Choi, Don  

Choi is an awesome history teacher, 217 isn't that interesting and its pretty demanding but study his web images and you're fine. I fully recomend taking him, easy to understand and give "halftime" shows during the breaks.

I like Choi. I took 218 last year with him and Giberti and this year with him and Yip. He's definitely the best teacher out of the three of them. He's organized, knows his material, and is easy to listen to (unlike Yip who is hard to understand and constantly cracks up about history). Even though he knows a lot, he is very cool (showing video clips during break and letting class out a few minutes early). The class itself isn't so bad- basically memorization and paying attention in class. The textbook is awful, though. You have to sort through all the fluff and end up missing the stuff you need to know. I wouldn't read it except that they will put a few questions on the tests that are only found in the text. Choi will curve the test, though.

I really liked this professor, although the class I had was co-taught by Yip. Choi was very organized and got straight to the point, its hard to take notes from him though because EVERYTHING he says is important! (Yeah, he knows that much) Overall I would recommend him as a professor for Arch 217

Prof Choi is probably the best arch history teacher out there. I had him and Prof Yip and the difference was amazing. Choi would present the information in a clear, organized fashion, always came prepared for lecture, talked clearly, always finished early, and even varied his teaching methods a bit (sometimes we would watch video clips, and sometimes he would give demonstrations, as opposed to just sitting and looking at slides). Most people just slept through the class, but if you stayed awake (which was a lot easier during Choi's lectures than Yip's lectures) the class was really interesting, and easy if you studied right. If youre going to take the class, make sure you learn not only what the building/ monument is but also what its significance is. They liked to write the tests so that one question would always ask what the building was, and the next question would ask something specific about its significance, or one of its contemporaries, etc. The lectures that Choi taught were easier to follow, he wrote better lecture outlines, and covered all of the material with extra time to spare at the end. If you can take Choi for arch history, take him.

DON is the man and although Yip teaches part of the class, don lectures are the most fun and yip has an interesting sense of humor

He's a good teacher who presents his material clearly and tells you everything that is important to know for each thing. He was far better than Yip and made an effort to finish class early. Make notecards. Don't buy the books because all the information is given to you on the outline and in lecture.

Okay so anyone who takes any of the arch history tests will understand thast you never have to go to class for this class. If you read the book you'll be fine. If you go to class you don't need the book. All the slides are online and you could jsut study them if you wanted to and forget the book and class. The only problemis the random quizzes. But overall unless you go out of your way to make yourself kown he wont know who you are.

This would have been a better class if Choi was the only one teaching it. I would rather listen to an interesting lecture from Choi than snore through Yip's. Unfortunately, they BOTH teach the class. They take turns lecturing. -- There's a LOT of material to study for the tests. 100+ pages of notes each with 6 slides... ANY of which can show up on the tests. Get ready to study.

Choi was cool. I especially liked his daily pot of tea and his pony tail! But seriously, he was much better than Yip for this class and overall, I feel its unfair that he is the "professor's assistant" in this class.They teach it equally, and honestly Ive only learned from Choi and slept well through Yip.

Choi presents lecture material clearly and the class is very straightforward. Take good notes during the lectures, study them thoroughly and you will do well in the class. Do not make the mistake of waiting until the night before to study for midterms because there is too much information to go over. He is also understanding if you have complications with midterm dates, just email him.

Very professional and knowledgable about arch. history. Lectures are powerpoints and are on blackboard. Midterm has multiple choice and essays, final is only multiple choice. Grades on a curve, pretty easy class if you are good at memorization of facts and pictures.

Choi is a great professor. He was very knowledgable about the information presented, extremely organized, and at least tried to make a class as boring as this fun! Though the tests are on the difficult side, Choi did cover all of the material and there were no surprises. The tests are curved, and the information is presented thoroughly and understandably. Choi always extends his help to his students and is, in general, a great professor who really cares about his students and what he does. TAKE CHOI!

