Hillis is a great guy, he loves talking about Buddhism. He assigns a lot of reading but after taking the final I realized it wasn't necessary, just DO the study guide he gives you, go to lecture and take notes. There are 2 papers for the class itself - 5 pages each, make up 50% of your grade. Depending on your TA there are more. Fairly easy GE.
This class was AWFUL. SO much work to do well. The TAs expect a lot of effort in the essays and the final is A LOT of memorization for a GE.
Lots of reading and confusing names, but this guy is so funny that it was worth it. I thought I was going to fail this class, ended up with an A. Paper wasn't bad at all, I BSed it and he loved it.
Lectures are often funny and he keeps it interesting. There is a lot of reading but it can be very rewarding. Two short papers and he tells you everything that will be on the final ahead of time.
Professor Hillis is amazing! He is a nice and humorous person who makes lectures very interesting. His lectures are well organized and help understand reading materials(4 books) a lot. Not many papers, one for midterm and one for final, 5 pages each. But make sure to read all books required and attend each lectures, as he won't post PPT online.
Hillis is a fun lecturer. Some of the material can be boring but he does his best to make it enjoyable. I even felt bad for leaving early. There are only two short papers and a final. He puts 90% of the readings online. Hillis is passionate about what he teaches and is very approachable.
I never read anything and was ]screwed for the final. Keep up with the necessary readings toward the end of the quarter. I crammed in one night and got a B. Ask your TA to assign extra credit I think they will. I got an A in the class because of extra credit! Go to office hours for the papers he is so helpful and a great guy to get to know!
By far the worst professor I've had here. Spews hippie nonsense in lecture (like how cool the "smokey the bear sutra" is, or whether the means to enlightenment is found in poetry), and orders his TA minions to make you regurgitate 15 books on two concepts: meditating and reading poetry. It's people like this who make you think we should cut GE's.
So, so, so much READING. It's ridiculous. At one week, we had over 200 pages to read. This class incorporates a ton of confusing and mind-blowing concepts but the professor has a good sense of humor and he's really such a nice guy.
BY FAR THE WOOOOOOORRRRRRSSST CLASS I'VE EVEN TAKEN HERE. The professor throws an inhumane amount of readings of vaguely translated, 5th century, Chinese and Japanese. I hate Zen now as a result of this man's teaching
took tibetan buddhism, he is a quirky guy and sometimes makes lectures interesting. the readings he assigns are AWFUL, the most boring reading i have ever tried to get through. assigns too many papers for a non-writing class
Professor Hillis is a fun guy who tries to make the 8 am class a little less dreadful. He teaches zen very well and clearly. It is an easy class, the 2 essays are graded fairly easily and the final is not hard. There is a bit of reading, but doing it all is not completely necessary. Easy class for a GE.
Hillis is an amazing professor. He does all he can to accommodate you to his office hours when you need help. You can tell he understands his students and really wants them to do well. You can tell he is really passionate about Zen Buddhism. Very entertaining at 8am in the morning. Recommended class!!!
Fantastic Professor. His enthusiasm really helps you understand the material. Presents the material in an interesting and concise manner, and he's able to translate difficult concepts into lay mans terms. I highly recommend this professor to anyone interested in religious studies at ucsb.
This class was ok....not great, there was a lot of history and reading on your own time to get the theory of Zen Buddhism. Greg was really nice and means well but is a little funny funky....if you like reading on your own and want a good intro to the history and traditions, this is the right class
He jokes around a lot in class. TAs are pretty laid back I'd say. The prof doesn't believe in grades, but assigns two papers and of course the final. Read the stuff and you'll do good. Class is easy compared to other classes.
He is AWESOME. One of the best teachers i've had at UCSB. Fun, easy if you put in the work, and I love that he really enjoys teaching and you can tell. I highly recommend him!!!!
Very easy. Lectures are really boring though and he gets kinda sad when he notices everyone leaves in the middle of lecture. Don't read because he gives you a list of terms and essays that could be on the final. Just use wikipedia and you'll do great!
One of my favorite professors I've ever taken! Very funny, kind, and immersive, and made the class material interesting even though it wasn't something I was interested in before the class. A ton of readings, but I made it through without reading most of them.
Professor Hillis makes this class really engaging. The readings can be dense, but the helpful lectures and study sessions make it manageable. I found Unstuckstudy great for preparing for the exams.
Hillis was a very funny and kind professor. Content of the class was beyond what I expected for lower div. Lecture-heavy, expected to memorize hundreds of foreign terms, extremely specific exam questions, & unorganized slides, only passed because of extra credit. SO many assignments & readings. Nice guy, but would NEVER take this class again.
Totally amazing and hilarious in class. Posts all lecture videos on gauchocast with slides, attendance in not mandatory. Pretty clear grading criteria for the class, its divided into four 25% sections for attendance, midterm, final, and a final paper; plus he also provides plenty of extra credit opportunities towards the end. TA's are very helpful.
Very silly and kind professor, taken as a GE and was among the easiest I've ever taken. Grades are based on your TA and I had Jay who was both very helpful & kind. Grade Scale: 25% split for Section, Paper, Midterm, & Final - with 12% of potential extra credit. Tip is write your paper about topics covered in Final so you can study while writing.
Really funny professor, a LOT of reading but exams weren't too hard. Can pass with a B or higher with minimal studying if you keep up with lectures.
