2.7
Quality3.7
Difficulty36%
Would Retake104
Reviews36%
Would Retake
104
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
17
4
21
3
19
2
16
1
31
What Students Say
“By far the worst Anthro class I have taken”
ANTH4200 - 2.0 rating“0 GPA if you have one”
ANTH1000 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
86%
Textbook Required
71%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.27 avg changeRatings by Course
21664
5.0
(1)32311
5.0
(1)ISLAM4990
5.0
(2)ANTHANTH
5.0
(1)ANTHR2010
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
HONORS
5.0
ANTHRO1010
5.0
ANTH
5.0
INTROTOANTRO
5.0
ANTHRSEVE
5.0
Reviews (104)
No Comments
Hard and very critical.
pretty nice guy, and the class not that hard; although it didn't seem that the class was his priority
I hate this man..his sex drive is what drives him while teaching..disgusting man
I thought he was a really good teacher. He knows what he is talking about and is good at conveying his knowledge.
The worst prof. at WSU, in my opinion (and im a senior).He should be hissed at constantly in public.YOU WILL KNOW BY THE 1ST DAY OF CLASS!THIS MAN DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR GRADE!If you want a class where its: us vs. him take this class!But if you want a better informative class, take Eaton instead!
If you look up the word Jackass in the dictionary you will find a picture of this guy.I swear he has a bigger ego than Jupiter!No consideration whatsoever for the modern student that has other classes and work.He makes this pretty apparent!I took his 1010 class, 1010! and it was the worst class ever
God--no one appreciates a smart prof anymore. But if he sang and danced for you little****s . . .
Very hard and very Critical. If you have a hard time doing a lot of reading, stay out of his class. The information he teaches is interesting, but he just trys to cover too much. Also, don't disagree with him. You will get bi*ch slapped on your grade. Lots of memorization crap too.
biggest **** ever. very critical; no helpful suggestions just tells you that you're worthless and what you've done wrong. DONT TAKE HIS CLASS. HE'S A FREAKING IDIOT! I'VE NEVER DISLIKED A PROFESSOR-EVER! but this guy is an ****!
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I love Dr. Holt. He is one of the greatest guys around!
Dr. holt is a very difficlut teacher, he actually makes you think omg!! dont take this class if your looking for an easy A but if you are truly searching to better yourself and broaden your mind then you cant find anyone better than Dr. holt.
I took this man before the board of educational directors. That was the only thing that got me a passing grade because he's to much of an **** to do his damn job.
Dr. Holt is awesome. Here is one Professor who knows what he is talking about. And there aren't very many of those left! He is hard, but if you just ask for help he will definitely help you out.
A very cool teacher. As long as you read the material, took decent notes, you were fine. I liked how he made students think. I think some people are a bit too closed minded for his class. But hello, it's Anthropology!! You have to be open minded. I got a B in his class-it was a great class.
I found him an excellent teacher, not neccisarily always easy, but challenged me
The course was hard, with tons of reading, but was dang interesting. Dr. Holt really knew his stuff. He wasn't very funny, yet this was one of my most enjoyable classes that semester.
I thought he was pretty good
He is very judgemental and not open to anything. He is rude and very offensive. He needs to get over his divorce and teach the class. Anthropologist are supposed to view things with an open mind, he cleary does not. Arkush is a much better teacher.
He once came into the class, picked up a desk, and threw it across the room and screemed "Why can't student's get to class on time!" It was frightening, and I loved it! He is absolutely unpredictable and often hostile. A great brashful washing to clear your mind of any cobwebs for sure. You're bright-eyed at the end of class out of fear.
As long as you don't disagree with him you're fine. I would not suggest taking this class if you are religious because he does spend a fair amount of time bashing religion, along with marriage and his Utah. Kind of bitter but he is obviously very intelligent. His class is very interesting but not for the easily offended.
I learned alot about anthropology but he has you read a ton. Not very open minded and not afraid to tell you are wrong if he disagrees with you. You will hear all about how he is not a fan of Religion or his ex wife
I am normally an A student, but his introduction level course was more difficult than the majority of my upper division course. his course material is so broad you wont know what to study for his exams. he requires 30 pages of essay writting and grades harder than your english professors do.
If you want to know what its like to receive a 20% on a paper for adding a little humor take this class.
HE SHOWS A LOT OF MOVIES!
