Pretty easy. No midterm, final got cancelled due to TA strike. Prep materials each week (readings, videos, podcasts, etc) are somewhat long, but carefully chosen and actually interesting. Section quizzes are easy. Only criticism: no technology allowed, can't type notes in class. Otherwise highly recommend

To anyone taking Environmental Studies 1 with Pete, you're in luck. He's one of the best, most passionate teachers whose class I've ever had the privilege of attending. There's about four hours of reading/video materials a week and lectures are definitely important to attend but if you're willing to put in that work you will get so much out of it!

This is a Professor who walks the walk. He is passionate about teaching and the content he delivers. Role model citizen who gets nothing but respect from me. 10/10 would take again.

genuinely such a kind professor, you can tell that he really cares about the material that he teaches. would definitely take one of his upper-div courses. only complaint is not being able to type notes in lecture/the no electronics policy

A lot of reading and the class is very lecture heavy but there are no tests or quizzes. He was very considerate when the TAs went on strike and ended up cancelling our final. Overall it was a great class and he was a really nice guy

Super interesting lectures. Very passionate and knowledgable about the subject. Obviously cares about his students and his TAs.

super passionate professor & interesting material. 0 papers/quizzes, & our final got cancelled due to the TA strike. lots of reading for the weekly preps (about 5 hours worth/week). biggest complaint is not being able to use electronics in class, which is annoying if you prefer typing over handwriting notes. would def take another class though!

Professor Alagona's lectures are very engaging and interesting. He is an amazing professor and I would definitely take this class again. I highly recommend this class.

Overall, a good class and I would recommend it.

Best class I've taken at UCSB. Incredibly engaging lectures on relevant current issues. Peter is a great speaker and all around good dude. I recommend this class to everyone, regardless of major.

Pete was an excellent professor! He was very organized and the content was creative and interesting. The weekly reading were always incredibly relevant to current events. I gained a lot from this course and highly recommend it.

Everyone of his classes feels like a ted-talk, weekly group discussion but with the same group so its only awkward the first time and you may end up with some bonus friends.

You can tell by his lectures that Pete really cares about his class. There's a handful of readings/podcasts to engage with each week before section, and the majority of your grade is based on your section quizzes + small group activities, which are very manageable. No midterms, final is extremely easy as long as you study the lecture slides!

Prof Alagona is the best professor I've had so far! He is super passionate about the environment, and his lectures are amazing. The structure of the class is great, and the TA's and sections are engaging and very helpful. The course materials that he puts together are interesting, and I learned so much in the class.

Prof Pete was fun, the lectures kept my interest for the most part and it never felt like we were doing busywork. The weekly readings were very relevant to current events, and the reading check quizzes were easy to bullsh*t if you read like one article. Maybe this was just my TA, but everything was graded quickly with good comments.

Prof Alagona was seriously one of THE best teachers I have had so far at UCSB. His lectures are super inspirational, informative, and interesting. You can tell he is super passionate about the subject. I would 10/10 take another class with him. Group work each week, short writing exercise, and a final. take this class!!!!

This was one of my favorite classes I've taken at UCSB. Alagona is an AMAZING lecturer. He tailors the class to keep up with current events and teaches topics in a way that keeps you optimistic about the future but also helps you grasp the complexity and severity of environmental issues. This class made me switch my major to ES!

Amazing prof, so caring and inspirational. Tailors class to current events and keeps it relevant. No midterm, just a final and lots of group projects (graded individually). makes ES super interesting and super accessible outside of class. He really cares about his students and just wants you to learn.

great professor. interesting lectures.

Prof. Pete is the best professor I've ever had. It's nearly impossible to take this class without wanting to dedicate your life to the environment. Lectures go by so fast, and the work is not only easy but also so interesting it doesn't even feel like work. Every student at UCSB should take this course or anything with Pete possible.

Basically told us he didn't want to teach to a camera so there'd be no lectures. I think he started recording videos as the quarter progressed, but atp I didn't watch them. Grade was comprised of 7 weekly assignments. Readings were long but I feel like I learned a lot. Seems like a good prof, but initially struggled in adapting to online learning.

I had more interaction with my TA than with professor Alagona, but I went to office hours once (which is one on one) and he is very helpful and great at explaining the material. I liked the way the class was structured and learned a lot from all the readings, videos and podcasts. There is a weekly assignment which is fun, grading depends on TA tho

Basically no lectures, the class content is comprised entirely of reading articles, discussing them with weekly breakout groups, and answering 4-6 questions. The readings are informative and are posted weeks in advance, so the work for each week is clear, but I feel like I didn't learn anything from the professor himself.

I am honestly surprised by the negative reviews for ES1 Fall 2020! There were no tests and all the assignments were pass/fail. There was a lot of reading each week, but if you took the time to read and go to section it was an easy A. Really cool professor though, I wish I could've taken him in person because he didn't upload many lectures.