What Classes Should I Take?
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The purpose of these commentaries is to recognize outstanding faculty members at UCSB, as well as to give individual students an opportunity to share their positive lecture experiences with other students.
You can also submit your own commentary!
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Mattison Mines
Anthropology 2 - Introductory Cultural Anthropology (Winter 2000)
This is a good intro class for anthropology. Prof. Mines' area of study is South India and the exotic and beautiful pictures he shows are very captivating. This class gives a general overview of the many cultures of the world. I learned a lot from this class. Every lecture was interesting. The honors section with the professor is very interesting and helpful for the course. This honors section allows for a lot of self expression and
intelligent dialogue. I highly recommend this class on basis of the professor and the study material itself.
Anthropology 2 - Introductory Cultural Anthropology (Fall 2000)
Dr. Mines is a very interesting and entertaining teacher for this introductory anthropology class. He will definitely show you what a survey course is about, covering the whole realm of Anthropology and all the parts that go into it. He is full of stories which are always fun to listen to but pay attention because they will appear on the tests also. If you don't want to see a giraffe getting killed then you can skip a lecture. We saw three or four movies in Anth 2 which were interesting. Reading Nisa (required text) is perverted and fun but the other required reading was tough (I didn't quite make it through) You can still do well in this class without all of the reading but a good grade requires that you know all the material well and go to every lecture because there are things that you just can't get out of a friends notes.
Stuart Smith
Anthropology 138TS - Archaeology of Egypt (Fall 2000)
Dr. Smith is lots of fun. He has a dry humor and tries to
encourage a mellow environment in his classes. He excavates every year in the
area known in ancient times as Nubia, now the country of Sudan. He also worked
on the movies Stargate, The Mummy, and The Mummy Returns.
advice=Dr. Smith gives out study guides for his midterm and final at least one
week before the actual test. The guide has everything that could possibly be on
the exams. They're great! The books he usually chooses are dry, so perhaps
just skimming before the study guides are handed out would be best. He usually
gives out a paper project on a fictional excavation.
Posted by Deborah Buchold
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Jan Williams
CCS Lit 12 - A History of Women and the Healing Arts (Fall 2001)
This course examines women's roles in the healing arts from witches to doctoresses, including midwives. Reading includes various non-fictional and fictional accounts.
This instructor is an MD PhD, so her learning is varied and extensive. She has a tremendous grasp of the subject that is exciting for any student. Class is in the format of discussion, which she directs well, but also steps back long enough for students to explore issues more fully.
College of Creative Studies courses focus on completion of reading as evidenced by attendance and active participation and discussion. You have to read, you have to attend, and you have to talk.
No letter grades are given in CCS courses. Classes are PNP only. Units are also variable. It may be beneficial to contact your academic advisor(s) as well as the CCS staff prior to registration. Classes are not posted in the schedule of classes, but in CCS and on the CCS web site.
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Eray Aydil
ChemE 110A - Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (Winter 2001)
Open to Chemical Engineers only. This is a required class and it's the 1st half of the two Thermodynamics courses you will take.
I'm pretty sure Aydil teaches it every year, and he's been doing it for a very long time so he does it really well. He is a phenomenal lecturer and provides students with a very logical process for handling problems. He thinks he's pretty intimidating (he says he was born looking stern), but if you go to him and show that you've read the book and that you've tried, he will help you figure out anything that's confusing. He sets convenience office hours, but also is almost always open to helping you if you randomly drop in.
This class is very very difficult. Particularly so because it's the 1st hardcore Chem E class you'll be taking, so it's vastly different from all other science classes you've taken up to that point. Start the homework early! Aydil assigns a lot of problems because that's the only way you'll ever understand thermo, plus each Chem E problem takes 2-3 pages. Tests are open book and open note, which is more true to life of what engineers do in problem-solving, but if you don't know the material you're not going to do well. Finally, if you don't obtain at least half the points in the course, you will automatically fail. So don't fall behind. This is probably going to be the most challenging class you take for that quarter.
