Quarter Taken:
Fall 2016
Submitted Nov. 3, 2017
Grade Received:
A
I took this course to satisfy one of my GE requirements. It was very engaging and overall a good choice if you're looking for a GE that is both an "easy A" and engaging. Professor Throop is very passionate about anthropology, which makes his lectures on occasionally dry topics much more bearable. He is extremely vocal about his distaste for laptops in the classroom, so be prepared to take notes by hand if you normally type them.
There is one midterm, two short papers, and the final. Both the midterm and final are very straightforward. He provides a list of topics for you to review beforehand. I made a few flashcards of the material and was able to score a 90% on the midterm and a 94% on the final. The exams contain a few extra credit questions from his own book, which is optional to purchase for the class. I read a bit of the book and felt that I still didn't really know the extra credit questions, so I just gave an educated guess. I'm sure if you take the time to read the book, you could answer the questions, but it's really not necessary considering that the test is very easy and you likely won't need extra credit.
My only complaint with this class is the sections. They were almost always a huge waste of time and attendance was mandatory. The discussions that we had felt very forced, and I didn't really gain much from them. There is A LOT of reading required for the section, and you have to submit a response to each reading assignment every week. I usually didn't mind the readings, but it does take up a lot of time if you are already busy with other classes.
This class is very interesting, and Professor Throop made me appreciate anthropology a lot more than I used to. While this class does have a lot of assigned reading, it is a great GE to take if you're looking for a GPA booster and an engaging lecture.