2.3
Quality4.2
Difficulty50%
Would Retake84
Reviews50%
Would Retake
84
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
6
4
23
3
9
2
14
1
32
What Students Say
“not a good prof at all”
AN - 1.0 rating“greatest teacher ever”
AN309 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
67%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.70 avg changeRatings by Course
AN309
5.0
(1)ANTHR151
5.0
(1)ANTH305
5.0
(1)ANTH404
4.5
(2)AN10140
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
206
5.0
DREAMS
5.0
A
5.0
MIDDLEEAS
5.0
MYTHCULTURE
5.0
Reviews (84)
not a good prof at all
No Comments
greatest teacher ever...leave the guy alone, he's a genius!
too hard to understand way too much work for intro course but nice man
SMART & FAIR BUT TOO HARD
Is class is not a logical class but, that's what makes it fun. The teacher is a very good teacher and I'd take him again.
good guy but way to hard
If this is your major he is a great and interesting teacher with a strange sense of humor, if this is not your major it might not be interesting and somewhat dificult. Very intelligent and knows his stuff, i belive he knows something like 6 languages
HE IS SO BORING AND ALL OVER THE PLACE. let someone else take over.retire.
RUN don't walk
give it up old man !!!
thank you for your wonderful knowledge, i have learned more from you on one semester than from any other professor
great person difficult professor though be prepared to work hard
he's a really good teacher, mostly lectures, projects are hard
makes the class very interesting if you actually pay attention, and feel what he's saying. We've al inherited myth and culture within our subconcious and they come to us in our dreams and in altered states. werd.
No Comments
for a so called worldly men he is pity and mean... he is also hard and all over the place.. do not take his class. worst prof ever
too hard to follow rambles on and on and on and on and on and on etc
very hard.... take another anthro prof.... take benner or silva.......he is a bad prof and does not help his students..... sadly to say he is the chairman of the department... go back to harvard
he looks like the missing link... and is scattered brained... run away from him and dont ever take his class !!!!! more than half the class end up dropping his class... does that tell u anything?
I thought he was really nice... I introduced myself to him... but i'm majoring in anthro so it makes a difference if you're interested. If you're not you'll want out! Overall take classes with him if you like the subject!
run don't walk he is too hard and belongs rambling in a mental institution
tough class, but Dr. Hoffman knows his stuff. Extract what you need to complete assignments and put some effort into it and you'll be fine.
worst Prof ever. half the class ends up dropping his class. take any anthro prof other than him. the way he looks, u can tell he is an archeologist, a missing link himself or a demented Santa
No Comments
boriiiiiiiiiiiiiiing, dullllllllllll, too hard and did i say booooooooooooring?
can put anyone to sleep, go back to the dirt and stay away from humans please
This is my major and he is my advisor. He things we are in a masters program. I want to graduate quickly cuz of him!
Not a great professor nor a people person at all. Not to mention a missing member of ZZ Top !!!
yes, stay in the dirt.... stay away from the living
He sucks for archaeology! But he's really really good for folklore and Myth & Culture. He's kind of a jerk as a person and arrogant, but his folk, myth classes are great. He uses a lot of research on dreams, cool! Don't expect any favors or understanding.
No Comments
No Comments
run while you can, he is horrible
He is a genius. You will use everything he tells you. I never fell asleep in the four classes I took with him. He is amazing.
If you are willing to put in the work then you can get a lot out of his classes. You will learn more than ever before. Because of him i can write a ten pager like nothing. His assignments can be a little unclear but his lectures are nothing but and if you need help be straightforward. Hoffman Rocks.
Wow....i would never want to take this guy again even if you paid me....i hope i make it out alive
This is not treated as a 100 level GER, he treats this class as if we were anthropology majors, about to graduate. Analyzing Finnegan's Wake is something grad students do for a thesis, but he expects this of this class. He has forever turned me away from anthropology of any sort. Never take him.
thought i would major in this topic but he ruined it for us
he goes off on tangents and rambles on and on, enough to put ya to sleep. tests are hard and the one he gave most students were still there well after the class time was over. after years of teaching, old prof should stop because they become dull and boring.
Unclear, skips around a lot, writes hardly anything on board, makes topic boring, DO NOT TAKE W/ HIM! Exams are hard and expects far too much for intro class. NOT GOOD FOR NON-ANTHRO MAJORS! However, has a lot of interesting experiences. Nice guy, but not a good teacher.
