Valle, Philip  

Valle was great. I had him for Intro to Theater. It was mostly the history of theater, which a really enjoyed. The workload is manageable if you stay up to date on all due dates and assignments. There is a midterm and a final(study your lecture notes well and review the plays), One or two take home written assignments on plays read, two performance critiques (time consuming but not at all difficult, I actually liked having an excuse to go to these). The only downside was this quarter is that he decided to guinea pig monologues on his giant lecture class. So we all had to perform a one minute. It takes up 30 to 40 minutes in the beginning of class, and two whole days (2 hr classes) to finish all these monologues. And he said he had to cut back on course material to fit them in. I would rather learn more than watch kids "act" out scenes from Mean Girls and The Hangover. Our lecture is just too big to do that, sorry Valle. It was an idea with good intentions. Maybe if the class was smaller, by at least 100 students.

Valle is bomb. Love that guy. Valle is super chill, fun, knowledgable, and makes what would be a super boring class, actually quiet enjoyable. I look forward to going to it every morning. He has a lot of experience in the theater department, so he randomly tells stories about his experiences in Rome and Greece. This class has practically no homework ( except two play critiques and a response to an article). He asks the class to read a few plays over the course of the quarter. I, however, did not read any of them and finished with an A. The midterm is a piece of cake- he gives you a study guide with all the answers. If you study it well, you will get an A. The class is a half lecture and half play watching. In the past the class was forced to read a ton of plays, but Valle hated that so he made it more interactive by hiring 10 students to perform all the plays. So you watch plays and then listen to a really cool professor talk about gladiators and shakespeare. TAKE HIM!

Dude, this guy is awesome! I took this theater class because it counted for C3 general ed, and out sounded pretty cool. At first I was a little intimidated by him, but he's actually super cool and really funny. Some of the material normally would be pretty boring, but Valle made it interesting and fun. He's really knowledgable and showed us how theater ties in to ecerything else in the world. And every now and then we'd watch a movie and get let out early...that was cool. But seriously, I learned more in this guy's class than any other class Ive ever had in my life. Valle is really chill and has a lot to offer, and I highly recommend him. By far one of my favorite teachers at cal poly.

I wasn't overly impressed by Valle, but he's cool. I liked him. He flips through his power point a bit too fast, the notes are a little scattered, but other than that, the class is pretty good. It isn't too hard. You really freak out about the first test because he gives you this huge list of word/names/things you need to know, but you just need to know the basics of it all. No picky details, just the big picture. You don't have to read any old plays, but you do have to read some wierd, short plays, as well as some really good plays. Not too much homework or stuyding needed. He doesn't give minuses, so thats cool. You can get deffinately an A.

Valle presented a lot of interesting material throughout the quarter. Sometimes it was a little hard waking up at 8 am to attend his lecture, but overall the material was as interesting as it could get. Your grade is based off of one 150 pt midterm, a 500 wd. play critique worth 50 pts(the average was 49.5), and a final exam worth 300 points. I really would not consider this class an easy A, but if you are willing to read the plays and pay attention in lecture, it is achievable. My only complaint was his ridiculous 2 scantron final necessary at 7 am NO!

this guy can be funny at times his class is very boring, i just sat there and typed all the notes because he moves pretty fast. He treats the class like everyone in it is tehatre majors. I dont think he changes the study guide year to year because there are lots of terms that nobody could find in the notes and the plays that you read in the class are... lets say hard to understand the meaning. some of the plays are 30+ pages and he might put a question or two on it out of 100 questions but you still have to read the entire thing. Personally i didnt like how his tests were, he is a BAD test writer and doesnt know how to phrase things clearly. Then again he is a nice guy and stuff, but i wouldnt take the class if i had known all of this... unless you just need some random GE and you dont really wanna have to do anything in the actual class.

Professor Valle must find the sound of his voice very soothing, because he literally talks for the whole two hours without taking a breath. Valle gives a 'study guide' for each midterm (2) and the final. Since his lectures are so disjointed, the study guide is not exactly the best pedagogical tool for studying. It is easy to get a B in the class, a little harder to get an A. If you can take another class to fulfill this GE area, I highly recommend that you do!

There are 300 points per test (2 midterms and a final) and 100 points for a play critique. It's not difficult to get a B in the class. The tests, however, are very scattered (like his lectures), making it difficult to get an A. At the end of the day, most of your grade revolves around mind-numbing memorization of minute details and facts.

Professor Valle is an asshole! He treats everybody like they're a theatre major. He assigns so much work that it is almost impossible to do. For a GE class, this shit was horrible. He could roll over and die for all I cared. Im serious! AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Stupid GE's shouldnt be this much work at all.

