2.4
Quality4.2
Difficulty30%
Would Retake163
Reviews30%
Would Retake
163
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
27
4
17
3
26
2
28
1
65
What Students Say
“Gives terrible lectures where she writes random words on the chalkboard and circles them like shes solving a crime”
ANTH221 - 2.0 rating“DO NOT TAKE ANTHROPOLOGY OF SEX & SEXUALITY”
ANTH221 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
98%
Textbook Required
13%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.50 avg changeRatings by Course
WGSS484B
5.0
(1)ANTH300
5.0
(1)ANTH465
4.6
(5)ANT01
4.5
(2)ANTHRO
4.0
(3)Difficulty by Course
ANTH222
5.0
SEXANDSXUTLY
5.0
WGSS221
4.8
ANTH221
4.2
ANTHROSEX
4.0
Reviews (163)
cool and straight forward, very intelligent but poor teaching skills. She actually made sex BORING! Strict attendance and quizzes daily.
Simply regurgitated the assigned readings and would not control loud talking in class which was very disruptive
fair but doesn't really know how to teach
Yes, you have to read Foucault, but it's so worth it. Loved the class, I think she's awesome
Made me drop the class. Poorly taught, strict attendance and daily quizes reminds me of highschool. Spent half of lecture time in small groups which was more of a socializeing period. Spent the other half of class screwing with her microphone.
If you go to her for help, she will be really helpful and chances are you'll need some help. She's one of the most intellegent teachers I've ever had and that makes her class difficult, but worth it. You'll work hard but learn a lot.
very interesting and helpful
Rigid personality and poor teacher. Was very unhelpful and expressed bias towards certain students.
Really interesting, enjoyable class, sometimes the readings are difficult but she's an easy grader as long as you follow the directions. It's my favorite class!
she assigns a lot of work, but is straightforward from the beginning about what she wants..she is very intelligent and one of the best professors i've had here
She was intimidating and arrogant at times. Sometimes, sitting in lecture I felt lost and couldn't believe this was supposed to be an easy course. But, she can be be funny, is very intelligent, and seems to genuinely care about her students.
Took a class with her last fall. Like some of the others said, she is very arrogant often condescending. She assigns ALOT of work and grades tough. But, I truly think she is a professor who cares and wants her students to learn.
Elliston is one of the best professors I have ever had. Although there is a lot of reading, it was usually interesting so it wasn't really that bad.
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has terrifically bad moods. went to her office for help and she acted as though she couldn't be bothered.
Professor Elliston is evil. She just likes to hear herself speak. Shes made sex more boring then watching an ant walk around on the sidewalk. She acts like shes gods gift to anthropology.
Very intelligent on the subject. Class is very challenging so be prepared to think. Dont just take the class because of its name, its a lot harder than you expect.
do not take. interesting subject but she's a really bad lecturer. a lot of work and pop quizzes every week!
Divided a huge lecture class into small groups on a regular basis for more than half of lecture time. What is she being paid for, to babysit?
1st reading/quiz-had my ass handed to me. Material is TOUGH for those not previously exposed to it, but she explains it well. Major impact on my life and world views. One of the best undergrad courses I ever took. Well worth the effort.
She wasted half of every class breaking students into small groups. Also spent a good deal of time on pop quizes. Very little of the 2 hour lecture was actually spent on lecturing. Why pay the tuition when you can buy the books for $50?
Huge liberal feminist - guys steer clear of her class. Its 85 minutes of bashing straight people and glorifying homosexuality. If your a feminist or lesbian go for it... all others watch out
Do not think that sex and sexuality means easy fun. Lectures are impossible to sit through and her counting 25% of your grade with the pop-quizzes is obsurd. Also when she breaks the class into groups I found that time to be useless.
the ideas that this class is about is highly interesting, however, she is one tough teacher that said she is going to be "a badass" about the tests. She is a crude teacher who is aimed to shove loads of work to students. I dont think she really cares whether the student learns or not. If it was someone else teaching the course it would be 10xs b
no doubt, the work in this class is CRAZY. but i def. feel like ive gotten so much out of it. it was very interesting, but dont take it if you dont plan to pay attention or dislike massive amounts of readings. deborah was very helpful on keeping me on my feet though. shes a tough cookie, but shes cool.
Course material is interesting if you wanna know about transgendered sex workers. Readings are sometimes hard to get through, but she goes over what she wants you to get out of them. I'd have a beer with this woman.