My nigga Don Choi knows his shit. Unfortunately he only teaches half the time. I took this class as a general ed, don't do that, there are easier classes to take to fulfill the performing arts requirement. The buildings you learn about are interesting, but the class is so boring, especially when Yip is teaching. The class consists of two midterms and a final. The midterms are half essay. The best way to prepare for the tests is to make flash cards. The tests do ask some detailed questions or show a picture of the floor plan which looks like 10 other building. Make sure you know the details, especially for the essays so you can back up your dicussion. The final was pretty bad, it is only multiple choice, but the questions ask of things no normal person can remember. The class is curved fortunantly, about 10%. Don't buy or read the books, they are useless, everything they test on is in the lectures.

Don Choi is one of the better lecturers at poly. in fact i would probably put him in the top 5. his lectures are always well organised, clear, and concise. I took ARCH 320 as an elective because I knew he was teaching it. His test are hard because he expects alot of his students. Most of his tests are memorization. he usually does some slide identification but it isn't the whole test.

Great teacher. Varies his lectures and adds in videos to keep the class awake, even having volunteers come up and make an arch out of blocks for a demonstration once! Knows how to keep students interested and even cracks a couple jokes. Tests are tough because there are so many cities, sites, and styles to memorize but it is always in the lectures.

This has been the most difficult class I have taken at Cal Poly. If you're planning on taking this class as a General Ed, don't. You are expected to have previous knowledge on topics such as the Stone Age. You have to memorize like 300 pictures and you only get asked on 20 of them. Worst class ever..

Great guy, decent teacher, but NEVER I repeat NEVER EVER TAKE THIS CLASS AS A GE, it will kill you, that is unless you have all those 35 hours to dedicate to memorizing the information required on the tests. I fell asleep within 30 minutes in the first lecture and gave up going at all after the 4th, I still managed a C by cramming like hell the day before the test.

Don Choi is overall a pretty fair professor. Theres no surprises on the midterms and although they are somewhat difficult if you study the right way its not to bad. On my first midterm i was completely not ready and couldn't identify a lot of places. i was 100% percent positive i failed but because of his generous curve i pulled a D on it. On the other tests i knew how to study and was much more prepared and therefore did much better. to pass this class just be able to identify almost every structure he shows and have a general idea of most of the ideas he presents. Dont waste time on memorizing the dates.

I actually took 217, 218 and 219 with him. Out of all the teachers teaching arch history- he is definitely the best. He is probably one of my favorite teachers at Cal Poly. His lectures were well organized and he is definitely knowledgeable in the subject matter. It was a required class for me but it does seem like a lot of work for non majors just taking the classes for GE. Yeah, not really a good idea. To do well in the class, you need to go to EVERY lecture and write down EVERYTHING he says. I don\'t know if there are still readings for the class since they\'re always changing the format but when I took it- the test was mostly based on the lectures.

Very well researched, know his materials perfectly. On exams, Choi and Yip collaborate, but Choi\'s questions are actually harder. Most essay questions were from Choi\'s lectures, study and know those well! Good class, VERY VERY interesting. You tend to notice things afterward, and have a greater appreciation for architecture!

Choi is a great teacher because he presents the information clearly, and tells you exactly what to pay attention to when studying for tests. Just beware that the hardest part, atleast for me, were the picture questions on the test. I suggest making notecards of the pictures from the lectures, they helped me out a LOT on the second midterm. Overall, Choi is unbiased and very professional. He may seem intimidating, but he really knows what he is talking about.

I took Arch 217 because it was assigned to me in a block schedule. It is a very difficult GE and I spent the majority of my studying time on this class, making flashcards for every powerpoint slide in class (approximately 55x6 lectures...you get the idea). Although the class has absolutely nothing to do with my major I thought it was interesting. Your grade is based on 2 midterms and 1 final (not really cumulative). Choi presents the material WAY better than Yip though, I throughly enjoyed the days he taught the class...however I would say he was there less than half the time.

I took Arch 217 because it was assigned to me in a block schedule. It is a very difficult GE and I spent the majority of my studying time on this class, making flashcards for every powerpoint slide in class (approximately 55x6 lectures...you get the idea). Although the class has absolutely nothing to do with my major I thought it was interesting. Your grade is based on 2 midterms and 1 final (not really cumulative). Choi presents the material WAY better than Yip though, I throughly enjoyed the days he taught the class...however I would say he was there less than half the time.