This class was flat out annoying. First of all he didn't even follow the course description, this was supposed to be about the elements of theatre not the history of it. This fact alone proves that he isn't qualified to teach the lecture. Second, he is one of the worst lecturers I have had since being at Cal Poly and his powerpoints are atrocious. He talks for about 100 minutes straight with no organization at all. His powerpoints usually consist of slides with phrases that make no sense and are grammatically incorrect so this forces you to write down every single thing he said. There is also no order to them...at one point he could be talking about Elizabethan theatre then he jumps right into method acting then back to the Greek stage and then to some other random BS, leaving you so confused. Third, his study guides are a complete joke. It is usually a list of one word clues that you should study. So naturally you would study everything about thing on the study guide and how it relates to theatre, too bad that is no help on the test. That brings up my final point, he has NO CLUE how to write a test. The midterms and final are 100 question scantron tests. On each test there are a lot of matching questions, usually grouped into 5. This is the worst part of each test. He will have 5 words and then you have to match it up to 5 other words. Usually a good test maker would make you match it up with a phrase not another word. For instance, here is an example of one on the final: He had the word Darwin. I narrowed it down to two answers 1859 and Positivism. I admit that I didn't know the significance of the year 1859 because he never stressed that in lecture and it wasn't on his retarded study guide, so I went with Positivism, because that was a movement inspired by Darwin's work when he wrote origin of species. I was wrong, because 1859 was when he wrote his work, but how is somebody supposed to remember a small detail like that? For the final I studied literally 25 pages of typed notes, and there is no way I can memorize every date that he listed. There are just so many examples like that. Also, I did all the readings but about 80% of the questions he asks on the readings could be found on wikipedia or sparknotes, so that was a big fat waste of time. Ok sorry that was a rant, I just don't know why I struggled so hard to get an A- in this class when I usually do really well in school. My best advice is: DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS IF HE IS TEACHING IT. My second best advice if you are forced to take him is: Write down every single word he says in lecture and be prepared to memorize it all, every little detail. P.S. I haven't taken many personal shots at him throughout this review but I just have to say he is a weird man. He sometimes talks about the plays that he has written or is in the process of writing and they are just hilariously bad. i.e. He is wrote a musical about hurrican katrina, and he is in the process of writing a play about the titanic where people dance at the bottom of the atlantic dance with the kelp. It really is true when people say: THOSE WHO CAN'T DO, TEACH..

Give me science over the arts any day, but this wasn't as bad as I thought. If I had to describe the class in 7 words...two midterms, one final, easy as shit. I had the smaller class with about 40 people and it was really fun. He presents everything very clearly on powerpoints, and his tests were straight. The only thing that I didn't like was that he didn't post his lectures online, so you had to go to class. Just remember..."DADA kicks you in the ass and you like it!!"

Much easier than the other arts electives. It's a two hour lecture of taking notes the whole time, no acting whatsoever, occasionally watching a movie clip or two. You learn about a lot of random theatrical aspects, and the 3 midterms (the final is essentially a third midterm) often are much easier than you think. You have to go watch a play and write a critique on it, the average score is a 90-100%, so it's no big deal. In the larger section people often email their notes to the entire class, so not showing up every now and then won't hurt.

Valle was a great prof. He explains all the material simply, but is still an interesting teacher. He gives you a study guide before both of the 2 midterms. Also the final isn't cumulative, which was really nice. You write one paper, its 500 words or more on a play. As long as you turn something in you get a 100 on it. This class was cake. Take it with Valle.

This class is average. Not too difficult, but his presentations are very disjointed so your notes may not make sense when it comes to filling out his study guides for the midterms. He also liked to lecture for the hour right before he gave the test which was confusing. The play critique is an easy 100 points that help boost your grade if you bomb a midterm.

This class is pretty boring, and being in the huge Spanos Theatre doesn't really help as far as staying awake. He lectured the whole two hours for the first few weeks, but eventually we ended about 15 minutes early. It's probably better not to think too much into his lectures while you are there because there doesn't seem to be much organization to what he is teaching. It might start off with a common theme, but eventually it just starts to jump around. As long as you can somehow get a hold of some notes before the test and read the plays he assigns you'll pass. You might not do great, but you'll pass. His tests are really really detail specific. But again, if you missed a bunch of class, or just doze for the 2 hours, graze over someone else's notes and you'll be okay. All his notes are powerpoint, it would help a lot if they were provided on blackboard or something, but they aren't. Valle is a nice guy though.

IT'S A NIGHTMARE...i had him at Cuesta for a drama class, and he sucked. and, now he's at Poly teaching ES becuase he's a Chicano. I am Mexican-American, too, and he doesn't do us a favor with his lousy teaching; send him back to Cuesta.

if you attend classs you will understand theatre a lot better. If you sleep through the class obviously you won't get anywhere. Take notes, do the study guides and you will pass. Go to a play and get free points with the critque. It's not hard to do.

He knows the class is a GE and makes the midterm and final easy. By easy I mean easy! He makes a study guide of what to know for the tests and everything is in the lecture notes. His lectures are not exiting and are not too boring but the class does feel like a lot longer than two hours. His powerpoints don\'t have much of an outline, so it feels like he is talking about one thing and then throws out another subject, and goes back to the previos subject. Sounds confusing right? well that is what his class feels like, confusing. Attending a play is madatory with a written critique of the play. Not the best teacher, but not the worst.

Prof. Valle makes theater a very dry subject. The only thing that I ever struggle with in his class was to stay awake. He loves Power Point and for the most part lectures for an entire 2 hour period straight. Intro to theater should be under the HIST category because it has not relevance to actual theater or drama itself. But if you like notes and old theater, then he is a fair professor and is an upbeat guy.