This professor is tough on her students because they get a G from a class about sex. It's easy to see how a lot of indifferent people might take this class. With that said, this class changed my perspective on the way I view sexuality completely for the better. The class is fascinating, and if you do the reading and study like any other class you s
Do not take this class IF you see yourself getting an easy A watching videos about sex. This class is tough, but it is really worth it since you learn a lot and really opens your mind. The grading policy is extremely fair, but it requires a lot of effort on your part - no spoonfeeding here. I would HIGHLY recommend this course to anyone.
She is on a bit of a power trip, and enjoys piling on the (often times POINTLESS) work to a lower level class. It would be interesting if anyone had the time to do all of the reading. Unfortunately, she treats her students like children, giving pop quizzeds to check reading and scolding them about this and that. Don't take it.
Impossible abnd boring. I learned nothing about feminism. Condescending
Not what I thought it was going to be by reading the course description. The classes were boring and she went over things so fast that it was nearly impossible to take notes. Most of my notes were half completed because I couldn't follow her and she would jump around.
don't take her. she's a horrible, horrible person.
Dr. Elliston has managed to be the most sophmoric person I have ever met. She drives home a rhetoric about "exploding socioal differences," yet hypocritically, she barely bothers to conceal her obvious and indiscriminate hubris toward hetero men.
the readings are interesting but the class is pretty much boring except for when she makes comments like getting it up the (butt). the work is hard. she gives a lot of quizzes but they are based purely on the reading. she doesn't go over it first.the midterm is written and there are detailed and difficult questions. don't plagiarize. a lot of work.
she somehow managed to take an interesting subject (sex and sexuality) and make it boring beyond belief. she does more ****ting than any college student i've ever met (and that's saying something)...read a single book by foucault and you will learn everything her class teaches and then some. most useless class i've ever taken.
Strict but challenging.
Do not ever never take her class. I have taken this class (online) and maybe it was the hardest one and i studied too much still could not get a good grade. Too much readings, too much work but no good result. She is a terrible terrible terrible instructor.
She is just horrid for no reason. She thinks that she is important to your life and education but she really isnt.
This isnt even a real Anthro Class. Do not take it ... she is rude and unprofessional. Don't bother even talking to her if you are struggleing in class
Eccentric woman...love and hate. Lots and lots (too much though)of interesting reading. I studied hard, got a B. Usefulmaterial.. Though she imposes her oppinion, she would give you a good grade if you explain yours.That is why I like her. Otherwise, I strongly disagree with her. It is worth experiencing her class, but it'll lower GPA
Cool on the first day, terrible after that. The class is extremely boring. She is even worse. Harry Potter anthropology is ineffective. Make sure to read because pop quizes are 25% of final grade. Do not recommend at all.
HORRIBLE TEACHER AND HORRIBLE CLASS!!!!!!!!! IF YOU WANT TO SUFFER TAKE THIS CLASS!!!!!!! THE FINAL WAS RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!
Not a difficult course if you do the reading. Easy to understand. She's willing to help you out if you just ask. At the same time she has little to no tolerance for childish people that don't do the work: THANKFULLY because at BU that is 50% of the populous!
This class has potential to be interesting, but the professor seems to make it beyond boring with her 2 1/2 hour monotone lecture. The readings were interesting, but way too many of them for you to really enjoy. I think she is bitter because as she acknowledged in class herself, many people only take the class to fill a gen-ed requirement
She isn't willing to help and she is very rude. Do not take this class.
Took her class 4 years ago. Am now teaching Sexuality to undergrad in NYC. Came here to commend Elliston--her class is SO important for anyone studying gender/sex. You must be interested in this subject to do well--read & understand the material and ARGUE for your POV well. You can't bullsh*t this class. But respect her - she is brilliant.
Seriously, one of the best professors ever. She is very intelligent and knows the material really well. She's a published anthropologist, and has done extensive fieldwork. Much of her class grapples with theoretical approaches, so you'll do well if you appreciate reading theory-based works. (I took ANTH300 with her too!)
Keeping it short and simple. Do not take her class.
A very great teacher, She KNOWS her stuff, so no bull at all. you will have to read in order to pass.
She may seem brilliant but she does not like to help students. Much of her teaching is not science-based, even though she allows this to fulfill the BS in Anthro. I like the content and subject, but not her. She did not teach the class well.
Professor Elliston knows her subject well. The ideas are complex but she is more than willing to help her students if they seek her out. The textbooks are difficult, and you definitely need to read to do well. She has high standards, but hard work and frequently attending her office hours got me an A in the course.
