Most confusing and pointless lectures. He had no information on his slides, made up lectures as he went, and went off on confusing tangents that were not relevant to the lecture.
Fogu is really passionate about what he teaches but his lectures are pretty boring and confusing. It doesn't help that the readings are ridiculously long and don't even feel useful to read. Grades really hard on midterm/final as well. He essentially treats this G.E. class like a graduate course. You don't need to buy a textbook, so that's a plus.
His lectures are packed with funny jokes and interesting tales from Medieval Europe that intrigue, inform, and impact students. There are readings and short essays every week (complete the minimum), a midterm (study guide provided), and a final in this class. Do the work, show up to class and section with a good understanding, and you'll succeed.
TAKE THIS PROFESSOR. He makes lecture fun and is a genuinely caring and overall awesome person. Class had a midterm, two easy papers and a group project. He goes over exactly what he wants to see in the essays during lecture. I missed the first one & he met with me individually and let me redo after teaching me the material in his office hours!
I never thought I'd be interested in medieval European history, but my other class was so boring I said screw it. Best decision I could have made. Bouley's enthusiasm could make the most boring material extremely engaging. He's a young and energetic professor that knows his stuff and answers in class questions better than pretty much anyone.
Bouley is one of the best professors at UCSB and has a very good grip on how to communicate with his students. He provided outlines for each lecture during 4B which helped a lot when studying for those IDs. If you appreciate enthusiasm, as well as have no problem with paying attention/participation during lecture, Bouley will make sure you succeed.
Bouley is a fantastic, really encouraging professor who has interesting lectures and a great demeanor. I love his style, his feedback on assignments is helpful and he really encourages you to be a better writer, historian, and overall student! He is really funny as well. If you can, take him!
DO NOT miss lecture. He does not post any lecture slides online. No laptops in class, so just write down exactly what he says to study and use in final paper. Lots of readings that you can get by not reading if you go to class. Two quizzes, in class midterm that is short answer + long essay, and a final 7 page paper. Interesting material.
Professor Bouley is an insanely knoledgable and well spoken historian. His lectures were clearly organized and he makes sure that every piece of information in them are interesting and relevant to the Essays and Exams of his class. A Midterm and Final with ID's and Essay prompt with two five page Papers. A really fun class for anyone.
Excellent Professor. Younger guy, and very energetic. By far one of the best lectures in the department and at this university. Also, the way he breaks up lectures on one day and reading discussions on the other each week is amazing. Really allows you to get the context and discuss the sources without feeling rushed. You will not regret.
really nice man (esp. during office hours), but his lecture slides are absolutely TERRIBLY designed because it makes no sense w/out context. since it's so theoretical, it is confusing. i can't understand lectures 'cuz it's hard to figure out what to takes notes on since he isn't very concise & indirect about everything. do not take!
One paper and one final- I don't know anything about film or Italy- lecture was hard to understand but literally the last week everything fits together- GO TO OFFICE HOURS- a good man- grades easy on paper- gives you the outline to the final- watch the movies and you'll be fine
Professor Fogu is super intelligent and passionate about what he teaches. You really have to pay attention to his lectures because he doesn't use slides very much. Super nice guy and rewards those who really want to learn.
You can tell he is really into this class and really wants his students to succeed. The class was very lecture heavy, but just from listening and writing few notes, I still retained a lot of information just by listening to him. You don't have to read all of the assigned readings, but it helps. Go into office hours, I think he appreciates it a lot.
He gives A LOT of reading, However, you don't have to do it to do well in the class, so if you have time skim, if not just use it to fill in gaps. He speaks really fast so it can be hard to catch everything he says in lecture, but if you fill out the study guide for the ID's you should do okay. Quizzes are easy. Grades a little hard I would say.
He posts his lecture slides online which would be nice if his slides made any sense whatsoever. In all of his slides he has these arrows going up and down or left and right, so its very confusing if he means that these things are directly related or not because sometimes they don't seem to be, and he doesn't explain it well in lecture either.
I have taken numerous classes with Fogu, and they were always very reading heavy. I didn't do many readings anyway, and I did fine. (A/B+ average) He is very passionate about what he teaches and its reflective in his slides (must attend lecture to understand all the arrows ha) and grading. He's approachable and wants you to succeed! Love Fogu!!
Very theoretical/movement-based curriculum. He posts the slides online so you don't have to go to class, but good luck understanding them w/o a little explanation. I skimmed the reading & got a solid 85 on the midterm. Not difficult. No final exam, 6-8 pg paper instead. Overall relatively easy class & cool professor.
The material is interesting, but some concepts in this course are way too esoteric. Generally an easy class .
I took Professor Fogu for Italian Cinema and really enjoyed the class. I was in no way a critic of cinema or well-versed in Italian culture and history, but the class was interesting. Perfect for people of any major who are looking to learn a lot with little course load. Fogu has a great passion for what he does and it reflects in his lectures.
Professor Fogu is a great guy who cares a lot about his students. This class was taught in Italy, so i'm sure it was a little different than his normal classes, but the material was very interesting. His lectures aren't always that clear. But he will 100% help you understand anything you need to know if you just ask. He wants you to do well.
Professor Fogu is an AMAZING professor. He is passionate about what he teaches, as he has had experience in his field. You must watch the movies before lecture, otherwise you will not understand anything he discusses. However if you do watch the movies and read the novels, lecture will be enriching and he will help you understand them better.
If you prepare for the IDs he gives you before hand you'll be fine. He's a very nice guy, he genuinely cares about his students. Is a very, very fair grader. He wants you to succeed. If you don't get lecture that's okay because he gives you the topics of his exams before hand so just study those.
He's pretty good about keeping students engaged, but there are times when the lecture seems to drag on (but that's because of the subject matter, not him). The class isn't hard as long as you go to lecture, and there's no section, so that's sick.
