2.8
Quality2.7
Difficulty100%
Would Retake122
Reviews100%
Would Retake
122
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
23
4
24
3
28
2
16
1
31
What Students Say
“has habit of going off on tangents”
ANTH302 - 3.0 rating“Cool guy but my head spins trying to follow his lectures”
ANTH302 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
50%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.17 avg changeRatings by Course
GRADLEVEL
5.0
(1)ANTROPOLOG
5.0
(1)ANTHROPOLOGY101
5.0
(1)ANTH410
5.0
(1)2003
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
101
5.0
GRADUATEANTHRO
5.0
ARCH301
5.0
ANT302
5.0
ANTH301
4.5
Reviews (122)
No Comments
Funny, intelligent...has habit of going off on tangents. Essay tests.
Cool guy but my head spins trying to follow his lectures
easy take hometests
Boring!!!!! Talks about nothing of relevence to the class!!!!
hella boring!has take home test and final!going to class is waste of time.
a horrible teacher except he is easy
easy class, with take home tests, don't waste your time going,
take home tests, very easy but boring, go to class everyday and you will pass
one of the greatest teachers at SDSU by far.
Very easy class but also very boring. Is an auto B.
Fairly easy class but very boring. Uses class as forum for liberal propoganda
uncaring, unorganized, useless class to attend, not important material
No Comments
An excellent course if you are interested in the subject and care about getting an education. So take your head out of your asses and cope with it you little punks. I spit on you when I see you checking your cell phone seconds after all of your classes.
Joe Ball's classes aren't for whiny brats who aren't interested in learning about archaeology. Viva El Capitan de Buenavista, Prof. Pepe Pelota!!
horrible teacher! may know a lot about the subject, but rants on about his travels, not teaching anything in class. hard to pick out any important information to take notes on even if you want to pay attention. many answers for take home tests not in book
everyone says he's easy, but I thought he was difficult. Maybe going to class would have been a good idea! but I did!...but I didn't pay attention. So don't be like me...instead take notes in class, to make the take-home tests easier.
Entertaining class. Very valuable learning experience, although his test questions did not follow from anything in the book or in class.
No Comments
No Comments
so easy! just show up. hes really really funny too.
No Comments
dont let his take home tests get you excited... they are ridiculously difficult and almost impossible..does not follow book at all final is 200 questions
No Comments
No Comments
2 take home exams. If you do well, you don't have to take the final exam, (which is also take home). Find a friend who has taken that class for their exam and you will get an A. NOTE: If you don't go to class, ever, you will have to take the final.
Lectures are nothing like the test. Digresses every class and wastes time talking about material that we don't need to know.
Take home tests pay attention kind of boring but easy grade
Great teacher but only lectures about current events.Just show up for the class b/c he takes attendence.Gives easy up quizzes, but just ask him for clues.Take home tests are not easy, work w/ group, who will help you.
This guy makes no sense. He is so weird. Even if you pass the tests, but you don't attend class, you can fail. Easy tests, take home, but take him only if you can show up and stay everyday!
I wish he would start teaching anthropology and stop his diarhea of the mouth nonsense
Goes off of topic WAY too much....dont expect to learn too much anthropology
he has no patience for his students! hard to understand
This class was Maya Civilizations. He does digress, but the digressions are interesting. If you study independently, he is a great teacher for you, as he encourages students to do the work on their own. He appreciates hard work but is flexible.
This class was a piece of cake. All you have to do is go to class and its a guaranteed A. He has a midterm and a final and they are both take home.
go to every lecture and sleep if you want. i suggest taking the class w/ friends so youre forced to go. tests are takehome and if you do all this youre guaranteed at least a "B". only need the book for tests.
Interesting class very diff from any other u will have. He goes of the topic but he has very interesting things to say. Very easy to get a good grade if u come to class and take the midterms and final.
Lectures and reading had very little to do with the very dificult take home tests. Dont underestimate the amount of time they will take, they are hard. Goes off on tangents.
just buy First Class Notes. it was very hard to take notes for his class....he goes on tangents....the notes i bought helped out alot....
This class was such a waste of time. He repeats the same material over and over again and there is no structure to the class. The take home exams are hard because you don't always have the notes that you need.
Very interesting class
This guy is the biggest waste of time, and such an ass. I walked out near the end and took the class again from someone who actually knew how to teach.
He is SOOOOO BORING but EASY
great teacher, very ecentric, but tests are take home. take this class, you won't regret it.