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David Harris
Chem 2A - General Chemistry (Fall 1999)
Prof. Harris really seemed to enjoy interacting with his students beyond the classroom because he was always open to having us visit his office with questions. He treated his students with respect and really seemed to care, which created a relaxed atmosphere. For example, people brought stuffed animals to the final and he trusted students to leave and go get coffee. And he trusted us enough to leave as we took the exam. And no one abused that trust. The honors chem class itself was a good experience because the small class size allowed for more personalized instruction. If you decide to take this class, keep in mind that it was restricted to students in chem, biochem, chem E, and other majors along those lines.
Geoff Strouse
Chem 2C - General Chemistry (Spring 2000)
Prof. Strouse had an open door policy, so despite his demanding schedule, he
always took time out to explain things to his students. Strouse breaks chemistry down in a way that makes even the most difficult concepts comprehensible. He wasn't intimidating at all, and was flexible with grading policies as long as that privilege wasn't abused by his students. For example, he did not deduct points for slightly late homework, and he allowed for a redo of the midterms. All in all, he was a great teacher and I came out of that class with a new level of confidence in my chemistry abilities!
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Apostolos Athanassakis
Classics 40 - Greek Mythology (Fall 2000)
This class is great. Prof. Athanassakis really makes the epic poems exciting to learn. Honestly. Lectures are easy to follow and in some respects make me think of a glorified storytime; the prof tells you what's going on in the book you're supposed to be reading at the time and relates it to ancient Greek life and society as well as our own lives. Tests are all multiple choice (tricky, but fair) and there is one small paper to write. Definitely a winner.
Posted by Nishan Moutafian
Classics 102 - Greek Tragedy in Translation (Winter 2001)
Athanaskis was a very fun teacher. This class had very interesting readings and was at a reasonable pace compared to other literature classes. Also, the papers were very easy and short and the midterms were multiple choice typically with only 2 or 3 choices. I enjoyed all the readings and kept on top of them because I was looking forward to finishing the short plays. Also, it was fun watching a teacher who was very passionate about his Greek heritage. This is a fun class to take and anything else with this professor comes highly recommended.
Ralph Gallucci
Classics 38 - Latin Literature in Translation (Winter 2001)
A survey of Latin literature. It starts off with several easy-to-read plays, gets a bit harder with some non-fiction (such as Cicero), and then gets easier again with some histories, the Aeneid, and a novel. Both papers, the midterm, and the final are easy.
Dr. Gallucci teaches the class for non-majors, emphasizing only the highlights.
There is an AS notetaker, and, given that the class met at 8 am in IV Theater, he urged people to come, but wasn't surprised or offended when people walked in late or needed a handout from 2 weeks ago. I suggest you go to class, but it's relatively stress-free.
It satisfies the literature requirement and is a writing class.
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Dwight Reynolds
Comp Lit 32 - Major Works of Middle Eastern Literatures (Fall 1999)
Basically, any class with this professor is good. His lectures are intense and focused. This class is a very interesting introductory course to the diverse literary works from the middle east. Many requirements are fulfilled by taking this class. Prof.Reynolds is approachable and never boring. He lived in a remote Egyptian village for a year while learning the only oral epic in Arabic. After a year he only memorized an hour of it. Believe me he has a lot of interesting stories to tell. He is also head of the Islamic and Near Eastern Studies at UCSB.
Jon R. Snyder
Comparative Literature 128 - Children's Literature (Winter 2000)
The class was about children's literature--we covered everything
from folk and fairy tales to Roald Dahl, and the conception of the child
throughout time.
Professor Snyder was wonderful. I found his lectures
interesting and informative, although he could sometimes go on a little
long. But since the course material and reading are fun, the lectures were
fun, too.
The course has two exams and one paper, but the exams are easy so
long as you do the ready and study the lecture notes, as they are primarily
based on that. It's not a slack-off class (as a lot of people expect,
seeing as it's Kiddie Lit), but it's not all that hard, either.
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Frank W.D. Ries
Dance 45 - History and Appreciation of Dance (Fall 2000)
The class was about learning the history of ballet and modern dance and learning to appreciate dance as an art form. It was fascinating, even if you aren't really interested in dance.
Professor Ries is amazing! He is truly a dynamic lecturer; he lectures, shows videos, and DANCES (with costumes!). He has a great sense of humor and is truly interested in his students. The honors section is a great way to get to know him better in a small setting with minimal extra work.