Valle was, simply put, a relatively boring teacher, but not necessarily a bad professor. TH210 was not a class I enjoyed going to, even though I am a big fan of theater. The class was very dry, taught entirely from PowerPoints. There is a single acting assignment, which I loved, but the rest of the class was an unfortunate mess of theater history slides. He conveyed information, but not necessarily in an exciting manner.

I went into this class thinking I was going to hate it. Science is my thing, theatre... not so much. But I actually found this class to be quite interesting. I liked that it was a history of theater (which wasn't exactly the course description but whatever), and was tied to the advancement of other arts and technology. The lectures didn't exactly go in chronological order and that confused a lot of students. I would suggest taking notes on a laptop, the study guides for the midterm/final are just terms that are easier to find on a word document than in a binder. Study and you will do just fine. You have a play a week to read but none of them took me over an hour to read. If you have to take TH 210, take Valle and avoid Duffy.

Dr. Valle is a pretty chill guy but it sort of disorganized when it comes to his note slides, like it will jump from topic to topic. About notes, TAKE DETAILED notes. I mean, word for word, because it will appear on the midterm and that messed me up. But, he had the final only on three of the six plays we read, so that was rather easy. I liked how he diversified the learning experience by having groups act out a scene from the play and also had each student do a research presentation. He made the class sort of fun b/c we studied only comedy in theater. He made an other-wise perhaps dry subject interesting.

His powerpoints are very unorganized. He has no clue how to write tests so that they actually reflect what we've learned. If you're looking to take a GE that's actually worth anything and isn't a total waste of your time, I recommend you don't take Valle

Professor Valle is very disorganized. He jumps from slide to slide without clarification and doesn't allow students to take notes unless they can type really quickly. I recommend bringing a laptop to type notes since writing is nearly impossible at the speed and jumping around that he does. His tests are really difficult unless you study for hours. For the final, he told us that anything not on the study guide, we won't be tested on, yet there were things that weren't on the study guide on the final. I'd say only take this class if you HAVE to (aka 12th rotation and only 8 units).

Valle is pretty chill. He pretty much tells you at the beginning of the quarter that he will never post his lectures on Poly Learn because people wouldn't show up to class (which totally would happen). He also understands that 95% of people take this class because it's a GE, so he tries not to make it too hard. However, his final was decently difficult, even though he gave out a study guide and promised to stick to it. I believe he curved that test a lot, though. Also, it is physically impossible to write as fast as he talks; it's barely possible to type as fast as he talks. So be prepared for frantic typing and very disorganized PowerPoints that have no cohesive flow and randomly capitalized words. Overall, his class wasn't that bad, but definitely be prepared to type your heart out.

He's okay. He really should post the lecture slides on PolyLearn but he won't. You should take a computer because he does go through the slides really fast. I thought the plays were boring or just really weird. It could have been an easy A but I got lazy and physics took over my life.

TH 210 is a terrible GE. There is nothing interesting about it and it's nothing like what you'd think it would be about. Valle was okay, but it's very challenging if you're not an auditory learner. His PowerPoints are very incoherent and, as others have mentioned, it's nearly impossible to write/type as fast as he talks. My recommendation is to just take a different GE.

Not so much the instructor himself is bad, but the class is another story. Just don't take this class. You will be stoked when you aren't like one of buddies studying over 100 terms and 4 plays front to back. I thought this class would be ok and I was wrong. It isn't easy.

Presentations are very confusing, doesn't help that he presents at light speed to get through all of his material. Midterm is easy if you attend lecture and study a lot. Final is a lot more difficult. Would not recommend taking this class.

Although everyone else is saying don't take this class, I think it's worth taking if you need another GE and don't have any other options. Basically impossible to get an A, but with a lot of studying I got a B. There is barely any homework in the class, there are like two essays and three (I think) essays about plays you have to attend. You can easily get an A all the way through the class, but the final was so bad that I'm pretty sure everyone failed which dropped my grade to a B. The only downside of the class is how the final is way way way harder than the assignments and midterm. He is a really nice professor and chill

Everyone keeps saying it's impossible to get an A in this class, truth is you have to work for it. Like everything, so quit complaining. How I got an A: When taking notes, I used OneNote, created a tab for every lecture, typed extremely detailed notes about every single concept he talked about in lectures, when he posted the study guides for the midterm and final, surprise surprise (not really), I had notes for every single topic he expected students to know for the exams. When studying for exams, its all about becoming familiar with every concept on the study guide, (everything in your notes), and you are guaranteed a good score. For the monologue, as long as you choose one performed by a character you are familiar with and/or you relate to, you will do well. For his writing assignment, allude to topics discussed in the lectures, as long as you incorporate something discussed in class and combine it with your personal opinion, you will do well. Play critiques, just get them done, use details, follow his guidelines to writing a good critique and you will do well. Bottom line, the quality of your notes will determine the quantity of your grade. So be wise, go to class, and don't be lazy.

