Huppin is a real laid-back guy who knows his subject well--not to mention he has degrees from both UCLA and Stanford. He makes it clear from the start that the class (evolution of mass media images) is based on evolutionary psychology. I personally believe that evolutionary psychology is a great, interesting, and valid subject of study. I can honestly say that this was my favorite class in my 4 years at UCLA.

However, if you are a die-hard creationist and believe adam and eve are your great-aunt and -uncle (hate to be sarcastic about it, but just being honest) I would recomend taking a biology class instead. All sarcasm aside, if you truly reject Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and are not open to considering science that may conflict with an ultra-conservative personal/religious background, you will probably not enjoy this class as much as I did.

IMO, great class, great professor: very interesting topic, light workload (2 short assignments, multiple choice midterm and final). If you enjoy evolutionary psych or interpersonal communication theory, I definitely reccomend taking this class!

I've never written one of these, but the first review is so off-base that I couldn't ignore it. Professor Huppin said first week that men and women both value the same top five traits in a prospective partner, and neither good looks nor high status is in this 5. He has never said anything close to "rape is an adaptation" or "killing stepchildren is natural", that is absolutely ridiculous. 146 is a pretty interesting class that isn't too hard if you pay attention, which may explain why the first reviewer is both confused and angry.

Do not take this class. All he does is preach about evolutionary psychology.
I cannot believe this pseudo-scientific sexist crap is being taught at a prestigious University like UCLA.
Pornography is "natural", killing stepchildren is "natural", and rape is an adaptation.
Men are only attracted to women with good looks, women are only attracted to men with a fat wallet, and all humans are just pre programmed robots.
If you believe humans are free agents, and in charge of their own destiny, take a class with Paul von Blum instead.

The first reviewer couldn't be more wrong. The class is based on peer-reviewed, published, and respected science. The professor does not preach that killing stepchildren is natural or acceptable, does not say that rape is an adaptation, etc. In making these misrepresentations, the first reviewer actually commits the naturalistic fallacy, something we learned about in class. From one of our readings: "This fallacy assumes that because a phenomenon occurs in nature, it 'ought to' be this way. This would be akin to believing that if cancer is the natural result of interactions between our physiological system and environmental influences, it is justified, and we, therefore, should not use accumulated medical knowledge to prevent it." The first reviewer clearly hasn't been paying enough attention, and must be hearing through the distorted filter of their own ideology. One of my favorite classes at UCLA.

Huppin really cares about his students and does everything he can to ensure that they understand the material.

I'm currently taking Comm171 and it is my FAVORITE class out of all the classes I've taken. So if you are even remotely interested in this class try it out! I honestly am only writing this review in response to the review that said "Huppin write these reviews himself". I remember looking over this class and being reluctant to take it because of that specific review but gave it a shot and am sooooo glad I wasn't misled by the review of someone who likely wasn't pleased with the grade he/she received. I do admit that at first I was slightly intimidated of Huppin but once you attend office hours and talk to him, he is so incredibly helpful and genuinely cares about the well being of his students; he even holds review sessions before his midterm/final which are extremely beneficial.

This class was interesting and worthwhile. Professor Huppin puts a lot of effort into his class and students. While the tests were difficult, he prepares you to do well if you show up. There is a couple of papers he assigns that require some original thought, but they make up less of your grade. It got boring reading the cases sometimes, but overall it was a good class.

I often found his lectures to be all over the place, but once I went to office hours, he made everything SO clear. I enjoyed coming to this class each time it was in session. The readings were all online, zero textbook needed. I would take 1-2 full days to study for his midterm and final and I got an A. He gives two thought papers that help boost your grade. I learned a ton in this class. Keep up with the readings, go to office hours, and study. You can get an A.

Professor Huppin does a great job with this class. The material is primarily based on evolutionary psychology, and he's been wonderful with making the necessary connections about why our communication via media has evolved to be the way it is today. His class is super fair -- he's not there to fail anyone. If you literally go to class every time and take decent notes, you're better off than the other 1/2 of the class. Midterm questions are specific, and you will need to study the diagrams/understand them to do well. Workload is minimal with a few short reading assignments, a 2 page thought paper, 2 midterms (NO FINAL), and a small project. I personally found this class super engaging, easy, and fun, especially since I'm not majoring in COMM. I would highly recommend this class to someone who is looking for an A in an upper-division class.

I went to class, took notes, skimmed over the very few assigned readings, and studied the night before to get an A- . The information given on the slides are a bunch of experiments. Just know the experiment, the result, & why. 99% of them are common sense so they aren’t hard to remember. 2 midterms, no final, 2 “papers” (they are thought papers, so just put your opinion with some facts given in the slides and you’ll get full credit. About 1-2 pages in length). The midterms were multiple choice and 2 short answer questions. Easy A with little work and interesting material. (I am a south campus major, so comm isn’t even my thing)