This class is co-taught by Choi and Yip, and it\'s a FACT that Choi is a much better lecturer. Choi presents material in a very fair and interesting manner, and seems to be able to connect with the students much better. His questions are more difficult than Yip\'s, but you have to expect that from the \"better\" teacher. This class, however, was a bitch. 2 midterms, 1 somewhat cumulative final. You have to memorize a bunch of buildings, along with why they\'re significant, where it is, who built it, who influenced it, what\'s in it etc; therefore, the curve is pretty massive. I took this class CR/NC, which was the best decision of my collegiate career. I ended up getting a C and receiving credit, but if you\'re looking to take a C3 and don\'t have any interest in architecture, this might not be the class for you.

Really awesome professor! Exams are fair and lectures are interesting even if 2 hours is a bit long for this lecture. He gives a break after the first hour which really helps with the length. Would definitely take this professor or even this class again.

hahahah holy shit i took this class for a ge thinking it was going to be an easy A and i have never been so wrong in my life. you have to take 3 midterms and a final which are super difficult and most people i know did terribly on like all of them. the class is super boring and hard to pay attention to and theres a bunch of information. not only that but like everything looks basically the same. he gives extra credit and curves the class which saved my ass. bottom line if you're taking this as a ge take it pass fail

Don Choi is very knowledgeable about the course material, which is evident in his lectures. His lectures are very informative, well paced, and well structured. I thoroughly enjoyed his class. My only complaint is that his graders are a little inconsistent, but are good at clarifying their grading during test review hours.

Don Choi is a really intelligent and entertaining professor who presents material in a rich and precise manner. However, because his lectures are two hours each, twice a week, it's easy to sometimes let your mind wander if you're not actively taking notes. Don't expect to get a good grade in this class if you don't show up to lecture: while he does give his students access to lecture slides, a lot of the information that appears on exams is derived from something he mentioned in lecture. Do not this class if you're trying to get an easy A, there's no work outside of class but the midterms and final are really difficult and require a lot of studying.

Choi has got to be the best architectural history professor that Cal Poly has. A true pleasure to listen to compared to Giberti. I look forward to seeing first hand what Yip is like. Be advised that the arch history 217 - 219 are co-taught by both professors. Someone else mentioned his ponytail and tea sipping. This guy just rocks my socks. Did i mention he shows funny video clips during breaks?

choi is way too professional. i didn't really like this class because i am not an architecture major and i found it to be tailored to the arch majors, which sucked. basically if you are trying to fulfill the art requirement take something like art 112, which i've heard is pretty easy. choi was more interesting than yip (they co-taught the class) because he actually taught the stuff that was on the test and tried to make it fun. im sure i would have done better in this class if my other classes werent as hard, but i still wish i would have taken art 112 to satisfy this requirement.

Choi is definitely better than Yip for teaching Architectural History. I don't really like the course format - grades really depend on memorizing slides and names while the ideas that you want to focus on just get washed over. As far as Architectural History goes, it doesn't matter which section you get in - the teachers tend to team teach. Choi was very professional. Class started and ended on time filled with a polished, well timed presentation. Choi sometimes plays funny things from the internet at the end of the break in the two hour class - I generally didn't really find the content interesting, but it did provide a clear signal to get everyone's attention back to the lecture after the break.

Don Choi is one of those people that exudes intelligence and sophistication. There is something about his manner -- he is so well-spoken and passionate about architecture that the class is actually, dare I say it, more than bearable. He is also witty; his little snappish, funny side comments every now and then help pass the time, but one must be on one's toes to catch them. In all the class, thanks to this professor, has made me feel worlds more cultured.

yip is alright. he knows boatloads about history and arch, but he almost knows too much because hes constantly going off on completely un related tangents which although insightful cut into lecture time forcing him to go over the last 10 slides of the lecture in 3 or so minutes.

Just like Arch 217, this course was co-taught by Don Choi and Chris Yip. Neither of them are terribly engaging lecturers and the tests are pretty hard. (I don't know WHY the final had so many damn questions on the Aztecs and Incas when that was only a single lecture!) Arch 218 focuses a lot more on individual architects than 217 and the concepts are more difficult. (Heck, I STILL can't distinguish a renaissance building from a baroque one) That being said, you probably don't have a choice who you take this course from, so tough luck. The best advice I can give is to know everything about every building... what it was called, where it was built, who designed it, why did they built it... Know all of that and you might get a B. Good luck.

