2.5
Quality3.6
Difficulty30%
Would Retake102
Reviews30%
Would Retake
102
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
16
4
12
3
18
2
30
1
26
What Students Say
“She's really unorganized, super into herself, and at times unfair”
ANTH227 - 2.0 rating“If you disagree with her, watch out”
ANTH227 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
69%
Textbook Required
33%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.06 avg changeRatings by Course
ANTHBODY
5.0
(1)ANTHR227
5.0
(1)ANTH652
5.0
(1)ANTH407
4.5
(2)ANTHRO227
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
227
4.0
ANTHMED
4.0
MEDANTH
4.0
ANTHBODY
4.0
ANTH652
4.0
Reviews (102)
she's only interesting when other guest lecturers are talking and she is sitting
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She has improved since she first started but still difficult to follow
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Interesting class, too much reading, good format, tough final.
two coursepacks, three books-and she doesn't explain a single one clearly.
The material could have been interesting, but the fact that she read her notes to look at us only once or twice made every class very boring. Way too much reading.
This course had so much potential!! But, she read her lectures, and didn't seem to care. Nice lady, but not a good prof.
obviously intelligent woman very focused on her own research, but doesn't do much to diguise the vibe that she'd rather be out in the field or at Berkeley. read from her notes all semester and the final was a ****
She was easy on the eyes, but not much else. Really boring, she inspired me to skip class regularly.
Lectures comprised of reading directly from her notes for an hour. Actually looks insulted when asked questions, and then ignores them!!! Too much reading for an intro class. Spoils what could have been a great class.
She is obviously a leader in her field. While very prestige oriented (oh... Harvard, Berkeley etc.) her classes in the second half are quite interesting and the readings DO improve. This course makes you think.
She's a nice person and I'm sure she means well, but she doesn't lecture properly and her final exam was incoherent. AND there is lots and lots of reading! Way too much. She covers really interesting material though.
I hardly know where to start, easily the worst teacher EVER. Her lectures are incoherent, but thats ok because they have nothing to do with the material covered on the exam. Just do the reading (and by that I mean memorize) and you'll pass.
terrible. could be good if it wasnt for her
the material was interesting, and i thought the course itself was okay, but the final exam was shockingly mind-blowingly bad. i don't mean it was hard -- it wasn't -- it was just embarassingly incoherent. no prof should be able to get away with that.
Unorganized, interesting material covered, interesting guest lecturers, some very very boring reading materials which are waaayyy too long, yet a couple very interesting articles included as well.
awful. just awful. it's a shame that such an interesting topic can be so badly taught. Thank god the readings were mostly interesting and the conferences made the class semi worth taking.
This was the worst class of McGill career. This woman SHOULD NOT BE TEACHING. Borrow the course pack from some poor schmuck who took the course if you're interested in the subject. If McGill admin is reading this: PLEASE, get rid of her!
At a higher level prof. hyde is pretty interesting and clear. Very open to debate and input. Excellent readings, learnt a lot.
I actually really enjoyed this course, despite what everyone says. It really got better over the term and I learned a ton!
Though her lectures are unclear (she often has trouble forming coherent sentences and presenting her thoughts), the topic is interesting enough that you may be able to forgive her. One thing I really admire is how much she encourages class participation.
I just loved her AND her course. It's not easy, but the topic is very interesting and she composed the course in a very dynamic way - movies, lectures, guest talks... and great readings. a lot, but very interesting. I don't find her stuff disorganized at all... I mean it's all prepared for us !!
she is incoherent, but i still loved it. the readings were really interesting, i stopped going to her horrible lectures. still, it's worth taking.
Very unorganized, unclear...Has a clear bias towards ethnomedicine...
No Comments
The lectures are completely useless, b/c she puts them on the web in exactly the words she uses in the lecture. The readings are way too much & even after some students complained she said it was normal to give that many readings. The final is multiple choice but still hard. She is pretty nice tho.