Prof Elliston rocks my world.
Professor Elliston picks works that are very interesting and relevant to the class topics to read. She gives a ton of work, though. She is also extremely disorganized with regards to grading and assigning things. She grades harshly and doesn't make clear her expectations for assignments. Not a professor I'd recommend if she can be avoided.
There is a lot of great material to be learned, though Elliston is not the best contender. She can be a bit disorganized. There is a lot of reading and a lot of quizzes, but it's all interesting stuff. She may whittle down the course work so that she has less to grade. She's a great character to watch lecture, and reveals a lot about her life.
The information is interesting but the way she ran the class was terrible. She was disorganized and lazy. There are a lot of readings and a lot of pop quizzes.
She assigns too much work, is never in class and grades harshly.
Way too much work for an online class. She would sometimes assign up to five (long) readings per day. Very tough grader. I was genuinely interested in the topic before taking this class, but would dread Mondays more than I ever have before while taking this class. Would not recommend, unless you don't mind your entire day being taken up by reading.
Very knowledgeable. She assigns lots of readings and expects participation, but what class doesn't? She relates theoretical topics to real life which I found extremely helpful. Honestly, hands down, the best professor in the Anthropology Department. Took three classes with her and she did not disappoint, wish I could take more. Highly recommend.
She gave us a take-home midterm that required us to do four essays, I'd really rather have taken a test in class if I would've known it'd be that difficult. I liked the material but she did way too much.
Good person, not a great teacher. Gives a lot of work for what the class is worth. She knows what she is talking about she is just a lot.
Hard class a lot of reading (about 35 pages assigned each class usually more).
Very interesting class, but work heavy. She is knowledgeable of the topic but is fairly disorganized during lectures. 10+ pop quizzes over the semester, and you have to do the readings to prepare for them. Lowest 2-3 pop quizzes get dropped which is nice. Tough but fair grader.
Gives terrible lectures where she writes random words on the chalkboard and circles them like shes solving a crime. Doesnt listen to student input regarding course readings. Its her way or the not at all. Tried to kick me out of class on the first day because I hadnt opened the syllabus on BlackBoard yet. Pop quizzes feature 5 trick questions.
DO NOT TAKE ANTHROPOLOGY OF SEX & SEXUALITY!!!!!! IT IS A MISTAKE. TURN BACK WHILE YOU STILL CAN. PLEASE. I'M BEGGING YOU!
If you're looking to take this as a fun gen-ed requirement, don't. She assigns ridiculous amounts of readings to do before each class, which are not only lengthy but some are also very heavy. There are very little assignments that are graded (besides pop quizzes) so if you do bad on even one you will do poorly in the class. Horrible class.
She tends to contradict herself and does not make sense at all, she forgets the fact she does have to do stuff for grades so she leaves it until the end of the semester. DO NOT TAKE HER IF YOU DONT LOVE ANTHROPOLOGY OR WOMEN STUDIES, CAUSE SHE WILL MAKE YOU HATE IT.
just don't
One of the toughest grader out there. At least 60-80 pages of reading every week and the pop quizzes (once a week) are based on them too!! CRAZY about attendance. Never coherent w her lectures. So unless this is your ONLY class, DO NOT TAKE HER AT ALL COST. She's not worth it and the people who do enjoy her are kiss-ups & SJW's. EXTRA 4 NO REASON!
Knowledgeable on the subject, but just can't teach it very well. Sometimes more than 100 pages of reading a week, some are which are easy and some are impossible. Weekly pop quizzes, daily attendance. Puts off actual coursework until the end of the semester, and a tough grader. When you understand her, it's a fun class, but it's not a joke course
Not much room for your own ideas in this class, to do well you must regurgitate exactly what she says in lectures. Your final grade is dependant on only a few unorganized and vague assignments. I would never recommend this class or professor to anyone!!
The class is a lot of fun. It is a lot of reading, but Binghamton is the "premier public ivy" and she treats the class like it is an ivy level class. Each class is a discussion class and it is fun when everyone participates. She tells you that you will have a quiz once or maybe twice a week so it's not really a 'pop' quiz and she drops the lowest 3
Honestly I did not like her course, but she was a pretty good professor. She was knowledgeable of what she taught, but she could be a little confusing at times. I went to office hours a couple of times and she was very supportive and understanding. She wants you to do well as long as you put in the effort.
