The worst professor I've ever had at UCSB. The material was interesting but it's hard to stay interested in the subject/class when the professor is a stuck-up grumpy man. I could write a whole essay on why to not take this man but I can only write 350 words about it. He is an awful professor just overall, it seems like he hates teaching.

Pros -good lecturer -easy to take notes on -no assignments -very accessible outside of class Cons -hard exams -attendance taken -has a stuck up attitude -not much to bring your grade up with Overall interesting if you like tech !

The information provided in this class is helpful to those looking to go into tech-related fields, and not much more. Flanagin does not once discuss how internet effects society or communication. He does not slow down to match the pace of his students. His ego is bigger than his desire to educate students properly. Try to avoid this class

Professor Flanagin is a great professor and his lectures are very interesting. I took the class during a 3-week session which is why I would say it is a challenging course. It was fast-paced and only graded on midterm and final. My biggest recommendation is to attend all lectures and study the readings/notes until you mastered the material.

I wouldn't listen to the people giving Flanagin 5/5. Although he had interesting lectures, he has a negative attitude and his tests are very difficult. If you fail the midterm, I would get a late drop approval since the main portion of your grade is a midterm and final. Prepare to study for hours and to limit your social life.

Flanagin knows his stuff and his lectures are interesting if you pay attention! However our grades are only based off a final and a midterm with attendance so if you fail the midterm...yeah. Literally anything he says can be on the exams, and the answer choices can range from A-G. He is willing to go more in depth on topics, just study/hope lol

Great class, the exams are more difficult compared to other COMM classes but taking good notes will help a lot. It is not an easy class, but all content are backed by research and i really appreciate his effort put into the course.

Flanagin is by far one of the worst COMM professors at UCSB. He considers his tests to be fair, but almost everyone say that they are difficult. He's condescending of students and speaks badly about his colleagues. He constantly brags about his career and how he always get bored in each job he's in. Don't choose Flanagin you'll regret it

I read the reviews before taking this class and was worried it would be too hard. I did the work and it was fine. I LOVED the class, which is full of interesting content. He's an amazing lecturer who knows his stuff and cares about learning. If you don't do well, it's probably on you. He presents interesting and relevant stuff really clearly.

You have to do the work (go to lecture, take good lecture AND reading notes) but the tests are straightforward if you study. Flanagin is tough, but funny and keeps lectures interesting. He's a stereotypical scary college prof, don't let your phone go off in class and such, but you can tell its a bit of a front too. I really liked this class!

Condescending towards students and shades other comm profs. Rude and unapproachable. Graded only by midterm and final which ask frankly irrelevant questions, such as who invented things. Readings are overly long and not engaging. Inflexible attendance policy. Clearly he is knowledgable as an individual, but his lack of passion and bad attitude...

I took this course W'22. The final grade is determined by the midterm, final, and attendance. Most people in the course did well on the midterm, but the final was brutal. The final had multiple choice responses ranging from a-h... might as well add the whole alphabet. Our final grades were curved because we did so poorly - just study and uh pray

Class is based on two grades midterm and final and small percentage for attendance. You must do good on midterm otherwise drop the class the final was very difficult.

This course was so interesting and the content is so relevant to everyday life. Learned things I never thought I would in the Comm major and I'm glad I took this course. There is only one midterm, a final, and attendance being counted toward your grade so study A LOT.

I really don't understand the low ratings of professor Flanagin! He's amazing and makes lectures so interesting. The content he teaches is very relevant and important to know. He's very funny, smart and knows what he's talking about. Definitely take a class from him if you have the chance! His test is totally fair if you attend all the lectures.

Difficult class but so worth it. Lectures loaded with info and super clear explanations; gives great examples & engages students completely. Challenging but fair exams--you'll get the grade you earn. If you're looking to slide by, he's not your guy, but if you actually want to LEARN something take this class! Inspiring, unbelievably helpful.

Arrogant, rude and unhelpful. Not a communication class, seemed more like computer science. Tests are impossible if you don't read the research 3 times over. Random attendance throughout quarter; stickler for using your phone.

I absolutely loved prof Flanagan and his teaching style! He really cares about the material he is teaching and and takes into account what his students want to learn. For both the midterm and final he let our class decide what we wanted the format to be! Any negative comments are ppl that are blaming him for their lack of effort, hes a great prof.

His class is not necessarily super hard, he is just a sad, lonely, rude, (the list goes on) person. I recommend taking this class with someone else if you are able to. Also, his info is random and he makes up a lot of his facts so dont rely on the internet for exam help etc. Overall 0/10 as a person, 3/10 for the class(not much busy work at least)

Professor Flanagin is such an amazing teacher. The content in this course is incredibly relevant and important information. Your grade is not handed to you, this class requires you to dedicate time to attend lectures, skim readings, and study before exams. However, Prof Flanagin grades very fairly and exams are created to help students succeed.

I took this class more than a decade ago, so I'm a little different than others here. This is the ONLY class from my undergrad experience that I still think about. The content was relevant then, moreso now, and I still think back on how Prof F presented complex ideas and research to make them understandable. Take this class.

During covid students demanded being spoon-fed all the lectures, notes, etc. Flanagin, though, had solid reasons for giving live lectures, assignments, etc., which he explained carefully; still, many hated this and felt somehow offended. I rolled with it and saw the light in the end -- learned SO MUCH MORE in this class than usual! Great class.

Not understanding whatsoever to student situations, even during Covid. He is blatantly rude to students and I would not recommend him to my worst enemy. No one needs to act the way he does , its disrespectful and it shows how little he thinks of the students.

This man reads ONE study and then teaches it like its fact(ik bc I read one). He is over here forcing comm students to memorize the intricacies of how the internet works, down to the exact receptors between servers, etc. WE GET IT, you think you are a computer scientist! If you're so good at comp sci, go get a comp sci job. Needs attitude change!