Now this is a comment you should all ready. This class was really interesting and kept my attention if your interested in Architecture. But if you are just taking this class as a C3 requirement, BAD IDEA! This class is much harder than they make it out to be in the description. I wasn't expecting this class to be an easy ride, but I wasn't expecting to get a D on the first quiz when I studied for 4 days in a row for it. I'm definitely going to try to drop this class, because I would rather spend my time fulfilling a C3 rec. in an easier class that won't stress me out as much.

i should've listened to the previous comments below about this class, to not take it as a GE! i'm a business major and taking architecture as a GE was a BAD idea. i hope i pass this quarter w/ a C. there's just too much to memorize plus the subject is boring. Its easy to doze off in class, making it hard for me to pay attention. There's 5 quizzes and one final. 40 questions each quiz. so much things to memorize and there's only 40 questions! how annoying. so now i just cram the day before. no point in trying. right now i should be studying for the quiz but i'm here complaining about how hard this class is.

Are you kidding me? This is a pretty easy GE. Furthermore, it's pretty easy for a major class (at least in this EE major's opinion). Think about it: no essays, no homework to turn in, you don't even really have to read through the assigned readings as long as you pay attention and study the slides. Choi co-taught this with Neveu. Overall, I think Choi was a bit "funnier" in class. His lectures were generally shorter than Neveu's. So were his assigned readings. But remember, the assigned readings are meant to reinforce what they say in class. In fact, a lot of what goes into the slides comes from the readings. *** Just took the final *** it was just as easy as the other quizess. Seriously, some of the answer choices are hilarious (e.g. Pepe Le Pew, Tupac) and really help narrow things down. I'm set for a B+ or an A- depending on the curve.

Great lecturer & nice guy. He works with students to make the class as easy as possible: curves all tests, no assignments, just show up for lectures. There are 5 quizzes (aka tests) and none are cumulative. Just memorize 4 lectures for every quiz (easy to do right?) I felt bad for him bc I feel like he presented the dummied-down version of architecture history just because students complain about this being too difficult for a GE. It's really not bad at all. Getting a B is def. doable if you just study the weekend before the tests.

Great lecturer, although somehow Choi's lectures don't seem to be as eloquently delivered as Neveu's. In any event, although Choi's slides were not as visually appealing as Neveu's, they were straight and to the point. This certainly made it much easier to study from his slides than Neveu's.

Choi's lectures are relatively straightforward and well organized. His powerpoint slides are easy to follow and help when studying later for the quizzes.

Honestly, I find it surprising that people feel this class is so difficult. There is no homework and only a few quizzes (none of which are cumulative). And to top it all off, Don curves the quizzes so that the average score becomes a B-/C+ with the curve. To make things even easier, none of the quizzes ask questions from the readings, so you don't even have to do those. Just go to the lectures, which are delivered in a straightforward manner, making Don's quizzes easy to study for. Just make sure you write really good lecture notes and can study well before the quizzes.

Don Choi is a really good professor, he is just an interesting guy and really knows his stuff. **BUT**, i would not recommend taking Arch 218 for GE unless you have a really good memory or unless you just really want to learn about the architecture. I enjoyed studying the different styles of architecture, but the two midterms and final exams were ridiculous because they were pretty damn hard bc you have to memorize so many buildings and know all about them. They did curve the class which helped me (the class averages for all three tests were D's). Don did say though that they are restructuring the class for next year.

Okay so I always been biased about reading polyratings and never made a post myself. But if there is one class I recommend NEVER taking at Cal Poly in my 3 years here, it would be ARCH 218. A mid term consists of a total 70 slides x 7 lectures which equals 490. You are required to know around 500 slides for each mid term when there only 13 show up on the test. This doesn't even include the other 40 questions and an essay. Honestly, I spent more time studying for this class then any class that is actually beneficial to my major. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS, you will regret it. Don Choi is a nice guy, but obviously teaching is not his forte. The average grade for each mid term was a D. COOL

In order to receive a good grade in this class, you have to put in a lot of time and effort. It is basically a lot of memorization and being able to see the connection between types of architecture. If you are not required to take this class DON\'T because it was very difficult. If you have to, I suggest making flash cards of all the important slides and definitely going to class. Choi is a fine professor, he is very knowledgeable. The material is the annoying part.