I really liked this class...loads of reading but she kept my attention and sections were great...definitely worth taking!
I enjoyed the material/readings, but the teacher was not helpful, had a hard time answering questions (never really answered anything...she possibly did not know the answer and was unwilling to admit it) and was not intellectually stimulating nor engaging. I wonder how well she knows her stuff.
The material for the class was extremely interesting and stimulating. The professor went out of her way to be available and assist her students. She also took student imput very seriously and tried to improve in areas where complaints were issued. I found her excellent and very well informed.
I found the ethnographies for this class to be stimulating and intriguing. The material covered a broad range of topics in anthropology of sexuality and was always interesting. The prof. prooved to be exceptionally well-informed and made the class all the better. I highly recommed this class
I really liked this course. The prof is friendly and engaged. She obviously cares a lot about whether we are getting smething out of the material. I know that she works extremely hard at her class preparations. I get so tired at hearing people diss a prof without realizing they have to work too
The readings for this class very interesting but she was a terrible lecturer.
great conferences
Great class, fun prof and really nice to have small conferences instead of just lecturing all the time....
Very interesting subject, decent professor, interesting and relevant readings. I'd recommend this class, I had no prior interest in health or medical anthro but it fascinated me. Hard grading and lots of work, this is NOT an easy A!
very interesting subject but she tried to pack too much into the course and in the end, half the books are unread (syllabus: read chapter 1,2 skip 3-8) lectures are not that interesting, makes a ppt everytime and never says anything more than what is on it, so pointless to go to class. encourages discussion but in a high school teacher kinda way
Professor Hyde is a pompous arrogant teacher, who refuses to admit she is wrong. She is completely uninteresting and I would recommend leaving any course that she teaches. I only wish someone gave me this advice prior to wasting $500 and 3 months of my life. Take my advice and run!!!
NO TEACHING SKILL WHATSOEVER, not too mention extremely arrogant and condescending personality. Seriously reconsider any classes with this professor. She lacks the most basic level of understanding of the material and her exams are completely incomprehensible - not difficult but completely nonsensical. BAD, BAD CLASS.
Medical Anthropology is an interesting subject and I found the readings great, but in terms of lecture the professor is lacking. She does not elaborate on her points and uses personal experience way too much. Overall, I was not impressed.
She's a decent lecturer, but if you need any help at any point, do not expect it from this teacher. She does not answer questions, is not available for exams, expects other students to cover for her if anyone needs help with the material. Overall, the most unprofessional teacher EVER.
Did not enjoy this class at all. Her lectures were uninteresting and she didn't make sense half the time. Really unprofessional- eg: consistently late. The subject itself is interesting, or could be, but she ruined it for me and for any further interest in anthropology. Not recommended at all.
She really doesn't care whether you were having trouble or not. She is consistently late for class, and since it's an 8:30, you often get up early just to go to find out it's cancelled b/c she can't make it.If you disagree with her, watch out! She can't accept anyone else's opinions--her way or the highway--makes you feel dumb if you say anything.
Incoherent. Horribly biased against western biomedicine. Possibly the worst teacher I have ever had. She should not be aloud to teach or even speak in public.
I loved the material and readings, didn't mind the prof, and enjoyed the discussions in sections. And then all of a sudden, the most poorly-written multiple choice exam I have ever seen! It was so unnecessarily difficult. Instead of testing concepts and asked questions about insignificant statistics from readings. Good class, terrible testing.
I honestly loved my sectionals, where discussions were always interesting (Probably the highlight of this class) I really didn't mind Prof. Hyde in class either, but found that she really just read off of her powerpoint. HOWEVER, come FINAL exam time, it was the most incomprehensible crap.. I left the room befuddled by the incoherent questions
I really like Prof. Hyde. I'm guessing everyone on here who has such a bad opinion of her probably did not get a very good mark... It is a tough class, that is for certain. By Hyde uses great readings and incorporates things the class will find interesting to keep their attention- little games, movies and fun pictures. I like her a lot!
