One of my favorite professors, I have taken her courses many times. She has such wonderful stories and amazing insights - it is really worth it to read the material before lecture because it really enhances your learning. She is such a kind and caring professor to all of her students and TAs. She is a valuable memory of my experience at UCSB.
Lecture slides were trash, I couldn't take effective notes and I often skipped lecture. Sections are where it's at, and I recommend Pettersson, she's 10/10 amazing. Waid is a caring person, brought pizza for a lecture hall at our final. Bless her heart. Idk if she can teach effectively tho.
A brilliant mind overqualified to teach ENGL 10. I'm an English major and this class was difficult for me. NOT an easy GE with her. My friend (not an English major) took the same class with a diff prof and passed with an A. Don't get me wrong, I like Raley! Her lectures would just be better suited for a smaller classroom. (class taken Fall 2017)
Prof. Raley is an absolute gem within the UCSB English Department. Her class was extremely interesting & engaging, with thoughtfully selected materials & assignments. Even with tough concepts, Raley made everything understandable & accessible. Her deep analysis and intriguing connections mean you leave each class with so much to think about. Best!!
She really knows her stuff, and her lectures were interesting enough that I was excited for class held at 6:30PM. She doesn't screw you over by basing your grade on just a couple assignments, there are a good handful of evenly distributed papers. None of the texts were my favorite, but I think they were all effective. I would totally recommend her.
Really passionate prof but if English isn't your major nor passion, it is very easy to lose focus in class. Get ready to overanalyze every text you read. Final requires for you to read every text on syllabus.
The books I read were pretty good, especially in the first half of the class. The bad part was I hardly understood anything she was saying in lecture & I had to go because she puts key terms from lectures on the exam. Not that going to class even helped much because I literally felt like I was trying to interpret another language.
Candace is such a wonderful professor and human. She is so passionate and the books she chooses are absolutely amazing, I actually enjoyed reading all of them and it didn't feel like homework. She really wants everyone to succeed and makes accommodations to make sure those who put in effort do. She also brought in AMAZING guest lecturers!
The lectures can seem a bit confusing at first but its best to just sit back and listen instead of writing everything down. Professor Waid is really nutty but you learn to love it. If you do all the reading and show up to lecture you'll likely finish with over 100%. I really recommend listening to audiobooks instead of just reading.
I have so much love for Professor Raley. Not only is she an amazing teacher and leads an incredibly engaging class, but she TRULY cares about the material and ESPECIALLY about her students. Go to her office hours - you won't regret it!
Rita Raley is a brilliant human being. My favorite prof at UCSB, hands down! Her lectures never fail to blow my mind, she chooses excellent material, she's great at facilitating section discussions, and she gives incredibly thoughtful advice in office hours. SO thankful to have met her and been in her classes. If you get a chance to enroll, DO IT.
Candace is probably my favorite English professor at UCSB. The books she chooses are all really good - found my new favorite in this class - and grading is fair. But what sets her apart is her sheer passion, kookiness, and kindness. You won't find another professor like her, so I highly recommend her courses!
Prof. Raley was an outstanding teacher. I entered the class feeling a bit overwhelmed as the standards seemed very high, even within the context of it being an introductory course. Later on, I realized how fun the class can actually be. You can tell the professor is passionate about what she teaches. She made me love being an English major.
I love Prof Waid her lectures are awesome and she is so much fun to be around
Her lectures are interesting and insightful. I always left lectures with new outlooks. However they are very long, so be ready to take copious notes. Expect a few short papers throughout the term. As long as you attend lecture and understand the readings you'll receive a good grade. You can tell she's interested and truly cares.
Lecture is extremely hard to follow, you have to try very hard not to get lost. She rarely talks about pertinent things and says somewhat offensive things at times. Sections are helpful to understanding of lecture. Candace is also very sweet, she just has no filter- could use an on-stage editor.
Her lecture style isn't for everyone, it comes across as disorganized but if you sit through her tangents she has amazing insight into the texts and passion for Gothic Lit. Lots of short story PDFs, no textbooks to buy, but READ. Midterm and final consists of term IDs and passage IDs which are all given in lecture. Get to write your own story too!
This was my second time taking a class with Prof. Raley, and I must say, taking a smaller class with her is a MUST! Participation was basically everything here, and the reading and assignments were incredibly unorthodox, in a GREAT way! Not your usual English class. Very eye opening and her commentary is always insightful. She is an amazing genius!
Prof. Raley IS my favorite professor at UCSB. I have taken multiple classes with her and she has never disappointed. She is by far one of the most intellectual and passionate professors that I have had at UCSB and although she expects a lot, you leave with ten times more knowledge than you had at the beginning of the course. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Great professor, really amazing woman. She really makes you read but the novels are good and worthwhile. Crammed 5 books in, in the two days before the final but ended up with an A.
Candace is like a mad genius, and incredibly funny, spirited, and SO enthusiastic about the subject matter. This woman loves what she does and it's so nice to see someone who gets so emotional about what they teach! She's super kind, and the only thing that I would say is that sometimes she isn't too clear about things, but just ask!
Amazing professor, engaging lecturer, clear and insightful. We read some of the most interesting and "meta" works that really made me think and want to read more things like "House of Leaves" and "Remainder." (I took this class Fall 2013 though, not sure if curriculum has changed for her.)
Yep, Candace is effing nuts. But, that's what makes her great! Her lectures can be a bit tangential but it's when she goes off topic that you gain some absolutely BRILLIANT insight. She is very helpful and accessible outside of class. It is an incredible opportunity to get to study with her. Go talk to her outside of class and she'll inspire you.
Waid love to go off topic in lectures and isn't very organized when it comes to slides, but is somehow simultaneously interesting/boring, but very helpful outside class. Reading is mandatory (as are all english classes), rely on TA's for help with key terms from lecture and help on the final paper.
