Selling "Seeking Common Cause" by Gerrard and Durkins

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I love Professor Gerrard! She's very sweet and kind, and after 33 years of teaching, she's really knowledgable about good writing. You won't easily get an A based on the grade distributions, but you do improve your writing and editing skills. The class doesn't consume a lot of your time but it does consume a fair amount. As long as you really put the effort in to improve, you will get a lot out of this class.

somewhat biased.
I basically wrote the entire paper the two times I had partners, and both times, she commented on my portion as being the weaker half of the paper. It was easy to tell because the paragraphs were split into stories. Nonetheless I improved, and hard-work paid off.

Two most important things I learned in her class are conciseness and detail: replace unnecessary abstract analysis with solid details. You need to spend much time on this class, but the reward is great.

She's great. I never wrote like I write now, and now I see how poorly I wrote before. She's all about being concise and getting rid of that 7th grade fake writing style. I loved her class.

You know all the stories you hear about the life-changing English professor who takes students with no writing skills and through a long, hard process teaches them how to write? There is no perfect teacher. But Professor Gerrard is about as close as you can get.

Here's the key: You have to take it upon yourself to work hard in this class. Sure, you'll get by if you just skim the readings and go to class, but this is the class where going the extra mile will make all the difference in your college career. Go to her office hours (especially for the first two papers because everyone flocks to them for the third), stay and talk after class, and don't be afraid to be the first student to contribute in discussion. Dedicate an hour or two each week to edit the paper you're working on--and, even with all the extra effort, the class still doesn't take THAT much time out of your schedule every week; I probably only needed to spend about 3-5 hours on out-of-class work in an average week. It's worth it: The class will really improve your writing skills. This class affects all of your future papers in college, so take the time to learn and do well.

Gerrard is not the easiest grader I've ever had, but she's been around for 30 years so she knows what good writing is. As you learn more, your paper grades will improve, and Gerrard doesn't curve. For the first paper, only 1 person got an A and some people were pushing the C+ range, but for the second paper, no one got below a B. As long as you learn and improve, the grades will take care of themselves, and the professor will be able to tell. She's also one of the nicest and most accessible (at least by email) professors I've had.

Class is graded based on: three papers and participation; each worth 25%

Papers are: 1 solo, 2 partner papers

Overall, it was an excellent class. I managed to get away with an A, but I felt like I learned things more worthwhile than the extra 5 units of 4.0. I think visitng her office hours is critical; don't do it once, but do it multiple times. Her feedbacks are worth it. If she tells you to fix something once, make sure you fix it and make sure you fix the same mistakes you may have made throughout the paper (as she doesn't mark them all). Class is interesting with Second Life parties once in a while. Co-authoring is also a unique experience.

Hard ass english comp. You can definitely find a much easier teacher and pull an A. Like other reviews have said, grading is based on three papers and a participation grade. Two papers are partner/group and one is a solo. I get the impression that it's almost impossible to get a solid A grade on a paper (she posts distributions at the end of the quarter and only one paper earned an A), so if you earn one then kudos to you, it's a big accomplishment. Realistically I think if you score three A-'s you will get the A. It's not impossible to earn, but it will definitely require a lot more work than some other english comp classes that I've heard about.

Given the difficulty of the class it would be pretty easy for you to turn away, but the class itself was probably one of the most rewarding I've taken at UCLA. Gerrard has definitely improved my writing dramatically, something which will help in all my future classes and even in life. If you're willing to take a hit in the GPA to really learn something in your classes I definitely recommend this class. If you're just going for the GPA, avoid this class.

I love Professor Gerrard! She is a very nice lady and she is truly concerned about her students. I definitely can use some of the writing techniques I have learn from her class. The class is based off of three essays and participation points which I think can be somewhat easily earned. Each paper is worth 25% of your final grade and participation is 25%. Paper one is an written individually,and paper two and paper three are written with a partner. I got an A- in the class. I wouldn't say that this class is as easy as English Comp 3 classes but it is definitely worth taking.

I slacked off in this class and still pulled a B+ thanks to my group partners (1 solo paper, 2 group papers). Most social class I had so far. It seems like the more you talk to her about your paper, the higher a grade youll get on it. And if you get one grade on a draft, youll likely get a letter grade higher on the final paper, regardless if you followed her suggestions written on your draft or not. So do good on the drafts.