I really liked Prof. Hyde to be honest. She is brilliant and engaged. One of the most informed in the department. Arts students always get put down by Science ones...the reason she seemed bad was because of all the time she had to spend with the Science students who can't read and understand basic concepts. Learn to read and then bash a Professor.
I don't understand what everyone is complaining about! I loved Professor Hyde's class, it is why I decided to major in anthropology. It also stimulated a great interest in Medical Anthropology. I have kept all the books she use, great readings, and she was very clear in lecture and about what would appear on the exams.
The course material was very interesting and so were the discussions we had in conferences. However... the prof is unable to teach. Her powerpoint slides went over key concepts and words from the readings without adding any depth - and she just read off the slides, even when they made no sense. The midterm and exam were terribly written.
This is definitly a hard class, but the teacher`s dynamic and challenged traditional ways of teaching. The course is time-consuming, lots of films to watch and intensive writing, but i think it's worth it.
Incredibly intelligent and engaging. Highly recommend any of her courses!
Terrible Professor! Do not take Anth 227!
Even if this course is mandatory for your degree try to find a way around it. Professor adds little new knowledge during class, class is at 830 at MacMed, ridiculous amount of difficult readings for a 200 level course. Do not take.
Potentially interesting material, HORRIBLE PROFESSOR. She makes no sense, just reads from the lecture slides even if they are incomplete and don't make sense and doesn't add anything new. The final was awful, studied so much but every single question was a trick question so it seriously comes down to guessing. TONS of reading too!
She is a little unorganized at time but this was a great class, I loved it, learned a lot, testing material was fair, and she really cares about her students!
Awful professor, incredibly unorganized, I would highly recommend against taking this course. It's unfortunate though because the course material is actually really interesting and the discussions we had in our conferences were great. Just a truly bad prof!
She's really unorganized, super into herself, and at times unfair.
Do not take this class if you're looking for an easy A. The readings are long, boring, and plentiful. There are 3 books for this class, including one she wrote herself. She's a really sweet woman who cares about her students, but she reads off slides. It's a class that takes A LOT of time, energy and work. The class is interesting, however.
Reallly boring lectures. She reads right off the slides. Readings a a must but there and a lot and they're long. 3 books to read, 2 are good but hers are awful. 1 two page essay assignment and 3 short 2 page essays for the midterm. Had the potential to be a good class but it was not. DO NOT TAKE
She does a good job of simplifying the topics at hand. She became a stickler towards the end of the semester about attendance a bit unfairly as the class was at the top of a hill at the McMed building in the middle of a bad winter at 8:30 AM to boot.
Hyde's class gains much from the numerous guest lecturers and helpful TA discussions, and I am very happy and enlightened that I have attended it. However, I am in U3 Anth: unlike struggling newcomers, I understood exactly what she wanted and meant. This class is too challenging for 200 level. I would encourage experienced students to attend!
I left most classes feeling utterly confused. Concepts were not clearly explained and she just read off her slides without explaining anything. Conferences were no help either. Lots of readings for a 200 level course. An essay, a take-home midterm, participation (based on conferences) and a final. Very frustrating but do-able.
Dull and long lectures, be prepared to lose a lot of points on assignments from tiny details (literally anything she didn't feel like agreeing with at the time). Boatload of readings from outdated sources that all amount to the same ideas worded differently. Don't bother with this class.
So disappointed to see her low rating, she is an AMAZING prof, one of the best at mcgill for med anthro. Took anth 407 with her last semester & at least half the class left saying that it was their favourite class at mcgill. Such interesting readings and she is genuinely passionate about the material, if you do the workparticipate you'll do well!
This was a really hard class for a 200 lvl. Marking criteria was clear but lectures were not, some terms were really poorly defined. Also cancelled lec recordings for an 8:30 mcmed class? Brutal. Shes keeping it tight for 50 tho and she seems like a cool person, just wish she took it a bit less seriously.