I was interested in the class in the beginning however with the amounts of reading assigned be ready because they are VERY LONG Pop quizzes are based on readings assigned so unless you are an amazing guesser then you better get to reading those long readings. Lectures were boring students never paid any attention and some left after attendance.
She was an engaging professor. Grading was kinda tough and the lectures are mostly around her opinions but overall I enjoyed the class and learned from it.
There is a lot of reading, and definitely take notes on each of them throughout the semester. At the end, you will need to know the major points of each reading for the final exam. Overall, very interesting and interactive class. I would definitely take it again.
The rate my professor reviews almost scared me out of taking this class but I'm so glad they didn't! She is a really amazing and insightful professor and she cares about each and every student. The readings are killer though, and the academic language can be challenging, but as long as you put in the effort you'll be fine
Very cool and interesting professor. Great for any incoming freshmen, as she's very clear about what she expects in class. Lots of assignments, but she breaks them down well in lecture. She's very approachable and genuinely enjoys what she does (she's also extremely entertaining and never afraid to speak her mind!)
The amount of readings in this class is pretty intense, but it's manageable. Weekly quizzes which are a hit or miss. Take home exam which if you haven't done the readings good luck doing well on. Final is questionable. Professor is very funny and nice. Grading scale is 25% for quizzes, 25% for midterm, 25% for final, and 25% for Short Assignments.
WAY too difficult for a gen ed. She gave weekly pop quizzes based off of extremely long readings. Even if you read, the quizzes were hard because they were very detail-based. The midterm was not graded by the drop deadline so I withdrew because I was unsure of if I would even pass the course. Lectures were also very disorganized.
The professor shows that she really cares about her students and is knowledgeable about the topic.s She takes feedback from the students into consideration and has an interesting curriculum. She does assign work every week, so you HAVE to do the readings but you know there is a paper due every week, there's no surprises. 100% would take her again.
She is very nice, but can be a little condescending at times. She gives a lot of readings, but it is a 400 level course, so its expected. I really enjoy her lectures and she lets the students pretty much control and talk about whatever they want. She's very nice in class, but her feedback only your work can be harsh.
If you are a first semester freshman debating taking this course, do not take it. There are so many readings that it is impossible to keep up while taking other classes and it's so hard to pay attention in class when there's barely any notes to take. She says she cares about her students mental health, then assigns work that is due the same night.
I'm a senior in college and this was one of the hardest classes i've had to take hands down. This woman drones on for an hour and a half in lectures that are frankly incomprehensible, and has the audacity to be surprised when people seem to not understand what she's talking about. I truly cannot condemn this woman enough.
Very reading heavy, assigning sometimes up to 50 pages a night. Randomly announces writing assignments due the same day by midnight. Lectures were ALL OVER the place, so you basically had to teach yourself. The final was ridiculous. She seems like a fun person but as a professor it doesn't seem she recognizes how difficult she is making a gen ed.
assignments are so time consuming that you wont be able to have a social life. the readings take hours and are due every class. the readings and assignments are so hard yet she grades like you should be a graduate student. dont take this class lol.
one of my favorite professors. she is very nice and teaches the information well. she lets the students pretty much control class discussion. there aren't slides, so if you are a visual learner, then maybe dont take her class. otherwise, she is passionate about the subject and knowledgeable. tough grader and sticks to deadlines.
The lectures were all over the place. We had 5-6 different 20 page reading assignments for each class, and we'd be lucky is she talked about 2 of them in lecture. But you better believe you're responsible for understanding every word on those pages for the tests. Truly a terrible class and a worse professor.
Honestly one of the worst I've ever seen. She stopped giving pop quizzes after we did well on 1, talked too casually about rape and justified it, got too drunk to grade our essays and told us about it, and never covered any of the actual content in class. You have to sit and listen to her say the same paragraph in different words for 2 hours.
Professor Elliston is teaching, in my opinion, one of the most interesting subjects yet. Unfortunately, I dont think she cared about making this class easy as she preferred drinking margaritas on Sunday nights and crying in grocery stores. As interesting as this class was, I dont recommend this Professor as she doesnt seem to want us to do well.
She is SUPER condescending. She has the audacity to talk as if she's above you even when you ask for help. Lectures are super boring and hard to follow. She doesn't even really listen to students' opinions too much. If she doesn't agree she kinda just moves on.
Interesting class that flipped by worldview upside-down but the professor was extremely unhelpful. Her criticisms were more rude/unprofessional than they were useful. She was purposefully vague about what would be on our final. Attendance was necessary because she gave several short pop quizzes about the MANY course readings she assigned.
