A very funny and personable professor! His leactures were relatively clear, and he made useful review sheets before every exam. He really loves getting to know his students too, so try and go to office hours.

Very helpful in office hours and funny in lectures. I even went on to take his Primate Behavioral Studies course.

good class. good teacher

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Everyone loves Prof. Mitani! He is so funny and tries to make lectures as interesting as possible. This was the second class I have taken with him as my professor.

I adore Prof. Mitani. He is truly passionate about primates, but he also appears to enjoy teaching. Lectures are so much fun! I highly recommend ANY class taught by him.

So funny, made going to lecture worth it

Mitani is the man. I very much enjoyed his primate class. It's true he is funny and engaging for students. He looks unusually comfortable in trees in the amazon.

He is my favorite professor at the University of Michigan. His lectures were very enjoyable, and he goes out of his way for his students. I HIGHLY recommend taking one of his classes.

Mitani is a great lecturer but often times he goes on talking about the same thing for 10 minutes when he could've said it in 4minutes but that's not necessarily a bad thing, just starts getting easy to tune him out near the end of the semester and falling asleep. :-p

Mitani is a great lecturer, though sometimes verbose. However, he's amusing, so his occasional rambling usually isn't a problem. Also, he makes an effort to get to know students in lecture before class starts. Nice guy with nice Hawaiian shirts.

He is an amusing lecturer, but going to lectures is pointless as he posts all notes online and this class is purely common sense. Still, Mitani is very knowledgable and respected in his field, and I recommend taking his primate class.

very interesting class, and exam questions are taken rightr from lecture notes, but make sure to memorize everything word for word.

Mitani was one of the only professors I had at UM undergrad who learned students' names in large lecture classes. One of the best professors I had in terms of engaging and challenging me.

Mitani was awesome. His lecture notes are posted online, so you really don't need to go. However, I would still advise attending, just for pure amusement. He is amazingly entertaining and class is almost as cool as his floral shirts.

good guy

Mitani is a good professor as far as lectures go, tests were ambiguous becasue they want more detail than asked for, ex: many ppl thought they did good on his tests, to find out later they did not becasue of the strict grading key, the key is very unyielding, overall interesting class

Personally, I thought Mitani was a great lecturer and he was quite amusing both verbally and physically. However, his tests were a bit ambiguous. The questions were rather straightforward, but the answer key grades too harshly for the questions being asked. My advice: memorize the lecture slides because all of the test questions come from there

Mitani is the****! He starts the first 10 minutes of class playing either Jazz music or music from some student's iPod. His lectures are very clear and he is extremely entertaining. He reminds me of some kind of monkey himself, bouncing around the room. Highly respected and regarded in his field. Highly recommend this class-fulfills your ULWR

Mitani himself - is quite honestly one of the most captivating creatures I have seen. Nimble, animated, quirky - this guy makes lecture very interesting. On the other hand, the exams were extremely ambiguous. The concepts and information presented in class make sense but in exam form - they are easily misinterpreted.

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He is very personable. The test questions were not always worded in the best way

Pretty easy class. Everything on the exams are basically from lecture notes, but it helps to read the book. The discussions are awesome and very interesting with different activities each week.

Cool guy

Absolutely outstanding

Awesome teacher! the exams are basically right from the lectures. easy and hilarious guy.

Primate Social Behavior, he makes this class amazing.

Not the most organized class, but still some interesting topics. It takes them forever to grade exams, and they are VERY picky on what answers they'll take for the short answer. A good class if you want to get your upper level writing requirement out of the way. Readings are a waste of time...everything is on the lecture slides.

I was so sick of primates by the time I was done with this class, but it was pretty interesting and easy as long you memorized his lecture slides. He is a pretty entertaining lecturer, but it's not really necessary to go to class because everything is on the slides.

Has some very odd wording on exams, read carefully.

Great class if you need Natural Science credit or are interested in evolution or primates. Class is easy and enjoyable, though not an automatic A, though definitely attainable as long as you study. Mitani is a great professor, top in his field, and enjoys getting to know his students even in a big lecture. Great class!

