Professor Mena is one of my favorite professors at UCSB so far. A 2 hour class can be boring, but Professor Mena makes it intriguing, fun, and gives you time to work on your project in class. He is very kind, understanding, personable, and willing to help. He really appreciates when students ask him questions. I highly recommend taking Writ 50!

Super interesting class with an amazing professor! Interesting, short readings every week and there are a few straightforward essays that don't take very long and are graded relatively easily. Professor Mena gives great feedback and is always willing to talk to help you with whatever you need, and I'd definitely recommend!

-Very reasonable and nice professor who graded very leniently with not a lot of work. -Does have an accent, and teaching style can be an acquired taste. Probably explains most of, if any, negative reviews here. -There are a good amount of group assignments and group participation during class. Make sure to participate, he'll notice.

Experienced professor who is knowledgable and passionate about journalism, constantly working to ensure his students' success. All the assignments are clearly meant to strengthen your abilities as a writer/journalist (no busywork). Always willing to help via email or office hours. The material I've learned has been extremely valuable. 10/10 prof!

Never take Mena. It was absolutely impossible to try and understand this guy. He just isn't a good teacher. Way too much meaningless talk, a very disorganized and convoluted grader. AVOID!

I don't write any ratemyprofessors reviews, but Professor Paul Mena is a blessing. Super flexible with deadlines, very fast to respond to emails, and is really passionate about digital journalism. Class was a mix of Zoom and in-person. I barely went to class but his grading was 3 easy assignments, alongside some discussions and hw, all online

Prof Mena was a super nice guy, really cares about journalism and wants you to really learn. The class does not have much homework, just forum posts every two weeks, two journalism articles that are short, and a self-assessment. Would def recommend him to anyone.

A really nice teacher that strikes the balance of being both easy *and* informative. He's here to teach you journalism writing, not to kill you, and he does it very well. Short and succinct lectures/readings, lots of feedback on papers and allows revisions, and has assignments that are straightforward, fun, and easy. Great teacher, great class.

Good professor. Gives good advice. Has a very easy and understandable grading scale. Let's you resubmit assignments for up to 5 percent additional point. :)

Super fun class! It was way more manageable than other writing classes I've taken, and the assignments are super fun (interviewing & blogs). Professor Mena is super accessible, helpful, and sympathetic. Loved this class.

Not a particularly hard class but attendance is graded and the lectures are so. boring. He stands in front of the class and talks on and on and it feels like it goes on forever. Grading can sometimes feel a bit confusing, too. This was my least favorite class of the quarter.