He uses the blackboard so go to class and take notes. Also he gives out handouts which are super informative. Written exams are hard but pretty straight forward.

Sam is one of those professors that everyone needs to take at least once at UCSB. He is a real character, big pot belly and booming voice. He is a great lecturer and really great to talk to outside of class. Just pay good attention and study as much as possible. I had Sam for 131 as well as 108 and 108 is harder. You either love Sam or hate him.

A superb lecturer. Do not bother with the book- Sweet's material is not found in it. As a result, you're screwed if you skip class. His handouts only summarize his lectures and are not enough for one to fully absorb the material. Swafford's sections are incredibly useful. Not much rote memorization- you're required to understand connections.

One of the best professors I have had. He is a font of knowledge. If you think his lectures are in-depth, go to his office hours and he'll tell you all about Borneo and kingfishers and the badger he tried to train as a pet. He is incredibly thoughtful man and will not only answer your questions, get you to think critically about a dozen new ones.

Difficult because only graded on a midterm and final. Don't bother with the textbook, seriously.

Grade is only based on the midterm and final. He gives handouts every class, those matter but there's no need to buy the textbook. Go to EVERY CLASS and sit in the FRONT - his tests are entirely based on his lectures, so make sure you take good notes. Also he's hard to understand so if you don't sit in front you'll miss a lot.