Elliston is very smart, knowledgeable, & makes the material easy to digest, but theres a lot of it. She is also challenging to come to for help unless you have specific Qs & isnt lenient on grades, deadlines, or attendance and couldve been a lot more considerate of students COVID situations. Regardless, she is very blunt & I respect her a lot.
Take this class if you're interested in the topic. I learned a lot in this class, but it was WORK. SO SO SO much reading, quite confusing pop quizzes, and the writing assignments are tough. I didn't go to office hours, but I think I would have had a much easier time if I did. Don't take this if you don't like to read or aren't going to show up.
Loved the class, but she was meh. She rambles a lot and her scribbles on the board are useless. I can understand her rambles and honestly enjoy it, but most ppl can't. her readings are long af and so are her midterm/final. her pop quizzes are annoying too. really helpful at office hrs tho so def go. only take the class if you love the subject
i'm not sure if prof elliston was aware that this was a 200s level anthro course. her instructions for assignments were always lengthy, yet vague, leaving many students unsure of what she wanted (didnt give clarity when asked). she gave tons of dense readings throughout the semester and barely touched on them in her lectures. lacks empathy w covid.
Absolutely never disagree with her, she will take it as a personal attack on who she is as a person.
If you only want the class for a Gen Ed I'd recommend taking something else. However, for those interested in the subject she is absolutely a must-have professor. Very knowledgeable and push the limits of her students' understanding of the body. Very caring and difficult professor, but that just makes everything that much more satisfying to learn!
LONG readings for EVERY class. The time would be worth it if the material was discussed in class. Instead, Professor Elliston wasted our lectures talking about drinking martinis and crying in grocery stores. DO NOT TAKE FOR GEN ED, this class in no way is an entry-level class and the prof could care less if you fail.
I am currently taking this class as a Junior. The material is not hard to understand if you are familiar with queer studies but the quizzes are difficult. The professor tries to have us fail. I wish the short assignments had a heavier weight in the class because it feels like we are drowning in quizzes.
The class as a whole is interesting but it is not worth for a gen ed requirement. She gives a lot of readings and pop quizzes all the time on them. The hardest part is she is a tough grader and if you don't do all the readings you will struggle greatly. Very specific about the way she wants writing assignments as well.
DONT TAKE THIS CLASS!!!! I took this for a gen ed and was considering dropping it but thought I'd stick with it which was such a bad idea. You'll have to do 20+ page readings per each class and if you interpret anything differently than she does you're automatically wrong. PLEASE save yourself the trouble it's not worth it.
No matter what you do, do not take this class. It will make you hate your life. We literally made a class group chat so we could complain about this class. it is the worst. Please, please, do not take this class
This class had so much potential. Most of the material is interesting, but unfortunately, she rambles about nothing in class. She gives out way too many pop quizzes and assigns 60 pages to read for each class. The questions she asks are designed to trip you up (on one pop quiz the average was 40%). Don't take if sex talk makes you uncomfortable.
Shes a cool person but not very understanding of special circumstances (if you miss a quiz she wont let you retake, you have to take a 0 bc its considered the drop grade) Lectures are confusing but as long as you take notes it should be fine. Do the readings bc theres a pop quiz almost always. Short writing assignments which are easy for a W.
Interesting class, the material turned my perspective about sex and sexuality around. BUT NOT WORTH IT for a Gen ed or in general. Too many readings, difficult to understand, and professor rarely reviews them - only after you take the difficult quizzes. Quizzes are made to make you 2nd guess yourself. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS.
At first, the class was fun and interesting. After add/drop closed, the class did a complete 180. There were extremely specific pop quizzes that were difficult to pass every week and many long (over 20pgs) readings for every class. Lectures were difficult to follow, and the prof does not tolerate perspectives other than her own. avoid if possible.
Professor Elliston may be a bit harsh in her feedback, but she is incredibly knowledgeable. I've never learned more from a single course. I'd take every class she offers if I could. Show up, participate, and make it clear that you've done the readings if you want to do well. She gets a bad rap but she's truly the best professor I've ever had.
You would think a class called sexuality and society would be really enjoyable, well it's not and I found that out the hard way. She really thinks that she is teaching a 400 level class and assigns a crap ton of reading every night . You have to understand everything before class bc she quizzes you before lecture on the material. DO NOT TAKE!!