Honestly Probably the worst class Ive ever taken. Although Choi Knows his stuff the tests, which are not cumulative, Consist of about 300 slides on average. If memorizing hundred of picture isn't your specialty stay away. Its just an absurd amount of work for an Art related GE considering some lucky kids with good priority get to take the Fundamentals of drawings..... STAY AWAY

Choi is a very good lecturer and a nice guy, but wow is his class hard. Each lecture consists of about 60 slides of material you must have memorized for the midterms/final. As a non-architecture major, this class was unbelievably hard. If you are considering taking this class as a GE, DON'T. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS AS A GE. You will regret it 100%.

I took this class last minute because I needed 12 units and boy was I in for a treat. I am not an Arch major and honestly if you are not an Arch major, DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. Luckily I was able to pass the class, but seriously the amount of effort I placed into this class is crazy. There was so many buildings to remember and the good thing was that Choi uploaded the lectures onto polylearn, even so he mentions certain things in class that is not on the slides. The exams were all from the powerpoint so don't bother with the textbook. Beside the lectures online, another good thing was that the exams were curved!

I am a freshman, took the class because I needed 12 units. Choi is pretty good lecturer, compared to Dr. Yin, I definitely prefer him. The thing about the Arch 217,218,and 219 lecture series is that they are co-taught by both Yin & Choi (aka regardless of who you choose, both will lecture you). IMPORTANT THING! THIS IS NOT AN EASY CLASS FOR EITHER ARCH MAJORS OR FOR A GE so if you don't need it, I'd steer away from taking it. I personally enjoy the lectures and the information provided (all is really interesting!). I say the thing that I dreaded the most of this class was studying for the midterms and finals because it was more of a memorization test than actual comprehension (there is both in these exams). Overall, I'm excited to take 217 and 219 next year and I definitely will be taking Choi for them!

Choi is made to teach this class. He sounds like a textbook, but in a good way, like one of those textbooks that are easy to read. He presents everything you need to know and makes clear slides. For those of you who don't go to the lectures, he pretty much puts the necessary info online unlike Yip. He pulled a prank last quarter, tearing apart someones flip phone, which some people thought was bad, but I just thought that showed he had a good sense of humor. I got a C not because of his teaching, but just because I haven't figured out how to get all the info in my head yet. Yes, the class is hard, but us Arch majors have got three quarters of this class to figure it out.

he showed a clip of daniel craig once, and I was absolutely mesmerized by the beautiful structure of his face. Arch history at its finest.

If you do not absolutely have to take this class, I would highly recommend not taking it. It is strictly memorizing an immense amount of buildings, their name/location/architect/styles, which he does not present very clearly. Incredibly hard and way too much work for a GE in my opinion. He knew what he was talking about but should not be a professor.

Don Choi only teaches half (5 weeks) of this class but he is AMAZING. He is super knowledgeable about the subject and he is occasionally funny (without tying to hard). One thing that took me a while to realize is that the slides he uses in class are slightly different than the ones he posts online and his version has relevant info for tests. If you study the essay questions and memorize images of the buildings this class is a breeze.

Choi seemed liked a good teacher. He's very down to earth and can explain the material well. He also knows the purpose of classes, how they should be taught and what you should get out it.

What can I say? I love Choi. I don't know if it's that Bruno was so bad that Choi was like a breath of fresh air, but he's great. He made arch history bearable. He is very approachable, easy to understand, and a very organized speaker. Plus, he drinks tea during class with a teapot on his desk, and he has a pony tail, what's not to love.

choi is a good guy that got stuck teaching a horrible class. i took all 217, 218, and 219 arch hist and those classes are hell. if you are trying to take this as a GE - DONT! unfortunately you cannot avoid the other teacher who teaches this class - giberti - even if you sign up for choi's section. they teach both sections taking turns. choi is a good teacher, but arch history sucks.

