This class truly helps with writing, and by the end of it, essays come easier to you. The professor points out what helps, he also allows you to read other people's work and have weekly workshops (where people point out what technique was good in students' essays). Be prepared to share your work.

It is very rigorous (3 mini-essays, 1 page, single-spaced per week; 2 mid-terms, 3-page and 5-pages; 1 final, 10-12 pages).

You can borrow the textbook from Powell and take a pictures of all the works included in the syllabus. No need to purchase it.

This was one of my favorite classes at UCLA. Prof. Deuel cares about his students so much and is very helpful. I liked how the class was smaller, and it was very engaging. I feel like I learned a lot from this course. If it is any indicator of how much I enjoyed it, I plan on taking one of his classes again in spring.

Be prepared to write when taking this class. Deuel is hilarious and engaging. I had an issue with my midterm and he offered to talk me through it and give me helpful advice that I've never gotten from any other professor. You can re-write any big essay at the end of the year, which was a lifesaver for me. However, Deuel isn't very transparent about what your final grade will be, as he gives around five markings for the entire quarter. Had a lot of fun, and would take it again.

Take Professor Deuel if you can! The class is interesting as you learn about LA history through stories and get to write your own mini-essays. Getting an A is super manageable as long as you do the work and put effort into your midterm and final papers. I also recommend participating in class so he gets to know you and sees your effort. There is a good amount of writing but none of it is super difficult since you have a lot of freedom to write how you'd like.

As long as you do your work, you will get an A. He grades off participation. The readings each week were relatively short, but they are hard to understand and were boring. Its important to do the reading he does give because the midterms and final were based on them. The workload is a lot but its all busy easy work. One 1-page essay, peer reviews, and around 10-30 pages of reading per week. Class is mandatory and 2 times a week but I honestly thought it was a fun class and looked forward to it because I was able to make friends(lots of participation). The professor is very understanding and he was the GOAT!

For the midterm/final, here are the readings and topics that I wrote about:
Midterm 1 - "Angel Baby Blues:" the hypocrisy of democracy and feelings of overall defeat
Midterm 2 - "Angel Baby Blues" and "Victim No. 79:" roots of racial injustice= violent patterns and institutional discrimination
Final - "The Pedestrian:" influences and impacts of technology and how it can dehumanize society
Obviously don't copy these, but this is an idea of something you can talk about in your writing. Take this class fr.

Great Professor! First quarter here, and I can tell he will be amongst my favorite professors at UCLA. He cares about his students, and he's very engaging. Workload is a lot at times. It consists of a one page mini-essay due every Thursday night (you can see the prompts on the syllabus to get started ahead of time), doing peer feedback on the essays, and reading text, as well as writing your thoughts on the text. 2 Midterm Papers, and 1 Final Paper. Despite the amount of work I've dedicated to this class, I can say it was well worth it. The writing that he asks of us is very open-ended, and it's up to your discretion. The midterm and final papers, are a tad bit more formal and structured. Overall, I enjoyed this class and would recommend it!!

If you need Writing 1 there is no better class to take than this one. Nathan Deuel is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. He is incredibly engaging, passionate, funny, caring, and knowledgeable. I can confidently say I became a better writer because of this class. He is an amazing writer who will bring out the best in you. The workload is heavier than your average Eng Comp 3 class and it is absolutely worth it. If you want to actually be interested in what you are learning and actually improve your ability: take this class. I recommend this course to all of my friends and I would most definitely take it again.

This is one of the most difficult versions of EngComp 3 (prof’s words, not mine) but it is also far and away the most rewarding! Deuel is smart, funny, and he TRULY cares about the class and his students.
All the “lectures” are actually either just discussions or workshops where he and the rest of the class provide feedback on a few of the previous week’s submissions that he picks to emphasize a certain point/skill. You will grow SO much as a writer in this class, both due to Deuel’s advice and because of the extensive amount of writing due each week. He relates it to “doing a bunch of pushups every week so that when you write your final paper you’re in the best writing shape of your life”.

TLDR: do not take this class for an easy writing course. it is not for the weak.
but if you want to become a better writer, there is no other class that will grow you in such a fun, engaging, “where did all the time go” kind of way.