I took theater for four years in high school, so I assumed this class was going to be incredibly boring for me, but Valle links out dated playwrights to modern society and it's obvious that he really loves teaching. He talks fast, but if you pay attention and type notes you'll be fine.

TH 210 isn't bad as long as you go to class! Valle goes through the lectures a little quickly sometimes, but he keeps it interesting. He's really great though because he posts study guides for both the midterm and the final, and if you missed it on your notes, the class before the test is dedicated solely to the study guide. Barely any homework - just some reading, two play critiques, and a one-minute monologue; he's really helpful during office hours if you need help.

I took this class only because I was blocked into it and too lazy to change to art, or some other GE in this area that I was familiar with. And it really wasn't that bad. The material he presents is interesting and it's obvious he has a great understanding of all the elements of theatre. It is true that he presents his lectures fast, but you just have to make sure you take quality notes and write down almost everything he says--even some of the small and seemingly unimportant details appear on his tests. I took hand notes, it was a bit quick sometimes, but it can be done. Just make sure you do well on the assignments he give, he only enters 6 grades into the gradebook, including the midterm and final. Don't abandon the class just because of negative comments by other students. Hint: on his play critiques, he particularly looks for specific details of the performances you critique to show you actually went to see them.

Valle is a pretty good professor. The class is an extremely easy A if you attend it regularly (which I did not). Take notes off his lectures and you can comprise the answers to all of the study guides aka. the tests. Word for word definitions, piece of cake. I did not read a single play for this class that was required, spark notes or looked at notes from friends and I relatively got every question right asked about them on the exams. The Laramie Project he had his students perform for us in class so I probably wouldn't bother purchasing the play. As well as the textbook, I opened it once the first week of class... then never again. Very easy A if you attend each lecture I'm telling ya.

This class is more like a theatre history class. Likewise, Valle makes this dry subject relatively interesting. He cares about what he's saying, which makes it easier to pay attention. Nevertheless, this is an easy class, as long as you show up. Use a laptop to copy just about every word he says, and you'll have the exact answers to the midterm and final. The outlines aren't usually in the order he presents the material, so I stopped using them by the third lecture. Reading the sparknotes versions of the plays will get you through just fine, but the ones he chooses are actually interesting to read. A great GE for transitioning from high school to college classes.

I took theater for four years in high school, so I expected this class to be boring for me. However, Valle links theater history to current social issues and makes it really interesting.There were 300 people in the class, so he did talk very fast and didn't always notice when people were behind,but if you take notes on your laptop you'll be fine.

Professor Valle's class is a class that you should avoid at all costs if you don't have the slightest interest in learning about theatre. I took this class expecting a "cake walk" and it was exactly the opposite. It wouldn't be difficult if you are interested in theatre and actually go to class/read the plays he assigns (which the midterms are heavily based on). I had no motivation to learn the material or go to class but knew I had to in order to get a decent grade in the class. Also, he forces each student to present a 1 minute monologue in front of the 400 student class...not fun at all. He also makes it a requirement to see two plays during the quarter in which I spent $45 to see a play that was literally a SOFT-CORE PORN!!! Anyways, if you can find another class to take and youre not interested in theatre, do it.

So I was not looking forward to this class at first, but it gave me the best memories I could have ask for from a class. The monologue portion is so much fun. Overall, the class is super chill and as long as you are studying and coming to his lectures, you will breeze by with an A

SUPER EASY. Me and my roommate got 100% on our play critiques just for doing them (we are not good writers), and that's worth 20% of the grade, monologue is not bad and actually fun, and as long as you know all the words he gives you an A. Didn't really go to class and got B+ on both tests from only studying the night before.

This is a great class to take to fulfill the Fine Arts GE requirement, especially if you're interested in the history/origins of theatre! He assigns several plays to read but trust me you don't have to read them IF you go to every class because he has his TA's PERFORM THEM for you! I had a great time in this class. His lectures can be boring from time to time but if you write everything down and always go to class you will make an A for sure. Seriously. Take this class!

Professor Valle is one of the most enjoyable, caring, and enthusiastic professors I have had at Cal Poly. He goes over PowerPoints that will not be posted later on, so be sure to have your computer ready. With this being said, Professor Valle is very effective in ensuring that students understand the content of each slide and will slow down/answer questions if need be. Definitely take this course if you want an easy A and enjoy getting out of class 30 minutes early.

Such a chill guy. I'm not interested in theatre really but he made the class pretty interesting. Not much homework, and only one midterm and final. Very easy class and you hardly have to go. But it's interesting and like I said, really cool guy.

Super Boring class. You are graded on attendance as well. At the beginning of the quarter, you have to purchase the REEF polling app to answer questions on your phone/laptop throughout the class to prove you were in attendance. If you need to skip for whatever reason, have a friend text you whenever a question comes up so you can still answer it and you shouldn't miss any points. His Midterm and Final are somewhat difficult because he asks over 100 questions on completely random shit you probably forgot from throughout the quarter. You also have to pay to see two plays, then write play critiques on each. B's are easy to get, A's are not as easy. Valle forgets that 99% of the people in his class are only taking it because it fills a GE, not because we actually give a fuck about theatre.

