I have never learned so much in a class. Banks is a great lecturer, passionate, and knowledgable about everything she discusses. However, she expects A LOT from you. The amount of work and the difficulty of the material is way above what a normal intro class would expect. I would not take this class again simply because the crazy high standards.

Amazing lecturer, can tell she's extremely passionate about the subject, however class is ridiculously hard, graded off of a paper, 2 midterms, and a final. No weekly hw, just weekly readings, and you must go to lectures or you will be behind. Won't succeed in the class if you don't do the readings, and understand the lectures.

Prof. Banks is a great professor who is passionate and extremely knowledgeable about what she teaches. However this class requires A LOT of reading, is impossible to catch up on if you miss a single lecture and the prof is a very tough grader. I would recommend the class just bc I learned a lot.

She is very demanding on what she is looking for. Will interrupt students in the middle of asking a question and tell them she doesn't have time for their question. On the first day she told everyone we weren't allowed to use computers. If you are looking for a challenging class, take it but I wouldn't recommend if you're looking to fulfill a GE.

This professor made my life so hard... you have so many readings to read and if you fall back by ONE reading you are in trouble. Do NOT procrastinate!! Literally the hardest course ever which is ridiculous considering it is an introductory course, and you need to be so specific it is so ridiculous i dont recommend it. Professor is very smart tho

tread with caution

I can see she is tough and can possibly be "caring" on the inside, but I don't appreciate her rude tone. A lot of her rules are a bit unnecessary. I was only explaining to her my circumstances of time, and she had audacity to be condescending. Do not take this class if you do not have to, and if it is required, good luck Hun.

No computers and any digital devices are allowed in class. Hand written everything, EVERYTHING. All the papers and tests must be hand written. OMG... She said that treat the class as 20 century class. Unmeaningful to even put that much effort as an introductory GE course. 2 midterms and one final. MIDTERM ONE is just after the Halloween. Seriously?

This is one of the hardest classes I've taken at UCSB but I loved it. Banks is an amazing teacher, hard on the outside but she really cares about her students and cares about them learning the material. It's tough, but this is a department that should be taken seriously, not just for an easy A. The material is important and relevant.

She is an amazing teacher a lecturer however this was the hardest class I have ever taken. You have to know the material inside and out in order to do well, not for the faint of heart but I learned more than I ever have and enjoyed the content immensely.

incredibly interesting material, incredibly difficult and confusing class

Professor Banks is the hardest teacher I have ever had, like unreasonably hard for no reason. She is not clear on the grading. She also assigned a 6 page paper that was due in a week and we hadnt ever learned the material in the paper yet. The class was interesting just she made it awful

Banks is... intelligent. She knows what she's talking about and she knows that she knows what she is talking about. The most rude, pretentious teacher I've had at UCSB, where professors typically tend to be more chill and understanding. She isn't afraid to give out plenty of F's and grades harshly. Don't skip class, don't click your pen.

Banks is a difficult. She is soft inside but comes across as rude, which often makes her less influential. Passionate about subject but dislikes teaching. Lots of reading, lecture & writing. Interesting but takes up all your time. If your answer doesn't match the specific answer in her head you are wrong. Smart, but sometimes hard to like her.

Professor Banks is a fantastic teacher. I have never learned as much in a class as I did in Black Studies 1. Although this is an introductory course, she requires you to thoroughly understand the information and put effort into the class. I am a computer science major and this class required more effort that my CS courses. Overall, amazing teacher.

Professor Banks is very intelligent and this class is super interesting. I learned a lot and it changed my outlook on politics/society. That being said it is a lot of work and she does require your full effort so it is not a typical GE class in that sense. You must do the reading and participating in class will get you far with her.

Hardest introductory class I have ever taken at UCSB. Only take this class if you are willing to put in the same effort that you would to a major class. It is not an easy A and she establishes this early on. If you're looking for an easy GE look elsewhere because this is not it.

Literally the worst. She was SO rude to students. One time, a student (of non-black race) who forgot her water bottle in the class before came inside the classroom quietly to grab it. Professor Banks told her she was rude. Once the girl left, Banks said "Man you white people have no manners" in a very offensive tone. I was so uncomfortable

Brilliant professor, but tough. Lectures are clear cut and follow the reading closely. Tough grader, she wants a lot of specifics. Test questions are vague but she wants one specific answer. The hardest class I've ever taken. Make sure you're dedicated to it.

The only lectures where I was actually engaged because it was that interesting. You need to attend both lecture and section and you need to get the reader, but class never failed to capture my attention even on my most tired days. TA's are really good too and everyone makes you work, but in a good way.