This was one of my first classes at UCLA since transferring from CC, and I can honestly say I loved this class and Prof. Rashidi, and I would def take one of her classes again. Paleopathology is a super interesting subject and Prof. Rashidi did a lot to make sure you succeeded. Your grade is made up of a couple HW assignments which were papers around 1-2 pages long, some assignments which were given to help set you up for your research paper, a midterm, a final, and the complete research paper. She also has a couple extra credit assignments that you can complete at pretty much any time during the year. Additionally, she makes each student bring in a cheat sheet for points. I can be pretty unorganized and forgetful and I found that this class allowed for me to miss an assignment or two without tanking my whole grade, and the cheat sheet and study guide helped so much. Definitely make sure you attend class tho, she doesn't take attendance for points but around halfway through the quarter, she starts taking attendance and if she sees you've been attending most of the classes then she will probably bump up your grade if you're inbetween grades (she bumped me from a high C to a B). She does grade the tests kinda hard, but on the midterm, she allows you to correct some answers on your exam totaling 5 points to help you out. It's definitely not a super easy class but I think all the classes here take effort. I recommended this class to all my friends because of how much Prof. Rashidi cares about your success as a student.

This class is not for the faint of heart -- it is HARD. Maybe if you are already in biology, or forensics, or are getting a B.S. in something science-related, it was easier, but as a B.A. anthropology student, this class took everything in me in order to achieve an A, especially because it was an 8 am class.

Rashidi is a great professor. She is very straightforward and clear with her lecture material and delivery, without the content feeling monotonous. On top of that, the material is fascinating. Her class made me want to try and want to get a great grade.

The exams are tough, though. You definitely need to know the material and give examples of it. It can be confusing studying the literal hundreds of slides she has, so DO NOT STUDY LAST MINUTE. I have pulled all-nighters for the midterm and final. Fortunately, she allows you to use a "cheat sheet," but it often ended up insanely dense in writing, too.

I loved this class, but would I take it again? No, because it was hard lol...but I absolutely learned material that has stuck with me even as I write this a year later. I totally recommend it if you are willing to give it your all!

Dr. Rashidi is an excellent professor, though I think this course suffers from a time crunch. The sheer volume of dense information relayed means there's little time for discussion. All told there were over 1,000 slides by the end of my semester, most of them dense. If you are a humanities major, beware that you are expected to enter the course with a working knowledge of human biology, or at least not get lost in the information as you jump right into it from day one. In my opinion, the class should be a bit longer or cover slightly less information. The tests are difficult to study for as they are completely write-in and encompass anything mentioned in the slides up to and including single bullet points buried in hundreds of pages of information.

However, with all that being said, Dr. Rashidi is a kind and wonderful professor. She records all the lectures in case you cannot make it, provides several extra credit opportunities, allows cheat sheets on the exams, and is available beyond her stated office hours and always willing to try and further your understanding of the material. While the tests are tough, she's a very fair (even generous) grader for the paper assignments.

My recommendation: take the course if you're interested or have an aptitude in biology and disease processes, or if you have the time and ability to really sit down and study full-time.

As someone more on the humanities side of anthropology than the hard sciences, this class was very difficult for me, but it is extremely educational. It's simply a lot of information to fit in the time frame of a single quarter. You'll need solid background knowledge of the human skeleton as Professor Rashidi jumps right into the material on day one. Grading was based on a few short homework assignments, a midterm exam, a cumulative final exam, and a research paper. I wish her study guides had been a bit more helpful, as they essentially boil down to "anything mentioned could be on the test", so you have to study a lot of material that won't even come up again. Professor Rashidi herself is a very friendly and engaging lecturer. I definitely recommend this class if you are interested in human biology, pathology, and anatomy.

I took this class summer 2022 for session c6. The first week, I thought I was going to have to drop the course because how information heavy it is initially. If you're not familiar with biology its a lot to digest in 6-weeks, I am familiar with a little but with my busy summer schedule I was spreading myself thin at times. To my surprise, the midterm was very easy as long as you used to textbook. Thankfully, the textbook itself isn't dense and cuts straight to the point for topics. I didn't take the final so I can't speak on that, she was VERY accommodating for my situation and I wasn't expecting that at all. The final research paper I got a "C" on only because I had written it on a topic that wasn't considered a paleopathological topic- which I wish she specified more in class what counts and didn't count because I didn't know until after my paper had been graded. Other than that, the class was interesting. I honestly would not take it again but I think she's offering workshops for fall since her summer courses were offered only online.

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I took this in Summer C 2021. I got a Pass but based on the grades I got I would've received an A-. Dr. Rashidi is amazing and this class is super interesting. However, it is a lot of work especially if you're not well versed in biology. Also she isn't the best at responding to emails, and often took a while to upload lectures. But her teaching style was very clear and you got all the information you need from lectures. There was a final research project that wasn't tough (I got 40/40), and the exams were open book open note (except for the practical portion which was in class with cameras on and closed note/book) so it wasn't difficult to do well. Highly recommend her and this class!

If you don't mind lectures slides that haven't been updated since 2003, then this class is for you. Professor Rashidi doesn't allow electronics in her class so all notes must be taken pen / paper - what makes this class a little annoying is that the professor talks at about 500 words / minute. On the flip side, there isn't much that is covered in class for each topic so their is only so much that can be on the exam. This quarter she decided to post a study guide, and to her surprise it was the best tests grades she's ever had as a class... mmm. There is a research paper that one must write, it expands on a topic covered in class. To be honest, this class wasn't as difficult as she made it out to seem, her study guide states that one must commit to a solid of 8 hours of studying / week to do well in her class but much less is needed, maybe a solid 2 hours / week.

I loved this class so much, and a year and a half later I still remember so much from it and it stands out as one of my favorites. Professor Rashidi is definitely a tough professor and this is definitely a college-level course. There is a ton of memorization involved and you really have to pay attention and be engaged with the lectures and review the slides. However, the content is so interesting and Professor Rashidi also helps make it interesting. I had no trouble coming up with a paper topic and I had so much fun writing it (I know that sounds so lame but honestly I usually hate writing papers but this one was so enjoyable).

tl;dr: it’s a difficult course and you have to put in the work and study and come to class, the material is so interesting and rewarding to study that it’s still been one of my favorite classes at UCLA.

Getting an A on the first try is doable, but you have to put in the work!