John is a great guy with good spirits, and is very excited about what he does and what he teaches. His lectures are simple, straightforward, and very easy to understand. His tests are generally pretty easy as well. Overall a great teacher!

Mitani is a great lecturer and let's his love for primates show. Very interesting guy and pretty easy class. Memorize the lecture slides for the exams. Also, the discussion sections were some the best and most useful I have had. There are always different activities that make the concepts come alive. Awesome class!

Mitani is a pretty good teacher. He really makes an effort to get to know his students and will talk to you before class. His lectures are pretty easy to follow and he takes the time to answer questions. Some people said they had a hard time understanding what he was asking on the exams but I never had any problem with that.

This class is definitely challenging and you have to put in a lot of time and effort to get a good grade. Exams are straightforward but usually don't have enough time to finish them since lecture is only 1 hr. Definitely recommend taking another class if for upper level writing.

Good teacher. Interesting lectures. Exam short answers are pretty tricky in the sense that it's really easy to loose points.

Well, the class is very interesting, but DO NOT TAKE IT if you can use the ULWR. It's a ton of writing (and reading from science journals). If you ever wanted to learn about primates, this is the class for you! Don't bother with the book--stopped reading it after the second week. He never refers to it. Nice guy though! Tests are fair.

That previous entry should read: DO NOT TAKE IT if you CAN'T use the ULWR. Sorry.

The previous entry should read: Do not take it if you CAN'T use the ULWR. Sorry.

Mitani is a great lecturer. Material is interesting and I learned about a primate for the paper I wrote. Good class if you're interested in animal behavior. Drawbacks were the discussion section: GSI doesn't know or do much, she wasn't helpful or responsive either. Must be nice to get paid for being a GSI & grade papers. Otherwise, a great class

Great teacher. This guy really cares about his students understanding and getting interested in the material.

Great class! Professor Mitani is a good lecturer, and he makes the material fun and interesting. Going to lecture definitely helps because his slides only makes sense if you hear his explanations. Discussion participation really boosts your grade too. Great class, pretty easy A if you go to lecture.

He is great lecturer, and the class is challenging but easy to get a good grade if you pay attention in lecture.

Good professor. Funny, and the tradition to listening to student's iPods' before class is fun. Tests are fair and easy if you go to lecture. Book is useless and not necessary.

Loved this class!! Professor Mitani is a great guy-not many teachers take the time to walk around a big lecture hall and get to know as many students as possible. Lectures are interesting and it's important to attend because his slides are very basic. It helps to hear his explanations.

Best Teacher at UMICH

Best prof ever! plays your ipod before class and gives out candy!

GREAT class. Professor Mitani is a really nice guy who obviously is very passionate about the subject matter. Advice: his lecture slides were basically the exams. I would definitely suggest this class if you're at all interested in a thorough intro to evolution/primate behavior.

Definitely an effective teacher, is friendly and a good lecturer. I feel like he would be even better in an upper-level class.

Take this class-best class I've take at Michigan and I'm a senior

Best professor I've had at UofM. Extremely intelligent, organized, interesting, and not to mention pretty hilarious. Makes lectures interesting, posts them all online, not hard to get an A. I definitely recommend this class!

Great teacher, very passionate abt the material. Actually made an effort to walk around the auditorium before class and learn the names and chat with students (and remembered them!). Really funny and energetic. Go to class,take notes bc his slides are tough to understand on their own, very basic. Photos of him with monkeys in his ppts are priceless

Mitani is a great professor! He has a great sense of humor. Talks to students before class. And gives away prizes for answering questions. Overall, the class is an easy A if you go to lecture and study. However, Mitani does write weird exam questions. The 15 paged monkey paper is TIME CONSUMING but should be an easy A. Pretty solid class.

Took 368 and 161. 368 is fascinating, but only take if you're interested in primates, because the term paper takes work! 161 is pretty easy and interesting -- I would recommend it for science and non-science majors. In both classes his exams are reasonable -- very conceptual with no nit-picky questions.

