Professor Prescott is SO awesome. For 131B, although you have to read a chapter for every class, or otherwise do a homework assignment or listen to a podcast or something (they're surprisingly lengthy), I don't think the class is unmanageable. There are a few big assignments you have to do: an in-class presentation, an executive summary paper, an op-ed paper, along with the weekly assignments. Class is a discussion-lecture, where there are 20 people max in a class, and every week you meet and talk about select things that she planned out in advance. Discussions are fun, and because mostly everyone participates, you end up making friends in the class by the end of the quarter too (there are a few team/pair projects). The one downside is you don't really find out your grade until the very end.