3.2
Quality3.1
Difficulty36%
Would Retake91
Reviews36%
Would Retake
91
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
30
4
18
3
10
2
12
1
21
What Students Say
“Dont recommend at all”
GEO106 - 2.0 rating“Pataki is quite a character”
GEO105 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
78%
Textbook Required
82%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.22 avg changeRatings by Course
GEOGRIFFY
5.0
(1)GEORGRPHY
5.0
(1)CULTGEOANTH
5.0
(1)ANTHGEO
5.0
(1)GEOSERIES
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ANTHRCULT
5.0
ATH
5.0
ANTH101
4.5
ANTH209
4.5
GEOGRIFFY
4.0
Reviews (91)
Most unclear and hard to follow instructor that I have had!!!
He is a *really* cool guy that has a ton of knowledge. He has lived with tribes in the pacific and has LOTS of life experience. That being said, his class was wierd, he didnt lecture on the book material hardly at all and went on tangents all the time.
Pataki is awesome! He's up on almost everything but at this point I don't know how he grades but it appears that if you try you'll do well. Cool guy. Knows tons of stuff; he should teach at Columbia or work at a think tank. He does go off on tangents but it's always to ensure students know everythin
Dr. Pataki is as old as he is intelligent and knowledgable in almost everything. If he were a cartoon he'd be a wise old owl with the right answer to every question. As a conservative, I'm sometimes irritated as his leftist views of the world, however he's engaging when I protest his ideology and he grades fairly. I've had professors that don't.
Brilliant! Bloody Brilliant! If you don't take anything from him, you're really screwing yourself. Biological Anthropology is very controversial, and he treated everyone as adults. Do the reading and make up your own mind. May be a 101, but it feels like a 200 level course. I was exhausted, but I loved every minute!
Amazing life experience to lend to his instruction. Highly recommended.
This is one of the best instuctors ever. He has really gone out and experienced life. When he teaches it is from experience, not just from a book. I wish they were all like him.
Kerri has worked at some of the big name schools, but prefers the atmosphere of a smaller one. Don't worry about taking a lot of notes in his class, when it's time for the test, don't leave anything blank. He would give you more points for writing "I don't know" then he will if you don't answer at all. He's funny and intriguing. If I hadn't tranfered to another school I'd deffinately take him again.
I loved his classes! A great teacher who uses his real experiences to help teach. The movies that he uses in class are facinating. His lectures really give one a sence of other cultures different thought patterns.
Credit to him on being knowledgeable in his field and relating material to his own personal experience. I felt that he did not cover the material in the book that much or test on it. One of the main papers had more to do with cult. anth. than it did bio. anth. Also, the final exam was the exact same thing as the midterm. I guess I felt cheated and
even his side comments are fascinating
Knows his stuff, but I wish he would have taked about other cultures aside Papua New Guinea. I would have liked to talk more about the book.
He is so crazy! I can't seem to follow anything he says. He tells interesting stories but they are so random and pieced together that it makes no sense at all. He doesnt cover anything valid from the book. Basically I could have bought the book, read it on my own, and learned more than I did wasting my time sitting in his stupid class. If you want
Dr.Pataki amazed me with his hands on curriculum. He made the course so much more interesting than if we would have had to read the text front to back. It truly helped make the class fascinating that he had done most of his learning in the field, he was able to give real life stories and show awesome examples of different cultures through movies.
Awesome teacher! I really felt like I actually learned. Tests and material is hard but he makes it easy by going over everything thats on the test in class. Very knowledgeable and excited about the subject and makes you that way too. Very interesting to listen to, has many fascinating stories he tells. Shows a lot of very interesting movies.
Dr. Pataki is an awesome guy and teacher. He is the kind of teacher you have no problem listening to for 2 hours. His tests aren't easy, but he's a fair grader and wants his students to do well. I got a B on the midterm and probably the same on the final, but ended up with an A in the class. Highly recommend him.
Dr. Pataki is a force to be reckoned with. He's unbelievably intelligent and the best prof I've ever had. He connects with his students on a very unique level. With his life experience and knowledge, he helps to make the youth of America smarter, and more aware of what is outside of their 'bubble.' Amazing class. Amazing teacher. Just an amazin guy
You'll need to be quick on the uptake to be able to follow him in class. He taught my class with another professor, Terry. He was definitely a very clear person. His stories were very interesting. He grades based on intelligence and general understanding. His reading assignments were a little much, but as long as you try, you'll come out on top.