I went into this class thinking it would be interesting for a gen ed and not too hard, but I was completely mistaken. Elliston is often unprofessional and refused to take input from students. Nightly readings were 20+ pages and hard to interpret, meaning that the pop quizzes were extremely difficult when there was no explanation during lectures.
Legitimately the worst class I've ever taken--she is completely unable to empathize with her students and is overly critical of her students when they're unable to understand the concepts she's failed to explain thoroughly. Don't take this class unless you absolutely have to
She is the most vague professor I've ever had. She gives pop quizzes very often and the questions on them make absolutely no sense. She is also very unclear about what she says in class and gets mad when people get confused and ask her to explain. Her lectures also make absolutely no sense because she talks in circles. don't take her class.
She has a cute dog but that's about it. She holds her students to unrealistic expectations with nightly readings that could take hours on end, and pop quizzes that literally exist to trip up the students. Attendance is mandatory, but somehow after every lecture I walked out with even less information that I had beforehand. Do not take her.
DO NOT TAKE FOR GEN ED! The most reading required for a 200 level class, like three 30 page readings per class for homework. Pop quizzes were 5 questions and weighed heavily in the class. She was extremely rude and unprofessional. Allowed 3 absences, but only dropped 2 pop quizzes. Interesting new topics surrounding sexuality, but not worth it.
Her lectures were hard to follow. She is very mean and unhelpful. Lectures were hard to follow. Too many 20+ page readings, that took hours to read every night. Never would take for a Gen Ed, pop quizzes were too difficult and bombed my grade. She didn't explain anything clearly during lectures. She also takes forever to reply to emails.
Should not be a lower-level course--readings are difficult and she doesn't explain them before quizzing us with wordy, awkward questions that are more technicality based rather than ensuring a holistic understanding of the concepts. Difficult short assignments, for some reason we have a formal exam as our final after an entire semester of papers.
my favorite professor <3 took this class spring semester 2021 but im taking another seminar of hers my last semester in bing just for fun! interacting with her is a pleasure and if you do the work, you learn so much. made me want to be a better student. super caring and makes material interesting. lots of reading but easy.
honestly, everyone gives her a bad rep but she isnt that bad. she does teach like its a 300+ level course, but if ur good at reading critically the pop quizzes are pretty fair. class itself was very eye-opening & interesting but shes known to be snappy. all in all i didnt mind her
Just don't take for a gen ed, maybe if your course load is light, but you won't have time for all the readings if you're busy. Super long readings and confusing pop quizzes. She's a funny prof sometimes, but most times she's just not empathetic and rude.
Throughout the semester, Elliston made especially concerning comments, mainly when she attempted to justify ped0philia and b3astiality, explaining that she did not believe they were immoral. A primary unit of the class also focused on an author who was a known ped0phile and had relations with many children. Elliston does not deserve a platform.
Amazing class that made me rethink a lot about the body and what it means. A lot of readings. Sometimes a whole book a week and you have to write about it afterwards but her feedback is brilliant and she transforms you into a great writer. Would definitely take one of her upper lvl classes again. Don't recommend her lower level 221 class.
DO NOT TAKE AS FRESHMAN! I made the mistake of taking this class fall of my first year and this class has so much reading for it that's mandatory due to pop quizzes. Quiz questions are confusing and she doesn't talk about the readings first. Subjective in her grading with bad feedback that may be TA's. Lectures are long, boring, and very confusing.
Following her lectures is very difficult considering she does not have any lecture slides and often deteriorates into her own nonsensical dialogue. Her pop quizzes are unnecessarily hard, especially for a 200 level course. She gives immense amount of daily readings, which she does quiz on. Not worth it unless you need the course.
The actual content was interesting but it was a hard class. Took up wayyyy more time than it should have and pop quizzes were impossible even when you did the homework. Not awful if you use TAs.
My first lecture was the most fun I'd had in a class, so I thought that the rest of the semester would be fun. The second day of class, she assigned a reading which described female genital mutilation in great detail with no trigger warning whatsoever. I couldn't finish the reading from crying and the memory is still traumatizing. Plz don't take.
assigns an insane ammount of hw for this GEN ED!!! I am a computer science student and have no time for my projects as I'm always reading. TAKE ANYONE ELSE!!! SAVE YOURSEF
I'm coming back my Junior year just to let you know that this class was still my worst academic experience. Lectures are a few slides in which she rambles on and on about obscure topics not in your readings. Although interesting, you are tested on the material you were supposed to cover, but never actually covered. Grades unfairly too. 0/10.