No Comments
No Comments
If you have to take this class and you like organization, take someone else. He is very knowledgable and has great stories but he never gets to the point. Class is great for people who want to do Archaeology but if you like Cult. or Physical Anth. take someone else.
he talks and talks for days!! the class is dead boring and his take home test are super difficult. UGH this class was not the best!!
lectures don't tell us anything, take home tests are extremely difficult. avoid this class unless you really like anthropology.
Sure teste are extremely hard but they come straight from the lectures and not the text so much. If you take this class make sure you take notes even if the class doesn;t interest you. The lectures are diffently on take homes. Overall ok class and intentions
if they are take home tests, GO FOR IT! you'll love it!
No Comments
for the love of god retire!! this was the biggest waste of time...if you are an anthro major take this class with someone else!
Ball-old, hairy with big beer belly reminded me of Santa Claus. Although there was no hw and the tests were take-home, they were NOT as easy as one would expect. A LOT of questions! Class was a waste of my time. Ball loves to hear himself talk and he digresses. Boring as hell! Still got a B+ though
Lectures are long and useless, yet strangely interesting. Take home tests are tough but you can easily get a good grade.
WOW, IF YOU STILL NEED A LIFE SCIENCE REQUIREMENT AND YOU HATE BIOLOGY, TAKE THIS CLASS. ALL TESTS ARE TAKE HOME. PROBABLY SPENT A TOTAL OF TEN HOURS ON THIS CLASS AND GOT AN EASY A
Really interesting, just pay attention and take notes and enjoy the take home tests.
No Comments
I thought Ball was cool as hell. He was funny and a smart ass throughout the entire semester. I never even bought the book, just showed up, took notes and got an A. Taking notes is key. I'd take him again for sure. And Man is he hot! ;)
Dr. Ball is a one of a kind professor. He is so f'ing smart but a definite wierdo. His class is pretty intersting, and not that tough. All his exams are take home, but they are at least 100 tough questions. You have to go to class EVERYDAY if you wanna do well!!!!!
As an applied anth major, I didn't expect to gain anything relevant from this class. Was I wrong: Ball teaches behavior and how to "read" it in this class (forensics), and the wierd thing about it is that it's more pertinent to applied social anthropoligists than to archeologists! If you need 302 and are not an "archy", take this class!
Guy is pathetically serious about making this course 'relevant'. Still not really convinced, but at least he was interesting, serious, and involved in his students. I liked that. Class was dry and dull at times and is really for archs, not the rest of us, but still was more interesting than most of the other anth classes. Needs more media!
No Comments
TEACHER IS OUT OF HIS MIND, DOES NOT STAY ON TRACK, INSULTS STUDENTS.
Great Class! Ball keeps it intresting; and it is an easy A
lectures are either really boring or somewhat interesting. take home tests and no homework make this class easy. Ball is sometimes annoying
No Comments
It you need structure, this is not the class to take. Dr. Ball is too scattered for me to focus on the inmportant information. You can get A's on your assingments if you answer his sometime random questions.
Thid teacher is horrible. Its like he doesnt even know hes in front of a class. VERY BAD TEACHER!!!!
Despite what everyone says, i really liked Dr. Ball. There are SO many opportunities for a good grade in his class. Lots of extra credit, and take home tests (including final) The tests arn't THAT hard, and he's super helpful and always makes time for you and he responds to emails immediately. He's very nice and i would recommend him.
No Comments
Great teacher, all you need to do is show up to class and half pay attention, gives many chances to get an A, and lots of extra credit. all tests and the final are take home. Book not that important you can answer most of the test from your notes and other classmates
He's an outspoken professor and doesn't like rude people. All exams are take home and quizes are given occasionally (though the quizzes are a joke cause their worth thousands of points but have a minor affect on your final grades). I suggest you to the exams as a group... it increases your chance of getting a higher grade.
horrible
This class is a joke! It should not be considered a science class! However, it is easy, hardly any work involved. He just enjoys giving his opinion on every other sciences. He thinks he knows everything and is wrong on many factors. So, if you can sit there and listen to him (I almost couldn't), then easy A/B.
The guy is nuts. weird as hell and is rude to others. its either his way or no way when it comes to opinions. lectures are boring and u dont learn anything. plus he takes attendance. at least its sort of easy
Everyone I know has gotten a D- in this class. He rambles and never once goes over anything that is covered in his absolutley ridiculous take-home tests. Attendance is necessary and even though I went every day I still did horribly. He is rude and takes offense to the slightest comment that doesn't correspond with his view. He thinks he is being fu
This guy's a ****bag. Its obvious he comes on this site and rates himself so he looks good. Look at the comment two down from me. That comment is not a student but rather one of his **** friends. His class is like chewing broken glass. Doesnt make an attempt to make class interesting. DO NOT TAKE HIS COURSE!!