Has a laid-back teaching style. Treats you like an adult and expects you to read the text outside of class, and come to class for lecture and films. The content in the tests were a bit of a surprise, since he does not do reviews. Negative points for his tendancy to humor the pretentious students in class, rather than stick to relevant topics.
This guy is fantastic! He has lived what he teaches. He is interesting, fun and understaning! Highly reccommend him!
One of the best professors I've EVER had, no doubt. Take Kerry's classes if you're interested in anthro, and make sure to USE him as a resource. This guy is a wealth of knowledge and real life experience and is kind enough to share that. He can be hard nosed, but always grounded in reality and kind. He's changed my experience of school. Period
While attendance is mandatory, his lectures are completely nonsensical and it's difficult to understand how they pertain to the lesson at all. He frequently says inaccurate information and things that don't make any sense at all.
he's probably a genius, but i feel like he's getting older and can't quite organize his thoughts like he used to. watched a movie almost every class.60% of grade is based on 2 tests. memorize your notes for midterm. lectures are scattered and hard to follow, and i sometimes felt belittled after asking questions (that he almost always misunderstood)
The good ratings on mislead me and I took him spring quarter. HE IS A JOKE OF AN INSTRUCTOR! DO NOT TAKE HIM. He has smoked way too much pot in his life, and it affects him greatly obviously because he doesn't understand students' questions and is SO OUT THERE. He tells irrelevant stories, assigns way too much BARELY applied readings. Bad lecturer.
My experience with him was unpleasant. His course was disorganized and outline difficult to follow. His questions were always incredibly vague and his ramblings pedantic and wandering to say the very least. I feel as though I would have learned just as much from simply buying the books, not to mention all of the stress it would have saved me from t
Dr. Pataki has experience far beyond what I could dream for in a prof. The textbook you read on your own, in class it's all about discussions. Films are unique and interesting. Tests are easy as long as you look over the minimal amount of handouts. Feeling lucky to have found this gem at a comm. college.
Pataki is rambling and nonsensicle. He doesn't give any clarity, on anything, much less what to expect on tests. No handouts for review or study. Expects you to know as much as he does. Tells stupid stories, repeatedly, and lacks general basic knowledge of how to interact with the class at large. Don't take this guy! You'll regret it!
He's absolutely great. It seems that most community college students expect to be babied along, while he expects you to be an adult and carries his class maturely.Everything is clearly outlined in the syllabus, I guess all you frowny faces should have just read it. All of his stories had perfect connection to the study topics, he is easy to talk to
This is one of the worst teachers I have ever had in my life. He would go off on tangents that made no sense. He would completely forget what day it is. He would also forget what overheads he had shown. He was constantly condescending to people and senile. Time to retire dude.
Not a bad guy, but a confusing instructor. Tests were completely RANDOM leaving students oblivious. He gave no study guides. Things on the test just "related" to the reading, you could read the WHOLE book, and still feel unprepared for the exams. They barley had to do with lectures too, and the Lectures had nothing to do with the reading as well
He is an extremely thoughtful and learned man with a lot of useful information to provide. If you're an idiot who can't comprehend true intellect, you'll hate this class. If you like anthropology, love learning, and are willing to put effort into a class (which is expected in COLLEGE) then you will adore this class and get an A like I did.
Brilliant and interesting.
This was barely an anthropology class - the assigned book was all writings from philosophers between classical Greece and now. It was basically a philosophy class with a bit of anthropology tossed in here and there. It was sort of interesting at times, but I would have found a more ethnological approach to death much more beneficial.
This class was taught by two profs, and both were pretty useless. It was an extremely easy class though, you didn't need to read the book or take notes. The reason I think it was poor though, was they didn't do anything besides get speakers who knew nothing and mumbled under their breath. They are smart guys, but they don't know how to relay info.
Dr. Pataki is the best instructor I have ever had. Honestly, I can't imagine someone not enjoying his classes(I have taken 2). He is more interesting and informative than any of my professors at a large university and my Anth. class with him was life-changing. Take a class with him and you will not be disappointed.
i've taken a few of his classes, and if you aren't interested in anthro, don't take a class with him. his courses are for folks who are interested in extending their studies in the field. this is not just some class to fill credit requirements...it requires some serious critical thinking.