SUCH A SWEET GUY. He's so nice I can't understand why everyone doesn't agree. Very hard to take notes on his lectures, but a very easy grader when it comes to tests, etc. Never takes attendence.
Hoffman is too hard, expects to much and is not a nice person.
He is very hard. He is so smart and intelligent and has all kinds of knowledge but he CAN NOT teach students and pass his knowledge on to them. He is efficient in his field of expertise but not an efficient teacher. A smart and methodical professor is not always the best educator. I do not reckoned taking him.
Soo hard to stay awake. He's very smart and the subject is fascinating, he's just so boring. And the work he assigns is rather difficult. Proceed with caution.
terrible, get back in the dirt
Dr. Hoffman is a sweetheart. I can see why people criticize him negatively as far is not being able to teach well. He is old school and does tend to speak down to people, but it's usually the people who make it obvious that they don't want to make an effort in his class. Too fast for good note taking but fair grader. Recommend to serious students.
No Comments
This guy is almost too smart to teach. He does not know how to relay his thoughts in way normal people can understand. Hard to tell how you are doing in the class.
This guy IS too smart to teach... he cannot relate information to normal people, and kind of talks down to you. Makes you read outloud and you have to write really long papers DONT TAKE!
absolute nightmare !!! 15 page term paper and 10 page final exam. very boring, monotone. made me lose interest in the topic. only plus is no attendance
cool guy but very difficult. I'm an A student in all my classes but flunked his archaeology course. It was not introduction level material. He is very hard to understand, and extra help from him was useless.
If you don't mind a lecture class this is a good class to take. Fair grader and gives you a fair amount of time to get your assignments done. I got more and more interested as the class went on b/c he has been lots of places and seen things.
Had 2 classes with him this semester. Not as bad as people said. Extremely intelligent man, but if you go to class and listen, your all set. Reasonable grader, and a good guy. Never had any issues. Assignment are somewhat hard and require you to actually think. Isnt that what college is about?
Should only take this if you are into Archaeology. It is very archaeologically specific and detail oriented and will bore those who are not interested.Tests are hard (be good at memorizing)-assignments require lots of legwork but-will learn alot. Will help if asked. Loved it!Is funny -if you like dry humor :)
You must like anthropology and/or archaeology when taking this class. He is a hard professor but loves the work.
Dr. Hoffman is one of the smartest guys i know. You can tell that he loves his field of work. I am not interested in archaeology so it wasnt very interesting to me. It was very informative and if you enjoy archaeology then take the seminar course!
not very clear. you have to have somewhat of a background in the material before taking class. if not interested in myth and culture then this class will not only be difficult but extremely boring.
Extremely intelligent. His classes are mainly writing intensive. Great teacher if you are into anthropology.
Took Myth & Culture. I had no background knowledge but he really knows his stuff. Can be hard to follow but not impossible. As a writing intensive class hes great giving multiple chances at doing well. And only 2 "surprise quizzes" that are subjective and you just need to be kind of on the right track with information. Great professor!
This guy LEFT 3 students in Jordan on a study tour because they had passport problems. If you want a teacher who gives a crap about anyone....he is NOT for you.
He may look like Santa, but he does not act like him. He obviously knew his stuff, but he went out of his way to make you feel dumb. If you answered any of his questions, he would always give you a follow up question that you wouldn't know. He did give good comments on papers. I would suggest that only Anthropology and Archaeology majors take him.
Horrible teacher. Talks about all of the "digs" that he has done. Doesn't care about the students, but about all of the things he has accomplished. The name of the seminar was "Who Owns the Past?" He thinks he owns the past. He wouldn't let the Middleboro Little League build a new field because he wanted to dig there for 10 years. Painfully boring.
A great understanding teacher if you care about anthropology and archaeology. He is a great man for saving valuable history by preserving the Middleburo fields. Also if you were on the trip to Jordan, you would know the two girls were at fault as well. They lost their passports. Also Jordan is quite progressive and they are pro women rights.
Class was about the constructs of human consciousness within our culture. he is intelligent and speaks slow so that you can write everything he says. Some may say he's hard to follow but it's probably just because they are not intelligent enough to follow along... you have to have the ability to comprehend culture to understand!
Was so happy to see a class like this offered on campus & even more that it was so well organized. Was weary with all the comments I've heard about him, but he's truly an incredible & intelligent prof. Awesome class if you're interested in topic & put effort in. Hope to take this prof. again.
The class was extremely boring, not that hard to get at least a B though. I had absolutely no interest in the subject what so ever. I wouldn't recomend taking him, but he wasn't that terrible. I felt kind of bad for sleeping all the time in class though.
