2.9
Quality3.5
Difficulty28%
Would Retake97
Reviews28%
Would Retake
97
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
22
4
16
3
18
2
22
1
19
What Students Say
“Do not take his class”
101G - 2.0 rating“Made it so I couldn't pass the class”
101G - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
44%
Textbook Required
75%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.65 avg changeRatings by Course
ANTHRO3450
5.0
(1)ANTH3130
5.0
(1)ANTH475
5.0
(1)ANTH4750
5.0
(1)ANTH4130
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
ANTHRO101
5.0
ANTH4170
5.0
ANTH475
5.0
HONR2100
5.0
ANTH4160
5.0
Reviews (97)
Very nice guy. Hard to take notes from - jumps all over the place. Gets off on tangents. Talks at a Phd level to associate's level students and says he doesn't know how to talk "simple." His tests are really hard!
Dr. Knowlton is a nice enough guy. His tests aren't THAT hard if you listen in class and read the book, but it's extremely difficult to get a good grade on his 6+ papers he requires because he has an evil T.A. that grades them.
He get's carried away with what he is teaching and tends to stray off onto his own personal experiences. Hard to take notes from. Dont take from if possible. Tests are hard
He expects alot from his students, but one will learn much from his class. His tests are some what hard, but they are take home tests. There is alot of papers, but if you put the time into them, you will do fine (2 pages only each paper). Overall, you will learn alot in his class. Take him.
Has done some really interesting field work and has some cool experiences and stories to share. You can learn a lot from him if you're willing to.
not a very good teacher and not cleas on what he expects on his papers.
Wow, nice person, but very cruddy teacher. Not clear on assignments- and not on the same page as his TA!!
Hated his class!! He talks on a level that is way above everyone and wants to be so smart!! Hard tests!! I have to retake his class so try not to get him!!
One of the best Professors I have had.His class is not the easiest,but if you put some time into the papers,you can easily get a good grade.Professor Knowlton is the kind of professor you will want as a friend and want to keep in contact with.I would highly recommend taking a class from him.The other posts on this page are blown out or Proportion.
He is an excellent teacher. His class was very hard, but had nothing to do with how good of a teacher he was. He expected a lot out of us, but if the class on a whole is good he gives a lot of leaway. Democracy set class, you can vote on tests and assignments!!
Interesting guy. High work load, but he's very patient with students who have a hard time keeping up. Allows students to determine workload and much of the reading material. Knows everything about everything, in a good way. Unorthodox view of Mormon culture, he's not negative about it though, he's fairly neutral. Best teacher I’ve had here.
He was a interesting teacher , but he didnt give you any kind of feed back on how you were doing in the class. You got papers back but he wouldnt comment on them or tell you your grade. EVER!
I appreciated him teaching on a higher level. The take home tests were very vague. and if you didn't understand what he was saying, you were screwed. Great class if you are going into anth. otherwise, i would stick with an easier teacher.
This class was way too hard to be a 1010 class. He was very unclear about what he expected and what the assignments were. He has some weird philosophies and some of the things he taught were borderline inappropriate. I did not enjoy this class.
He lets his TA grade all the papers and she's a grading nazi. However, Dr. Knowlton really is a nice guy and he seems to want his students to succeed. His lectures aren't as bad as other people say, you just have to participate. If you get a bad grade on a paper he will let you redo it for full credit. You will learn a lot if you participate.
He likes to discuss in class and doesnt cover all of the material. His TA grades everything and she is super anal. Gives out 5 writing assignments that are SUPER hard. He is willing to let the students have a say in material and things but all in all he is pretty hard. Nice guy, though.
Very nice guy. He puts a genuine effort into getting to know students even if it is just their names. He loves anth. He is a little unclear, but it comes back around when he grades very generously. He is willing to push back deadlines if students struggle. I learned a lot. He gets a little hyper sometimes and embarasses himself. Great guy!
Yes this is a reading extensive class and he does expect you to know the material. He is a fun teacher and yes he does occasionaly go off an a tanget but that makes the class all that more fun. If your willing to do the work this is a class that I recommend taking!