Honestly, he's not the best lecturer, but I still recommended this class to my friends because it's really easy if you just show up. Out of the eight or so plays that we were required to read, I found about five of them online and read reviews of the other three. They are pretty short and are modern, so the language is normal. You can read them in like five minutes, and some are actually interesting. He does go through his lecture slides REALLY FAST so bring your laptop, but if you type it up word for word then you should be good. I didn't use any of his lecture guides except for the review ones he posted online, and just filled them out from my notes the day before tests and memorized them. The tests are pretty much just random facts from the notes, and if you find that you missed something on the study guide, someone will have organized a google doc of the answers that he promotes in class, so just use that. Don't go to study sessions, they're not helpful. You also have to go to two play performances, but those are easy if you buy tickets super early and force yourself to go that way. The monologue isn't hard, everyone just picked stuff from their favorite TV shows.

Talks crazy fast so bring a laptop to to take notes or else you won't get anything down. Prof. Valle understands that this is a GE course and knows that it is rare for a Theater major to be in the class so he creates the class with that in mind. Midterm and Final are both multiple choice, make a quiz-let of the terms you need to know and the tests will not be detrimental to your grade at all. You have to go see two plays so if you aren't a play watching person that is a bit of a drag but the assignment attached to the viewing of the plays is not too difficult. You have to read about 4 plays, they're not long just some a little boring depending on which plays he assigns. The tests are more focused on the lectures than the reading of the plays. Overall good class I recommend taking it.

Do not take this class or Music if you want to get your art GE out of the way. The teacher is great he is a great guy and makes this class very entertaining. However it is not an easy class by any means, lots of bullshit memorization and you have to attend every single class to get your reef points. He is a great guy and I loved him, but I do not recommend this class to anyone unless you are in love with theatre.

Take this class for your GE requirement I guarantee you it is the best class out of all of the options you have. You have 1 midterm which you get a study guide for which has everything you need to know for the exam, there will not be one question asked that is not presented on the study guide. You will have to give a 1 minute monologue (you get to pick it out) which sucks but as long as you get up there and say your lines you will get an A. Aside from that, you have to give 2 play critiques which you will get 100% if you attend the event and give a critique the correct length and one 300 word response to a simple question. 5% of your grade is reef polling but missing a few classes here and there will not hurt you, I know many people who rarely went to class and did fine. All in all, take this class to fill your GE Requirement!

No reason you cannot get a great grade in this class as long as you study hard for the exams! Super interesting professor, and that is saying a lot coming from a person who has NO interest in theatre whatsoever. I don't like taking ANY classes at 9 am, but if I had to take one again it would be this one. Entertaining, knowledgeable, and overall just a great person to learn from. Would absolutely recommend Valle. Don't really understand why his ratings are so low, at least for this class. Just take the midterms and final seriously and you'll be golden.

Valle is a very passionate professor and presents the material in a understandable way especially when the majority of students in this class are taking it for GE purposes. This class is probably an easy B. The only assignments he gives are to do two play critiques which you get full credit for if you do them. He grades you on attendance using the iClicker system (5% of your grade) and doesn't put the powerpoints up on PL. Make sure to read the books or get a summary of them because although there aren't assignments on them, they show up on the exams. The exams are pretty reasonable and include information from lectures, plays acted out, and reading material. Also there is a monologue worth 10% which seems tough but it's pretty easy when you just face it and get it done.

Hey Bobby, can you check the volume? I'm not sure about the sound on this one.

Complete waste of time. If you don't bring your computer to take notes, you're screwed. Didn't learn one interesting thing and got an F on my monologue for having stage fright. Sorry that I can't talk in front of a room with 200+ people in it, thanks Valle. I'll probably still end up with a B in the class but still, avoid if you actually want to learn something. Some test questions were ridiculous but as long as you know your stuff and every little detail he says in class, you should be fine. Also read the plays, I could have gotten much better test scores if I actually read. I think Bobby is tired of being your bich Valle, he needs a raise. Also WTF is up with your TAs. You're the professor, I don't want to get told by some drama girl to switch seats halfway through taking a test. Literally no point in moving ONE seat over.

Valle was a super fun professor, and I would highly recommend this class to fill this GE. He was so entertaining- he would sprint up and down the halls of the theatre lecturing passionately, and you could tell he was super into it. I frantically took notes- which you have to if you want to cover everything- but it turns out I didn’t even need to because he allows the entire class to share a google doc study guide. If you study, you will get an A.

In my opinion, it would be extremely difficult to get a bad grade in this class, it was the EASIEST and MOST FUN general class I've taken so far. Here's what it looked like: 1) You have to read 6 plays that will come up on the exams. Each one took me less than an hour to read. 2) There was one written assignment, it was very short, very simple, and over within the first couple weeks of the quarter. 3) This next one was probably the most work, you have to attend 2 plays (there are many events you can go to throughout the quarter that will fulfill this) and write a critique about each. If you're like me, go to the 2 first ones you can go to and get it over with. 4) The monologue. just a 1-minute monologue. Don't be scared it, I have terrible stage fright and I'm very shy but I got through it and got a great grade because I prepared a lot. 5) In class participation. He uses an app called reef to ask questions throughout the lectures. This means you actually have to show up to class (boohoo get over it) 6) 1 midterm, and a final. Both are super manageable! I aced both with one night of super low key studying. The best part... They aren't cumulative! In lectures I wrote down everything he said, but before each exam, he let the class create a google doc where everyone could contribute notes. Every single note was dumped in there. I read that a couple times the night before each exam and that was that. All in all this was a great class and the lack of difficulty was a bonus. Valle was entertaining but watch out, he'll call you out on your bullshit. I actually was very excited to go to this class everytime so if you have a chance, take it!

