Definitely one of the best lecturers I've had, and he makes class interesting and fun. I wasn't into in history of architecture before this class, but he got me really interested in the subject.
If you have an interest in architectural history then Wittman is an excellent professor to take. His courses are lecture heavy but they are very interesting (personally, I find them enthralling). 142F was a new course for this quarter and he was a bit disorganized but I've taken several other courses with him and that's typically not an issue.
Lecture slides have little information on them, so be prepared to takes lots of notes (attendance is also mandatory). Had a midterm, in-class essay and final - midterm was supposed to be 5 IDs and two short-essay questions but he made it 15 IDs without telling anyone ahead of time. Getting a good grade is doable you just have to put in lots of work
142F was a new class and extremely disorganized. Wittman did not post the readings on time and was behind in the course materials. He was vague and unclear about what would be on the exams.
Professor Wittman gives entertaining lectures and clearly is very passionate about his subject. Very understanding professor with minimal homework so the class is relatively easy if you show up for lecture
Class was a hybrid course so there was a mandatory lecture on one day and videos + readings on another day. He doesn't record his in person lectures which sucks but I enjoyed going to them. One gripe I had is that he doesn't put a lot text in his lecture slides, only images. Graded by two tests and a paper.
tough class , attendance and reading is mandatory.
Lot of reading and memorization. You have to be there every day or else you won't understand anything . Lectures are all just pictures . Professor has high standards, tests are extremely tough as well as the grading . Acts contemptuous . do not recommend taking this class
I took two of Prof. Wittman's classes last quarter and thoroughly enjoyed both of them. The classes are no walk in a park, haha, but they are far from impossible. He is an engaging and interesting prof. although the lectures can become dense and daunting. Definitely take his courses if you are at all interested in architecture.
Fast lecturer, hard to keep up with topics. He jumps around from one idea to another making it confusing to follow. He acts snobbish to students . tests are harshly graded . Would not take this class again for credits . Avoid at all costs
He is a good guy. But an impossible professor. His tests are so difficult. I did all the readings, and payed attention in every class. Still got a D. The questions on the test make little sense. You'll be doing a lot of comparing of two buildings. You have to come up with things on your own, chances are you will be sorely wrong. I would avoid.
personally condescending towards students. unclear, very high expectations. harsh grading. do not take this class if you need credits!
asking for a lot for a class that doesn't cover GE's. perhaps because of Harvard background, hard grader for essays and material is very dense
Wittman is awesome. His lectures are like listening to someone tell a story so the material is actually presented in an interesting and memorable way. He is really passionate about the subject matter and knows the topics really well. I would really like to take another course with him.
Professor Wittman is HANDS DOWN one of the top lecturers at UCSB (or anywhere). He takes clarity to a new level; so thorough and so in depth but easy to stay with it if you pay attention. He provides all the readings for free. The course content (french public sphere/architecture) was fascinating. I HIGHLY recommend taking a course with him
Great lecturer, used lots of awesome visual aids. Exams directly correlated to lectures. Readings were supplementary to lectures. Attendance required. One of my favorite profs here. Do recommend!
Good at lectures keeps it interesting but tests are not reasonable. Expects students to write 5 essays and 10 identifications in one hr and 15 min. Gets someone to grade tests, which leads to you get things wrong on tests that should be acceptable.
The best lecturer I've ever had. He's articulate, knowledgeble, good with the powerpoint, and appropriately humorous. He puts the whole lecture on the website, slides and notes. You can get away without doing the reading, if that's your thing. Plus, like everyone says, he's easy on the eyes...it's a little distracting.
Dr. Wittman is a wonderful lecturer,one of the bests I have ever had.Very smart(Yale and Columbia graduate), knowledgeable(especially for French architecture), passionate and clear.He makes great connections between concepts and the subjects.However, very snobby(ivy league ****iness) and unapproachable. He is also very stylish and HOT, very hot. :(
He is a fantastic professor, my favorite teacher in the department. If you are an Art History major, he is a must. If you aren't find a reason to take one of his classes. He puts all the lectures online so studying for the mid/final is easy. Plus he is gorgeous!
118: He definately made this class much more interesting than any other professor could, he jokes around a bit and is pretty laid back If you go to all the classes you don't really have to do the reading and he posts almost all the info from class on the course website (like literally his entire lecture). Tests a little unclear, but not too crazy.
hands down the best art history professor at ucsb. take him! seriously he's helpful and makes the material far more interesting than it would be normally.
This was the best class I have taken at UCSB. The professor has immense knowledge about everything, and managed to make French architecture interesting. Take any class he teaches if you have the chance
Best professor I have had.It is obvious he loves what he teaches, and he loves answering questions.He is very approachable and is willing to help his students out with assignments and due dates.Easy final,short paper.He is totally adorable, nice to look at, which is definitely a plus.Take his classes because he really makes the subjects enjoyable.