Professor Hillis' lectures can be pretty boring however he does his best to make sure students know the material and are prepared for his exams. The work for this class comes from section; depending on your TA you could have to do a lot of reading every week. If you take notes during lecture and put some amount of effort in you should be fine.

All the assignments are given based on your TA so go for a TA at the end of the week that way you won't need to do extra reading. His midterm and final were very easy if you take notes from the lectures. The reading isn't useful and I never went to class. Be sure to watch his lectures on 2x because he talks slow. Definitely take this for an easy GE

It was a pretty easy class to do well in but dear lord the amount of readings and lectures that went over time nearly drove me crazy. 25% of your grade completely depends on what the TA wants to grade you on (participation or weekly assignments), 25% final paper, 25% midterm, 25% final. My TA offered like 6% of extra credit so :)

Hillis has long recorded lectures, he talks very slowly so watching them on 2x is okay. 10% of extra credit offered as well as study guides for midterms and finals. Section attendance w/camera is mandatory. Great GE class, the quality of your course experience will depend on your TA.

I thought this would be a super easy class and a break from my STEM classes. Nope. The readings were extremely long and boring and I could never figure out my TA's grading system. The lectures would always go over the time slot and it felt like he didn't respect our time at all. I ended up taking the class P/NP-- I don't recommend

My grade dropped from an A+ to a B because Greg decided that attending section was not enough to earn participation points. Worst professor at UCSB by far.

Hillis was a real gem. His lectures were easy to understand and follow along, and if you took notes on them you would be able to get an easy A on the midterm/final. He is overall just a nice guy who loves what he teaches. There is a lot of reading each week, but if you skim you'll be fine. Tests are easy and clear. Would recommend the class+Hillis.

He is a really nice guy with a good sense of humor which definitely helped when watching his lectures, but there is so much reading, like, a ton of reading and it was necessary to read everything to be able to complete the weekly assignments. I loved Hillis and would definitely take one of his classes again.

horrible, don't take any class with this professor

Prof Hillis is the best prof I've ever had. I took him for zen and it was just as easy. I showed up to lecture 3 times (he posts them all online) and he gives a study guide for both midterm and final that had everything on quizlet. No iclicker. He is the nicest and most jolly guy ever. TAKE THIS CLASS FOR EASY A.

I do not recommend. Hillis is a great guy with a good heart and funny jokes, but not the best teacher. It is possible to pass this class without attending any lectures. Go to all of the sections and study/do well on the midterms and final. You really have no reason to go to lecture if you do the readings.

TAKE GREG!! I recommend reading the texts up until the first paper. After that, it isn't really necessary as long as you are going to lecture. Easy final and the midterm was just a paper. He's also really funny, tends to go off on tangents, but otherwise very passionate about Buddhism and is very positive during office hours.

Hillis is hilarious and entertaining. I scraped by with minimal reading. Pay attention to lectures to get the general ideas so that when you write some of your papers, you have an idea of where to start and can do the relevant reading/get evidence. I got an A- because I didn't study the quizlets online long enough for the final. Easy A.

Grade split equally between two papers (5pg/each), section attn, and final. You can get by with just skimming the readings, tho it can be interesting if you're in the mood. I didn't *love* the rambling lectures, but appreciated not sweating for the GE. He gives a study guide for the final, which is very straightforward, so don't worry too much.

He's very funny and clearly enthusiastic about what he's teaching, but the material wasn't always engaging (to say the least). That being said, the class is very fair considering how detailed the material is and the TAs are super easy graders! If you're one of those existential hippie philosophers, the material will probably resonate for you anyway

One midterm, one paper, and one final. The midterm was essay based and on a curve. I wrote the paper in 1 day and did fine. The final was multiple choice and ok as well. Study before all. Hillis is an ok lecturer, he is very monotone, and his slides don't give much, take notes. There are better GEs out there.

Honestly, this class was a little harder than I expected it to be. However, I didn't do a great job of paying attention in class, so that makes sense. I studied hard for the midterm/final and wrote a good paper, so I got an A. Hillis is hilarious and entertaining.

Hillis is a a bit odd, but very funny guy. Definitely not boring as an individual, although some of this class was pretty dry. Honestly, I barely paid attention in class, but I studied hard for the final/midterm so I got an A in the class. Not too difficult and his tests have a very clear layout which he explains beforehand for you to study well.

I learned solely through lecture, and didn't put as much effort as I should have. Ended with a B+, wasn't as easy as the reviews make it out to be. very interesting class though. More like the atheist perspective on religion

Greg is super passionate about his topic and really tries to make lecture interesting (the man put a shoe on his head and walked around to illustrate a concept) This class is mainly about Zen Poetry. Consists of two 5-6 page essays, one is due as a midterm, the other due around finals. Final was mc and short response but easy

Greg's lectures are pretty chill, almost too chill. He kind of has that Bob Ross type of voice where you want to sleep because it's too relaxed. I never went to lecture because one, he posts all the notes online, and two, I fell asleep every single time. Section is easy too overall, but the last paper & final can drop your grade from an A to a C.

Professor Hillis is a really good teacher. He posts the power points online so you don't have to go to class. Don't waste your time and money on the books. Your grade consists of two 5 page essays, participation is section, and a final. He made a study guide for the final that was exactly like the test. I highly recommend this class for an easy A.

BEST professor for a GE I have every had. He is super funny at times and the class is super easy. There is a lot of reading assigned but I got through this class without having to read much of the material. The final was exactly like the study guide he handed out. The papers were pretty manageable. Overall, this class is an easy A!

Professor Hillis demonstrates an enthusiastic interest in both the subject and his students. He is very cordial and will talk with you after class if you need advice on your papers and what not, plus he's a funny guy. If you participate in lecture he will happily interact with you. To get right to the point: this is a fun, low maintenance class.