He claimed the Anthropology 1000 class would be very hard, but I didn't think it was for any student with good critical thinking skills. Just like any professor, he thinks his field is the only one to follow. He seems to be very against religion in general--not very objectively I might add.
if you are religious & very easily offended, dont take him. He's mildly entertaining in his biased lectures but only about 10% of what he talks about ends up on the test, the rest comes from the reading. TONS OF (boring) READING
DO NOT TAKE HIM ONLINE OR SUMMER SEMESTER!!!! I am usually an A student, who got a C!I would read the chapters and go over the vocab, objectives, lectures and still get a 56% on the damn test!! I have no idea where he was getting info from...and several questions were in the chapters for the next test! Very irritating, did not decide if he was curv
I have a huge man crush on Dr. Holt. I looked forward to his class everyday. He was in the shiznit back in the day, and can kill you with one finger. Old school baby, take your hat off, do your homework, turn your cell phone off. If we had more Dr. Holts we'd have fewer idiots, even here in by-god-utah.
Do not take online courses with Dr. Holt. He doesn't like them and will tell you. He required three page papers due each week throughout the semester. His tests were hard to figure out even after reading the book and lecture notes. He may be better in what he calls a "real class." Teaching style is often unclear and feedback is minimal.
I don't know what happened to Dr. Holt. You get a sense that he could be (& by all accounts USED to be) a brilliant professor. But he's too stuck in his tough-guy oh-look-at-me-I'm-so-smart-&-Utah-is-so-stupid pose to teach very well. This was my MAJOR & I was frustrated with his tests. All he wants are HIS ideas regurgitated back, verbatim.
Excellent instructor. The class was very interactive. There was a lot of writing.
Great teacher! must be willing to actually work and not be a lazy person with a narrow mind set or will get a C!!!!
One of the worst professors I've ever had the displeasure to meet. Had to drop the class. Absolutely awful.
This is a really egotistical teacher! He likes to hear himself talk and make himself look important. His tests never match his lectures and reading. Although the textbook is good and interesting, there's alot of it.
This guy is a character. Very unfriendly to the religious (me) but after awhile I learned to like him a bit. Awful teacher though. He "lectures" (if you call unorganized babbling lecturing) for 75 min and then assigns a LOT of reading and then the test covers little to none of what you learned. If you have common sense you can pass with a B.
The class consists of listening to a lecture and then reading material at home. The workload is moderate. Essentially, as long as you read the chapters in the book and take notes during his lectures, you'll do fine.
I took this class online. It required a lot of text book reading because it was nearly impossible to know what he would test on. There were a lot of problems with the organization of the course. The tests halfway reflected the material and a good part was guessing. I learned a lot from the text book though. Overall, less than satisfactory.
If you write your papers like you agree with him, you'll get a great grade, trust me. Also, his tests are all right if you study the notes you have taken in class. A bit abrasive, but just play his game and you'll do fine.
Worst class I have ever taken. I cannot be more angry and frustrated with this "teacher"! Information was limited and no help was given. Tests were difficult to prepare for. Little to no help with anything. He will test you on information that was briefly mentioned in the text. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS! ESPECIALLY FROM THIS GUY!!!!
An intro to Anthro class I took online. The writing assignments were insanely hard for an intro class and the tests had random information that was not mentioned in the book or online. The teacher was difficult to talk to online and in person. He never said what he would do about the test situation. Impossible to score an A. Horrible.
Be honored. He comes from a background entailed in service to our country. He's an "Indiana Jones" type who likes to challenge you; he's gone abroad and used his skills to survive bold confrontations in the Middle East. He teaches in his own special way to open up your minds. If you are humble and motivated then you will understand him and pass.
If you are willing to discuss the material, challenge his ideas, and justify your own, the classroom experience is the most rewarding you can hope for. Thoroughly enjoyed the abstracts, and the exams were great! Insanely stimulating course, and while it was a tad demanding, I enjoyed every second of it. Disorganized lectures for discussion however.
Worst Professor I have ever had! He was absolutely unavailable and took weeks to grade papers. Do not take this class!!! The tests had nothing to do with the chapters assigned, and the grading was very inconsistant. Because of this teacher I will never again take an Anthropology course.
Ron Holt is a professor that does not coddle students. He assumes you are well above average as far as dedication and intellect. On day 3, at the beggingin of class, he askes the class, point blank, to discuss the weeks readings, and sits back to listen. If you dont contribute, he askes you to leave and come back after you have done the readings.
