If you enjoy Renaissance/Baroque art, then this is a class for you, if not, find a different Art GE. 6B with Paul is a harder class than other ARTHI courses I have taken, even as an Art History major. Mandatory attendance and I felt that it was hard to know how to succeed and do well on essays and blue-book tests. If you're taking for a GE, don't.
Entertaining and passionate professor who is easily accessible, although the course is pretty much as difficult as GE's get. Mandatory attendance, 2 weekly readings, bluebook essay midterm and final with upwards of 85 paintings that need to be memorized for each exam. Getting an A is definitely feasible, but will take a good amount of work.
So incredibly boring and gives no actual value to the taker. For this class you have to memorize the name, date, author, and original location for 80+ images along with having some background of each image. Doesn't post lecture slides and slides have no writing so to do well you have to pay attention constantly. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND
Her class is wayyyyy too much for an GE. If you like European art, then this class is for you. Otherwise, avoid her ASAP as it will take more time to study than your major classes.
She is a nice person, but the class is unnecessarily hard. You have to memorize the artist, date, title, and location of like 100 paintings. Way too much work for a GE. Midterm and final are just all based on memorization and it is so much work to memorize so many things. Would not recommend the class. Lectures are hard to pay attention to
Passionate about the subject and so were TAs. There were weekly readings and some were a little hard to understand, but the lectures were where the information we were tested on came from. As long as you take good notes during lectures, do the readings, and study the study images and can write essays you should be fine. Take if u like European art.
This class has mandatory lectures twice a week AND THEY ARE EXTREMELY BORING. Expects you to memorize ~60 paintings (along with the artist, name, year, and location) to be graded on just 5 on the exams. No clear grading criteria on the papers. Take another GE if you value your time.
Class consists of continuous rambling during lectures that are boring unless you enjoy the subject, memorizing 60+ painting's titles, artists, dates, and locations and only being tested on 5 of them for exams, 2 papers (relatively okay), and useless notes that have no words! For your sanity, don't take this GE and especially this professor.
Lectures are long and boring with no writing on the slides, you have to memorize A lot of mundane artwork including exact dates. Carole is always grumpy and the TAs are harash graders. Grading criteria is unclear and directions for essays that have a lot of weight are blunt.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS FOR A GE!! This is honestly one of the hardest classes I've ever taken and the expectations are ridiculous. There are two papers which are not that bad. A midterm and final that are awful because you have to remember artist, name, location, date AND the overall story behind each one only to have a test on 5.
I already commented, and had more to say. This prof doesn't let you ask questions or even help unless you're in her honor section. She directly refers you to your TA so hopefully you get a good one. She was still lecturing and provided 15 more images to study the day before the midterm. Dismisses other religions.
this professor SUCKS- no assignments, just midterm and final. Had to memorize 80+ artworks, their titles, their artists, their date, and their original location just for five to be picked on the midterm. totally unhelpful and uncaring about students. Talked all lecture, no notes on slides. Also strongly religious-really weird.
I took an upper-division course with Paul and it was better than the lower division online course I took in 2021. Professor Paul is witty and her lectures are interesting. Participate in class, go to her office hours (she's friendly!) and study for the midterm and final. there was one paper that was only five pages and not a research paper.
Dr. Paul is wonderful. She is passionate about the material and her lectures are very detailed. Participation in section is mandatory. Class is only graded off midterm, final, and section participation. But the prompts are very straight forward making it easy to do well if you put in the effort. Looking forward to taking a class with her!
The lectures were long but fine. We were only graded by the midterm and final so it was hard to get a grade you wanted or to improve.
Lectures were fine but long. Participation in section was mandatory. I'm not an art major but you can get a good grade if you just do all the readings and watch all the videos. Midterm and final essays basically your whole grade but the TA's weren't too hard on grading.
Not having to turn in any physical homework was nice, but be warned: lectures are grueling. If this is a class you're taking to fulfill a GE and you're not actually an avid art/history student, look elsewhere--this class's material is super niche and the lectures are overwhelming if you're not all that into European history let alone rules of art.
Do not take for a GE. Overall grade is based on 40% midterm, 50% final and 10% section - nearly not enough to justify the two one hour-long lectures that are posted each week. The lectures themselves are packed with too much information so it's difficult to synthesize the material. I came in wanting to admire art; instead I came out dreading it.
Dr. Paul is great. Her class is 2 async lectures a week that are dense but super interesting and you can tell she puts a lot of time into it. She really knows the subject matter + gives insightful commentary on the art. Taught me a lot about analyzing art. Discussion section + 2 essay-question midterms. Great teacher and person, would take again.
The Professor is very nice, but the class is VERY boring. Readings and lectures are long and basically an information dump, so it's hard to retain the content. She only grades you on the midterm 40%, final 50%, and section participation 10%. Don't take this professor/class for a GE, especially if history is your worst subject.
Amazing lecturer! You have to attend and participate in lectures but she makes them very interesting. The best prof to take if you want to actually learn during distance learning. Heavy reading which you have to do to do well on midterm/final. Only a midterm/final so you have to do well. Highly recommend.
My least favorite learning experience here at UCSB. I *love* art! But with Doctor Paul I find it so very difficult to care about the material, lecture is an information dump at best, the texts are "mandatory" but I recommend splitting the cost or avoid purchase entirely, you'll probably be able to manage without it. TLDR: Very, very boring
10% participation; 20% midterm; 30% paper; 40% final. Midterm and final both have aspects of memorizing 70 art pieces by artist/name/date/location/importance and readings taken from a $75 course reader over 500 pages long. Before I took this class, I thought I would be able to memorize 70 images easy-- don't be ambitious. Don't take for a GE.
If you're not an art history major, don't take this class with her. Definitely not for someone with little to no background in art history. Gives like 70+ images to memorize and only tests you on 4 through short answers and essays. Reader was $75 which you basically have to get as the questions were based off the readings. Terrible experience.