This was the first fiat lux I’ve taken at UCLA. It was actually really fun, but the classes were too short. We had so much to discuss and yet because this was a one unit course, we only met once a week for 50 minutes. Nonetheless, Lal often stayed after class and continued discussing if students were interested.

Each week, we covered 1-2 very short essays by people like Emerson, Twain, James Baldwin, and MLK. The essays we read were short yet rich and very well chosen. Each week, we would come to class having written one question related to the essay, and this would guide the discussion. Because everyone came prepared with a question, there were never really any moments of silence. Everyone participated and was engaged.

Lal provided meaningful context for all the essays and because most of the students were first years, he gave everyone an opportunity to speak and engage in dialogue. The conversations were organic and Lal often offered interesting perspectives and critiques, in addition to answering student questions.
For anyone interested in exploring a select topic in history or literature, I would definitely recommend this class. The only requirement was coming to class having read the essay and prepared a question. As long as you do the short readings and participate, I think you’ll find that this class is quite enjoyable and chill. Would definitely recommend, especially to first years.