He is very soft spoken but lectures are him talking about the texts and discussion based, more like socratic. The literature selected is easy to understand. He’s always available for office hours. There are two essays due, and 2 short discussion papers. A gem of a professor at UCLA when I was there.

Professor Silva is an incredible guy! I really enjoyed his engaging lectures and the required readings for the course. The class consists of 2 close reading papers (3-4 pages) one on prose and another on poetry and a final (1 close reading paper and 1 final paper). He really challenged me as an English major when it came to my close readings skills. I learned a lot in his course.

Please take his classes! He is amazing, genuine, intelligent, and truly cares for his students. He has honestly made my experience at UCLA a breath of fresh air because he is is extremely accommodating and really wants his students to feel comfortable. His workload is super manageable, consisting of two essays and a final. I would take his class again if I could, simply because he is well-versed in his lectures, and explains the material in a meticulous, yet relatable fashion. If you want a professor that wants you to succeed, that truly cares, take Silva! He is the best professor that I have had so far!!