The grade is based on a multiple choice midterm and final which are equal in weight and non cumulative. Also, there are three dance critiques that are graded as well which are about three dance concerts you go and see.
Posted by Elizabeth Sowers
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Gretchen Icenogle
DA 5 - Introduction to Acting (Fall 2000)
A must take. Intro to acting is the most fun class I've had since I've been here. It's very low stress; homework assignments are journal entries about the class, the midterm is lipsincing, and the final is a short soliloquy (recited). This gives you the time to enjoy all the fun parts of the class and have a great time learning to act. Winner and a half.
Posted by Nishan Moutafian
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Armand Kuris
EEMB 112 - Invertebrate Zoology (Fall 2000)
Invertebrate Zoology. Intense, detailed course on ecology, behavior, and physiology of all the invertebrate phyla except annelids and arthropods. Learn about worms, sponges, jellyfish, octopuses, and clams in more detail than you ever imagined, and become an expert beachcomber!
Armand actually co-teaches with Jenny Dugan for this course. Both are wonderful, interesting, and funny lecturers that use really interesting lecture aids (slides, etc.) and are obviously really excited by the material. Armand loves parasites so he's really into a lot of these phyla.
The tests, I think, are really good but hard - there's a midterm and a final and your grade's based on those. They're fill-in-the-blank and short answer, sometimes a paragraph or so. They require a lot of studying but I think are written very well to the material given in lecture.
There are a couple of really awesome field trips - one day trip, trawling on a boat (dragging animals up with a net, identifying them) and one weekend trip to the mud flats and tidepools. That was a lot of fun. Both professors were great on the field trips, very amiable and eager to explain things. Armand was also very helpful and accessible outside of class.
Sam Sweet
EEMB 131 - Principles of Evolution (Winter 2001)
Recommended for ALL bio majors and anyone else at all interested.
Awesome lecturer. Well-organized, totally prepared, draws amazingly well. This class really makes you think
This class is based entirely on two exams - midterm and final. Sections are good review. GO TO ALL OF THE LECTURES!
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Robert Crouch
Econ 1 - Principles of Economics-Micro (Winter 2001)
The class covered basic micro-economic principles.
Professor Crouch really knows his stuff, and teaches it well. He does go through the material rather fast, so be ready to pay
attention. Also, study the essay questions, because they are the difference
between passing and failing.
Coby Harmon
Econ 136A - Intermediate Accounting(Winter 2001)
Coby Harmon is an excellent teacher and I enjoyed his teaching style. You'll only come across him if you're taking these upper division econ classes but if you're up here, you might as well have a fun teacher. He kept a good pace and was never pressuring. He had a lot of quizzes and two midterms so it felt like I was always taking a test but I also understood the material well and I can give credit to Mr. Harmon for that. Again, he's a great teacher and always helpful.
Henry Sander
Econ 3b - Financial Accounting (Fall 2000)
If you're an accounting major, you have to take this class so I don't think I'm really going to influence anyone (also, this guy is the only teacher that teaches it) But if you are in econ and you've heard stories about how bad a class is, just remember that when students think a class is bad, that means the curve is good and you can take advantage of it. Mr. Sander is entertaining and a very good teacher so enjoy the class and be very detail oriented on the tests and you won't have to worry. He tries to give out as many A's and B's as C's D's and F's which is actually better than most curves.
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Gene Lucas
Engineering 5B - Computations in Vector Calculus (Winter 2001)
This is only open to engineers (and maybe only Chemical Engineers). It is a one unit class that is taken at the same time as Math 5B. It teaches you how to use Mathematica (software) to do the assignments you do by hand in Math 5B.
Prof Lucas' demos are well-prepared and excellent in helping you do the homework.
advice=Your grade in the class is based on the assignments you do each week (which you usually email to the TA). There are no exams. It's just meant to teach you to use the software in an engineering context.
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Kenneth Moure
History 123F - 20th C European History and Fiction (Winter 2001)
This class examines how fiction can and does reflect historical concerns of 20th century Europe beginning with World War I and culminating with the Cold War.