His lectures have no clear flow to them, they are a collection of slides presented as a coherent thought, if you like presentations with a clear and logical flow avoid him at all costs. He doesn't care about censorship, he said in class that "if you don't like what I'm saying don't listen" and in the same lecture said "white christians are to thank for gay marriage" (it was trans people of color), "homeless people do lots of soliloquies" (people babble because they're on meth or because of a mental illness so it isn't just homeless people), and referred to people of color as "an exotic demographic." To re-iterate: This man believes he is always in the right and that his words shouldn't affect you and if they do affect you then tough luck. DO NOT TAKE HIS COURSE IF YOU CAN AVOID IT

This class was not too difficult to get a good grade in. As long as you study for the exams you will be fine and to study for the exams it is suggested that you read the plays he assigns. People who are upset with him shouldn't be because they just aren't studying for the exams.. and there are only 2 exams.. He is a very fair grader for the monologue and as long as you can show some emotion and memorize your monologue then you will be completely fine. This was not too difficult of a GE and I would recommend it . I didn't put too much time into this class but I did study for both the midterm and final a couple days before. The plays aren't too long and they are interesting. His lectures are quick but he covers what will be on the midterm and final which is the only important part. The exams are very fair in that he only includes topics that are mentioned on the study guide. Overall, he is a very interesting lecturer and I would take this class again.

It's theatre, what more can I say? Class is easy if you study your ass off for the midterm and final (only need to study the study guide he gives you). Grade consists of midterm, non-cumulative final, participation quizzes in-class (which you can easily take at home if you skip class), 2 play critiques (everyone got 100), a 1-min monologue, and wiki write ups (easy 100). Basically if you don't miss the quizzes, study for the exams, and do the bare minimum you'll get an A even if you skip class a few times.

Honestly, I hated this class but Valle did everything he could to make it better. I personally just found the subject boring. Luckily, all his lectures will be compiled into study guides before the midterm and the final and it's a shared google doc so everyone in the class adds to it, so missing lectures isn't a huge deal. There is a monologue worth 10% of your grade, but I hate public speaking and still ended up getting an A on it. The play critiques are basically credit no credit as long as you do them and the midterm and final are 100 multiple choice questions each and are very easy as long as you study the study guide. Overall, it's an easy A and Valle is funny enough to not make it horrible.

This class is very straightforward. You can basically get 100% on everything except the midterm and final. The entire course is out of 1000 points and the final and midterm is worth 600. You don't really need to attend class, just make sure you do the quizzes on Thursday (only 2 questions). Before the midterm and final, he posts a google doc where everyone shares their notes to make a study guide. You need to attend 2 plays and write a critique, but if you write something you will get full points.

Definitely read the plays, this class is much harder now than it used to be. Overall good class and fun material, but don't go expecting an easy A.

Valle is a great professor. He has a lot of energy and is a great lecturer. The class is easy too, an A if you put in a little effort and a B if you don't. The class is huge, so the only public speaking you have to do is a <1 minute monologue which isn't very hard and he grades it generously. I highly recommend taking this class with him.

Not gonna sit here and pretend like it's the most interesting class I've ever taken, because it is by no means that, but if you need to fulfill this GE section, this class is a fine one to take. Valle is a cool guy overall, just make sure you don't talk too much during class, I watched him call out groups of girls multiple times throughout the quarter for being loud. I recommend going to class, again by no means the most interesting class I've ever taken, but the material is very straightforward and most importantly the midterm and final are literal regurgitations of what he lectures on. Each class is a powerpoint lecture and you don't really get out early. The google doc before the midterm and final that people talk about is very helpful, if someone makes it. My class was lucky because someone stepped up for both but if someone doesn't in your class, you have to study based on your own notes and that will be very hard if you don't go to class. He goes through his notes quickly, so pay pretty close attention. I also recommend reading the plays, there are quizzes every Thursday that I'm sure you could get the answers for from a friend, but he asks a fair amount of specific questions about the plays on the midterm and final, and you won't know the answers unless you read them. You have to see two plays (and prove you saw them) and write a critique about each, but he grades generously. The monologue, while nerve-racking, could be much much worse. You can do it on anything you want and he also grades generously on this. There is one more writing assignment that was also super easy. Overall, I would say a B is totally doable but if you are planning on getting an A, make sure you go to class and know the details he discusses in class.

10/10 would recommend this class for a GE. Getting an A is definitely achievable and you don't have to go to class on a regular basis. Valle tries to make a 2 hr lecture fun and has a good sense of humor. Workload is super light. You have to "read" 6 plays through the quarter, all super short, and attend 2 plays. One midterm and one final and he gives you complete study guides for each.