I worked very hard in the class and am not sure whether I am going to pass or not. I spent a really long time working on the midterm only got a D on it. I went to just about every anthropology class and I still don't know anything about anthropology
I hate this class. It's Anthropology of Myth, Magic, & Religion. Sounded interesting...it's not. There are 5 books required, none of them make any sense. The whole class is based on discussion, he doesn't follow a specific schedule, and it's really boring! This class should be called Philosophy of Religion. It's all over my head and too deep to mak
He seems fairly knowledgable about the topic of anthropology, although the text book he wrote, which we use in class has not been edited and can cause some headaches when you try to decipher his intent. The text is also very jargon oriented and not for the beginning anthrpologist. Also the textbooks he asks us to read are a little dry.
I would listen to him read the phone book. Love him.
Dr. Knowlton is a very good teacher. His class is not the easiest, but if you put in some effort he will make sure you do well.
My biggest advice is DON'T do it! I wouldn't wish this teacher on my worst nightmare!
Genius! It's wonderful being taught by a REAL ANTHROPOLOGIST! Gets abstract at times and realizes he's doing that but asks the class if he needs to clarify--usually no one says anything. He's excited to inform us of other cultures. I LOVE THIS TEACHER! His text and quizzes are a piece of cake. Don't miss out on this guy!
I would not suggest this teacher to anyone!! I think Anthropology is an interesting subject, but the way Knowlton teaches is no good. He is not clear at all on what he expects on the final and is very confusing.
I had no idea what was going on most of the time. he seemed like a cool guy but his class was terrible.
I learned about the world in a different way. I found myself holding conversation with well educated older friends who were amazed at how different my approaches were in one semester!. Way better than the basic regurge from most classes. You do have to study. He responded to questions and emails. Very lively and funny when the class shows interest.
David is the BEST professor you could hope to have. He is difficult, but absolutely brilliant and helpful.
As many of the ratings indicate, his class operates at a high level, but if you put in the work you will learn more than in three classes combined. He is a great prof!
Passionate about what he teaches. Empirically-oriented as an anthropologist but not as a professor. Cares about students on an individual level. Intelligent, kind, patient with idiots--usually. Expects critical thinking--and grades accordingly. Students living in a box are going to say "huh?"
His class was challenging, but overall one of the most interesting I've had. He really takes an interest in his student's work and helps you achieve a lot more than you thought you were able to.
Very easy to get along with as long as you are interested in his class. The class is difficult as he is very good at theory and abstract language. Sometimes he was more difficult to understand than the textbooks but if you make it through you will come out closer to a genius, otherwise you might quit school and consider leaving the country.
Dr. Knowlton is a nice man but he has way too much going on in his career to be teaching. The class was unorganized and more stress than it was worth. He canceled class more often than not and most of the students felt either cheated or that they had wasted their time enrolling.
i HATED this class. he is all over the place with his lectures and his quizes/tests don't make any sense at all. beware! make sure you have HOURS to study for this class otherwise it will suck hard! if you can avoid it don't take it!
A very challenging teacher. Very smart and will take you to a new level of understanding. My only negative thing to say is that he give very vague assignments but grades looking for very specific things. If you know what I mean you may not understand what he wants when you write but he wants something very specific.
If you're looking for an easy A and a teacher who will hand it to you, go somewhere else. With Dr. Knowlton, you'll get quality, respect, and help when you need it, but he's going to make you at least TRY to learn, no matter how much you babies don't want to. He's not pompous, you just can't understand what he's saying. Get a dictionary.
Knowlton is extremely knowledgeable in his discipline. You can learn a lot from his class and have interesting discussions too. I definitely would recommend taking this class from him.
I learned a lot in the class about Anthropology, however he was disorganized and not always clear on what he expected you to know for the quizzes and tests which are the only grades you have besides discussion posts so it can get stressful. He also didn't give us a schedule for the semester, it was just touch and go.
Unorganized as far as quizes are concerned. He says he is posting a quiz but doesn't do it on a timely basis. His quizzes are confusing and offers multiple answers to what the answer could be.
He is a nice man, but is very unclear about everything, the class discussions were so boring i'd rather him lecture. I do not recommend him to anyone.
Dr. Knowlton is a very knowledgeable and intelligent guy. If you are looking for a class to get an easy A, look elsewhere. He makes you really think and wants you to understand what you are learning. If you honestly want to learn about the topic take his class. If you are looking for an easy filler class this is not the class for you.
Extremely vague and disorganized! Tests and quizzes were difficult and rarely on things covered in class, 4 books required.Tries to be funny but jokes are stupid and distracting.
