He clearly likes to hear himself talk. He spent an entire class talking about his trauma, which boiled down to his parents divorcing and his grandmother dying. While is clearly very well informed, he is self-aggrandizing. Lectures are not mandatory and honestly could just be skipped, as he posts the lecture slides. Just an annoying class all around

so boring. L class with so many readings. midterm is 50 terms that he picks 10 of, you answer six as well as a 3 page essay: 4 prompts that he picks 2 of, you answer 1. incredibly boring material, incredibly boring lecture, an additional family interview paper to the midterm and final - too much work for a class that is needed for ge credit

DON'T take Chicano studies with him unless you yourself are very passionate about Chicano studies. It could just be his TA Fabian though. The goal shouldn't be memorizing every historical detail and all its connections. Essays are graded way too in depth when a basic understanding of Chicano history should be accepted.

Shoutout to Ralph for being one of the best professors I had in my first year, very passionate teaching the material. Lectures were being resonating and emotional at times. Easy GE or major course to take as long as you pay attention to his lecture and readings. Exams and creative essay were easy to understand as long as you follow the prompt.

Although attendance wasnt mandatory, I would go to his lectures because of how inspiring and passionate he is. By far my favorite professor and he cares about his students and what he teaches. HIGHLY RECOMMEND IF YOU WANT TO TAKE HIM! Reviews are STRAIGHTFORWARD exactly what will be on midterm/final. There is also a creative paper which was fun!!

Best professor ever! Really interesting lecture and generous grade. Two tests and a 6page essay plus section attendance. I missed the final but he immediately let me make up. Caring and nice person. Recommend to take.

He really cares about his students and the material. This class talks about all Chicanx history, and some of it might be hard to believe/understand if you have never been exposed to history being explained in this way. It is very different from history classes taught from a pro-US imperialism viewpoint. You can learn a lot if you are open to it.

I had professor Armbruster during the summer and he was the most inspirational professor I have had thus far! His class made me feel empowered and very connected and intrigued on a different level when he taught and deciphered each of the movies, articles, and photos we pulled apart throughout the course. I would definitely take it again!

An inspiring professor who really cares about you and warms your heart! Different from boring lectures, Ralph's classes are mostly chatting and telling stories which are so engaging and give you a good contexualization to Chicanx history. Definitely try his class!

Best professor at UCSB thus far (granted I have been there for 3 quarters). He is beyond amazing and educated in the topics. He makes lecture so interesting you want to go and is extremely considerate of any situation. His workload is not bad at all, he provides a few films to watch and has you write paper for the final TA grades.course summer 2021

Summer B. I loved prof as person and class. 3 short essays +1 EC. Really made me think. Biased against opinions that are not his. However TA Nava was a nightmare. He yelled and ranted about unrelated topics. Made class afraid to talk or interact. Dreaded attending section. Took away from class greatly. Would take prof again but with another TA.

BEST professor at UCSB. Truly cares about YOU and the material presented. Oftentimes cries during lecture, making you cry. Not only a good professor, but an even better person.

Extremely compassionate and passionate professor. So were the TAs. Lots of papers (three 3-pagers) and had a weekly discussion post. But an interesting and great class about social issues. But warning: if youre conservative-learning, you might roll your eyes at this class. Or leave with a new POV. Who knows. Fairly easy A if you put in the effort.

One of the most passionate professors out there. Attendance isn't mandatory, but it can be helpful at times. Class was graded on one midterm, essay, and final (there is an easy extra credit option, too!). I skipped about 60% of the lectures, and still got a 100% on the essay and finished the class with an A. There is some reading, but pretty easy.

Prof Armbruster is an emotional guy, but you come to see that as just another piece of evidence that he genuinely cares about his students and the subjects he teaches. He is super accessible to talk about the class and grades, and he also stays accessible when the class is over to talk about anything. I haven't had many profs who were as impactful.

Prof Armbruster is very caring and passionate about what he teaches which made me enjoy the lectures a lot. He does not follow the syllabus very well. He is very straightforward with his assignments there was a large personal research paper at the end. But if you do not full agree with his view he is not very kind.

Professor Armbruster genuinely cares about his students. I went to his office hours several times and he is very willing to help you. He inspired me to change my major and I am very grateful!

He's a great person, but his lectures were very biased. Though they were very interesting and had a lot of information, he was not kind to those who opposed his views. Since he is a strong activist he will push students to attend lots of events, especially for extra credit. Great class, nice guy.

He is a passionate professor and his teaching style shows it. Would 100% take another class with him.

Ralph was an amazing Professor! He is passionate, and we did talk about things aside from Chicano Studies. Final was straightforward, know the terms and definitions!

Really great professor in and outside of lecture. Perfect fit for an intro to chicano studies class, covered in depth historical and cultural events while making you care about it.

He's really passionate about this subject and would be there for any of his students if they needed him. Goes way beyond normal professors. Really cares about the students. Doesn't mind if you disagree with him, always wants to make sure the students understand the material.

It is really refreshing to see a professor that actually cares about his students and social issues. His lectures are very passionate and he uses media in order to make class more interesting. Would definitely take another class with him. You can get a good grade with just knowing the basic gist of the readings but must be able to connect them.

The most amazing professor I've had thus far, he is an amazing human being and really cares about what he is teaching. Great professor!