Professor Surro is absolutely fantastic. His lectures are very clear and engaging, and he explains complex topics in a manageable way. The course isn't structured like a normal Econ course. Instead of having a midterm and final, you complete a quarter-long research investigation into a topic of your choice. It's a refreshing break from normal classes. If you actually want to get a job in economic consulting, the practical applications of economic theory that Professor Surro covers are invaluable - probably the most useful class you'll take at UCLA.

The workload for the class is pretty imbalanced. There's very little work at the start of the quarter, but 8-10 hours required for the research project from about week 7 or 8 onwards. However, there's no lectures in the later weeks, so it balances out the total time you have to spend on the course.