Very clear, organized lectures. Attend them because he's good, and because the slides are mostly just pictures. Amazing TA's who had chill sections and were clear on exam expectations. Everything about the class was pretty low stress

One of the best GEs. Straightforward & kind with clear expectations on how to succeed. He mostly posted pictures with no text so ATTEND LECTURE! 2 exams with 2-3 opened ended questions. 1 6-page paper. Weekly self-assessment questions. Workload felt heavy at times, but easy overall. Section leaders are tough on participation. Don't talk in class.

Absolutely one of my favorite teachers here at UCSB. I would love to take another class. He was very clear in lectures, and when it came to midterms and finals I felt like I knew the information. Attend lectures and sections because that will help a lot.

This class was incredibly fair. The best part was the midterm set up. We were able to choose between multiple topics to write on which made the tests surprisingly fun. Biggest advice Id give is to attend lectures and to think of the bigger picture, relating pieces of evidence to the many cool technological concepts discussed. 100/10 recommended!

I took this class in Winter 24, and I really miss it. There was a lot of content, but you're good as long as you understand the key concepts and know examples to back them up during the midterms/final. 10/10 Loved the course. The TAs were awesome too

Great and interesting option for a GE especially if you're a STEM major. Really organized and didn't add too much stress to my quarter. Can get by even if you skim the readings since you don't need to remember specific details from them on exams, most memorization-heavy part is the names of scientific figures from lecture and their contributions

McCray is a great professor. This class was very interesting and his lectures are never boring. Lots of reading every week and an assignment and section discussions based on the readings. 2 in person midterms, an online essay, and an in person final that were lots of writing but not hard if you paid attention in class and did the readings.

Although the workload is relatively large, you can get what you deserve. There is little extra credit that is helpful. The study guide is very very very helpful and well-organized, which you rarely see in other history courses.

Awesome class. Lectures are amazing, readings are easy and interesting, essays are straightforward, and TAs are kind + helpful. Harvard-level class. Highly reccommend everyone takes this class--especially overworked STEM majors!

Prof McCray is definitely very passionate about the subject and this isn't a hard class. At times it can get boring but if you actually go to all of the lectures and keep up with the material (which isn't a lot) the class is super interesting. I learned many important things I didn't know from this class and it was overall a great experience

Really funny and smart guy who cares about his students. Some of the lectures aren't super interesting but he does a great job of making them more engaging. Attendance isn't mandatory but it's important that you go to most lectures and take good notes since the lecture slides he posts are pretty much just pictures.

Prof. McCray is great! He's super funny during lecture, which is great because it is at 9 in the morning. The outside reading was boring at times, but it honestly isn't super necessary to get a good grade in the class. Just make sure you take good notes at the lectures in preparation for the essays.

Enthusiastic and caring . Lectures are easy to follow and has after class discussion in case anyone wants to join or has questions. Great class, highly recommend.

McCray provided an in-depth analysis of the history of science while still making the class easy to keep up with. There was only a couple papers and short weekly assignments, all within reason as long as you've been paying attention. Definitely recommend the class matched with McCray for an easy GE.

I love Professor McCray. He is super enthusiastic and his lectures are amazing. If you are a science major, I would definitely recommend taking his class. This class allows you appreciate science on another level. McCray definitely cares that you succeed and is always available to help you. Definitely one of my favorite professors!

I really dont like history and I had the class at 8am but Mccray made it interesting and I looked forward to class. He throws in jokes and emails often. I had to get a course reader for the class (hist20). If you go to class and do everything, its not that hard to get over a B at least.

I had Professor McCray for an 8am nut he still managed to make lectures really interesting. He's very clear about what you need to know and gets straight to point. I would recommend this class to anyone that is majoring in science. The grades are based on 2 papers, a midterm, a final, and section. There is a fair amount of reading though.

Class was not history and more just a science class. The amount of reading was absurd and the midterm and final were on things he went over in lecture so the reading was useless. My TA for this class was the hardest grader I've ever had so that didn't help. Lectures were insanely boring I suggest taking any other class.

If you show up and pay attention, you'll get B range for sure. I put a lot of work into this class because I wanted to maintain my A+ streak, but you can definitely get an A- or A with moderate effort. Would recommend to all science majors! After all, science is a human enterprise and his course gives insight into why scientists do what they do.

The history of science is finite, so even though I barely went to the lectures, it was easy to catch up through his lecture slides (which he posts) and reading the reader. Essays shouldn't be too hard and going to section knowing the prompts for the midterm/final

AMAZING lecturer. I am not a Science major, but I adored this class. His enthusiasm is catching. It's a lot of reading, but you can avoid most of it by asking questions in section. If you skip a lecture you'll be lost. It completely changes your understanding of science, I recommend it to everyone.

You HAVE to attend lectures, or you won't pass. Sections are mandatory. You can get by without reading, but the class requires a lot of time. TA's grade assignments, but they grade fair. You'll have two papers, Midterm, and a Final. He's an amazing lecturer, and the class is really entertaining. His excitements makes you excited.

He's so good at lecturing and keeping things interesting, especially in a history class and I hate history. Make sure you actually do the readings!

Do NOT take this class if its just for a GE. Great teacher, knows his stuff and super helpful; just not worth the work if you're just trying to fulfill a small requirement.