Anthro 124P with Fessler is one of the best classes I have ever taken. If your intention is to learn, then definitely take this class, but if you just want to take a class and get a good grade, this class is not for you. A lot of people thought this class was unfair, but that's because you have to really work to get a good grade. It's almost impossible to get an A if you don't actually know the material well and if you aren't a sharp thinker. To get a good grade you also have to have done the readings, shown up to class to take the pop quizzes, participated in section. Basically, you get an A only if you deserve it. If you don't deserve it, as in, you haven't actually fully mastered the material and done all the work, you don't get the grade. It's tough but that sounds a lot more fair to me than the classes where the people who have dedicated time to doing well get the same grade as the people who slack off. This class rewards dedicated, smart students and teaches other people that they have to step up.

The subject matter makes everything in this class interesting and worthwhile. It's not hard to do the readings because they're fascinating, and the information that you learn will really change your perspective on the world if you fully understand it.

Fessler's lectures are extremely interesting and funny, but make sure to take good notes and try to get everything down exactly as he said it. Basically, your pen should never stop moving. A lot of the answers to the exam questions are directly from the notes. The pop quizzes are usually basic questions from the assigned readings--if you've read and you show up, then you'll do fine. There isn't a terribly heavy amount of reading assigned, usually a chapter of the textbook and about 20-25 pages in articles, but do have to get it done. He reviews almost all of the readings in lecture after the quiz. The section assignments are easy, but the exams are difficult and require a lot of preparation. Essay questions are given about a week and a half before the exam and 3 are selected for the midterm, 6 for the final (you don't get to choose which ones to answer). It's really hard to find a good study group because most people don't think critically enough to do well in this class, so I would recommend studying on your own and then making sure to find people who actually know the material and are analytical enough to contribute. If you like to think, then take it, because even though a lot of people complained about the exams, everyone loved learning about the evolution of human sexuality, and Fessler does a fantastic job teaching the course.

I took anthro 124P with professor fessler, DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS! He gave a fair warning on the first day about how this is a "graduate level class".. and he was not joking! He gives a grueling amount of readings that are impossible to understand, and then he gives ridiculous quizzes almost every class based on the hardest reading topics. His class is basically a joke. He has a huge ego and is always referring to his own anthro research... the midterm and the final are extremely difficult essay questions which he gives you a week in advanced to look up; however he only chooses a few of the questions and expects rocket-scientist answers! The grading is completely unfair... i really do not recommend this class unless you are a bio or anthro major because fessler expects you to know everything about the discussed topics which is nearly impossible to learn in the span of 10 weeks unless this is your only class!! DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!

And in regards to the positive ratings below, I really think fessler himself submitted those because everyone i know in this class felt the exact same way!!

BEST CLASS EVER! You learn about really interesting topics and take away so much from this course. If you read and are prepared you will do just fine! TAKE THIS CLASS if u have a chance!!

Very interesting class, not that much reading, cool professor, tries to crack jokes every now and then. But I would recommend this class for any major, but you are required to critically think, but the information you will learn if worth it, I hope I got a good grade, just could not wait to rate this professor!

Genius. Best class I've ever taken. Don't know my grade yet, but honestly, there is no reason to not take this class if you have the chance. Bravo Professor Fessler.

This was one of my favorite classes, despite the fact that there were mandatory lectures at 8 AM twice a week. If you have a good background in evolution (EEB 120 is very helpful), then this class will build on the things you already know while delving into some really interesting stuff regarding our sexuality. I can't really comment on the difficulty of this class for non-bio majors, but it didn't seem too rough. That said, I should note that Fessler can come off as a jerk sometimes. He said at the beginning of the course that he was teaching us to "question what we were being told in our lives". Of course, if you question one of his ambiguous quiz questions, you'll get shot down immediately.

The course itself consists mostly of multiple-choice quizzes at the very start of nearly every lecture. If you're 2 minutes late, you will miss it. The questions ranged from very easy (you could get them even without doing the reading) to a total crapshoot (even if you had read..). He curves at the end so it's supposed to even out. The remainder of the grades come from a midterm and final, both of which you get the questions to beforehand. Readings consist of journal articles and excerpts from a book. You can skim them and will usually get all you need out of them, but a few are pretty tough. I did each reading once, went to every lecture, and reviewed the midterm/final questions for about 2-3 hours the night before and got an A. You may want to do a bit more if you don't have a strong background in evolution. Good luck.

All right, here's the breakdown. Anthro 124P was a VERY interesting and informing class. However, this fun topic of great interest to me was easy to learn from Fessler but hard to get a good grade out of. I'm more bio based and ended up with a C+ which I'm not too happy about. Be ware of the TA's, they're very nit-picky when it comes to your answers for the midterm.

This was one of the hardest classes I have ever taken. The material covered is interesting, but in the lectures, Prof Fessler talks way too fast. The tests are excruciating & the TA's are very, very hard graders. If you don't answer the questions with excact wording, even if you get the jist of what the concept is, then you will get an 'F'. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS...I recomend Prof. Fiske instead...great teacher, gives great lectures, and his tests are fair.

This professor is one of the most egotistical, self-righteous professors I've ever taken. His 124P class is all about why he can't get laid. I have to say it's a very interesting class and you learn a lot, but he prides himself on grading really hard. Also, he teaches out of a book from the 80's, so it seems he is stuck in a time warp. He does give updated lectures on current events and studies to try to compensate. If you are interested in this class for the grade, don't take it. If you're interested in the topic, take it.

Dr. Fessler is one of the best professors in the Anthropology Department. His lectures are very informative, interesting, and very organized. The articles that we read in class were so engaging that I found myself teaching others about their content. This benefit alone offset the fact that this class was at 8am, had a bunch of unnecessary pop quizzes, and was graded in a way to reduce grade inflation (i.e. this class is not an easy A). I still learned a lot regardless of the grade I earned. If you get a chance, go to his office hours early in the quarter and try to do a research project. He has lots of ideas he is willing to discuss. I didn't do this and now I regret it. This professor is highly recommended and from me, that says a lot.