Mitani is wonderful! You definitely need to pay attention in class (or at least study a ton before each exam), but Mitani is really helpful and he prepares you well for the material on the tests. He even makes an effort to get to know the kids in his class. Make an effort to go to his office hours as well. You won't regret it!

I had Mitani for 161 as well; he's a great lecturer, interesting guy, and absolutely knows his stuff. Honestly I never do the readings but I go to lecture and participate in discussions and the class has been sooo easy. The paper takes time, but is not hard. Mitani does write some ambiguos exam questions, but if contested you can get points back.

Great lecturer and person. Always walks around before class to interact. Lectures are straight-forward. If you like Bio 171/172, this class is similar in nature (memorization). Papers are easy if you know how to write concisely(thanks Orgo lab). Term paper is not bad(stitch 5 2 pg papers together and add 5 pgs). Exams are manageable. Fun/Easy ULWR

He is an awesome professor. If you go to class and actually take notes you will do fine in the class. His exam questions are more on the challenging side but doing practice exams helps!

He is my favorite professor at UofM. I have taken 2 classes with him and he makes it very enjoyable and interesting. Both his paper and exams are easy and very straightforward. He is always open to answering questions!

I adore Professor Mitani! I've taken one intro class with him so far, and I am greatly looking forward to my upper level class with him next fall! It is clear he cares about his students, and he loves to help. Very straightforward and kind man. And funny!

Funny and helpful professor but the tests were pretty tricky. You think you do well until you get your grade and look over nitpicky questions. Not extremely difficult though.

Mitani is hilarious (much older than his profile picture on here), fun, and gives cookies and candy to students on random days. Exams are really tough, it's multiple choice and short answers. 15-page term paper, done in chunks throughout term. Mitani knows everything about primates, answers questions, and gets to know his students. Great, smart guy

Mitani does a good job of making the class interesting. The term paper is easy, but his exams can be tough. He is looking for specific answers for the short answer questions, so studying is a must. The readings aren't necessary, but be sure to pay attention in lecture. He makes study guides for the exams, which makes it pretty easy to do well.

Mitani is a great lecturer. He's been in the field for a long time and knows his stuff. He also knows that a lot of the students taking his class are just taking it for a nat sci requirement, but he still makes it really interesting. Very personable and he has cool stories.

Great professor who was nice to students and was very clear in what information was being presented. He was engaged and wanted students to feel comfortable and do well in the course.

This was a really interesting class that made me want to attend the lectures, though many people do not as he posts full lecture videos online. I didn't buy the book and still got an A in the class by studying the lectures.

Course format: two non-cumulative exams, small weekly papers, one big paper that uses those smaller papers. It's tempting not to go to class but trust me, just go. Take light notes and really enjoy Mitani's delivery of the material. He's brilliant and charming. I'm able to say that I did in fact grow to learn and love non-human primates.

I bluereviewed most lectures (speed them up 2x since he talks slowly) but I wish I got to know him better. He's a really cool guy! My GSI was excellent so discussion was fun. It's a decent amount of material but it's not hard if you thoroughly review before exams. There's never a lot to do and the paper is fun to write. Great ULWR!!

yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

This was an amazing class. I went in absolutely no knowledge of biological anthropology, but I loved the class and the subject. He's a great lecturer and super nice and wants to get to know his students. His multiple choice exams were incredibly easy and if you have a bio background then this class is an easy A. Don't bother buying the book.

John's a good guy. He clearly cares about the subject and has PLENTY of experience, like he's actually done field work. Plays music at the beginning of class and goes around learning people's names and such, which is cool. Posts all of his lectures to Blue Review, but I think it's worth going. Cracks an occasional joke. Interesting lecture style.

