He's Awesome Take Him!, now you do have to take notes and although he does not take attendance I do recommend going to all his lectures as you actually learn something in all of them and if you don't then you WILL have to do all the Required reading. Go To Every Lecture and TAKE NOTES and it you will get an A.

My favorite professor yet. Graves is a very nice man. He cracks jokes and shows videos which is cool. TAKE GOOD NOTES because half of the midterm and final are solely based off of lectures. Material is pretty interesting, Watts is a good TA, she gives easy map quizzes.

This was a very interesting class. He discusses the entirety of human history in the context of humans' interactions with the environment. His tests are easy if you go to lecture, but the essay he assigned was a little confusing. He is a nice guy too.

Graves is an awesome guy! He has a funny, quirky personality. More of a history course with a few environmental aspects thrown in, but still pretty interesting. Enjoyable class. Tests are fair, pretty easy A if you attend class and take good notes.

TAs sucked at giving presentations. Need 2 bluebooks (1 for midterm, 1 for final). There's easy map quizzes

great class if you like history, not too much covered. Makes it clear what you need to know, pay attention in class, but if you miss a day you will be fine. Don't buy the reader, but read the other two books. Graves grew on me as the quarter went on, give him a chance and you might really like the class!

Really good prof. and class even though it was disguised as a history class which was always my worst subject. He was very clear in lecture and prepared us well for tests. Reader not necessary at all, didn't buy it. I found the book GGS for free online. Class is mandatory unless you get the notes from someone. Best ta is Sarah Richman!

i LOVED this class!!! this was my favorite out of the introductory es classes (my major). i AM a history minor so that's probably why i loved it so much but it's easy if you put in time and effort. he's funny, very clear, and i found it easy to get through 1hr15m. Jason Linn is an AMAZING TA (had him twice). Graves is just da best :)

LOVED this class! Ppl complained a lot about it being a "history" class, well, READ THE CLASS DESCRIPTION! I found it super fascinating, and Graves makes it interesting with film and music. The reading was really easy, no hw. Only complaint was a confusing paper prompt. Exams are IDs & an essay portion, easy if you can do key terms essentially.

Never went to a single class and just went to mandatory section (huge portion of the grade). I borrowed someone's notes for tests (all written tests). The paper wasn't too bad and didn't require class attendance. It's basically a lot of memorization of information, he mentions the word environment here and there but its basically a history class.

Professor Graves is fantastic! Though lectures may be a little boring for some people uninterested in the subject, Graves does his best to be clear, concise, and helpful. In his honors section he really opens up and shows his funny side. Great person, great teacher! Take his class.

Lecture is interesting enough, more of a history class than environmental studies. Tests are easy if you go to class or get the notes from someone, he outlines everything he'd want you to know. The paper is ridiculous, though. Really bad topic, way too confusing and unfocused. Otherwise he's funny, entertaining and has good musical taste.

boring class. talks a lot about history. basically expects you to read a whole book in 1 week because you obviously don't have any other classes to worry about.

I really enjoyed this class. He is funny, shows videos and keeps the class interesting (I do love history tho). Every lecture felt like Prof. Graves was telling a story, and he kept my attention. Take solid notes, & the final is a breeze (3 essays at home). I just turned my notes directly into papers and got an A-. He's great! Take the class.

Loved the class, but two things you should know: MT & FIN are essay, and he grades relatively hard on these. Also, the class is taught from the White point of view-best to combine with HIST 168A and/or B (Chicano Hist) to gain perspective. Go see him in his office, he's lots of fun.

This class is well-organized. His lectures are like one big story and keeps the students entertained. He is a really funny guy too! Especially when he uses his fishing pole as a pointer, The midterm is an in-class essay about the lectures. Final is three take home essays on 3 separate books. Don't miss lectures, nothing is posted online. Fun class

Best Professor ever! I also took him for California History which is so far my favorite class at UCSB. He is very enthusiastic and I skipped classes and skimmed through the books and still got an A in the class. I learned a lot of very interesting things in his classes! :)

Helpful and Interesting

Good class but if you get Peggy Beadle as a TA you'll be screwed. All the other TAs graded super easy but she screwed everyone in her sections over, Graves even had to tell her to stop grading so hard. As long as you have a decent TA this class is an easy A and interesting, get notes from someone and then you wont have to worry about going to class

GREAT CLASS! If you're interested Econ/Anth/EnvS, he's the best. His lectures are always interesting and he cracks jokes and shows lots of videos. Midterm is really easy, just focus on the chart in GGS, & the final is harder but still easy. Best TA: Tracey Watts All bluebook, but section really brings up your grade. Everyone should take this class!

He's a really good lecturer who is really knowledgable about the subject, although if you miss the lectures, you won't get the notes because they're not posted online or anything. Midterm and final aren't too bad if you have good notes and just study them.

I became an E.S. major after taking his class. He is a great lecturer. The tests were short answers/1 essay. If you take great notes in class, you'll be set. Plus, he gives you a list of everything you need to be familiar with for the test.

hands down best professor at ucsb. he is passionate about the subject matter. he is extremely smart and witty. sense of humor, awesome. great lecturer, take good notes and they will help you on midterm/ take home final. high recommend taking any class with greg

EASIEST CLASS/TEACHER AT UCSB. LITERALLY DIDNT PICK UP THE BOOK, TOOK NOTES IN CLASS(SKIPPED A FEW) AND GOT AN A IN THE CLASS. HE IS SO NICE, EASIEST LECTURES, VERY CLEAR, SO CLEAR/DETAILED THAT YOU DONT NEED TO BUY THE BOOK. THE FINAL IS A PAPER ON A BOOK WHICH HAS ALL THE INFO ONLINE. NEED EASY UNITS? HERES YOUR CLASS!