Prof. Hyde is very knowledgeable, and a very smart woman. I learned so much during her medical anthropology class. The topics are very interesting. Two papers and final test is multiple choice. She truly wants you to succeed. She gives a lot of readings that are needed to pass, but they are worth it. TAs were helpful. Overall, a very good class!
Really interesting lecture material, Prof Hyde's passion in her topics of interest is evident. Essay and midterms are doable if you stay on top of the assigned readings and books. Questions on the final are extremely focused on the specifics of the assigned readings.
This class soon started to devolve from Chinese ethnography and became either a general history lesson or largely a course about Prof. Hyde. She made us read her book, which had NO place in the course and was often very condescending to students. Even the structure of the midterm I thought was backwards and utterly silly. Steer clear of this course
Lectures: relatively engaging, sometimes extremely niche Screenings: most of the films shown were really good Readings: numerous and largely unnecessary, read none of them and got by just fine, makes you buy her book Assignments: film analyses are a bit complex, but you get used to the grading scheme and they become easy, other papers are normal
speaks way too fast and calls people out in class. Keep in mind its a huge auditorium with 100+ students, yet she insists on pointing out students. speeds through readings way to fast.
Very passionate prof. However, way too many readings for a 200 level class. Although they're interesting there's legit full-on books to read for some weeks on top of other readings. Course is interesting but no one should spend that much time on a single 200 level course. Love that she added conference sections though!
Not concise lectures, but clearly passionate and an expert in her field
Worst class I've taken at McGill. Way to heavy on reading for a 200 level course. I found the final exam to be unfair and poorly worded. Save yourself the time and trek up the hill.
Please abstain. Interesting and has potential but everything is all over the place, it's a 100+ student class and they control you as if it's high school. Conferences are useless. She can be rude and defensive. Too hard for 200 level, if you've never taken anthro don't recommend. It is a doable course but be warned, it sucks the life out of you.
This professor helped me develop a passion for global health studies. Guest lecturers are fascinating, and she finds so much compassion in her teaching. She is the most impactful educator in my academic career to date.
Prof taught some interesting material and had great guest lecturers, but this class was awful. 30-100 page readings of dense text 2x/week is too much, especially with no anth background to understand the content. Lectures aren't recorded so if you miss something/don't go, you're in trouble. Too stressful and demanding for a 200lvl course. AVOID!
This was literally one of the worst classes I have ever taken. Professor Hyde is rude and condescending, and will mock you for asking questions. She is unable to clearly explain material, and that was clear in her incoherent final exam questions. Honestly do not take this class if she is the prof, its not worth the time you will need to put in.
Be prepared to read because this is a very reading heavy class. She would assign about 50-100 pages of reading per class. There was no midterm but we still had to hand in two essays. The final was just plain confusing. However, the course content was interesting but the way she taught it was bad.
She is very mean. She looks super sweet until a switch goes off in her head and she will be so mad at you for literally nothing. Per class, we have approx 60-80 pages to read, and sometimes documentaries (!-2 hours). Her guidelines are not clear at all, never ask her more than 1 question - she will get pissed off. She is rude and I hated her class.
I hated this class. Her guidelines are never clear, she looks sweet but will scream at you if you ask more than one question. She roasted at least 4-5 people in my class, NEVER CALL HER MRS BY ACCIDENT she will hate you. She makes it so difficult to pass her class. Only 3 assignments in the semester, we are end of November and I only have one grade
garbage of person, and somehow manage to be worse as professor
Really content heavy lectures. For my class we had two essays to write (both 3 pages, 1.5font) and a final quiz rather than a lecture. Attitude kinda put me off sometimes so I'd avoid live Zoom meetings. I don't recommend as an elective but it's a good intro for anyone in the Anthropology program.
Hyde is a terrible prof. Rude, demonstrates preferential grading & made it so that the highest achievable grade was 90. She freaked at a lot of students for asking questions, accidentally calling her "mrs," disorganized and class provides absolutely nothing helpful about the readings. I have an A- avg. and still hate her class so much.