Knowlton is an amazing teacher. His methods are different but don't misinterpret his disorganization as unintelligent. He purposefully teaches at a level that stretches your brain. It's not always fun but you end up learning how to critically think. Not just regurgitate. This is vital to a lasting education. He's very helpful if you just ask for it
Knowlton is a great guy and knows a great deal about what he teaches. It's obvious he is very passionate about the subject. The class was very difficult though in that the quizzes were almost impossible and going to class almost had nothing to do with these quizzes. I took notes every day and still struggled so much.
Great professor,very passionate about the subject, lots of insight & real world experience. Don't take this course if you want to be spoon fed answers & do very little work. Take it if you want a fantastic professor & a class where you can actually apply what you learn to not only everyday situations but also in other courses in your education.
He seems to really know his stuff and is at times interesting. He would lecture and try to have class discussions but never really made much sense. He's too unclear.
Very different professor and very captivating. He was always willing to meet and help work through the material and understands the topics are rather abstract and take time to digest. Hardest part was getting through the Ethno readings, there is so much info. Very open to communication with students.
Just one of those professors that everyone should be required to take a class from. Stop twiddling your thumbs in some GE class that takes little to no effort.Sign up, buy your books,READ YOUR BOOKS,and gain the most you ever have from a single class. I learned an incredible amount about how we perceive others, and that is knowledge worth knowing.
I remember reading these reviews before I signed up for the class, not knowing if it would be worth it. Let me tell you now, take anthropology from David Knowlton, he is fantastic and you will learn lots! I agree with the guy that talked about getting a dictionary :) I feel so smart after this class.
Lets be honest, its anthropology, which means its impossible to not do any work and still understand the material, and its impossible for the professor to be 100% clear on exactly what you need to learn. That being said, it was a pretty good class, and you can learn a lot if you put in the time. Take it and you won't regret it I promise
I really regret taking his class. He was never clear on anything, terribly disorganized and often went off on tangents that didn't seem to relate with what we were supposed to be learning. The quizzes and tests were impossible, and most of our class didn't get good grades at all by the end. This class was a nightmare.
I didn't like my class at all. Sure, sometimes the discussions were interesting, but most of the times they were just confusing and I never really understood the point. The reading material was sometimes really hard to understand and his tests. . . boy, he talks in riddles. If you like crystal clear professors who will answer you directly, not him.
We have to admit that Anthropology is a discipline with a lot of material to cover. Do not come to this class thinking you will get a good grade by doing nothing! however, you will like the lectures and see the world from a different point of view. The professor is very knowledgeable and the readings very interesting.
Get ready to read and participate. It's the best way to learn anything in his class. It's tough material but man, its the best.
DAVID KNOWLTON FOR PREZ.
Do not take his class. Lectures consist of ramblings and tangents. Even if you read the texts and go to class you will not do well on quizzes. He used the F word in class and it's equivalent in a hand gesture "just because he could" in an effort to "further explain." Also I found his examples in using the Mormon church demeaning and unnecessary.
Not at all what I expected. Way better. Not a puppy mill course like most classes down here. I am struggling though despite attending class and doing readings and working with my friend on the readings. Showed my boss. She said. "Looks like a great professor. Teaches like my professors at Cornell. Let me know how it goes." Oh man pressure is on!
I am surprised to see the negative feedback for David. I thought this class was super interesting. All of the quizzes he gave us he never graded, it was basically to test how if we are reading. You do a lot of reading, and class is always lecturediscussion. He really knows his stuff.
His lectures are really interesting and fun, but his quizzes have multiple mistakes and can be confusing. The class is good for application, though.
Holy cow. I would never take this class from him again. He'd go off on random tangents in class and only clarified what we were actually supposed to be getting from it after about 20 minutes into his tangent. SO confusing. Quite disorganized and LOTS of reading. Good luck:P
He is not engaged with the class, it's obviously not a priority of his. His online presence is pretty minimal. Takes 2+ months to grade papers. I feel bad rating him poorly for an online class, but he is pretty absent from the class presence. Doesn't respond to e-mails. To sum him up: Are you there? To sum his class up: Fairly easy and boring.
So the tests are hard, the reading is tough, but simple at the same time. Dr. Knowlton is very knowledgeable and has the experience to back-up what he teaches. He's really great about giving real life examples and helping relate the material to students. His class is hard, but if you go to class and participate, you'll be okay.