FIRST OF ALL worst teacher i have ever had in my career of LEARNING.SECOND of allhe wears these ridiculous smocks.Gives you an assignment that he calls the impossible assignment& says he grades you on the way you struggle.like what?says attendance doesnt matter then BAM,last class he notifies you how many days you missed and its 5% of your grade
For those of you that are serious students who care about getting the best education you can, please take Dr. Hoffman. Put in the extra effort to ask him questions outside of class (or even during class) if you don't understand something! He is an awesome guy, and you'll succeed with him if you TRY!
1 in class exam, 3 essays. Opportunity for essay revisions, also gives helpful comments. Lots of assigned reading, but found it more or less optional. Lecture style with opportunity for class discussions. Liked his teaching style, but not easy. Serious students, take him!
Hoffman comes off tough but it's just to make you think. Assignments are meant to make you think about what you are learning but he grades them easy. He's always willing to help if you ask and love people who are opinionated! His classes are geared for Anthro majors. I love his nature tunics and he is tough on the outside but is soft inside! :)
Hoffs is a wicked chill professor. If you don't have a genuine interest in the topic though, don't take a class with him. His assignments are reasonable and make you think. He is ALWAYS willing to help if you ask. His lectures can be a little confusing, but he is always willing to answer questions. Quotes Monty Python A LOT. 4/5 stars overall!
Do not take this professor unless you have a genuine interest in archaeology. Took him for an intro level course and there was far too much work and the material was too complicated for intro. He is very vague in what he expects. He is a nice man but without archaeology background you will go crazy.
I would not recommend to take Professor Hoffman if you are taking his class to fulfill a core requirement. He assumes that every student has prior archaeology interest and knowledge. He makes students feel stupid when they answer a question wrong and his assignments take hours to complete. Do not take him unless you need to.
I took this class as part of my humanities requirement. Don't just randomly take his class unless you have an anthropology background. That being said, he's remarkably intelligent and while his lectures are long, they are interesting. Quizzes are based off the readings (which you have to do) and tests are based on lectures (take good notes).
If you don't have any interest in anthropology don't take this class with him, I was confused thought out the whole semester and he was not willing to listen or help. He expects you to know about the stuff. I felt really stupid in this class. There are 3 presentations, 10-15 pages paper considered final and you have to participate in a class debate
This is an intro course but was treated like an upper level class. Going into the class with no knowledge of the subject is not smart. He is all knowing in archaeology but lacks the ability or motivation to actually teach students. The book was barely used and would often just give personal accounts to his life unrelated to class.
Dr Hoffman is the man. Ive had him for 2 classes and for 2 sessions of fieldwork, hes also my advisor. Hes crazy smart, but honestly just a tad socially disconnected. He expects a lot from his students & his classes are far from easy, but youll learn a lot. You get what you give in his classes, put in the work and it will relfect in your grade.
Expects you to know the entire subject before he teaches it. His class is 3 presentations, a paper, a class discussion, and a midterm.
i genuinely wish i dropped out of this class. lectures seem to be completely unrelated to the homework and essays. he is not there to help with your essays. assigns "finnegans wake" (one of the hardest fictional readings in history) and does not give any instructions for it so you get screwed over. im so serious you must avoid this class.
He does not really have a knack for staying on topic for the reading and do not expect to be able to get through this class without Some sort of Tolkien knowledge. He is really nice and pretty clever and funny. People give him a hard time for his rambling but it makes the class more interesting and you can really tell he has interest in the topic.
He is a very nice man and very passionate about this topic. Only a couple of assignments (writing) where he lets you turn in a first draft for no grade, and he gives feedback. The second draft he grades, but even after that you're allowed to revise and turn in a third time. He is also a fair grader, bordering on easy. I'd take this class again.
often says outdated information and assigns 3 assignments. All of which were given vague instructions. He should probably retire already
If you're willing to put in the work to pass this class (consists of 3 speeches, a midterm, final paper, and a final debate) then you will pass. There are a lot of outside readings, many of them being long. Dr. Hoffman is a great guy and clearly cares about his students.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
67%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.70 avg changeRatings by Course
AN309
5.0
(1)ANTHR151
5.0
(1)ANTH305
5.0
(1)ANTH404
4.5
(2)AN10140
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
206
5.0
DREAMS
5.0
A
5.0
MIDDLEEAS
5.0
MYTHCULTURE
5.0