No Comments
If you go to class, you get an A. That's it. Anyone on here who didn't get an A either didn't go to class ever or is a complete idiot. Since I'm surrounded by complete idiots at State 99% of the time, I can't be sure which it might be... Ball isn't bad and he knows his material. Anthro is not my bag, but I would recommend - EASY class. Morons.
stop acting like a student Joe Ball. You're bringin the average up. Anyone who grades on attendance is an idiot. Anyone who thinks a class is good because you get an easy A for attendance is AN IDIOT!
He's excellent, funny and indiana jones'ish!!
How did you come up with the grade for the students in your class? Oh yeah, you just randomly said "B." Glad my hard work was rewarded. I could have done nothing and made the same grade.
This professor was absolutely horrible. Retire already!!! The grades were not based in any way on the work the students did. He just picked names randomly and assigned grades. He doesn't understand that students need good grades to continue their education. I guess he just doesn't want to be surpassed by others.
He was a very good teacher. hes very passionate about the subject and i actually learned from him. He made me very interested in anthro. if you want someone that is an interesting teacher and will actually teach you something take him
Really boring. But easy class open book/open note take home for all exams
horrible!
I'm an art major and this class was really interesting to me. Joe and Jen are SO FUNNY! They know a lot about anthro. The take home tests can be hard sometimes, but Joe/Jen are pretty fair about grading. Just come to class and pay attention and you'll do well. This class was fun and I learned a lot.
They are so sweet, Joe and Jenny. But for the love of god, if you aren't interested in anthropology, DO NOT, take this class no matter how easy it is, because they issue attendance points, and sitting through the twice a week lectures and listening to a monotonous voice talking about things you have no interest in, was utter torture for me
Please dont take this class. i am an anthro major and i hated it. they argue all the time and the slides/topics are VERY disorganized. many people fall asleep. No textbook necessary.
1 point for attendance. random pop quizzes. take home tests. take home final. if you like this stuff. good class. if not. boring
Terrible class. I'm an anthro major and I couldn't stand it. He teaches with his wife; they both contradict each toher, and the tests are insanely difficult. Never take this class, and try to avoid Prof. Ball at all costs, unless you want someone to call you an idiot.
The tests were extremely difficult, if you do them on your own. This class is a waste of time if you prefer an organized, clear lecture. It was often hard to determine what I was getting out of this class. Not too hard, but lots of busy work which is difficult unless you like to waste time.
Wow where do I even begin with this class? It was a big waste of time. There is no grading structure so you never know what grade you have. Attendance is mandatory and the tests are EXTREMELY hard unless you get together in study groups to work on them since they are take home. I would not take this class especially with this teacher and his wife.
This guy is the worst teacher I have ever had. I am a graduate student now (having graduated with a BA in Anthropology from SDSU) and I still think about how this class tops the list of "Worst Ever". Ball is totally lacking in every aspect that makes a great teacher. He will teach you nothing that will help you in anthro grad school. Waste of time.
This class was like study hall in middle school. He kinda just rambles about his hometown and the people he thinks hes smarter than. A boring, to say the least, lecture of nonsense. Nothing to do with Anthro.
I'm a history major and I really enjoyed taking this class. The subject material was very interesting, and it was entertaining to hear him argue with his wife on certain topics. It's beneficial academically as well to hear the differing opinions of two scholars. Attendance is a must, and get into groups for the take home tests. They're pretty hard.
This was a really interesting class and actually pretty easy if you go. Going to class gets you a lot of points but they offer a ton of easy extra credit. They were the ones who convinced me to take more classes about anthro.
Very Easy class if you go to lecture and collaborate on the take home exams
Basically your grade depends on the points you accumulate throughout the semester on doing assignments and attending class so make sure you go, its an easy way to get points. Take home exams (total of 3 with 50+ Qs) are kinda hard so do as many of the assignments as you can to get points. Powerpoints posted online but get taken down before the exam
So easy its sleezy! You allowed to team up with people and work on the take home tests, what more do you want? The class is nothing but powerpoints in the dark which means me playing online poker for 75 minutes. Boring as****, bring a laptop to class.
This husband and wife team are awful. They have strong opinions and criticize anyone who may oppose theirs. They are angry about the budget cuts and take it out against the students by not allowing contact via email. They are extremely unpleasant to listen to and I hated this class. The points system is ridiculous. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS.
HORRIBLE!! I passed every test, went to most classes and STILL failed b/c the grading system is ridiculous! Im retaking it over the summer with another professor and its a good class. i would recommend this class but with another professor.