Dr. Valle was passionate about his subject. While I found it extremely boring at times, there were also some crazy things that I learned about performance. We often were let out of class early and he fully knew what he was lecturing about. The final and midterm were both 100 question MC which we were given a study guide before hand which had almost all of the exact questions on them. There were also 6 plays you had to read and were preformed by the TA's in class. There was then a 2 question MC quiz about each play, basically showing that you read the play and showed up to class. If you did, you would get 100% and even if you didn't ask someone around you that did. You have to preform a one minute monologue which some people struggled with, although he is pretty loose about what you can do with it. You can do a song or a poem and in fact, someone read a Polyrating about his class which was so funny. Do your work, go to class, and write out the study guide and you will do fine!

This is an easy GE class to take. I probably only went to half the classes but I read all the plays and studied the study guide and pulled out an A in the class. Also, Valle is great. Only reason I skipped was that I had it early in the morning. Valle is a genuinely cool and interesting guy and makes lectures fun and interesting. Recommend to fulfill GE

Valle was super chill, passionate, and an overall great professor. The class is more about the history of theatre than the elements of it. If you want an A you should read the plays because a good portion of the tests are very specific questions from them. The midterms and finals are super easy if you study a bit the night before the exam and read the plays (most of which you can find online). Although attendance isn't required, I went cuz Valle is pretty entertaining and I actually enjoyed them. There's a bunch of other little assignments like quizzes for the plays, 2 blog posts, 2 play critiques, and a monologue. The quizzes are super easy (2 questions) and you can ask anyone for the answers. If you do the blog posts and critiques, it's an automatic 100. The monologue is a little bit more work but not as bad as it seems. It's only a minute and if you have your lines down then you will definitely get an A. Overall, I would definitely recommend this class cuz it's an easy A and a lot more interesting than I thought it would be!

Honestly, this class is a lot of work for a GE. There is a lot of reading (6 plays), moderately difficult tests, a monologue, blogs, and reflections on two plays that you have to pay money to see. It was relatively easy and if you put the work in, you can get a good grade. The class itself can be interesting and Valle isn't a bad professor, but I'd recommend taking something else over this class though if you're looking for an easy A.

Valle is a super chill dude, and generally, the class isn't too hard. He highly weights his tests though, which kinda fucked me. I got a C on the midterm and a B- on the final, but got 100% on literally everything else plus a 92% on my monologue and still ended with a B which is super annoying. The tests are hard bc there tends to be a lot of stuff that is not on the study guide he gives that is on the tests, and the only way you'll know this information is if you show up to class or heavily read and pay attention to all the plays. You also have to do a one minute monologue in front of the class, but it's honestly really not that bad. I'm pretty sure as long as you come to class on the day of your monologue and have something to say you automatically get a 90%. While relatively speaking this class is not very hard, don't think this is going to be an absolute easy A. However, for the fact that I literally only showed up to class for the midterm, final, and my monologue, a B is not a bad grade at all. Take it how you want it, ultimately the class wasn't bad to fill my C3 but I do kinda wish I took it online to make it even easier

Professor Valle is incredible, he blends history, theater, social protests, and economics into an engaging and informative lecture. He brings a great amount of energy into a large early lecture. I find myself using the information I learned in class in conversations and connecting the modern to the past. It is a wide scope of a multitude of pieces of theater, and yet it delves deep enough into them so you feel you have a real grasp of the material. The assigned plays for reading are entertaining and quick reads. Show up to class, take good notes because the tests can have small important details, and find some study friends. He is a pleasure to work with.

Professor Valle is a mixed bag. His lectures were very fast paced but if you take notes on literally everything you will do well for the exams (one midterm, one final) because they are literally the lectures. You have to read six plays over the course of the quarter and take quizzes on them but they are not bad at all. My advice? Go to every class and make a friend you can take notes with so if either of you miss anything you will have it. A few writing assignments including two play reviews but basically if you turn them in and hit the word count you will get an A. Overall an easy course if you are good at memorizing things.

Valle is a great guy and an above average professor. He is very knowledgable in theater. I had him for 227, and I notice that I'm currently the only review for this class - so here's what I got. I was put into this class as a GE for fall quarter of my freshman year, expecting to be bored to death. I thought we would read extremely boring plays and discuss the production of them. Instead, we read interesting (although sometimes confusing) plays and discussed the moral/ethical problems the plays presented. That's what a lot of the class was about. Yes, we were quizzed on the content of the plays themselves, but the bulk of it was a moral and ethical debate. Basically the only homework is to read plays (EASILY avoidable by reading Sparknotes/Shmoop, etc.) and there are weekly reading quizzes on them. Pretty easy. One midterm, a final, and a 5-6 page paper. My advice? Share your thoughts in class. He appreciates those who think critically. Pick an interesting paper topic. He really appreciates good writers as well. Take notes off his powerpoints and lectures in class - he doesn't post them online. Study those notes and you will be fine for the midterm/final. Valle is an interesting and witty man, and I am thankful to have had him as one of my first Cal Poly professors.

