Great professor. Not an easy course, and Prof. Walker constantly pushed us to challenge simple stories about religion. But this was the best GE class I've taken at UCSB. Walker cares a lot about his students, and if you put in the work (and go to class & follow written comments), you'll do well and learn a lot.
Professor Walker is one of the smartest, most interesting, well spoken, and intriguing people I have ever met. He is incredibly knowledgeable about any number of subjects, and always has something insightful to add to comments in class discussion, no matter what they are about, or what outside sources are mentioned. His classes are must-takes.
Professor Walker was one of my favorite professors. His lectures can be a bit lengthy, but for the most part this course was reliant on discussion. If you did the reading (or some of it) its more enjoyable. He is an easy grader and really cares about you connecting with the material. Great guy overall.
This class and Prof Walker's lectures were the highlights of my quarter. This was taught during COVID-19, when most profs gave up, but Walker and Blankholm obviously worked hard to make this a really challenging & dynamic online class that was always applicable to current events too. Completely changed my understanding of religion and pop culture.
Preferred Blankholm's lectures for content but Walker's lectures were nice for complicated connections/interesting examples. I agree that his lectures are structured like stories, I sped them up bc he tends to talk slow but paused a bunch bc I found it more useful to just take notes down verbatim. Readings were pretty long, so def prep for that.
My experience is completely different than the last two raters here. I really like Walker's lectures, which are structured like stories. Sure, he doesn't spoon feed things to you and you have to stop and think. But isn't that the point? Walker's lectures complement Blankholm's perfectly. Fine if you like B's style better, but W is dynamic and good.
The lecture videos are really long and unclear. He rambles a lot and you need to pause very frequently to think about what he's trying to say. Tons of readings but the tests are all about lectures. Unclear explanations of complicated terminologies with NO lecture slides posted. The video is not organized at all. Do not take this class.
This is literally the worst class I've ever taken and I chose it to be my fun class this quarter. Walker has a really ineffective lecturing style, I'm so glad I can speed up the lectures. He rambles a lot and doesn't really have a clear message in his lectures and his voice and syntax are infuriating he's like a 15 yr old trying to sound smart.
Amazing teacher.
best professor I have ever had, cares so much about his students and his class
Professor Walker is the best professor I've ever had. He is brilliant and yet he treats his students with so much humility and respect. The class isn't "easy", but the material is fascinating and he's such a great lecturer that you will never want to miss a class. Also, he's super funny! Can't wait to see what he does next!
Professor Walker is so smart that it's intimidating. He is very passionate about the subject and knows it backwards and forwards. The reading was difficult and dense but he was great making it interesting. Didn't grade the essays too harshly but the test questions really require you to know the material and provide your own insight.
Awesome AWESOME professor. Literally made my quarter. Super interesting and easy class. Highly recommend.
Prof Walker may seem extremely intimidating at first, but it is because he purposely structures the class somewhat confusingly in order to force you to think outside the box. It will require effort but you won't do poorly if you put it in. He is actually pretty chill when you get to know him, and you will come away with a changed perspective.