Her expectations for reading are so high it's almost impossible to be able to get all of it done and do other homework. She grades super tough, and there are a million pop quizzes'. If you don't have a pop quiz in one class, you will next one and it is probably based on the 6 plus readings from that class and the last one as well...
Honestly, these reviews are so dramatic and show that the person simply wanted to show up to class and get an A for being there. The readings, yes there are a lot, but are easy once you get past the length. Sometimes the readings are actually quite interesting. There is a lot of pop quizzes, but they are just true or false and are really easy.
honestly the class covered super interesting topics and i overall enjoyed the lectures, but as mentioned in other reviews her grading system is horrible and there is so much reading!! this class either needs to be bumped up to a 300 level class or she needs to cut the amount of readings and assignments in half.
I wouldn't recommend this class to anyone. This class had so much potential and she ripped the life out of it. If you are taking an avg number of credits and have an a avg attention span, you still won't be able to complete the readings and prepare for the many hard pop quizzes. Rude & condescending, did not accept perspectives she disagreed with.
Dr. Elliston is a very likable person but I would never recommend her as a professor. There are two required books for this class. One is extremely difficult to understand and she provided no clarification during class. 2. Her "lectures" were completely all over. 3. HARSH GRADER 4. Can't miss more than 3 classes without dropping 1/2 letter grade.
lots of dense readings and pop quizzes that follow, that being said the content is good and Prof. is helpful with understanding the readings
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!!!!!!! this class is taught at a 300 or even 400-level pace and the amount of reading assigned is insane and not feasible. you have pop quizzes basically every class and even if you do the over 60 pages of reading per class they are still hard. her lectures are boring and hard to understand and she grades extremely harshly
Incredibly hard the amount of reading per week is ridiculous and it would still be hard even if this was your only class you were taking in one semester. The final is comprised of how well you remember ALL of the course readings. Pop quizzes almost every class, and they are designed to trick you up. I wouldn't take this course.
If you are considering taking ANTH 221 with Debbie Elliston, STOP RIGHT NOW. She does not explain concepts well in class, is very wishy-washy when questioned, and actually enjoys watching students suffer with pop quizzes every week. If I could give her a zero I would.
Elliston's lectures were all over the place. She would start with a topic and not finish it, note taking was difficult due to her unfinished sentences. There are a lot of readings and weekly pop quizzes, which were worded very hardly. Overall try to avoid taking this class unless related to your major, it is not worth the insane amount of work.
I can confidently say that this class changed the way I think about sexuality. I would 100% recommend taking it. However, I do stress to only take this course if you are actually interested in the topic! You will have to put in some work, so I would not call this an easy A but it was totally worth it for me.
Professor Elliston is truly a hilarious person but her class is insanely difficult and contains a lot of reading that doesn't make sense and then a pop quiz almost every class. You also have 4 short assessments that don't make sense. If you're looking for an anthro course to fill a requirement do not take this if you don't need it for your major.
Absolutely the funniest and realest profs out there. Was never bored in her class, 10/10 for sure. Such a interesting class to learn about.
I suspect a lot of her bad reviews are from students who were not well prepared or were not used to reading a lot. The class is very reading intensive, as there are pop quizzes almost every class (3 are dropped). She frames the final as being very intimidating, but it was fine if you intensively study for a week prior.
does not matter how much effort you put into this class it is incredibly difficult. VERY reading-heavy and the essays/books she assigns rarely made any sense to me or anyone else in the class. prof Elliston-under NO circumstances-allows absences nor does she provide any support if you are unable to attend class-even at office hours. do not take!!!!
Extremely reading, lecture, and quiz-heavy class, made harder by a professor who rather single out students and make them feel lesser for not understanding material than actually trying to better explain the material she assigns. The class itself is interesting and the quizzes are directly based on the readings, but be prepared for a challenge.
I took this class my 1st year as a gen-ed (I'm in the Watson program). The class was intense (on top of major other major coursework). Professor was funny sometimes, and her lectures were interesting. If you're genuinely interested in the class, go for it. Just prepare yourself for countless readings, pop quizzes, and harshly graded essays.
Im currently taking this class as a freshman my first sem. the readings are insanely long and even if you do them you will still do bad on the pop quiz. The answers depend on her personal opinion. One time i got a violation for usig my computer and the teacher asked me if i was watching p***. PLS do not take this class, my biggest regret.
