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.

To preface, I'm an engineering major, and had the option to take a modified version of the course (that's much easier). But I am so glad I didn't.
Deuel is not the easiest prof for this class, but I wish everyone could take him. I used to hate reading and writing; my perspective changed completely after this quarter. Every single person in my class took away a lot from it, and these are some of the reasons:
1) You will get a lot of feedback on your work. The environment in which we discuss each other's work is very positive and encourages you to share things you may normally not. I used to hate peer feedback, but I looked forward to it in this class.
2) You get pretty much complete freedom in writing. It might seem overwhelming at first, but you will get much better at writing about your thoughts by the end of the class. Deuel also doesn't care about strict essay structure or things like use of personal pronouns, which is very convenient. He encourages you to be honest in your writing, which lets you write about your genuine thoughts and makes your style less cliche.
3) You will become a better critical thinker. With every reading discussion, everyone brings their own perspectives. If it was a high school English class, this may not be that impactful. Though, like I said earlier, people are sharing their real opinions on issues that are actually relevant to you. I think I've had my worldview completely shift a couple times.
4) You develop a mini community. I have learned so much about the people in my class, and we all ended up sharing things that many others don't know about us. Even if you aren't best friends with everyone in the class, you all can really appreciate each other for being there throughout the process.
I could continue going on because I loved this class and am going to miss it. Overall, 10/10 would recommend Deuel if he's available for your English. He's a very accomplished and genuine guy that really does want the best for you.

Professor Deuel greatly cares about all of his students and makes the class a fun learning community for everyone. The class does have a decent amount of work compared to other English Comp 3 classes, but it is very worth it. Would definitely recommend.

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.

THIS IS THE BEST PROFESSOR AT UCLA!!!! PROFESSOR DEUEL IS SUCH A COOL AND DOWN TO EARTH GUY. YOU HAVE TO TAKE HIS CLASS THE BEST ENGLISH COMP 3 CLASS AT UCLA. this class was so interesting and I actually enjoyed doing the assignment especially the final. The class consists of 2 midterms which are easy 1 midterm is 3 pages and the 2 one is five pages. The final is 10 pages but you can write almost about anything and connect to one of the readings or films. each week we have a prompt and we can approach it in any way we want which was fun. Professor Deuel gets a five-star rating from me. We need more professors like him at UCLA.

I loved Professor Deuel. He truly cares about his students and is very intentional in making sure that everyone feels heard and that their work is being respected. A real strength is that I feel like I gained a lot of experience in writing, especially creatively and exploring writing in a way other than the very structural essay-writing formula that was taught in high school. Professor Deuel is super funny and charismatic, and I appreciated how considerate he is of his students. He is pretty easy on grading because he wants to see his students write freely and not feel the burden of writing only what we think the teacher would like to see to get the best grade. One thing I would warn is that there is a lot of writing: we have a weekly reading journal (all the readings are fairly short), a one-page mini-essay, and feedback for other students' mini essays. It's not necessarily difficult, but it could add up to be a bit of writing at times. But Professor Deuel is super understanding and if you explain to him your circumstances he would likely not deduct late credit. Overall, I loved Professor Deuel and highly recommend his class!

Cannot recommend this class enough. Professor Deuel really wants to make you like writing (and he succeeds, IMO), so you get so much creative freedom in assignments, from weekly mini-essays to midterm essays (3 and 5 pages, respectively) and a final paper (10-12 pages). The workload can be a bit much, but he's very transparent about that from the jump. Class sizes are small, so the professor really makes an effort to get to know you as a person and a writer, and he's very funny and kind. If you need to fulfill your Writing 1 requirement, this is the way to go.

Take this class! I am a person that used to hate English in high school, but Professor Deuel made me love coming to class and writing essays. Each essay was unique, fun to write, and manageable. This class is easy if you go to class and complete the work on time.

Every week, you have to read a few short stories (some may be short, others long, but most are interesting), write a mini-essay on a fun topic, and give peer feedback of 4-6 selected mini essays. In class we discuss the readings and feedbacks. This accounts for 30% of the grade.

Midterms (30%):
1) 3 page - analysis of any 1 piece from the book
2) 5 page - article and 1 piece from the book - establish connections (support/contradict/verify)

Final (40%):
10-12 page essay which you can write anything you want as long as it includes something valuable from the readings.

You can repeat the readings you use for all the midterms and finals (I used the same for both midterms, but a different one for my final).

You are also allowed to revise your midterms if you get a bad grade. Professor Deuel is extremely helpful, funny, and kind. I loved this class!

TAKE HIM! This is the only professor at UCLA that will actually care for you and your grade. His weekly readings are very short and interesting. The class consisted of weekly readings which were short and a one page journal writing about it. We had one mini essay a week about fun topics, for example "Judge Someone", you can literally write about anything, he is not like those annoying professors that make you write with a tedious rubric. Once everyone submitted their mini essay you would write a one page feedback (very easy). Final and midterms, you were free to use the readings he gave to you which were VERY easy to talk about. During his class, we mostly interacted with one another, I thought I would hate it at first but then I really liked it. Very fun and engaging professor! He honestly, truly cares about his students and always happy to help you! Lastly, he responds to his email very quickly! DON'T THINK TWICE, TAKE HIMMM!

Professor Deuel is the best writing professor I have ever met. He shows total respect for his students and is always willing to hear our voices. His teaching methods create an environment where we feel valued and encouraged to express ourselves.

One of the most remarkable aspects of his class is the weekly one-page mini essay assignment. This task allows us to write about whatever we want, often incorporating our personal experiences based on the given prompt. This freedom not only makes the assignments enjoyable but also helps us develop our writing skills in a meaningful way.

For both the midterm and final exams, Professor Deuel clearly specifies what he expects to see in our essays. Despite providing detailed guidelines, he also gives us ample freedom to explore our ideas and express ourselves creatively. This balance between structure and freedom is rare and highly appreciated.

In contrast to my previous experience taking this course in Fall 2023, where the professor's expectations were unclear and half of the class received a grade of C, Professor Deuel’s clear communication and supportive approach have made a significant difference. I ended up dropping the fall class due to the lack of guidance, but this summer, under Professor Deuel's instruction, I feel confident and inspired.

Overall, Professor Deuel’s approach to teaching writing has been the most effective and respectful I have encountered, even compared to instructors in my first language. His dedication to student success and his innovative teaching methods make him an outstanding educator.

Thank you, Professor Deuel, for making Writing 1 such a positive and enriching experience.