This professor is thorough, considerate, and helpful. He is fully prepared and his lectures are very informative. I also found him to be very responsive to concerns, either via e-mail or during office hours.
This class involves heavy reading of fictional novels, all of which are fairly short, but procrastinating can lead to problems. The research paper can be demanding. Again, don't procrastinate. The bar is set high for this course, but it's definitely worth taking.
Taught through the history department, this course also meets English and Literature requirements.
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Haruko Iwasaki
Japanese 110C - Late Medieval to Early Modern Japanese Literature (Winter 2001)
This class is a look at the stories and authors who were most influential
during the Edo or Tokugawa period and a little into the Meiji period, thus
ranging roughly from 1600-1900.
Iwasaki-sensei is an honest professor who is normally used to teaching
classes in Japanese. As a result, she has a bit of an accent, but is
incredibly well spoken. Very approachable and has a nice little office in
HSSB that is practically a library with all the books she has.
The grade is mainly built on a midterm, a paper, and a final. Those 3
things will make or break your grade. It is all based upon reading and can
be very specific, so make sure you read and retain well.
Although this is the third class in a series, you need not take the first
2 classes, Japanese 110A&B. The class is taught in English!
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Carol Genetti
Linguistics 20 - Language and Linguistics (Fall 2000)
Introduction to Linguistics, all fields thereof- morphology, phonology, phonetics, semantics... If these topics don't mean anything to you, don't worry! This class is really easy if you pay any attention at all, and really interesting. It's an overview of word and language formation and structure, rules of language analysis so that by the end of the class you'll be able to analyze and draw conclusions from data from languages you never even heard of. And you'll know things about English you never dreamed of.
The professor is pretty good. She has packets at AS Notes that have all her Powerpoint slides on them, so you don't really have to take notes, just follow along in the packet. She's very friendly and easy to talk to.
There are some multiple-choice quizzes; the tests are short-answer; and there are lots of homework assignments, sometimes with extra credit. This is a good thing, cause there are lots of opportunities to do well, and get good grades. None of it is really hard, but the homework takes a while and you can't cram - you have to make sure you're understanding the concepts as the class goes on.
This is a great intro class. The book is really interesting.
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Alexis Alevras
Math 3C - Calculus with Applications (Winter 2000)
Math 5A - Introduction to Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (Fall 2000)
Excellent math teacher. He's got a bit of an accent(He's Greek) but he can teach math. His style is pretty much pure lecture with explanation of concepts then plenty of examples. He makes sure everybody is awake pretty often with interesting techniques. Very nice person in person, and pretty jovial while teaching. He has 2 midterms and a final for most his classes(my friend took him for Math 3B and it seems fairly consistent) which consist of a small amount of questions, with many connected parts. Finals are similar to midterms. Difficult tests, but well worth it. Always does review sessions before every test and give moderate amounts of homework every week. I highly recommend taking any class he teaches. You won't be sorry.
Hector Ceniceros
Math 5B - Vector Calculus (Winter 2001)
A requirement for engineers. It covers differential vector calculus, gradient, Lagrange multipliers, line integrals, surface integrals, Green's theorem, Stoke's theorem, Gauss' theorem, etc.
We were allowed a notecard and calculator for exams. There were weekly quizzes and homework assignments. I felt that the course was very easy to follow in the beginning, but it became very difficult in the end when we hit the theorems I mentioned before. So stay with the material! Otherwise it will hit you by surprise. Prof Ceniceros also went out of his way to try and help prepare us for the midterms and final.
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Tim Cooley
Music 17 - World Music (Winter 2001)
Music 17 discusses music in a historical and cross-cultural
context and juxtaposes the creation of music with contemporary developments
in society.
Not to be cheesy, Tim Cooley is cool! He extensively studied
American folk music and several forms of modern American popular music, so
he talks intelligently about music we listen to...he even knows a lot about
trance music and raves. He makes the course material very down-to-earth;
there are no surprises on the tests because he reviews material with the
class quite well.
The course grade is based 60% on exams, 30% on a 5 page research
paper, and 10% on attending "music events." Music events include one or two
required concerts--depending on the quarter--and then anything you deem an
experience of like music. As long as you attend every lecture, you will do
fine on the tests, but BEWARE: if you miss class, you will not know what to
study from the book (which is quite detailed). If you go to class and
performances and write a reasonable paper, there is no reason you can't
learn a lot about music of the world--and get an "A" in the process.