The worst professor that I have ever experienced. Gives five question pop quizzes almost everyday, bases the answers off of her opinion, and they count so much towards your grade. She mumbles and barely has her mic on half the time, insane amount of readings are given for every class. Taking this class is a HUGE regret of mine. DO NOT TAKE THIS!!!!
GOLLY i did not expect this class to be this hard. Its just a 200 lvl! Its way too difficult for just a gen ed. Super interesting, learned a lot but she just restates the readings in class. In my opinion there wasn't much teaching going on.
Pop quizzes should be unethical when the questions test more than your comprehension of the reading, especially when they count for 25% of your grade. Her lectures mostly restate readings, and she tries to ask for participation but most of us have clocked out in minute five. Difficult if you aren't interested in readings. Some readings are better.
Her lectures can be confusing, but her class is interesting. The readings are sometimes too long, but if you read most of them and understand their arguments, the pop quizzes are easy. The midterm was a bit hard but grading was fair, and the short assignments are also not bad. You have to work for the A, but it's possible, I will prob get an A-.
Best professor I've had all semester, very witty! A lot of pop quizzes, but she's lenient with letting you know beforehand and drops a few. It's a very reading heavy class but everything's interesting if you enjoy anthropology though her lectures are often just summaries of the readings. I learned a lot about sexuality and gender, 10/10 recommend.
Lectures are hard to follow, mumbles, no structure. A lot of reading that you have to do in order to pass the class. Only take this class if you are super interested in the subject material.
very interesting and learned a lot, but you have to put in the work for a good grade, shes a sweet lady and she means well, but so many readings, they're dense and long, pop quizzes on readings are only 5 questions and the wording is meant to trick you, a little too difficult for a 200 level gen ed class in my opinion
An easy A if you do the reading. She makes lectures really engaging and class time goes fast. She never assigns too much reading but you do have to do it in order to well on the quizzes. You're allowed up to 3 absences for whatever you want and don't have to give notice. She's funny and very interesting.
Lectures are mostly her just mumbling the readings we were supposed to do. She doesn't have much empathy for her students and seems like she doesn't want to be there. Would not recommend this class if you want a professor that cares much about you besides what you know about the readings.
It has been a year since I took this class, and I still think about how hard it was. I read all of the very dense readings and still somehow did bad on the pop quizzes that are designed to trick you. This class causes so much unnecessary stress.
The class is interesting, but you have to put in the work - lots of dense readings and tricky pop quizzes. Lectures can be confusing, but using unstuck ai for study prep helped me a lot. Overall, a rewarding class if you're into the subject.
This class is pretty much all reading based. I tuned out half the lectures and still got an A because you can't even hear what she's saying. Honestly if you write what she wants to hear you'll do fine.
class material is overall very interesting, but with the length of readings and pop quizzes nearly every class it really bogs you down. for a 200 lvl class, she asks for too much of students. you're not given access to texts for midterm + final. be ready to dedicate a lot of your time to this class if you want to pass
Dr. Elliston is an amazing person. Her class however is not for the weak. This is NOT an intro class and if you are gay don't think you are going to do well/pass. I made that mistake. The material is super interesting when you understand it but most of the readings are long and confusing and hard to understand. There are weekly quizzes too...
A LOT of dense course readings, but manageable if you divide them and read in advance. Pop quizzes genuinely not bad, and she tells us about them in advance. Short assignments pretty easy to write. Midterm and final were long essays, but doable. Reading-intensive, but was my favorite class overall, and I say this as a STEM major. I learned a lot.
I literally do not understand why people hate on her so much. Her lectures are funny, and although readings are somewhat boring, and she has super interesting thoughts to share. She gives great feedback on all of our assignments, and lowkey cancelled class a lot.
If I'm so honest, the class wasn't that bad EXCEPT for those wack pop quizzes. she would tell us a day ahead but they were only 5 T/F questions that were meant to trick you. There were a lot of funny moments, but a lot of reading and even a couple books. 3/4 short assignments, midterm and final, both horrid btw. curved our grades at the end tho!
I will not tolerate this Debby slander any longer. One of my favorite profs ever, class seriously changed my life. Lectures are hilarious, informative, and insightful. Yeah, she makes you read - welcome to college!?! Yeah, she shows you explicit stuff, it's a class about sexuality!?! Loved this class so much that words fail me. Real eyes realize...
I had this professor two years ago. Still the worst class I have ever taken. It does not matter how much you read; the pop quizzes will ask random questions that make no sense. Directions for assignments are unclear, and TAs are not helpful.
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Textbook Required
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