible, it was definitely decent at best. Based off of the reviews for this class, however, I expected it to be my favorite class. If you are a good writer and good at arguing very leftist/liberal opinions, you will be fine. However, many of my friends have told me about how easy their English Comp 3 class was, so there are DEFINITELY better options out there. It's also very easy to fulfill your diversity requirement with another class. I would definitely recommend taking an easy English comp 3 class and fulfilling your diversity requirement through another easy GE. Trust me.

Dr. Mehdizadeh is always there for her students. She has weekly assignment and readings that are pretty straight forward. While at first glance it may seem like a lot it is really not. It is pretty straight forward work. Mostly writing summaries and your thoughts on readings that were pretty short or videos that were short as well. The project is an essay that you're working on throughout the quarter so it never felt like a huge workload. At times you may be frustrated with her feedback on your essay throughout the quarter, because it seemed like she always wanted me to change something about my essay. Your writing will also improve throughout the quarter because she gives a lot of tips to improve. Overall, I would take this class again with her. You will be fine if you do the assignments and show up to class, and listen to her feedback on your essays.

I loved Dr. Mehdizadeh's class! She is very passionate about our learning topics and manages to engage even the shyest students. I loved the writing assignments in this class; they made you think about the state of the world and challenged you to see past your preconceived notions. She also grades on improvement throughout the course, not perfection, so don't worry if you aren't the most passionate about writing. You should do well in this class as long as you consistently show that you are working on improving. 10/10 would recommend it!

Dr. Mehdizadeh is super kind and you can tell she very much enjoys her job. She seems very passionate about helping her students do well but doesn't let anyone off easily. There's definitely a lot of writing and reading in this class but then again, it's an English composition class, so. If you take this class do not be afraid to talk to Dr. Mehdizadeh and ask for help/advice on your assignments bc it seriously helps in the long run

Why everyone is gushing about this class is beyond me. Even though I liked prof. Mehdizadeh, I didn't think the subject matter to be particularly intriguing or engrossing. I didn't really see a change in my writing, unlike what most reviews claim, nor was it a life-changing experience. You must actively participate in the class because it is quite work-intensive. She also tends to score harshly initially before letting up once you turn in your final entries, which I presume is done to encourage you to put out real effort rather than settle for doing the bare minimum. Overall, she was a great teacher and I recommend taking the class if you are willing to put in the work on the papers.

Overall, I think this is a great class to take with Dr. Mehdizadeh. The topics are interesting and the grading is fair; as long as you genuinely try to learn and show progress you should be able to get an A. There is quite a lot of work though, as you have to write weekly posts which end up being like 2 pages a week. Since the topics are pretty hard you have to spend a while trying to understand them and writing something good. You do get a ton of help from the professor however, just go to office hours with your questions.

I love professor Mehdizadeh. She is pretty nice in grading and holding all the in-class discussions. The only problem is that the homework (weekly post) workload is somehow heavy. However, I would say as long as you put enough effort into this class (do all the homework, get engaged...) it is very likely that you can get an easy A.