Not a fan of this guy. He was very scattered in his lectures, and for a person that prefers organized notes, it just didn't work for me. He doesn't show much interest at all in his students or their grades. He does nothing online (he's like anti-technology) so you have no idea what grade your getting until the very end. Wouldn't recommend.
Great teacher as long as you show up and participate.
Loved this class and the teacher. Reminds me of the guy from Gran Torino
Read the main points from the book and take notes in class, should do just fine.
Just lectures, no power points, and minimal videos. When writing on the board and spelling key words you should know (and any other word), he writes the first letter of the word then scribbles the rest of the word so you don't remember what it was he said or how to spell it. Lazy professor!
TERRIBLE! His tests are easy if you just read them like he would, he is judgement of other cultures (not the meaning of anthropology). His information is outdated and pretty prejudiced. He projects himself as having the best way of life ever. Constant remarks about how terrible the gov't is (I agree), but get to the information PLEASE.
This was the worst class I have ever attended. The profesor is lazy and assumes you know Anthropology. He's extremely scattered in his lectures and basically babbles on about a million different things throughout the class period so be prepared to read A LOT. He's extremely rude and judegemental and is not helpful towards anything.
Dr. Holt's a combination of cliches; He's the love child of Archie Bunker and Dick Cheney. That said, he's very kind, and he goes out of his way to do right by his students. A good heart, I think--just a very crusty exterior. If you want to actually think, Dr. Holt's class is the place to be.
This was one of the most interesting classes I've ever taken. The lectures and textbooks were fascinating. Dr. Holt is a character--if you just want a class where you memorize facts and regurgitate them on the test,then this isn't the class for you. If you actually want to learn something and expand your horizons, you can't do better.
In my opinion Professor Holt is fantastic. He does expect you to read the text book and the tests are tough if you don't. But he will be there for you if you are interested in his help and he knows what he is talking about. The way he projects his lectures shows that he enjoys the subject. And he has a sarcastic sense humor that is refreshing.
Very old school, anti-tech.. The class included only one test that was an essay test, you got about 55 minutes to answer 4 questions, two to three pages each (that's 8-10 pages). Papers were on articles had taught us nothing about. I actually enjoyed the class because the material was so interesting but it was so hard at times.
He is very opinionated and brings that into his curriculum. His test reviews are awful. He randomly takes roll and says nothing about how attendance will affect your grade. A very unorganized, and unpleasant class.
This class was awesome. He let us out at least 15 minutes early every day, but still covered a good amount of information in class. He showed a lot of videos, but they were relevant and fairly interesting. Tests follow the lectures and textbook well. He goes over what is expected on the test. 3 tests, 2 papers. Overall, great class. A+
A Ron Swanson type. Very knowledgable and experienced anthropologist. I could listen to his stories all day. His class is hard because of disorganization. We didn't stick to the syllabus, I was never entirely sure what he wanted in a paper. If you want your hand held and gold stickers, don't bother. I'm already signed up for my next class with him.
Dr. Holt is greatly knowledgeable and does well with his approach to teaching the subject. He is malleable, opinionated, and multifaceted. He need not adhere to organization to be understood. As long as you listen to him and pay attention you will understand the subject. He expects you to work hard, but its college and that's how it should be.
Dr. Holt is a unique professor. Some students have a hard time with his views, but they seem to forget that they are college students with no life experience. Dr. Holt has served in the military, advised the military, lived in several different cultures, learned and taught more than any of us could possibly comprehend. Favorite professor thus far.
Instead of focusing on different cultures, he was hyper-focused on the Muslim culture. The Muslim/Islam religion and culture are interesting, but not when that's all you talk about. This was a class and subject I was so excited for and looking forward to, and it ruined it for it. The subject was interesting. The teacher was awful.
He is really old fashioned. VERY little online resources. All tests on paper. He talks a lot, gets on unrelated tangents and is very opinionated. But he really knows his stuff!
Long lectures. Rambles the entire class. Occasionally uses powerpoint. For the most part just talks at you and assumes you'll take notes and/or just absorb everything. READ THE TEXTBOOK. Not an easy class. Not easy tests. Not an easy grader. Study. Study. Study.
If you want to sit in a class where you watch VHS tapes all day, this is the class for you. Extremely unclear and disorganized. Is incredibly militant in not letting students wear hats or speak during class time.