Attend lecture and study for the midterm ad final. The class is not super difficult, as Professor Valle covers the material in class and will have a study guide drawn up. As far as lecture quality, he is one of the more animated and articulate professors I have had at Poly. Be ready for the midterm and final bc his exams are very detailed and include a writing component. I did not study much for the midterm and did not study at all for the final. Final grade was barely a B- so just put in the effort and an A is very attainable.

If you have to take theater for a GE, I do not recommend this class. Valle is an animated professor but his tests are super detailed, free response, and challenging if you're not interested in theater. If you're trying for a B, you'll definitely have to study a lot.

Professor Valle's lectures were incredibly engaging and insightful. He not only effectively taught us about theatre from Ancient Greece up until the late Jacobean period in England, but he also tied in contemporary issues and differing perspectives to highlight how theatre is truly about us, the audience. Professor Valle takes an interest in his students; he makes an effort to listen to and enter discussion with students that are eager to participate during lectures.

Professor Valle had very interesting lectures for this course, however, sometimes it was not clear what the actual content we were learning was about because his lecture was driven by class discussion and he would interject stories about his other theatre classes. Overall, the workload as far as homework was not too bad. We read 6 plays throughout the quarter. There were quizzes on each of the plays. We also had a group presentation and reading of a scene, which was fairly easy and did not require a lot of work. He had us work in these groups for other assignments throughout the quarter which were not the best because most people did not contribute to the work. You will need to spend a substantial amount of time studying for the midterm/final which is mostly fill in the blank and short answer. You will also be required to write a short on-demand essay for both the midterm and the final. He also has you write a research paper, he never really had a specific prompt for it, but you can write about whatever you want as long as it somehow connects to the course. This was very time consuming and my least favorite part of the class. Another assignment was to attend one play and write a play critique, which was very easy. Overall, Valle is a good professor who makes his lectures interesting and is willing to help you with your assignments.

Theatre history isn't the best subject out there, but this guy is so passionate and he knows what's up! He can lecture for a really long time so don't expect to get out of class more than 15 minutes early. We read 7 plays over the course of the quarter. Don't be a slacker and SparkNote the plays like I did. Questions can get quite specific on the tests (for example, a location of where a specific scene starts) so it is definitely not a GE you can just completely BS. But if you don't do so great on the midterms, there's a play critique, group project, and oral presentation that are all worth a lot of points that can boost your grade up. I'd say take Valle over the other theatre teachers. Just read and follow the guidelines for your projects and you should be able to get an A!

I went into this class thinking I was going to hate it, but I actually really enjoyed it and it's one of my favorite GE's that I've taken. Valle is very passionate about the subject, and gives modern examples to make sure you understand the material. His tests have very specific questions about the lecture so make sure you take very detailed notes and don't skip class. You have to read 7 plays throughout the quarter but they're all very short and funny. They're not incredibly boring and if you're a fast reader you can knock them out in an hour before class. Overall he's a great professor and very relatable to his students. I've never felt uncomfortable or stupid asking him and question and he's very understanding. If you want an easy, fun GE take this class!

He is a really hard grader and gives difficult tests. He doesn't post lectures (like he says he will) and assigns a lot of work!! If you're up for it then totally take the class because its fun! Don't get me wrong, he's a great professor, just don't go in thinking it'll be an easy A, believe me he will make you work for an A and earn it.

For someone who has never taken a theater class, I truly had fun this quarter in the class. This being said, its not an easy class to come out with an A in. Rarely homework until the last couple of weeks where we had a play critique, research paper, and midterms. He is very helpful if you have questions, but you have to attend his office hours. I definitely think he deserves a higher grade than he has, he has created an educational class for students that truly want to study theater history. If you read the plays, the weekly quizzes are a breeze.

This was a great class! I was blocked into it and have really no interest in theater, but it was a super engaging and funny class overall. Valle told personal stories and class discussions were often really interesting. The class is definitely not the hardest, but the midterms were tougher than expected. If you keep up with the readings and take good notes from the lectures you should do well. If you have the choice take this class!

I took this as a GE. I'm glad that I chose this one. He talks about everything he puts on the 2 Midterms. I hate Theatre but I enjoyed this class. You have to read the plays but they are super short and took me a day to read, and I hate reading. I would suggest him if you are looking for a C4 and probably any other classes he teaches

Excellent professor. I loved his humor, his point of view, his openness; the way he presented information was clear, interesting, relevant, and inclusive. I picture him, back in the day, listening to Tom Waits hunched over a script, having a cigarette and scotch.. He's just cool. Full of passion. I'm really happy to have had him and I wish I could hang out with the guy. His writing prompts during exams required critical thinking and I like that they didn't just stick to something along the lines of, "analyze the theme of this play," but rather incorporated plays we read with real life issues. The chosen/required-to-read plays were awesome because they were dark enough to spark interest in students who aren't a fan of theatre/plays, and he kept the class lively by incorporating a lot of different activities/assignments. Definitely takes notes during the lecture because he does not post them online, so when the study guide rolls around, you can fill in all the terms. There's also a bit of presenting/getting up in front of the class so be prepared for that. Overall, excellent professor. If I have time to take an extra elective, I hope to take him!