Probably the most influential class and professor at UCSB. I feel like this class should be a requirement to graduate; it is truly fascinating and makes you feel more aware as an American citizen. Must be able to write well and incorporate specifics from the reading on exams to do well so be able to prove that you have read and you should do fine.
Pekka was definitely my favorite history professor I ever took at UCSB. He's clear, easy to approach with questions, and sympathetic to students' needs. He's leaving for Oxford soon so if you can, take a class with him before he's gone!
Dr. Hamalainen was the most influential prof. in my college career. He expects a lot out of you; but, he always provides you the tools to suceed. You will grow as a student in his class. HIGHEST recommendation!
really funny teacher and excellent lecture notes, i didnt read 2 of the 3 text books, just used his notes in the mid-term and final and got a high b+. very fair exams too, just mkae sure you know the stuff he wants.
Attendance and participation is mandatory. There is only a midterm and a final. If you get one ID wrong on the midterm, you get a C. I'm taking the final in thirty minutes and I don't know if I will pass.
Easy class. Professor goes a little fast but attendance is not mandatory for an A. Just read the book and you'll be fine. 2 easy papers and midterm and final are straightforward. Get a good TA...they grade all your work
Great teacher! He made lectures worth listening to.
Hamalainen was a really funny professor. Nice guy who tries to keep lecture interesting and periodic goes on rants in his heavy Finish accent. Class was really easy, exams were super straight-forward and papers were pretty simple. Lecture is somewhat important, just do the reading and enjoy the easy A.
Decent teacher but uses a horrible grading scale. He Each of his TA's grade their own sections on an extremely subjective test. Instead, he should split up the test into parts and have each TA grade 1 part. Me and my roommate took this class with different TAs and for the IDs on the midterms,we wrote the same exact thing and had a 30% diff in grade
Pekka is a pretty rockin professor. The midterm and final weren't cakewalks and it would be easy to get a C in the class if you didn't do any reading, but this is the only history class I have ever taken that didn't require an essay. He is a fairly entertaining lecturer with an extremely entertaining accent. Go to class, read, and get an A.
Super easy class and pretty interesting. Hamalainen's really enthusiastic and it's one of the few classes where I actually felt I learned something. Just remember to participate!
Hamalainen is a great professor. I really enjoyed his enthusiasm for the subject matter and his teaching style. His lectures are discussion-based, and he really loves it when people get involved. Great professor and great class; I highly recommend him.