Worst professor I have ever had. Do not take him! Went to every class. Studied for exams and worked hard. Did not do well. Tests are difficult. Doesn't give idea on what to study for.
loves his lectures and if you dont read the textbook you wont pass
I did not enjoy his class. He isn't very helpful and his syllabus isn't that clear at all. Half of the class is textbook, and the other half lectures. Would not take again.
The man is very strict. Won't let you wear hats, won't allow technology unless taking notes (and he checks), doesn't like technology so you don't really get to see anything from him online, like grades, specificity in assignments, etc... Did I learn from his class? Yes. Will I take another course from him? No.
My thoughts on Dr. Holt are mixed, some stuff he taught really well but other concepts just seemed pointless. Very strict on grading, of which exams and two papers will determine your grade. He hates giving out A's. I learned a lot, but as an ANTH major he made me hate anthropology.
Not a bad guy at all, but he believes everything wrong -- and he shoves it down his students' throats.
This professor would joke in front of the class about failing kids. Somehow it amused him. I've never been assigned more reading in all my life. He acted as if it were a doctorate level class. It's an introductory level class, dude! "No extra credit!" "No hats!" (Like we're in grade school). Wouldn't ever recommend this professor to anyone.
This class was interesting. I had a bad first impression of Dr. Holt when he asked me to take my hat off, but he's actually a very nice guy if you show respect. Dr. Holt is sort of opinionated.. I got docked points on an assignment for quoting an article by a "liberal news" source. Regardless, Holt is very reasonable and I enjoyed his lectures.
He doesn't believe in study guides and would rather fail you than pass you if he had the option. He will tell you 200 things, and tell you to read 4 chapters and the 50 test questions will be a split from reading and lectures. He will ruin your 4.0 GPA if you have one. Also no hats, phones, or other electronics in his class.
Since I took the summer semester, he only had us do 2 papers and 2 tests. He's a good dude and is pretty old fashioned. No phones, turn everything in on paper, and doesn't use canvas. His lectures were pretty interesting, and he knows what he's talking about. Tests were rough, but if you attend class and participate, you'll be in good shape.
I took a night class with Prof. Holt, I really enjoyed the class even though it was difficult. He has a very dry sense of humor and isn't afraid of speaking his mind. If you go to every class and improve your test scores he will bump you up a grade. Hard class but he's a great professor and gives great lectures.
I like Dr. Holt as a person, but the class was pretty hard. It moved so fast and covered so much material that it was hard to keep up, and he is very ambiguous about what will be on the test and what isn't. If you have a mind that can remember everything, you'll do well; otherwise, be careful.
By far the worst Anthro class I have taken. He does not follow a syllabus and basically decides on a whim how he is going to give tests and assignments not to mention he changes his mind on how he wants them done. The semester isn't finished yet and I'm surprised I haven't died from an anxiety attack.
Very old school. Easy testing.
I personally found his teaching methods to be very weird and stressful. He changes his mind all the time, it's hard to know what is expected from you to pass. He knows his stuff, but he often makes close-minded comments about what he's teaching that make you wonder why he's an anthropologist, or why he's teaching about something he dislikes.
His class is very old school, no phones, hats or electronics. He will call you out in class. The lectures are hard to follow and very random. If you don't pay attention to slight details you will be lost on the tests. He assigned chapter readings every week, does not update canvas, no assignments posted. Did not enjoy and don't recommend.
I've heard a lot of complaints about Dr. Holt, but the bottom line is that he expects you to be respectful. Put your phone away, listen, raise your hand instead of interrupting. This is college, people, you can act like an adult for an hour. His lectures are interesting, and his tests are easy if you've actually done the reading.
People either think Mr. Holt is a hit or miss. For me, he was a hit. He has a smart sense of humor that might offend some, but he just says things exactly the way they are. I didn't do very well on one of my tests, so it brought by grade down quite a bit but STUDY STUDY STUDY. He gives you everything you need to know in his lectures!
If you read and read you got this class! He is an amazing teacher and I enjoy his sense of humor.
I told Professor that I was having a hard time in class, and he told me "that's weird. This class is so easy." I did not enjoy the class at all. Lectures were boring and random, tests were hard, and he made me feel like my opinion didn't matter at all. Easily one of the hardest classes I have ever taken.