This professor is very unclear about his grading. Very unhelpful! Grade is based on one midterm, final and a field project. Does not review before tests. Talks about things probably only he understands. I would never take a class by him again. Stay away from this guy.
On line course, really clear course calendar, recommended
Pataki is a very smart, well-educated, worldly guy, but almost to a fault at times. He can be a little tangential, and harsh, but has a lot of good information to convey. Would not recommend him to folks with a soft shell, but would highly recommend him to self-motivated thinkers who can embrace his eccentricities.
I hated going to his class. It was a waste of time because he never taught us about cultural anthropology, just babbled to himself about his past glory. He loves to hear himself speak, but never talks TO the class. I'd have been better off studying the textbooks on my own time and skipping his pointless lectures.
I loved his class! He is so intelligent and..amazing! I could listen to him talk for days. However don't be fooled by how laid back the class feels prior to the midterm! You may watch a movie every class but the tests are very difficult! So long as you memorize the bold print and review sections in the book you will get an A! Highly recommend.
Dr. Pataki made Geography 107/ Developing Nations an extremely interesting course, with a lot of relevance to todays world situations. I loved his lectures, with real life experiences, and loved his videos too. I would highly recommend Dr. Pataki! If you want a great course, and want to learn a lot about our world or globalization take this class!
Dr. Pataki spends the entire class talking about his travels around the world and then hands out very difficult tests not pertaining to anything he has spoken about in class. Do not study with this man.
Don't take this class. Yes he is a cool guy with tons of experiences but we didn't learn much he mostly just showed us stats and old movies he liked. Didn't open the book once thank god I only spent $5 on it. Doesn't review for tests or tell you remotely what it's covering
Dr. Pataki is a plethora of knowledge, but his social skills are poor. He is not very warm, so if you can't take a beating... don't take his class. He doesn't want to deal with your crap, nor do your classmates. The two tests we took were really difficult, you HAVE to study and read some of the text(on your own). REALLY dated videos, sleepy time!
In addition to not learning anything in the class other than personal anecdotes about Pataki, he told a ten minute story about how much trouble he had with the printer/copier. He is by far the worst teacher I have ever had, and as far as I can tell his class was a waste of money and a waste of time.
Pataki is an interesting fellow. He's getting old, and he probably enjoyed some intoxicants back in the 60's.. But if you can follow his random babble, and learn to have a sense of humor about it, you should be fine. Study really hard for tests, they are hard. In retrospect, I did learn a lot more than I thought in the class.
Very hard to get used to his teaching style. But once you kinda get figure out, it's interesting. Lots of reading. Hard tests. But I'm learning a lot in his class. I wish he made his point clearer and make sure students are following him.
His leture and his test didn't relate at all. He taught different ways and gave you different questions that weren't in book. And his questions weren't specificly. Don't take his class.
He was an interesting teacher. He bases your grade off of a project, a midterm, a final and your attendance. He gave us a few extra credit opportunities, which required you to get involved with the school. I highly recommend that if he writes it on the board then WRITE IT DOWN and study it in depth. I would recommend taking an intro psych before.
DR. Pataki is a very wise man. Interesting and fulfilling is how i would describe his classes. He may change your life as he did mine, for the better. All in All, Excellent!
The guy always seemed like he was high off something when he came to class. Just read the book and you'll be fine. Best class to just zone out and maybe do other hw
Dr. Pataki is very knowledgeable and experienced in anthropology. He spent many years doing field studies in Papua New Guinea and provided many interesting stories. We watched videos in class and there will be questions on the test about it, so attend class! Be patient and read the summary of each chapter. You become more aware of issues around us.
Very cool teacher. Likes to give out handouts that are sometimes helpful. Easy class to pass all you gotta do is show up and listen to what he covers and you should do fine.
Some of Pataki's lectures I could do without, but this guy has literally worked in his field rather than just theorize about Anthropology. I'll take his advice and go through one of his GEO classes after I finish my ATH sequence.
I fall asleep during class when I go. There was no focus on the test material to speak of, one day he went over a few terms but not well enough to write good notes. He uses over head projector, you can't read his writing, and he rarely looks up at the students. I think he's collecting data from students for his own research.