Scott Marcus
Music 17 - World Music (Fall 1999)
This is a wonderful class for anyone, not just music fanatics. Professor Scott Marcus is truly passionate about his area of study and this is conveyed in his lectures. Professor Marcus has travelled to to India, Egypt, Uzbekistan and other interesting places. He always has interesting stories to tell during lecture. There is also an honors section for this class which is quite easy and enjoyable. I highly recommend this class on account of the professor.
Music 17 - World Music (Fall 2000)
The class is about culture and music and music's role in societies around the world.
Inspiring. Very thought-provoking lectures and discussions. Amazing, fascinating stories from his [Professor Marcus'] fieldwork around the world (mostly India).
The workload is very manageable and exams are extremely fair (there is a quiz, midterm, and final). The paper is open-ended - lots of fun. Honors section was fabulous (1 hour per week).
I highly recommend this class.
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David Cannell
Phys 2 - Basic Physics (E&M) (Spring 2000)
Prof. Cannell really cares about his students and takes the time to explain physics well, inside and outside of the classroom. His said that learning physics was about learning the concepts and the common sense behind it, and that ideology was reflected in his teaching. A word to the wise: do not take this class if you need a very structured learning environment because homework wasn't collected and the only thing the grade was based on was 2 midterms and a final.
Scott Miller
Phys 4 - Basic Physics (Winter 2001)
Required for most engineers. This class covers optics, relativity, and quantum physics.
Miller is a really nice guy and an enthusiastic lecturer. He warns students ahead of time about how chipper he's going to be. He's very nice about explaining concepts and helping with homework during his office hours. When I took the class, he mainly used Power Point during the lecture, and then posted the notes on the web.
As with Physics 1,2, and 3, you will be using Classweb and taking weekly prequizzes and some post-quizzes online. Prequizzes are on material he hasn't lectured on, and you have 3 tries to get the answers right. Post-quizzes are a one-shot deal because they're on material that he's finished covering in class. The exams were pretty difficult, but there were good curves on each so it turned out okay for most people.
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Alan Fridlund
Psychology 1 - General Psychology (Fall 1999)
Absolutely amazing!!! Fridlund is so much fun and the book is
also great..written by the professor himself. You learn a lot in this class and
at the end, it was fully worth the standing applause all 860 something of the
students gave. Highly recommended.
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Magda Campo
Religious Studies 10A - Arabic I (Fall 2000)
Okay, so this class is not for everyone. If you are interested in learning this beautiful and highly evolved language which is the fifth most spoken language in the world then, Magda Campo is the best prof. you could ever have. This class is so fun that everyone enjoys it. The instructor is lively and energetic but not contrived. Magda Campo is the best and most intelligent teacher I have ever had. Her concern for all her students is blatant and intense. This class also contains a lot of info about middle eastern culture. I highly recommend this class.
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Dick Flacks
Sociology 134 - Social Movements (Winter 2001)
Focussed on four major 20th century movements - civil rights, labor, 1960's student, and women's w/ a final exam about the future and fusion of social movements.
Very engaging speaker who challenges the class to examine perceptions, formulate well-informed views, get involved, and analyze own experiences. Flacks is also very personable and easy going.
The work consists of 3, 10-page journals on the films, lectures, and reading, of which there is a lot. You could wait till the last minute and no one will know if you're clever, but for your sanity work in reasonable increments throughout the term.
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LeeAnne Kryder
Writ 50E - Writing and Research Process for Engineers (Winter 2000)
Dr. Kryder was an extremely nice, good-natured professor. She was very supportive of her students, which made her easy to talk to-- whether about the class or engineering or stress. The group writing project in her class was something students worked on all quarter, and it pretty much replaced the final. That project was a lot of work, so stay on the ball! But it was a lot of fun, and a good learning experience in terms of how to write professional memos, resumes, letters, and design proposals. Plus there's an engineering writing contest that you can enter your group's paper into. Writing 50E is a writing requirement for engineers, and not open to other majors.
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