Dr. Holt is very knowledgeable in his field. If you actually pay attention in his classes it's fairly easy to pass. There really isn't much structure in the class at the beginning but he gets into it at the end. He's a very good teacher and he gives very good feedback. You don't know your grade until the end of the semester, hes very old fashioned
Doctor Holt wasn't my favorite professor. He didn't teach the material in an organized way and wasn't clear on what he expected from you. He's also old fashioned and uses little to no technology so don't expect being able to get in touch with him. I wouldn't take this class again.
Dr. Holt was very disorganized. His lectures half the time did not go along with the material on the tests. He has a crude sense of humor, making it hard to respect him. Whether you read the book or not the test is still a surprise. You wont know your grade either, he doesn't put anything in canvas.
I honestly really didn't like this professor at all. His lessons were so disorganized. He'd have power points but skip at least half the slides without saying a word. It was so unclear what I was supposed to study, as he always just told us "read the book and you'll be fine." I only took this class because I had to for my major. Wouldn't recommend.
Dr. Holt is not great but not awful. Some people act like taking his class is the worst thing ever but it's a college class and he expects you to read the textbook and get stuff done. Granted the problems I had with him was the fact that his grading criteria was a mystery and he is not very forgiving. So only take if you're ready to learn and work
If you're a good tester, I would highly recommend taking this class. About halfway through I got bored of reading the chapters and only skimmed the reviews at the end, then showed up for lectures and made sure to review notes the morning of a test. Easy A. If you are bad at testing, avoid like the plague. Tests are pretty much your only grade.
Lecture after lecture with no hands on work or group work. Never asked question or help. His mentality towards teaching and his students were disrespectful saying students who sat in the back of class were going to automatically fail his class. Whole class is graded on 2 papers and 3 tests. This class made me very uninterested in anthropology.
I am a great student I have A's in the rest of my courses and get along with all my other professors but this guy is a joke. If you have a question he treats you like your stupid and if you email him asking questions on an assignment he gets frustrated with you and doesn't even end up helping you. And he teaches off his own opinion, annoying!
Disorganized and occasionally incoherent lectures. Irrelevant rants about technology, politics, and students wearing ball caps disrupt every class. Zero feedback on papers, just a random grade scrawled at the top of the page. Refuses to use Canvas. Avoid this professor at all cost and fulfill your gen-ed requirements elsewhere. Anywhere.
Lots of people seem to dislike Doctor Holt due to his dissenting opinions. However, he doesnt shove his opinions on to you. His lectures are interesting and informative. He is typically pretty helpful. He doesnt tolerate talking or phones in class. Hes a great teacher if youre willing to be a good student.
He was a hard grader, and to make it worse he gave bad reviews that did not help with test. When he hands back assignments and tests in class he will comment out loud if you got a below average score and other things like that.
No feedback, has an agenda, loses his train of thought; it's all unclear. Terrible example of tenure and honestly an indictment on the University because he does research from them and I'd imagine it's from a very ethnocentric perspective if it's anything how he teaches his class. He is just not an educator at all, but he does it for money.
This was one of the hardest classes I've taken so far in undergrad, but I really enjoyed being in Holt's class. He makes you work for it, but you leave with a lot more knowledge this way. I'll be taking more classes with him next semester.
Dr. Holt is the most frustrating professor I've ever had. NOTHING is on canvas, you're constantly in the dark to what you are supposed to be doing because even his syllabus is inaccurate and confusing, when you try to finish the class and catch up he makes things even more difficult by not being clear in what he needs. He needs to retire ASAP.
Never knew what was going on in this class. He never used Canvas and was always changing due dates on assignments and tests. The tests were terrible. The class average was always around 65%. He never provides rubrics for grading or explains why you got the grade you did. Simply puts a score at the top of the paper and random markings throughout.
Professor Holt is a fantastic teacher, he does well to inform the class on the subject. He may be strict with his grading, but if you pay attention and do the papers as well as tests then it's an easy grade from my experience.
Ron Holt is the reason I almost didn't continue my pursuit of an Anthropology degree. He is incredibly biased on many topics and will not take any push back on the matter (even if you are correct about something), even calling you stupid in front of the class. This man is, frankly, not a good person and not a good representative of our discipline.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
86%
Textbook Required
71%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.27 avg changeRatings by Course
21664
5.0
(1)32311
5.0
(1)ISLAM4990
5.0
(2)ANTHANTH
5.0
(1)ANTHR2010
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
HONORS
5.0
ANTHRO1010
5.0
ANTH
5.0
INTROTOANTRO
5.0
ANTHRSEVE
5.0