The title of this class is very misleading as it is about literal social network graphs of people and connections. I personally thought this class was going to be about social media but I honestly feel like I learned some cool stuff about how things go viral etc. Lamberson is a nice professor but the weekly quizzes were not my favorite. They did serve well as a midterm and final study guide, though. When Lamberson explains concepts it’s not always super clear at first as he is very analytical and smart so I feel like I was able to fully grasp concepts working with other classmates and studying in groups. I’m glad I didn’t drop this class after seeing what it was all about on the first day because I feel like it was genuinely interesting but don’t take it if you’re not ready to study hard for the tests. Also the graph assignments take awhile to do, the final project took me 3 whole days alone but I actually enjoyed doing it and seeing the graph come together at the end was weirdly exciting. Overall: good but challenging class that isn’t that difficult to get an A or B in if you study!

This class is incredibly straightforward. Simply going to lecture, taking notes, and reviewing them is enough to do well.The homework assignments will probably take about 5-6 hours per assignment, but you will have plenty of time to do them. The professor is really mindful of people's workloads and he will often move deadlines around to accommodate people.

The midterm was simply a repeat of many of the quiz questions. If a concept is too complicated, feel free to stop him and he will happily spend a whole lecture clarifying it. He doesn't let anyone leave his class confused and he welcomes questions. He uses slides, but the slides are not very helpful unless you go to class so lecture attendance is important. He also has weekly quizzes, but they are pretty easy if you review the lectures about 10 minutes before class (and they also help you minimize study time for the midterm/final).

All in all, I recommend this class.

As a graduating senior at UCLA, this is hands down one of my favorite -- if not-- my favorite class I've ever taken. Professor Lamberson is a very adept professor who teaches at a great pace, ensuring everyone is following the materials, and seems to really care. The concepts of this class are super applicable in the real world, especially for people trying to go into marketing and social media, and I find myself leaving the class more interested in this area of study than I would have expected going in. I actually enjoyed going to class lol

None of the workload was too much or out of left field. The quizzes are definitely hard... and I think some of them are worded somewhat ambiguously but the tests are more moderate.

If anyone is looking to take a class that is super interesting, and taught by a really nice and caring professor I would recommend it!

Comm156 with Lamberson can be frustrating. He's a funny guy and that's nice, but it's also clear that a lot of the quizzes (six per quarter) and tests (midterm and final) are meant to be tricky. That's part of learning, obviously, but it doesn't necessarily feel like genuine learning vs. figuring out the ins-and-outs of his questions. The tests felt easier and were what boosted my grade. I attribute that in large part to figuring out how he words things.

Overall this class wasn't too bad in the end but ONLY take it if you're SURE the other computer system communications core classes are harder...

- This whole class covers unnecessary concepts that you natively know but don't think about, and it ALL revolves around the same point he makes clear in the FIRST class... It just gets boring and boring...
-His power points have VERY few words so it is very useful to take notes.
-He makes us do 6 easy in class quizzes but the lowest grade is cancelled. The quizzes are all like 5 questions consisting of true or false, multiple choice (of 2 options), and drawing ones.
-There's no textbook required
-His midterm is like the quizzes in question types but WAAAAY harder (multiple choices have up to 5 choices this time) and he basically said after everyone got a bad grade "the midterm was hard so I can separate who just knows the facts, and who knows how to apply these facts"
-He assigns some readings online but they are not necessary at ALL
-There's 2 homework assignments in the Gephi application he makes you download, and theres one class he devotes to teaching how to use Gephi (for these homework go to the professor or T.A. since this is the only thing the useless T.A. will know how to help its students so use him/her!!!)
-Office Hours are horrible cuz the professor is suuuuuper nice and helpful but he has too many students who want to ask him questions so there's even times when a student won't get time to speak with him (by the end of the quarter he used a system of signing up for 10-minute slots for office hours) which means only 6 students could sign up which is horrible.... make him invent a newer system for office hour that will benefit everyone...
-The final was SURPIRISINGLY more easy than the midterm (and sooooo short to be a final exam) and people did way better in the final. The final exam was actually more like the quizes than the midterm.

Interesting topic. Wording in quizzes and exams can be confusing.
Projects are fun, but difficult to create networks using the software.

Professor Lamberson is amazing. Absolutely brilliant to learn from, a great communicator, and super helpful. COMM 156 is such a fun class. Not too much work, and the "required" readings are not really required. Just come to class and you're pretty much guaranteeing yourself a good grade. 5 Quizzes per quarter, and the lowest grade is dropped -- he does have a tendency to make the wording intentionally tricky to make sure you actually understand the material. Exams are mostly multiple choice and super feasible. Also 2 really cool homework assignments are included in your grade. Would recommend him to anyone. Great upper division course, if you need to take one!

This class was incredibly interesting and actually applicable to real life I found myself applying the concepts even just for fun. Lamberson carefully and slowly goes through his lecture, ensuring every student understand what is going on. Some concepts are a bit tricky but nothing a quick trip to OH won't clear up.

I thought this class would be horrible, but I took it to fulfill an area requirement for my major. I can easily say this has been the best class I have taken at UCLA so far. Of course this is a subjective matter, but the material was so relevant and teaches you so many useful things in life especially towards the end of the quarter. I thought it was very related to marketing in a way as it teaches you how things spread within the population, how to identify relevant information through a network, and how to make use of the data you find. Professor Lamberson is amazing, his lecture was really fun and engaging, and he isn't afraid to repeat himself over and over again.
You should expect a quiz once a week, and the level of difficulty of the midterm + final are basically like the quizzes (which are not hard at all). There are 3 projects you do throughout the quarter that are relatively easy. Would recommend this class 100%

Highly recommend this class! One of the best comm studies classes. The Professor is engaging and efficient. The course material is tough, but Prof Lamberson does a great job introducing you to the material and making the class enjoyable.