He is amazing and super smart. If your into what he teaches, you will fall in love! He does not assign much homework, just a bit of reading, no biggie! I would highly recommend Dr. P and I already have recommended him to all of my friends!
Conceited, inappropriate, not up-to-date on current affairs, continuously spouts off factually incorrect information, unbearably biased, condescending towards students, oblivious to his own shortcomings, and just plain mean.
Dr. Pataki is an incredibly experienced Anthropologist and quite a cultured man. The course was not immediately what I expected, but I'm glad it is turning out that way. I am still in the process of completing this course in the Fall 2013, and have learned so much. He is a wise man, and it is an honor to be in his class. Feel lost? TAKE NOTES
My third class with Kerry, and he never disappoints with the wealth of knowledge and way he approaches each field and subject of anthropology. As always, the textbooks are cheap (he lets you use older editions) and a majority of the learning is done through class lessons on the online website. I would recommend any of his classes!
Professor Pataki was an amazing teacher and really turned me on to geography. He's lectures and tangents were actually really helpful when I transferred to university. Ask questions and don't show up late and you will do just fine on the midterm/exam.
Here is simply brilliant. Want to understand culture, first you need to look to the stars. Pataki has been a master in the field for a good period, and his lectures will expand your awareness. If class isn't your thing, read the book and you will pass the test.
He is a brilliant person, however his teaching is difficult. Out of reading, assignments, handouts, lectures, and videos; only 15% of the content will be on the tests, and that 15% will be very precise stuff that you need to memorize. I found his assignments and discussion fascinating, but his videos, class, and tests boring and unchallenging.
I can't even begin. Maybe its because it was a web class, maybe not, but I have no idea how this person is allowed to teach anyone anything. All posts to the main forum were walls of incomprehensible garbage, the descriptions of the assignments were unintelligible, riddled with grammatical errors and word missuses. I have no more room, but terrible
I've taken a few courses with Pataki now. You have to do your assignments. You have to do the discussions. Sometimes he does change things up via how many points an assignment is worth, or deviate from the syllabus. He gives good feedback. Exams are essay style. You really will learn in his class, and do well if you do the work. LOTS OF READING.
Kerry was an incredibly patient professor, full of knowledge in his field. He had funny anecdotes and I learned so much from him this term! I would absolutely take his class again and will be recommending it to anyone who might be interested!
Mr. Pataki is quite a character. It is clear he is very experienced and was once a well revered geographer, however, he does not connect well with students. Maybe his lectures and notes make sense in a F2F class, but it is incoherent babble online. Questions on tests are more his personal opinion. I think it's time to consider retirement.
Mr. Pataki is a very old school type of professor. I think it shows what kind of teaching he experienced when getting his degree. He requires complete absorption in the class and expect to read ALOT! I understand why he makes reading and the lecture so prominent, but you really cannot afford to get behind in his class if you want to truly learn.
Pataki is an eccentric old man, and his teaching style reflects. He took over our course when our original instructor had to take a leave of absence, and after thoroughly bashing the original syllabus he precedes to ramble on about nothing and waste time on topics we have already covered. Uses outdated information and video aids.
Kerry is brilliant, with an abundant knowledge of the anthro field, as he did field work for 25 yrs in the island nations among indigenous while working for the world health org. His side kick is a sociologist named Terry, and together they are simply hysterical. call it the terry and kerry show, because its quite a priceless chemistry.
Dr. Pataki is one of the most difficult instructors that I've ever taken here at Portland Community College. Maybe it's due to how opinionated the course's subject is. But throughout the whole term, there were a lot of things that weren't clear and obtaining feedback or comments from the instructor was not easy.
A very intelligent and inspiring anthropologist. His class was difficult but only because it was an eight week term. he has a lot to teach and I recommend taking his classes.
He taught us cultural anthropology by teaching us the history of the universe. Literally amazing. He will open your mind to all the big things out there and how our cultures are such a huge part of our lives. His lectures are always worth your time.
I took his cross-cultural review of death class, awesome material, hard to mess up. Basically, he makes it obvious what his opinions are. Follow them. Even if you don't agree, follow them. I only ever got marked down because he would correct MY opinions and make them his. Overall, easy class. I didn't read the book and did just fine.