You are assigned to read a lot in class but it's not entirely overwhelming because we would discuss our readings in class. He gives a lot of feedback about the texts we read, but not so much on papers we write. Do expect papers to be graded weeks later, if at all. Overall a pretty easy class, simply show up and participate in class.
This teacher is not connected with the students. He does not answer emails or give feedback, and when he occasionally does, it's way late. His quiz's are tough to understand, because sometimes the answer is not really the answer he states it is- meaning he is vague and tries to trip you up. Unfair grading and critique of students work. Haughty.
This was one of the most busy classes I had. He has reading from chapter books with quizzes, reading from the textbook with quizzes, an hour long video, a response paper, and a discussion that are all due EVERY WEEK. He is not present in the class and his TA does all the grading. I have had to correct him on MULTIPLE quiz questions.
Not willing to work with me when I had mistaken a deadline by a few hours on vacation. Made it so I couldn't pass the class. Must think everyone taking the class is studying anthropology because it's a lot of work for an intro class. Add my other classes and working full time it was a recipe for disaster.
This class has TONS of busy work. You have chapter readings from two books due each week, class chat that you have to participate in everyday from Weds-Sat, and there is also a 500-600 word paper due every single week. You're basically doing a ton of busy work. But, if you are able to do it all you will succeed in the class. Offered extra credit.
professor is difficult to contact, out of five emails I sent him before I withdrew from the class, he only replied to one. TA is unclear & inconsistent with grading. When I went to her to resolve a problem she was more interested in arguing than helping me. You are required to buy and read three textbooks! The workload is insane for an intro class
Dr. Knowlton is a very good professor. I took his class online. The class in and of itself is extremely interesting and both he and his TA (Danielle) have a presence in the online class. Weekly readings, discussions, quizzes, videos, and a weekly paper about the material covered. YOU MUST DO THE READINGS! 2 tests and 1 final.
You read a lot of textbook material and watch a lot of videos and then write a lot of papers about it. He is a fairly tough grader but if you read the materials then it shouldn't be too hard to write the paper. There are also a lot of quizzes and the answers are hard to find - they are from all the reading for the week.
Probably never going to take a class from him again. Excessive amount of homework, insane amount of reading, and some pointless things assigned. I loved the content of the class, but really the whole thing forces you to teach yourself. His test questions don't test you on applicable concepts, it's more specific things that honestly don't matter.
Amazing professor! I am a single mom working 40 hours and going to school full time. If you can't pass this class than you don't care to pass it. If you participate in the weekly discussions, paper and quiz then you will pass! The class only takes up to 3 hours a week at most and there is EXTRA CREDIT!
I took this course during the summer and even the accelerated speed didn't make this class hard. Just read your chapters, use your resources (Quizlet) and make sure to get your discussion posts on time and you'll do amazing.
I will never take from this professor again. Not only does he not respond to emails at all, but the exams are comprehensive and cover HUNDREDS of pages with no study guide or direction at all. I have friends taking this class from other professors and they are excelling. It's also almost the end of the semester and he has not graded most work yet.
Professor Knowlton does not communicate hardly ever. The most frustrating part is he does not doing any grading whatsoever and so my grades are still all over the place waiting for him to do something so I can see where I stand. This class I feel should be an easy A however, this professor has made the subject confusing and is little to no help.
David Knowlton was not helpful at all. We had a class discussion and test every week, which weren't that hard. The frustrating part is that he doesn't grade anything. It is the last week of the semester and I don't have anything graded. How am I supposed to know if I'll pass? He NEVER responds to emails or communicates with the class.
Professor Knowlton has not set up this class in a way for students to excel. The exams cover multiple chapters of reading with no guidance as to what is on the test, and no study guide to help. He is not easy to contact, and he does not stay up to date on grading. The requirements for discussion boards vary each week as well.
Professor Knowlton is a solid professor; I made sure never to miss a single quiz or discussion and for the most part I learned a lot! He is difficult to contact at times and doesn't grade until the last minute but if you just stay on top of all the assignments there shouldn't be reason for you not to get an A.
I have never had a professor that is not present in the course like this one. He makes no announcements, gives zero feedback, and he teaches you nothing. You learn by reading 3 useless textbooks and then quizzed on confusing information. He does not teach any lectures, you will watch useless youtube videos and you'll learn nothing.
Worst professor I've ever had. Made me question if I even want to go into Anthropology. Does not respond to emails, does not grade work in a timely fashion, no lectures available, useless reading, and quizzes that are specifically made to trick students. He honestly shouldn't even have a position as a professor.
