He speaks really fast and is against laptops so you must be a good note-taker. Doesn't upload lectures online, and goes through slides quickly. You won't get bored in this class. Midterms/Final is open book but be prepared to be on a serious time crunch because he expects a lot of material to be covered in a short amount of time.

Best class I've taken. It was pretty confusing at first, but everything came together beautifully by the end. You need to pay close attention in lectures, but that's easy to do because they're really interesting and Walker is super dynamic. Not an easy class, but worth the work.

Walker is by far my favorite prof I've had at UCSB! His lectures are so interesting and engaging that I never wanted to miss a class. The reader is a must have for discussions in section, the midterm, & the final. The midterm and final were both open note and he gave the option of taking the final at home. Overall very chill prof & would recommend!

Professor Walker is the most interesting and by far, the best professor I have had at UCSB so far. He talks fast but his lectures are extremely fascinating.

At first you'll want to attend class because Prof Walker is so hot, but you'll keep coming back because his lectures are fascinating AND entertaining. Seriously though, plan to put the work in (attending class and lecture, doing the reading) so that you don't waste his time or your classmates'.

Walker may talk a bit fast but you should go to sections to help clarify what you didn't get. He's super chill and lets you take an at home final if you want to. Essays were pretty easy to write. He gives 2 pop quizzes during 1st half of quarter so don't miss lecture. Just take good notes and you'll do fine. Midterm and final are open notes & text.

Awesome class and awesome professor. Attendance at lectures isn't mandatory, but it helps a lot with the exams -- and I always wanted to go anyway, because they were always entertaining and interesting. Great speaker. Meetings with TAs (which ARE required) help you connect the dots between lecture content and readings. Highly recommended!

One of the best classes yet. I definitely recommend it. TA and Prof. are extremely helpful and want you to succeed. The class is meant to challenge you and the way you think and can be confusing, but going to section really helps. textbook wasn't necessary, but the course reader was a must have. midterm and final is really easy if you go to lecture

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.