Nick Shapiro is a KING. Take any and every class you can with him. He cares a lot about student learning and makes lectures interesting. Honestly, I wasn't a *huge* fan of the curriculum of this course as I thought it sometimes went completely over my head, but I really loved all of his lectures. He did a great job of keeping the course flexible, accommodating, and engaging during virtual learning.

Dr. Shapiro is such a gem of an instructor and he is incredibly approachable. He is such a great lecturer and has a great way of phrasing and describing some incredibly engaging topics. Participation matters in discussion sections (show up and engage) but this professor clearly wants to help everyone pass and succeed in this course by giving quizzes, reading assignments, and taking questions throughout lecture. He livestreamed zooms which was useful for those who got ill or couldn't show up for class and he posts slides. TA's were also great. If you get the chance, take this professor! I highly recommend him, he's one of the best I have had at UCLA.