Mitani is a pretty good professor. Most of the reading is covered in lectures, which are generally pretty interesting. He can be a bit condescending ("You guys don't know what Haight-Ashbury is?" Uh no, this isn't the 60s and we don't live in San Francisco). Also takes far too long to grade scantrons. But overall, he's solid and class is easy

Lectures could get a little monotone, but he is a great prof who really knows his stuff. He explains everything really clearly in lecture and tells some enjoyably corny jokes. I would definitely take a class with him again!

Lectures were on blue review, but if you do go he makes an effort to get to know the students by name in a large lecture. Lectures are clear cut, and exam questions are based on slides. If you have had bio before this class is a breeze, if not you will need to study. Exams are fair and there is no cumulative final.

John's really cool. He plays music at the beginning of class and walks around learning people's names. His lecture style is a little unorthodox, and once he learns your name he'll notice if you don't show up to class, so fair warning. All lectures are posted on blue review. Cracks the occasional corny, though enjoyable, joke.

Tests are odd, easy multiple choice coupled with incredibly subjective and non-specific short answer questions that are graded very tough. The material is interesting and Dr. Mitani definitely knows his stuff.

His lectures are pretty good. But fair warning, his tests are extremely annoying. He gives you a midterm that would be hard to finish in an hour and a half and expects you to finish it in fifty minutes. There is a multiple choice portion that isn't to bad but the writing portion will absolutely destroy you. There are about 15 short essay questions.

Mitani is basically famous in primatology and is a very undergraduate-friendly professor. He wants people to be interested in primates, and I've come to love them through this class. He really tries to get to know his students. Enjoyable lectures. Short answer part of exams are tricky, but if you get a good GSI to prepare you they're fine.

If you're at all interesting in primates, take this class. He thoroughly covers all aspects of the lives of primates, including a lot of info from his own studies on chimpanzees. He really does make an effort to learn familiar faces. Good conversations are to be had if you go to his office hours. Paper is kinda tough but that's expected (ULWR)

John Mitani is very passionate about what he teaches and it shows in lectures. Lectures are not mandatory to go to, but I always liked going. He'll post his slides but there's no blue review or notes if you don't go. His personal anecdotes of working with primates were fun. Tests are very straight forward (multiple choice & short answer).

I took this class for Natural Science and Upper Level Writing credit. John Mitani is a great professor and the class is really easy! Tests are very straight forward and the paper was annoying but easy to write! Mitani really makes an effort to get to know his students.

This class is straight forward and he is a good lecturer. You have to go to class or else he will notice. My only complaint is that as a professor at a public school, he forgets to be tolerant and accepting of viewpoints other than his own. At least 1-2+ times a lecture, he will throw out a derogatory comment about right-wing politics and women.

Prof. Mitani is an awesome lecturer, he plays music before class, talks to students, you can tell he's completely genuine and really wants you to learn. I've gone to office hours and he sat there and talked to me and a few others for almost an hour answering questions and asking us about ourselves. He really wants to get to know you- fantastic prof

Funny professor. Definitely isn't afraid to speak his mind and the class is straight forward. Overall, he's an inspiring professor.

If you don't know, Dr. Mitani is one of the most respected primatologists/biological anthropologists in the field. For you, this means not only do you get a great quality education, but also the academic freedom that comes with tenure. He is openly critical of the university, of the state of politics, and of his GSIs, all with a lighthearted energy

Professor Mitani is super fun to listen to, but if you're not at all interested in the material then don't bother- there are probably easier NS classes. You do have to memorize features of skulls/ be able to recognize pictures but if you study a normal amount then you should do fine. Never opened the book- all the material is in the lecture slides.

Mitani is a fantastic lecturer, he's very funny and engaging. The problem is that the exams are difficult to efficiently complete in 50 minutes. The GSI's are also very tough graders on the exams. Their expectations are closer to if you were a primatologist than a student. The essay and short writing assignments are graded reasonably.

This was Dr. Mitani's last semester teaching. It was truly a privilege taking his class. Not only is he a respected researcher, his instructional skills are second to none. I was never an evolution person, but he has shown me just how important and vital it is to ask overarching questions.