This class was pretty easy. I felt like all the extra credit I did outside of class really reflected my grade. The take home tests are difficult and time consuming, but the notes I took in class helped me out. Do the work and you will reap the rewards.
The tests are take home. If you have at least 1 person in the class you know the tests are EASY. The grading in the class is weird, you wont know where you stand until the final is over. There is 11 1 page papers due by the end of the semester, but do them throughout the year and you get high grades. Its a easy class, but not exciting...
I thoroughly enjoyed their class! There are 3-4 tests that are all take home and 80% of the questions are taken from their ppt's which are like essays by the way. They post everything on BB. Attendance is mandatory & random pop quizzes often. Grading scale may be confusing at first but they'll answer any question for you and will love you for it!
If you like to work hard to earn an A, take this class! If you're lazy and don't care about earning the grade you want, then don't take this class, (although it is very EASY to get an A!). Very knowledgeable professors and very helpful. :) Make sure you don't settle with just the minimum; do the MAXIMUM work for the "papers"--it'll pay off!
This class has been an absolute joy to attend, and I'm not being sarcastic. Joe and Jen make for fascinating and fun instructors. However I disagree that this is an easy A or that those who don't get A's are lazy or stupid. It is not enough to do well on the required assignments and tests; you have to do way more work than they say, which is bull.
you can pass if you do allll the extra credit. the exams are take home but nearrly impossible. it is like they set you up to fail. their voices make my skin crawl. take some one else
This class is extremely interesting. I had no previous interest in ancient civilizations but Joe and Jen are very passionate about anthropology and you know you're learning this information from the best and most experienced. Test are difficult and time consuming. DO ALL EXTRA CREDIT and I promise you will get an A. Very lenient professors.
just do all the extra credit, you don't need to get an A on everything, the extra credit should put you in good shape. the class is a bit confusing, I had difficulty with the material but I passed the tests with C's but got an A in the class because I showed up everyday (attendance points crucial)and did all the extra credit.
Worst professors I've taken at state,arrogant,long winded,boring.I learned NOTHING in this class.Tests are impossible.You have to attend for points but it's the worst lectures ever and annoying arguing between 2 teachers.If you must take,do the extra readings,movies, and museums.I stopped going to class after first month still got B w/extra credit
EXCELLENT CLASS. You have to keep focus though. If you slack off, it will cost you because they grade on everything (attendance, questions answered, readings, etc.) The tests are pretty hard because they are so specific. Do all the work: readings, museum visits, films, etc. and you can pass the class. The lectures were super interesting too.
He and his wife (I assume) teach the class and she is the main speaker during lectures. Sometimes they argue and that's extremely annoying. Really easy to at least get a B in the class. Do most if not all the readings and the assigned homeworks and you should get a B like I did. Tests are take home, but extremely difficult, nevertheless, easy class
The course material was well presented in a light and humorous way. All slideshows are posted, but the tests often included questions about material only stated in the lecture. It's an easy A IF you do all of the super easy writing and other assignments. Recommend taking with friend, especially because of the tests. Joe and Jenny are hilarious!
just all around amazing professors. They really do care about helping you learn the material for those who want to succeed. If you do not plan on actually wanting to learn, then dont bother and go take another class that is easy for you!!
People on here are crazy! If you go to class, take notes, pay attention, and study-you will do GREAT! Joe/Jenny know their stuff and can teach it wonderfully! The class is so interesting! Don't take if you are a slacker who doesn't want to learn and doesn't want to go to class!
Everything is clearly explained in the syllabus. If you go to class and turn in the reading/video reviews before the last turn in day, you will get an A. Take home exams are tricky, but it all comes from the slides which he posts on blackboard. Just turn things in on time and go to lecture and it is a very easy class. Professor Balls is great.
The grading for this class is complicated. Overall it's an easy class if you stay on top of all the assignments but the exams are a nightmare!! They are long and complicated and yes most of it is from the powerpoints but you can't search them (they are pics not words) so you have to read every single word in hundreds and hundreds of slides.
You get the grade you put into this class. Test are very tricky, take home but extremely challenging. You make your own points with reading assignments, movie reviews, and museum reports. I didn't spend time on the tests and just did the maximum amount of assignments and racked up enough points to get me an A without taking the final.
great teacher, cares alot about his students, even though test are take home, they are still hard as hell.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
50%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.17 avg changeRatings by Course
GRADLEVEL
5.0
(1)ANTROPOLOG
5.0
(1)ANTHROPOLOGY101
5.0
(1)ANTH410
5.0
(1)2003
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
101
5.0
GRADUATEANTHRO
5.0
ARCH301
5.0
ANT302
5.0
ANTH301
4.5