Super great and interesting class. Be prepared to do some creative writing. The workload was fairly high for this course considering we were reading or writing most days of the week. Professor Deuel was very kind and helpful. Be sure to attend office hours. His selection of readings for the quarter were interesting and diverse. Professor Deuel pushed us to work hard but was always wiling to help and gave us the resources we needed to succeed. Overall, I would recommend this class, just be prepared for the work load.

Professor Deuel is incredible!!! I highly recommend him!!! While there are about three assignments due each week, you will learn so much about writing and about yourself! Professor Deuel will ease you into writing and reading medical narratives, the reading is highly intriguing and you will learn so much on how to become a good storyteller. Professor Deuel is extremely ENGAGING and PASSIONATE about his work, he creates a space where you will feel comfortable to participate in and be eager to do so! Any major will benefit from taking this class! Do not miss out on him!!! He is what you hope to have in all Professors: he cares, he engages, he's organized, he's fun, you learn valuable things you will never forget, this will be your favorite class!

Best class I have ever taken at Ucla. If you are given the opportunity to take this course, DO IT!!! Deuel is a king.

Don't take it...

This was by far my favorite class I have ever taken at UCLA, thanks to its engaging curriculum and supportive class environment.

I signed up for a medical narratives class through the Professional Writing minor, even though I am not pre-med. During the first week, I wasn't sure if the class was for me, a humanities major, but I am so grateful I decided to stay in 131C. We were afforded a considerable amount of choice for writing projects, which allowed me to explore areas of my life through writing. Every person, pre-med or not, has a connection to medical topics and will benefit from taking this class. I now have a greater appreciation and understanding of narrative writing tactics.

Through developing my writer's voice with the help of Professor Deuel and my classmates, I have never felt more confident or proud of my writing. We engaged in seminar-style discussions during each class session, where we were encouraged to share our ideas on each other's writing and published authors' works. The course readings were skillfully chosen and easily accessible through a course reader. I would go so far as to say this class reignited my love of reading narrative pieces.

This class requires active participation from students through weekly assignments and discussions, ensuring that each student in the room is dedicated to contributing to the entire class’s learning experience. I thoroughly enjoyed each assignment, so I never felt overwhelmed or overburdened with assignments. Every person in this class was so talented and exceptional, I felt very lucky to be able to solicit their feedback and read their work.

Professor Deuel is extremely passionate about supporting his students. He quickly responds to email inquiries, provides constructive feedback, makes himself available for office hours, and truly cares about his students’ learning. Many students in my class were in the final quarter of senior year, but I took this class as a junior. That being said, I would take this class again in a heartbeat next year. However, I think as many students as possible should have the opportunity to take 131C with Professor Deuel so I wouldn’t want to take a seat away from someone else.

This is the best class I have taken at UCLA! EVER! Light-years ahead of any other class.
I don't care if you're really busy. You will make the time. Do yourself a favor. It does take a good amount of time, but for the first time in my life, it's the only class where I actually wanted to do the assignments and looked forward to going to class every week. If you're pre-med, which I assume a lot of you reading this are, you've probably been brainwashed by UCLA pre-med culture to only want to take classes that will take the least time and give you an A. I'm usually like that. But that's not what college should be about! I could've gotten an F in this class and had to enroll in another quarter before graduating and I would still think that taking this class was the best decision of my undergraduate experience. (But don't worry I promise you will do just fine in the class and handle the work.) It's not only made a huge impact on my time at UCLA, but has changed the way I think about life, my interests, and possibly my career choices. I feel that what I learned in this class will be more valuable to me than any other med pre-req in helping me to become a better healthcare provider (or if not, person in general).

Nathan Deuel was the BEST professor/instructor I've had in my 4 years at UCLA. You will learn from him how to be a better writer, reader, and thinker. Other than being a terrific teacher, and super cool and interesting, he is the best because he truly cares about his students. He takes the time to really understand us as people so he can help us with our personal narratives. He even tried to help me figure out what to do with my life when he could tell I was very unsure about my career goals. Most other teachers I've had so far don't even know my name! He is in every student's corner, and is always willing to help read anything (like med school apps) even after the course is over. He is simply the best out there!

The community you build with your classmates is also amazing. I loved that I got to know them all so well over the course of the quarter because you don't get that often at UCLA. And you don't realize how much you can learn from your peers!

P.S. I'm convinced whoever wrote that comment "don't take it..." didn't take this class. Or wanted someone to drop so they could get off the waitlist. Don't listen to them.

Don't take this class if you want to autopilot through. Do take this class if you want to develop your voice as an effective writer. We did so much writing in this class, which I found effective in testing out new styles and structures to writing. Class never felt like class since I was engaged in discussion. I really liked peer reviewing each other's work each week since I got to learn what works and what doesn't work. This class made me reflect on who I am, which I never really had a chance to do in any class prior and I think I am a little wiser.