Dont recommend at all. Not clear in what makes expected. Grades hard. Poor.
Inconsistent schedule for the class that honestly caused a lot of confusion. The work isnt hard but I find it a joke to expect something due on a Saturday one week then Tuesday the next week.
He didn't do so well with the online format, and there were like 3 different textbooks (I couldn't even find where he put one of them, as it was online... I think.) but the lectures got the big ideas and he was pretty forgiving with most of the grading. A discussion question with 2 responses due weekly and weekly readings out of 2 (3) textbooks.
He makes me want to care! Non bias, do your work, but he doesn't ask what isn't reasonable.
Dr. Pataki is one of the most difficult instructors that I've ever taken here at Portland Community College. I have no idea how this person is allowed to teach anyone anything. Inconsistent schedule for the class that honestly caused a lot of confusion.
Inaccurate course description. Inadequate at using D2L. Inconsistent schedule, due dates shifted regularly. Doesn't respond to emails. Lectures are disjointed, lots of rambling. Classroom was a soundboard for his new new concept and skipped over foundational course subjects to give him feedback. Unclear grading criteria. Do not recommend.
Every encounter I have has not been pleasant. Always seemed kind of hostile and accusing. That being said it was an online class so I really didn't have to deal with it that much.
Dr. Pataki is an intelligent man who takes pride in his teaching and students. His expectations are high and you will never submit an assignment he can't find a problem with, but this is just to stimulate further thinking and doesn't reflect heavily in his grading. The books for his course were well chosen and there was no 'fluff' or wasted time.
Dr. P was very willing to work with me. When I voiced concerns about how much time we had on the final exam he extended it for me. He cares about his students' ability to learn and the class material. If you keep an open line of communication with him and put in the effort you'll succeed in this class regardless of your learning style.
This course was poorly taught. He can be tangential. The grading is not very clear. He speaks in generalities and I'm left wondering what I learned this term. The questions on the final assessment were poorly written and very vague. There were no recorded lectures. I have never heard his voice or seen him speak.
Took online web class. Very nice and comedic personality, most of his work each week consists of watching films, discussion post, reading, and then his midterm/finals are a short quiz that is quite opinion-based for you and asks about your thoughts on subjects. His class is very very easy and exciting to learn about death in different cultures!
Don't listen to the other reviews, he treated students with respect and interest. Very few actual assignments but lots of info and discussions, which I appreciated for it being a web class. Always gave great feedback on assignments and helped me find info when I was confused. Take this as a Web Exclusive class to skip lectures.
I liked the content and learned a lot from the class, but he writes in really advanced, hard to understand, language to say simple things. I had to read every announcement and instruction repeatedly to understand what was expected of us and I'm an advanced reader. Even then, I had to wing it because I didn't know what he was telling us to do...
Rambled on about nothing and everything. Had extremely unclear assignments and when you would email to clarify he would either not respond/sound extremely hostile. Once got a response when asking for clarification and he just responded back with what he wrote for the assignment, no clarification just copy and pasted what the original assignment was
He doesn't know how to teach. He clearly is erudite but is incapable of translating his knowledge into a classroom. His written "lectures" don't follow any basic writing style & students feels like they are on an expedition trying to decipher meaning out of its content let alone come to any conclusion as to what is being asked of the student.
Maybe he used to be a good professor, but he's incomprehensible now. Almost impossible to get ahold of, his feedback doesn't make sense, his instructions are indecipherable and he grades extremely harshly if you misinterpret them. I can't stress how impossible he is to understand. There's some good content if you dig, but it's not worth the stress.
I will absolutely miss Kerry after this term. He is very kind, helpful, and accommodating. Most of the bad reviews are of when he taught in person, but now it is online he is very kind and unlike the bad reviews. Although I would not recommend his cultural anthropology to someone just taking for the credits, you would still need to put in the work.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
78%
Textbook Required
82%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.22 avg changeRatings by Course
GEOGRIFFY
5.0
(1)GEORGRPHY
5.0
(1)CULTGEOANTH
5.0
(1)ANTHGEO
5.0
(1)GEOSERIES
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ANTHRCULT
5.0
ATH
5.0
ANTH101
4.5
ANTH209
4.5
GEOGRIFFY
4.0