Class breakdown below:
Exam 1- 40%
Exam 2- 40%
1 thought paper- 20% (usually there are two worth 10% each)

I found Huppin's lectures to be engaging and interesting. I really enjoyed the material as I felt it to be relevant information. The reading material is manageable; there are a few articles/ cases to read prior to lectures. I read all of the readings for the exams and did well. The exams are fair and straightforward. You should be fine if you put in the time to study and read the material. He offers office hours after class and also meets with students via appointment. He isn't great at communicating and doesn't answer his emails. When students had positive cases of COVID and couldn't take exams, he had difficulty getting back to them. Other than poor communication, I would recommend Huppin and this course.

There is a lot to say about this class - it's extremely interesting, for one. The material is very engaging and you will learn some very valuable things, even if you are not interested in law. However, it is very challenging, so be prepared for that. You have to put in a lot of work to succeed on the exams. Huppin is also pretty terrible at communication. He never responds to emails, even if they are students notifying him of positive covid results right before exams, and he also never got back to them after the fact. His lectures are not very structured either, so I sometimes found it difficult to follow everything he was saying until after I Googled it later. My best advice is to read all of the case briefs in full before taking exams, they are extremely useful. Definitely do all of the readings for this class.

I don't remember what class I took with him. He is a great professor. You wont regret taking him!

This class had cases which he would go over in class. He was always available in office hours. There were two short papers which helped your grade. I enjoyed the class.

Avoid taking huppin at all costs.
Huppin teaches evolutionary psychology, which is sexist, homophobic, and xenophobic. If you are female, an immigrant, and/or gay, you will be offended by him.
On top of that he also bores you to death with his monotone voice, while torturing you with trick questions on MC exams.

One of the best professors I have ever had! He is engaging, down to earth, and very fair. I don't have a particular interest for law but this was still one of my favorite classes! Midterm and final are also pretty easy--he really wants his students to do well.

Huppin clearly knows his stuff. A Stanford law graduate, he's knowledgeable about what he teaches, though his explanations can sometimes use some improvement. One of the only things that bothered me about him is how he answered questions- there were many instances someone would ask a simple clarification question on a powerpoint slide, and he would go off on a 10, sometimes 15 minute explanation that was clearly unnecessary and extraneous, sometimes not even answering the question directly.

That being said, I loved this course- first amendment law. Of course I don't know how the class compared to a real law school class, but Huppin planned the curriculum thoughtful and carried crucial themes along as we went through the weeks. The class was simply a lot of reading- about 70-100 pages of court cases per week. The midterm and final are very fair. I got scored a 88% on the midterm, 99% on the final, and came out of the class with an A. If you're at all interested in first amendment law, I highly recommend this course.

the most boring professor i ever encountered in the the cs dep next to kelly i suppose. his monotone voice will put you to sleep. thankfully, there are more dynamic figures to choose from like fink for example.do not recommend unless u r an insomniac.

Huppin is a great professor. I took 171 and 146 and although the courses are completely different, both classes were very interesting. Two simple papers, midterm and non cumulative final (146- both exams are multiple choice- tricky questions). He is very approachable and helpful, always responds to emails and definitely does not lecture on "murdering step-children, humans are robots, rape is an adaptation.. etc" It is obvious that the student does not fully understand the material and that is unfortunate. Overall, I would definitely recommend Huppin. He invites cool guest speakers, interesting video clips (anything from Finding Nemo to About Last Night). It is not an easy A but the material is very interesting!

I took 171 with Huppin last Spring and am currently taking 146 with him right now. Since all of these reviews are for 146, I wanted to write one about 171, but first I wanted to address the first posting. As is stated numerous times below, the first post regarding 146 is completely off-base. This class is interesting, informative, and does not in any way promote rape, murdering step-children or the other ridiculous claims this student has mistakenly heard. Huppin always presents a unbiased view and makes sure that we know that he isn't trying to preach a certain view. Anyway, just know this is class is a very interesting class, that is quite enjoyable. Two short papers, a multiple choice midterm and final, and interesting class discussions.

So onto 171. I really enjoyed this class. I remember Huppin saying something about how this class was taught like a law school class, but don't let that scare you. He is a very fair grader, usually curves, wants his students to do well, and is always there if you have questions about anything. This class centers on First Amendment Law and Huppin provides a nice variety of court cases that demonstrate some of the more interesting issues concerning freedom of speech and press. We covered free speech issues ranging from movie ratings to porn. The readings consist of court cases and the test are hypothetical situations to which you have to apply your knowledge of the court cases. I liked this class because it made me really think about the material I was learning. There isn't much memorization, he made it clear that he didn't just want students to come to the tests and write everything they had memorized. His tests are short answer so you we able to argue and defend your answers (having taken both his multiple choice and his short answer tests, I have to say I like the short answer better). Along with the midterm and final (which are not cumulative) there are two short papers which tend to be grade boosters. Don't let the law basis of this class scare you, it is still one of my favorite Communication Studies upper divs and I have taken quite a few of them.

Bottom line: take Huppin -- he is a cool professor, is concerned with student learning, makes sure his lectures and are engaging, shows funny clips and movies in class, gets guest speakers to come speak, tells good stories about his family, and is an extremely smart guy.