Professor Erickson has been one of my favorite professors so far at UCSB. I took this Pompeii class spring 2022 and it has been one of the best courses I have ever taken at UCSB. Very engaging lectures, light workload (only a midterm and a final), and overall great class. You have to go to class to pass, but I honestly enjoyed going!

No homework and just a midterm and final that require a hefty amount of memorization and studying. Attending class is essential since he says all the important info.

Took this class because of how much I loved CLASS 40 with this professor and was not disappointed! SUCH an amazing lecturer and so knowledgeable in his field. Must attend all classes though because recordings or slide info arent posted and the midterm and final are very heavy on memorization. Besides the midterm and final, very light coursework!

Great professor, even better person. Always starts class with jokes and it's difficult to get bored as you listen to him lecture. There are a lot of readings, but they aren't necessary with his lectures honestly. Powerpoints are sparse, mostly pictures -- take in-depth notes on what he says so you remember it for the midterm/final

Prof Erickson is engaging, energetic, & makes information that seems dull really interesting. Although he didn't take attendance in CLAS50, it was necessary to go to class because his slides have only a few pictures or words, described more in lecture. Midterm & final were almost strictly memorization. I would definitely take his class again.

Prof Erickson is a very good lecturer and very passionate about Greek Archeology. Be prepared for a lot of memorization for a very fair midterm and final. He gives you a list of ID terms before the midterm/final and chooses a few key ones for the test. If you go to lecture and study you will get an A.

He's passionate and engaging. However, you will likely not know your grade going into the final. The midterm and final require a LOT of studying, but there is little other homework or readings. While attendance isn't mandatory, show up and take good notes because it is 100% of the material tested. cons: doesn't reply to emails and grades slowly.

Great teacher to have for classics. His passion for the class rubbed off on me and I never wanted to skip class. Midterm and Final seem like they would be hard but are actually not, if you go to class and pay attention it's very obvious what terms you must study. Notes are extremely important but so is just sitting back and taking all the info in.

Had very interesting lectures and if you pay attention, the material is easy to understand. However, for the midterm and final, he pulls 6 out of 100+ terms to focus on in depth, so studying does take a great amount of time if you want to do well on these.

He's enthusiastic but I found that he is difficult to follow along at times. His lectures have maybe 10-20 words on the entire set, otherwise it's just pictures... Meaning the notes you take are the notes you study, so you better go to class and pay attention... The notes you have will either make this class hard or easy for you. His tests are fair

He was an awesome professor and really enthusiastic about the course. The class may be lecture heavy but its easy to sit in and listen to him cause he makes it fun. However, I did notice that for this class, I didn't really need the readings to pass.

Great class, you must go to and pay attention to lectures. The tests are just pictures of some of the things we talked about so actually gathering the information is a must. He makes them interesting though, so don't worry.

Took this class as a GE, and ended up REALLY enjoying it! I rented the book but only read it ONCE... go to lecture- all you need to know without spending money on the book! Over 100+ terms you have to know for the midterm/final (object, dates, location, significance) but do-able! He is flexible on dates- I went to office hours and got points back!

Professor Erickson is an intriguing lecturer, but I didn't like how he is so obsessed with Greece and shows it while teaching a class about Italy. I love Italy and wanted to know more about it, not Greece. However, the class is super easy! I put almost no though into the test and paper and got a B+ on both. Btw, he lets you out late EVERY day. :(

BEST lecturer I've had at UCSB...really funny and knows his stuff. Only thing is, the tests are picture IDs and 1 essay and they require you to intensively pay attention in lecture in order to do well. If you miss one little thing you could be screwed...just my take. If you don't do scattered, this class isn't for you.

LOVE HIM. If you are at all interested in ancient Greece/Rome and willing to put work into his class, you will do well. If you are in one of his smaller classes, make an effort to see him after class and in office hours, he appreciates when you put effort into his class. He takes this into account IF he remembers you, but he is a little scattered.

Ya sure he is interested in the subject but he is not clear about directions on assignments, he ALWAYS lets you out late EVERY SINGLE DAY, the midterm and final are hard because basically it's like an art history class. he posts a slide and you have to identify it and also write an essay.. the papers in his class are poorly graded. but ya he's nice

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Not very good. He is good with the fufu classes like myth, but not the upper division language classes. I found myself drowning in work and he was not helpful and frequently got his latin translations wrong. Some students even had to correct his Latin. Steer clear of this one

Funny professor, kind of a klutz, and spits a little when he get's really riled up about a subject he likes (but then again who doesn't?), a warning for those who want to sit in the front row. He really enjoys what he teaches, and is very clear in teaching. Lecture's pretty important, homework and field trip's are a MUST. Take this class.

He is not that difficult. I got a B without trying really hard. The class is interesting because it is about Greeks, but this professor is a dork. He is a wannabe Greek and his jokes are terrible.

Super fun lectures, he enjoys teaching and will make you laugh. He really knows his stuff. His tests are tough; he wants you to prove you've learned the material. Challenging, but never dull.

the lectures are a lot of fun because of his enthusiasm and jokes. always interesting, but it is a lot of work.

I love your classes, however you make a student go broke with the cost of books for your class. Try to tone it down or put more into the reader so we have less primary sources to buy. Over all great class, but come on do you really think that UCSB students go to cocktail hours at fancy museums??? Hell no we drink in IV.