Choi might be a good professor if you're an architecture major, but somehow I still doubt it. He SEEMS smart, partially because he's verbose and likes to ramble on and on about pictures while flipping back and forth through slides you've already seen a million times, basically accomplishing nothing except wasting time to make sure you never get out of class early. If you have 15 pages of notes for one lecture, he'll take 1.5 hours on the first 5 pages and then cram the next 10 into the last 20 minutes of class, so you get totally unbalanced info....and of course, he tests you on stuff he spent 30 seconds talking about. He also likes to show stupid little internet videos at the break to make people think he's funny....which he's not.

Pretty much, Choi is AMAZING. I have had him as a professor 4 times and I am not even an ARCH major. I just really like Arch history. If you don't, then don't waste your time. Choi's classes are challenging and pretty demanding, especially ARCH 320. He is passionate about the topic and that is conveyed in his lectures. I am always amazed by how much he know and I just always feel smarter after leaving his lectures! Hahaha. Like others have said, if you are just taking the class to satisfy a GE, don't! There are classes that are way easier.

he is a great professor. i had him from 6-8 pm so he tried a lot to keep us up by showing us random videos during our break. i took this class for a GE. i regret it in that i had enough work for my major. i recommend taking this class if you are not going to have a lot of work in your other classes. he is a great teacher though the exams can be challenging. if you study enough you will be fine. they consist of essays and multiple choice. you have to memorize a lot of buildings but like i said i chose to study more for my other classes so in the end it got me. if you want to know i am a computer engineer so i spend my time programming A LOT.

Choi was great. If you enjoy architecture even a little bit, he makes the class interesting and enjoyable. There are a few quizzes, but they are straight from the notes, and the essay quizzes from lecture and reading. If you have any problems he is more than willing to help in office hours. I took this as a GE and it ended up being my most interesting class.

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS AS A GE. It is way too much work. You have to memorize hundreds of foreign names of buildings and architects. Huge mistake. That being said, the class was surprisingly somewhat interesting. It\'s not the most exciting topic, but I definitely see architecture differently than I did before. I\'ve added a good few locations to my list of places to travel before I die.

Professor Choi knows his stuff, but it is very hard to learn about different buildings and types of architecture when you are bombarded with 200+ buildings that you are going to be tested on. You have to give yourself a solid week to study for a midterm because there is just so much material. I didn't like how this class was purely memorization. I didn't learn anything; just memorized buildings and to be honest I don't remember any. I had to take this class because I needed a C3. It's an easy 2 hour lecture twice a week, but just be prepared to make a bunch of flashcards, memorize them, and regurgitate it back onto a scantron.

I found this class to be very engaging, and Prof. Choi really made things enjoyable. The pace of the class was very manageable, and pretty much all of the projects that we worked on were both challenging and worthwile. If you attend all the classes and put in a good effort, there is no reason why you won't earn a good grade; Don grades very fairly. Take him if you can; he is a strong teacher.

Don was an awesome teacher. He helps students out so much during class and during the day when your working on projects. He's ALWAYS around to get help from and will answer your email within minutes of sending it. The projects were pretty cool. There are three of them throughout the quarter but of course the last one weighs the most (but also takes the most time). He either lets you work in a group or alone which is pretty cool. Also, you and your partner get the same grade no matter what so make sure you pick your partners wisely!! I would for sure recommend Don for future classes. Oh and did I mention the mans like a genious or something. He went to Princeton for Undergrad, Rice for Grad and Berkley for his PHD. Hes cool tho....you should take him.

Don Choi is an exemplary professor. His lectures are interesting. He does not pander to the short attention spans; rather he maintains an intellectual standard that is rare among lecturers. He also shows a high level of respect to students by remaining on topic, always being prepared and presenting material well. He also has a nifty teapot he brings to class, which I think is funny. This class is difficult. It

Not too bad of a class- a decent amount of assignments/homework that will keep you busy but the quizzes (technically 3 even though he only gave us 2) are easy enough and self graded. There’s final project or paper (you choose which) that counts as a decent amount of your grade but he makes sure that your project isn’t too much work. Overall not necessarily an easy class but I got through it with an A- with an average amount of effort put in.

Choi is an excellent teacher. He is very smart and personable. The class is super interesting too.

This is the first C I have recieved in my entire life. I hope that says something to all of you out there watching their GPA. Do not take him--this class was a nightmare!