Pretty abnormal guy. The tests were on seemingly random material and uses unorthodox methods.
Hard class. Nice guy when you get to know him, but is very intelligent and makes students feel small. Dry information.
Nice professor, always willing to help. Give study guide a week before the exam.
No power points, extremely difficult to follow, nice guy but challenging class.
Lots of studying and dedication if you want to get a good grade. DON'T MISS CLASS. Everything he says in class is on the midterm and final. Highly recommend to take notes on your laptop because he can sometimes go too fast.
The class was somewhat of a challenge. I never cracked open the book and still got a decent grade in the class. Go to lecture, take notes on a laptop and form study groups to knock out the midterm review.
Learned so much about geog! Enjoyed the lecture a lot!! I was also proud of myself for memorizing all the countries.
I really liked Montello because he was always open to answering questions and took an actual interest in your life during office hours. There are 2 midterms and a 2 part final (multiple choice and country exam). Go to the lectures, take notes on your laptop because information can come one after another, and just study consistently.
Great professor, entertaining and funny lectures make the content enjoyable. It isn't easy, and he definitely is arrogant about his vast knowledge of geography, but I don't blame him. He is really helpful and open to students, overall a great guy.
Dan Montello is one of the best teachers you are going to have at UCSB. Yes he is hard, but he isn't the kind of teacher who simply reads off of a powerpoint. The tests are entirely off lecture. Just go to class and type your notes.
Don't take this class. It is very hard and he lectures with an outline. He also talks very fast so its almost impossible to write down anything he says. The book is terribly boring too. This class shouldn't be offered anymore.
Extremely boring lecturer - I honestly tried to learn in class but would end up falling asleep. Lots of material to memorize. Not sure if just my TA, but she didn't know what she was talking about half the time and graded assignments unnecessarily hard - would get the same grade if I put a lot of effort into them or not much.
One reviewer said "Dan Montello is quite possibly the greatest man on earth". I agree with this (geographic) statement. He can be arrogant, but is also very cool. This broad course covered a variety of interesting topics. Take good notes and supplement them with reading, know the study guides. I look at the world differently because of this class!
Never used the book->the reading is the exact same as the lectures, so dont waste your time doing both. The subject is very boring and includes many, many different subjects from UV rays to migration. However, Prof Montello is super funny and really cool and understanding in office hours.
This class was so interesting and really made you think. 2 midterms,5 hwk assignments, final+country exam. Go to class, PAY ATTENTION, read, and most importantly if your dont understand something visit his office hours. That is when he is most helpful. The country exam is easy points rewarded to the smart students who actually study ahead of time.
Literally the worst professor ever when it comes to lectures, and it sucks because you MUST attend them otherwise you're screwed for the midterms and final, like I was. I'm retaking this class again with a different professor.
Write down everything he says. He does give out study guides before tests, but they are huge and take a long time to do, so start early. Don't buy the book, you don't need it. Just pay attention in lecture, to EVERYTHING
Fairly easy course. Do not buy the book or even bother to read it. All questions come from lecture. Remember all the seemingly stupid facts he gives out and you'll be fine. Got an A without much work beside memorizing the study guide
Funny guy. Very easy to follow along during lectures since he outlines them, but he does go quickly thru material at times. Didn't read the book; took good notes every lecture; got an A
Montello is a cool professor. The class definitely isnt too hard, just make sure you go to lecture. his lectures are outlined and easy to follow, plus he writes the important stuff on the board. he's also really helpful during office hours
Horrible professor. The class is once a week but it is really hard to sit there for over 2 hours. Didn't like his personality and I almost fell asleep during class. Tests are hard and make sure you write down everything he says. Don't recommend taking this class.
I'm not sure if it's because I am majoring in Geography/GIS or what, but I actually enjoyed Montello. Yes some of it is unnecessarily hard but I learned a lot. Also yes, if you want to do well you must show up to lecture and take really good notes, and yes must also read the book. Montello is overbearing at times but his lectures were quite good.
I want to make sure that no freshmen makes the same mistake I did.This class is very difficult. There are 2 midterms and the final is cumulative. There is A LOT of information to memorize, so a cumulative final is impossible. Also you have to memorize ALL the countries in the world. Even if this is the ONLY class open, please don't take it.
He gets very sidetracked most of the time during lectures, although he can be very humorous. Definitely take notes on a computer, it helps organize his points, and if you type the outline he gives, it is simply adding bullet points between them. Material seems like common sense, but still be sure to study since midterms can be worded confusingly.