Incredibly rude, condescending and passive aggressive. The course has no flow from one lecture to another. Your notes will likely be all over the place and she will blame it on you when the entire class is struggling. Be ready to really read if youre taking this class, even when split its a lot to get done. NOT UO FRIENDLY AT ALL!
Horrible, condescending, mean, does NOT want you to succeed. Don't ask more than one question, she will get annoyed. This class was an elective but it is the one taking my GPA down. Should NOT be a 200lvl class. Her lectures are disorganized, all over the place. So many readings that are very heavy. Do NOT take this class.
Quite rude sometimes and not very approachable once you see her bad side (scolding students for asking questions that she already answered even if it was to clarify). She made us read a book by the end of the semester while we were already drowning in other school work.
Not sure why there are so many negative reviews for Prof Hyde on this site. She has been one of the best profs I have had throughout my McGill career. Her lectures are so engaging, she gives great feedback, and is always open to meeting during office hours for extra help. Definitely a tough class - take if you're an upper-year, you won't regret it!
Hyde's super unclear, not only with her content but also her assignments. She gives little guidance for what she expects and then grades very harshly. She expects a lot of detail in the essays but sets very short page limits. Don't try and ask for clarification, she gets very condescending. if you don't have to take the class, avoid it at all costs
Dr. Hyde has a passion for the stuff she teaches ill give her that, but the assignments and lectures are so disorganized and all over the place. In her lectures, she basically just says what's on the slide (which is super vague already) and doesn't elaborate further. Also, there's too many readings and she expects you to know them all.
It's clear she's super passionate about medical anthropology but she teaches it at a level too high for an intro class. There are so many topics crammed into this class and a lot of the terms will be mentioned once and never elaborated on again. Grading rubric for essays is super subjective and up to if your TA likes you/your idea or not.
Although Prof Hyde is a good person, her lectures are disorganized, and the readings are ridiculously excessive. This class is anxiety-inducing as it is very heavy in readings and the material is difficult. Although, the material is interesting, I would not recommend it since it's very hard for a 200-level. Lectures are not linked to one another.
I took this class last year and really enjoyed it! Prof Hyde is passionate about her studies and if you're willing to actually do the readings you'll find the content is super interesting and is a really good introduction to most facets of medical anthropology. If you're really that concerned about getting a bad grade, do it pass/fail
Dr. Hyde was a great teacher! She provided really interesting and engaging readings I still think about, and wants you to connect and engage with the material on your own which I loved. Her lectures are basically personal stories or case studies that link to the readings but are complementary, and makes them interesting to hear.
Took 304 with Prof. Hyde in 2022, and can easily say that she is one of the best professors I've had at McGill so far. Class is a little heavy with papers to submit, but they are all fairly manageable in length and very interesting topics to work with. Genuinely wants to help improve your writing skills and is super passionate about the material.
Professor Hyde is the best professor I have ever had. She is thoughtful, she cares about her students, and she wants you to do well. If you listen to what she says, proofread your writing, and put in a reasonable effort to do well, you will. Her lectures are thought out and never boring.
Hyde is an approachable prof who gets to know her students well. However, her lectures were often vague and confusing, doing little to clear up difficult readings. The course was organized terribly, but TBF she had never taught it before. She was passive-aggressive to students and often gave tea about the uni rather than teach. Would NOT recommend.
Hyde was okay, I found the lectures pretty dense and hard to comprehend, although the TA Fanny was great. There was a lot of reading (like 80 pages a week). The information was hard to digest however was fairly interesting, and I found things were marked pretty fairly. Decent course overall.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
69%
Textbook Required
33%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.06 avg changeRatings by Course
ANTHBODY
5.0
(1)ANTHR227
5.0
(1)ANTH652
5.0
(1)ANTH407
4.5
(2)ANTHRO227
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
227
4.0
ANTHMED
4.0
MEDANTH
4.0
ANTHBODY
4.0
ANTH652
4.0