Best classes I ever had at UCSB. Knowledgeable prof who has your best interests in mind. Engaging lectures full of relevant information. Covers current theory and research and teaches you how to digest research for yourself. Honestly, he was inspiring.
honestly one of the best professors i've had. as long as you're willing to come to class regularly, tests are quite easy. no homework besides readings, which usually aren't even tested. very engaging lecturer and curves the class quite generously. slides not posted though, so it's tough to miss class.
Lots of interesting content and great lectures...you get your money's worth for sure. You can't just wing the exams, be sure to actually study and pay attention in class. Very helpful if you go to the office hours but be sure to take good notes.
People dislike Flanagin, but I have learned more career-applicable information from his two classes than I have in my entire UCSB experience. All you have to do is attend class, pay attention (which isn't hard because he is super interesting), and study your notes for like a day. Such a good professor, everyone is dramatic over difficulty.
I don't get all the whiners on here. If the scores on tests were poor -- which was rarely the case -- he curves (big time) in our favor to make the grades better. I learned more in this class than all my other Comm classes put together. Funny guy, great lectures, explains things really well. Very helpful if you just approach him and ask.
Never ever take a class with this guy. Seriously the worst professor I have ever had. makes his test incredibly difficult on overly specific topics, over 50% of the class failed one of his midterms because he made it too hard (he said this himself). Class is graded on three tests and attendance is 8.3% of the grade. avoid his class at all costs.
The lectures were super informative and he clearly knows what he's talking about. Likes to interact with the class, so it kept people interested.
Honestly one of my favorite comm professors. No assignments which is great. Tests were difficult but doable if you study a little. readings are straightforward and supplement lectures very well. Not sure why people dont like his attitude, hes a really cool guy and always has an interesting, random story that relates to lecture.
Graded on two midterms that are difficult even if you read everything and review the notes. He also has a condescending character that is unlike every other COMM professor at UCSB.
He had interesting lectures but anything he says could be on the exams!!! His class is graded on random attendance, midterm, & final. Our class did pretty bad on the exams (they are really difficult but "fair") so he curved the finals grades for a lot of people. Not a class to slack off in. cool guy at some times but you really need to put in work
I really enjoyed both of Professor Flanagin's classes. I found his lectures to be very interesting and relevant. He is just generally a good guy who cares for his students and is passionate about his job. The only grades are the midterm and final which are both multiple choice and straight forward. One of my favorite professors.
Really well organized lectures and class website. DO THE READINGS. Tests are challenging but fair, he'll let you pick the format and curves scores in students' favor. He'll basically tell you how to get an A, just do the work.
Honestly, if you are not good at taking multiple choice exams (and I mean questions with more than 4 options for answers) then this is not the class for you. Your grade will be based off one midterm and one final, and while the information is interesting, THERES ALOT. Didn't really seem like a comm class. :((
Prof. Flanagin expects a lot of you and, if you do your part (pay attention, study, think), you'll get a lot back. Slackers beware, though; if you want an easy A there are lots of others in the dept to give it to you. If you want engaging lectures, an incredibly knowledgeable and personable prof, and great feedback, he's your guy.
a very self righteous person and his lectures are incredibly dry
Not easy classes and super packed with information, but really interesting stuff and presented clearly and in detail. Amazing at answering Qs on the fly and making things relevant. Always available for students and helpful. If you do the work and study hard you will be ok, but don't expect him to gift it to you like other profs. SO worth the work.
Great lectures, great interaction, cares a lot about students and will go FAR out of his way to help (he gave the final in person literally hours after having surgery, just in case students had Qs during exam). If you're a slacker, though, and don't try, his classes will eat you up and you will be angry and sad and prob blame him.
Had to miss a few classes this quarter due to health reasons. He was not understanding at all and put me at 1% away from a B because of this, refusing to hear anything else. Don't expect him to be understanding if you're going through a tough time, and only take this class if you have the insane amount of free time he expects for the readings.
This class is only composed of 2 exams and points for attendance. There are pre-readings before class and it'll show up in exams. In order to do well in this class, you will need to make sure that you attend all lectures since there are no notes posted. There are a lot of memorization for the exam. His pet peeve is no cell phones in class.
This class was challenging but fair. Unlike other Communication classes, I actually had to use my brain and put in the work. If you don't you will be unhappy. The material is great, the prof is super helpful, smart, and funny, and the class is engaging. This is what you pay for. I wish there were more like him and this class.
He rocks. Lots of useful content, makes you think, very helpful and cares about students. Not a fluff course, not a fluff guy; you get what you put into it, and he puts a lot into it for students.
Loved his classes, even though they are packed with info and ideas. He lectured "live" during Covid, and made this very clear before the class began -- these were the only classes where I learned anything during the pandemic as a result. He works hard to be sure you understand; great content, very helpful, cares a lot if you care too.
Every other upper division Comm class I got at MINIMUM an A. This class I somehow get a B and in his other class I somehow got a B+. I am pissed because he messed with my perfect GPA, and clearly he is an unfair grader considering the stuff he teaches isnt even hard, hes just a jerk! He sucks, if you want a fair prof/class, dont take his!!!
Worst teacher I have ever had. UCSB, please do better. Why are we putting up with this guy? It pains me that he is being paid to force the students to write the tests, &forces us to grade one another but if you don't grade them low enough you yourself lose points.. And then he gives no credit to the students whose work he steals for tests?! What!?