By far the worst professor I have ever had. He does not communicate and does not respond to any of your questions or concerns. He waited until the very end of the semester to actually start putting in most of the grades. You don't even know what to study for the tests, they are just on random parts of the reading. not too hard of class, prof sucks.
This has literally been the worst class I've ever taken at UVU. The professor is virtually non-existent, and extremely inconsistent with his requirements and due dates. He even provided us with the wrong book list at the beginning of the semester. The chances of getting in contact with him are slim to none. STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS CLASS.
Prof Knowlton is virtually nonexistent. The only good thing about this class is the high points we get for discussions about 5 videos every week. Tests are really hard, and are based on over 10 chapters of reading. Reading takes about 5 hours if you want to get all the information, and quizzes are always worded weird. If you like ANTH, don't take.
He is awesome. Very laid back. Very responsive. He gave extra credit for effort. Also, the material is super interesting. I didn't love one of the books that were required, but everything else was fascinating. Especially the YouTube videos he has you watch. I learned a ton from this class, and it totally shifted my world view in several ways.
Great professor. He cares a lot about anthropology. There's a lot of reading in any anthropology class, but Knowlton is clear about what is actually important to understand for quizzes and tests. Tests are not proctored. Very fair grader. If you do your best you'll get an A.
My experience in this class was unsatisfactory. All we did each week was read from a book and textbook, there are discussions and quizzes based on the two books and 3 exams throughout. You learn nothing. You have to teach yourself everything. It is hard to get a good grade. There are 3 books to buy in this class. The exams are impossible to pass.
Every week you read the texts, watch videos, discuss and quiz. it should have been easy, but the canvas page was a mess. the worst thing was the due dates being wrong many times through the semester. the discussion posts would randomly close mid week instead of Sunday per norm, and the second exam opened/closed a week earlier than it should have.
Professor Knowlton takes forever to grade anything, the semester ends in just under 3 weeks and 2/3rds of my homework isn't graded. The Canvas page is incredibly confusing with many instructions contradicting one another. You teach yourself everything. There is no feedback or guidance from the Professor. Interesting subject but hated this class.
This class was extremely hard due to a non existing presence of the professor and how we had to jump through 3 textbooks to teach ourselves. The professor had none of his own insight being that all the material was outside sources like textbooks and YouTube videos. However the professor, when I was able to speak with him was kind and professional
His teaching style may be a little bit more lecture-based but he goes over what we read in class and helps explain things in a way that makes you really go back and want to re-read the chapters that you have read. I have now taken three of his classes and he is one of my favorite professors that I have had in the anthropology program. He is great.
The readings were outrageous, 3 separate books with a few chapters in each per week. The homework assignments weren't bad if you skimmed the books. The tests. were solely based on the textbooks so beware. Didn't really give feedback, and took a bit to respond to any emails. There were no lecture videos so you had to read the textbooks.
Bro 100% the worst class i've taken in college. Dude never replies to emails. canvas page is confusing. you have to buy the course he uses for $65 do not take.
Professor was not present at all throughout the course. Very hard to get ahold of. Syllabus wasn't easily accessible and he was not tech savvy to connect anything to Canvas. Had to purchase two physical textbooks that weren't used and a third party textbook where all the quizzes and grades came from. Final was a disaster. Professor seemed clueless.
The course was all built into an online textook, called "VANTAGE", it was not hard but it was very time consuming. The course was not built into canvas very well, so there was no modules and it was a bit hard to keep up with when work was due. had to buy 2 books that we never used. Professor didn't communicate much.
Incredibly difficult to get ahold of. When he did respond to my questions, he was so vague and unhelpful he could've been a ChatGPT. For most of the semester, I assumed he was. Failed to import assignments to Canvas on time, and then didn't communicate about it. LOTS of assignments. Half the questions on the final hadn't been covered.
Lots of readings, but Knowlton is fair. unstuck ai helped me stay on top of things and prepare for exams. Not the most tech-savvy, but if you engage, you'll learn a lot.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
44%
Textbook Required
75%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.65 avg changeRatings by Course
ANTHRO3450
5.0
(1)ANTH3130
5.0
(1)ANTH475
5.0
(1)ANTH4750
5.0
(1)ANTH4130
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
ANTHRO101
5.0
ANTH4170
5.0
ANTH475
5.0
HONR2100
5.0
ANTH4160
5.0