Gina is a great professor. Taught as a critical thinking class as much as a writing class, so you will learn about a lot of material in addition to just essay writing. She does a lot of one-on-one work and tries to get to know her students individually, which is pretty rare considering most other classes are too large for that. Not too tough.
If you're trying to decide which teacher to take for Writing 50 or any other Writing class and you want a teacher who's top priority is making sure you learn how to write better and who will give you feedback even if you don't QUITE meet the deadline for a paper then look no further. If you put effort into this class then Gina will fight for you.
Great class, if you do the work she assigns and show up to class you will almost certainly get an A. She is available outside of class for help. She helped me on my graduate school application, not only with the writing, but also discussing the ideas that would work best. My favorite teacher at UCSB.
Gina is a fantastic professor and I encourage everyone to take her class. She encourages learning and this creates awesome class discussions every time. She also is extremely helpful and commits a lot of time to helping her students. Super funny and friendly too! Loved her class... Awesome professor!!
She wants you to take any essay format you know about writing and throw it out the window. She wants you to write freely in your own way but in a sense she still dictates on what you should write. It's very unclear on how to write your essay b/c she technically doesnt want a specific format, which makes this class a lot more confusing and harder
Gina transformed my perspective on the whole educational system. She emphasizes LEARNING, and that's all she really cares about. One of the sweetest ladies you'll ever meet and certainly the best professor at UCSB. I learned so much in her class and enjoyed every second of it. Take a class with Gina!
I was not excited about taking this required writing class, but Gina made it as fun and painless as possible. It consisted mostly of in class discussion (she teaches a lot about critical thinking) and short outside of class writing assignments. One 7 page essay, and one 10 page essay that was just a rewrite of the first essay. No final exam.
Incredible teacher. She inspired me to be who i am today, and really imprinted on me the importance of education. I have had almost no other professors that have imprinted on me in the same manner.
Gina Vallis is the most incredible professor at UCSB, and that is no exaggeration. She will dedicate all her time to you if you express interest, and she goes far and beyond any professor I've ever had. She is extremely eloquent, interesting, and quirky because she loves theorists and language so much. She's so inspiring!
BEST WRITING PROFESSOR AT UCSB!!!!!!!
One of the best out there in terms of teaching quality. She's helpful, funny, a bit silly, and very forgiving in terms of grades. She really emphasizes the importance of learning, and does make you do a LOT of busy work (especially during the shorter Summer Sessions), but the work you do at the beginning will pay off in the end.
Absolutely loved her class. Gina is funny, interesting, and really cares about helping her students. She knows so much about the world and is a wonderful educator. I was always interested in her 2 hour long class. One long paper, but she helps you through it a lot and it wasn't that bad. Best teacher at UCSB!
gina is super chill and is in it completely for the students and will eff the university! as long as you ask questions and try your hardest, you will earn a good grade
She was extremely helpful, very funny and entertaining. she really knows her stuff and is really interested in what she does and tries to help as much as she can and be as clear as possible. awesome lady!!!
A very fun teacher who really makes you think. You do more thinking than learning here, and are expected to really look at what's in front of you and draw conclusions. The class was not hard at all and the environment was very entertaining. Definitely my favorite writing class.
She is a great professor. Schools need more educators like her. She evokes ideas in students that they normally do not think about, which is much more valuable than anything you read in a textbook. Her class was a pleasure to be in, never boring. She is very helpful and funny! One of my favorite teachers/professors EVER
A very smart woman and knows what she is talking about. Our class had the most meaningful discussions ever that went into some pretty deep topics. I loved the course and it was always interesting. She is always available to help and very friendly and welcoming. The class was not hard and you couldn't get better than her. Definitely recommend!
She is a very nice teacher. LOVES TO TALK! Basically all we do in class is listen to her talk for about 90% of the 1 hour and 40 minute class. But hey, it's worth it you don't have to do much. She is pretty helpful with the essay, although her explanations can be complex. But she's pretty cool :)
SHE WAS VERY NICE, BUT TALKS WAYY TO MUCH THROUGHOUT THE TWO HOURS OF CLASS. HER ASSIGNMENTS ARE EASY AND THERE ARE ONLY 2 PAPERS. THE CLASS IS OK EXPECT THERE IS NO ACTUAL PEER INTERACTION BECAUSE ALL SHE DOES IS SIT THERE AND TALK. WHEN SHE MEANS PRESENTATIONS, SHE MEANS SHE IS GOING TO SIT THERE AND TALK FOR 2 HOURS ABOUT YOUR TOPIC.
Best class at UCSB. She lets you choose your question and topic for the final paper. Very helpful with any questions. All we did in class was ask questions that couldn't be answered with a yes or no. Very open to different ideas/opinions.She is quirky and makes hilarious jokes. She can relate to students!You HAVE to take writing with her! :)
In her class all we had to do was attend class and write 2 papers. The first paper was 5-6 pages and the second was 3 pages. Classes are pretty boring, but she is really nice and very helpful.
The best professor at UCSB. Treats students with respect and the reading are very entertaining. You'll learn to get beyond the obvious and she'll help you excel at writing. Definitely recommended. She will not let you down.
she is awesome. funny, entertaining, helpful. and she will help you improve your writing.
She is a very interesting person to talk to. Her class is way easy, but it is two hours long, so it obviously drags on. She grades pretty easy and the readings are great. She doesn't grade homework, and the homework takes like 15 minutes. Great teacher for an awful class!