I've had professor Alagona twice now and seriously, I don't say this about every professor, this is the only one I'm saying it for, but he is my favorite professor at UCSB. Such a cool guy, he genuinely cares about his students, and has some really cool stories. His lectures also aren't boring, he makes class interesting and there's no BS homework!
Prof Peter made this class extremely enjoyable. He's very passionate about keeping his content current and values collaboration between students. This was my first ENVS class at UCSB and it made me want to take more. The assigned materials were interesting and sections were fun. Overall a very personable prof and a very interesting topic to study!
This class was odd and pretentious. At times Alagona goes into strange tangent lectures that have nothing to do with the subject matter. My friends & I laughed at the final project where we had to make Isla Vista look like a wildlife refuge for a tour video. I appreciate the attempt to captivate nature but it seemed hit and miss and a bit scattered
This class seems pasted together by some uptight granola theories that are dilusional at best. We spent the semester grandstanding nature ethics while asked to observe raccoons and dirty beach birds digging threw isla vista trash to compare with the great spotted owl who is facing extinction. Even the science dept is not sure where it goes. Boooo!
More professors should strive to be like Dr. Alagona. He is so passionate about the subject, ridiculously organized, so impartial (which is hard, considering how political the subject matter is) and is very helpful during office hours (but he hates email). He provides a great learning environment. Definitely would take again
He's a great professor. Good, clear lectures. PPTs avail. on GS. Prepare your readings before lecture. 3 essay assigns, 2 quiz, & a final. He gives two-sentence pop quizzes each week to see if you did the reading. He's really into his subject, which I'm not, but he has me really engaged. I'd def take him again. Don't let the work deter you!
One of the best profs at UCSB, really tries to engage students and get them to think critically. Excellent lecturer and has great slides (posts to gauchospace before class). I always look forward to attending his classes, which is more than I can say about most other classes. Be warned though, there is a LOT of reading for all his classes.
Super easy class with a really good prof. You can tell that prof Alagona really loves teaching, which makes the class enjoyable
Professor Pete is awesome! Lectures were interesting, and he really cares about his students. The class has easy assignments and exams, but don't slack off - unstuck study can help with study prep.
Super great professor, very passionate. Understanding and material was interesting. Would definitely recommend taking!
My course was affected by the Fall 2022 strike. Finals were cancelled. He is technology adverse. Do not expect any electronic communication with him, he uses that as a last resort (and yes, I do mean he will find literally any other way to contact the class!). Great person but needs to be taught to use technology more.
Chill guy, had weekly readings used for group and individual assignments. The group assignments took place during lecture. The individual assignments were during sections, and they were the hardest part since you only had 10 minutes to answer the question. No midterm. Final was multiple choice and not too difficult if you reread his posted slides.
The class itself is very easy, all writing exercises, and the final is basically a Quizlet. Lectures often boring bc a lot of the stuff was common sense, but prep materials were interesting. Really great course laying the foundations/basics for the rest of ENVS. Prof. Pete is the absolute goat, you can tell he cares about his students and field.
Interesting lecturer with extremely easy assignments that are essentially for completion. He had a single pop quiz that was pushed back to the very last lecture. Homework is relatively minimal and exams are very trivial as well.
Professor Alagona is so awesome!! He is so passionate about environmental studies and lecture was always interesting. You can tell he really cares about his students. I am an ES major and was expecting ES1 to be pretty boring review for me. However, I ended up learning so much in this class and really enjoyed it!! The grading was also very fair.
Took this course as non ES major for my GEs, absolutely loved it! Professor Pete is an all around amazing professor with profound insight. His lectures can drag a bit, but you can tell he really cares about what he teaches. The group work and preps were not difficult, just time consuming. The final was a breeze. Cannot recommend this course enough!
He is a professor who not only makes the information fun to learn but also makes you think about how the subject translates to life outside of school. He is by far one of the best professors I have ever had. I would 100% take this class again.
Most boring ES class I've ever taken, but an easy enough class. Honestly expected a lot from an extry level ES 1, but easy to pass if you do the work. Weekly readings, weekly timed writing assignments, and weekly group assignments. If your group works well, everything should go smoothly and you can get an A easily.
Prof. Alagona is a great guy and laid out the course in a way that was easy to understand. There are many readings and group projects but overall, it is not a difficult course. He is not the most captivating speaker, but he does seem to care about the topic which I found nice.
Amazing professor! My first quarter humbled me but this class got me through it. I absolutely loved attending this course and definitely will take this professor in the future if I get the opportunity. There are weekly preps which take about 4 hours but he makes them accessible by incorporating readings, videos and podcasts. Take this course!
Such a great profesor! So passionate and inspiring, a great class with an even better profesor.
INT 84ZX was definitely one of the best courses I've ever taken at UCSB. The five-day field trip to the Sierra Nevada was so much fun. Pete was kind and caring, and we were given so many opportunities to learn about the High Sierra. It was such a nice trip that I want to take this course again. I would recommend the course to any other student.
Professor Alagona was one of the best professors I had this quarter. He gives great lectures and the class is fairly easy. The TA's are understanding. There is weekly reading and short answer quizzes in section. Loved the class and would take again.
Pete is a wonderful lecturer. He brings a lot of passion, and is extremely understanding of his students. During the TA strike this year, he was immensely understanding and fair. Everyone received strong grades
