San Francisco's Big Seismic Gamble

Earthquakes in Your Backyard:
EPS C20 and L&S C70Y

Earthquakes in Your Backyard: Student reviews

"This is a very critical topic: All students/future leaders should be required to take this course."

"Professor Allen is a wonderful orator and presents his course with enthusiasm."

"The class is (1) interesting, it deals with social and economic impacts of earthquakes in addition to the science, (2) relevant, it focuses on our own Hayward Fault and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and (3) specific, it covers the topic of earthquakes."

"This is the best physical science breadth requirement I know of."


Chart captioned: From the class evaluations: How would you rate Professor Allen's effectiveness as a teacher? 49 percent give him 7 out of 7 and 44 percent give him 6 out of 7

"If Professor Allen can make a business major understand and enjoy earth science you know he's doing something right."

"This was my favorite class, all the work was challenging but doable."

"Professor Allen was available to students through email and the website - which is the best course website I've used at Cal."

"The strengths of the class are a clear focus on an interesting topic and really interesting lectures."

"I'm a senior this year, and this class is one of the most superb classes I've taken in my undergraduate education at Cal. It's been a wonderful and extremely informative semester."


Chart captioned: From the class evaluations: How do you rate EPS20 compared to your other classes? 66 percent rate it better than average.

"Professor Allen always stresses the relevance of the material he is covering and is receptive to student comments and questions. He is open to changing the course content to benefit student needs and included his own recent research."

"I enjoyed the combination of field trips, guest speakers, films and discussion on current events. Getting multiple perspectives helped in understanding the material."

"Professor Allen's presentation skills are superb - he uses PowerPoint slides effectively and he is always prepared, succinct, interesting and knowledgeable."

"The focus on earthquakes in the Berkeley region made me really, really, really care about the material."

"Professor Allen is always willing to answer questions and encourages students to ask questions and participate in the class."

"The course is interesting and actually applicable to our lives."

EPS 20 Links