2.8
Quality3.1
Difficulty55%
Would Retake129
Reviews55%
Would Retake
129
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
18
4
28
3
27
2
35
1
21
What Students Say
“Pros: An amazing professor who teaches his class very well”
ANTH138TS - 5.0 rating“Smith is a great teacher”
ANTH3 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
91%
Textbook Required
25%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.36 avg changeRatings by Course
ANTH3A
5.0
(1)ANTHR141
5.0
(1)ANTH176T
4.5
(2)INT94GZMUMMIES
4.0
(1)ANTH176
4.0
(3)Difficulty by Course
ANTH118T
5.0
ANTH138T
4.7
ANTH138TS
4.0
ANTH103
4.0
ANTH138
4.0
Reviews (129)
Ancient Egyptian Religion was a disappointment. The material was interesting, but Prof Smith has the most disorganized lectures ever, which made the class horrible.
got beautiful blue eyes if you look past the beard. basically all reading, expects you to be an archaeologist, ****the web exercises. must go to discussion, papers for midterm and final. worth 5 credits
Class was not set up well. His lectures were dull and boring, and did not relate at all to the reading. Lastly, he changed the due date of the take home final three times. Its very unprofesional.
No Comments
Not a good class. He tries hard, but views seem dated and the TAs overworked. Some stuff he said in class bordered on offensive. Didn't get a lot out of this class.
Lectures were fairly interesting. He told us exactly what was going to be on the midterm and final which made an A possible with a lot of studying. The final was 50% of the grade though which seemed unfair-- 25% was the midterm and 25% was a play we had to act in...
Took this class in W04, very unorganized. Web site wasn't compatible with many PC users, so you had to use school computers. Assignments graded harshly, in spite of the vague instructions. TAs helped when they could during session, but all in all it was just a disaster. How did I manage a B???
This is the worst class I have taken. TAs grade inconsistently and the required web work is often broken and unusable. There are group assignments that require lots of effort outside class, so you might be screwed if you end up with a bad group like I did. I wish I had dropped this class and found another to meet the NWC requirement. Do not take.
Spent most of the lectures talking about his own research. Lectures mostly random, not related to reading or sections. Lots of outside work, but overall worth it for 5 units if you get a decent TA. I would not recommend this class if you don't care for busy work. No midterm or final, however, two 8 page papers.
I would not recommend this class unless you have to take it. lecture is a waste of time and its really boring. the class set-up is horrible: a midterm paper and a final paper are youre entire grade, but you have to do all this work online and if you dont you fail. it makes no sense--theres no incentive to do well. dont take this class.
OMG, the lectures had nothing to do with the assignments and the readings. All he talks about is his work and interests. Going to lecture is useless!! My TA graded the papers kind of hard andd the online exercise and group projects will drive you crazy.
interesting lecturer, his material is definitely not hard, for five units this is an easier class, his slide presentation and books assign are very helpful if you enjoy reading.
Well prepared powerpoint and very good at explaining the subject matter. Don't know about his lectures in real classes but 1 unit for 5-10 page paper.
HUGE amount of assigned reading, but you can get by without doing all of it. You must go to lectures to get a good grade. I got an A, but I did all of the study guides and studied in a group for a few days before the test. It would be hard to get through the project and study guides by yourself, find partners for the class!
he's a really energetic...sometimes crazy..but nice teacher. it's true, i didn't have to do most of the reading but i got by only b/c of the study guides and being in a study group before the tests! lectures helped a lot. find partners for the project and the study guides, he was also nice about extensions if you really needed it.
go to the first lecture so you don't get dropped, turn in your midterm and final papers, and attend section. the lectures are a waste of your time for the rest of the quarter. if you can, show up to Brian Fagan's guest lecture tho, he's good. smith himself is a bore and sometimes borders on offensive...
This guy is a joke. His lectures are useless, he just shows us pictures of himself and shows PBS videos. And he is full of himself, you will never stop hearing about his connections to hollywood.
Professor Smith assigns meaningless mandatory busy work that just sucks up your time. Don't even need to go to lecture, in fact your probably better off not going. He's an ideal high school teacher but a useless college professor
Stewy's lectures were a lot of fun, I enjoyed them immensly! He was very engaging and the work was pretty easy. I didn't do much of the readings and got an A! I can't wait to take him again!
this prof is very interested in hearing himself speak. his website was horribly organized with multiple spelling errors! he put a "essay tips" section on his webpage that told you to proof read, and that section also had spelling mistakes. his web pages were terrible to navigate! dont take this class unless you have to.
Although Smith was annoying, navigating the website shouldn't have been a problem granted that you weren't a retard. People whined about this class being disorganized/hard, but if you actually paid attention and did the work, it wasn't so bad. I wouldn't necessarily recommend Smith, but his class is not as horrible as everyone makes it out to be.
Smith is ultimately not a bad guy, but his lectures are sometimes disorganized, and the website for the class is TERRIBLE!!! It was pretty easy if you paid ANY amount of attention. Some of the required work was a little... pointless, but mostly it was good. Good class, good professor, great subject
Although its pretty hard to target what he actually wants you to learn from his lectures, he's a great speaker and entertainer. Lectures always interesting, straight from his head instead of reading from some peice of paper. very enthusiastic, refreshing. easy papers and final.....really good guy.
Worst teacher ever, doesn't even know how to teach. Doesn't grade fairly. Don't take this teacher.
Professor Smith is a really cool guy and knows his stuff. The class is difficult. No need to show up to lecture, just study all the material from the study guides he gives out prior to midterm and final. Lots of memorization, NOT an easy A, not even an easy B. Only take this class if you really want to. If you're not interested in the topic, DONT!
Worst teacher ever, doesn't want to help you, doesn't grade fairly and teaches you inappropriate material, I would recommend not to take him if you don't want to fail, gives you a 10 page paper to write and doesn't give you any instructions other than the handout, wont tell you what he expects, VERY VERY BAD TEACHER, STAY AWAY
No Comments
An "A" is obtainable if you're willing to put in the time to complete the very long but very comprehensive study guides. Lectures are based on images he's collected, so they don't translate into organized and thorough notes (frustrating!) His attempts at humor are generally irrelevant, irreverent, and/or unfunny. Not recommended.
He is the worst teacher I have had in my experience at UCSB. While his lecture style is entertaining, his manner of organization (or lack) makes it very difficult to take the detailed notes necessary for his extremely detailed and extensive exams. Don't take a class from him unless you love the subject and can't take it from anyone else.
Its great to see a man make a living teaching a subject he loves so much
DO NOT TAKE THIS TEACHER! He is horrible and extremely challenging. His tests were harder than any of my actual major classes. 10 page paper and 50% Final. Do Not Take!
I have had this professor twice and both times he acted as though his class is the only one you have. With 4 mandatory textbooks and ridiculous amounts of studying for the exams, it is not worth taking his classes. Its cool that he was the 'go to guy' for Hollywood, but he's arrogant about that as well. Arrogance does not = good teaching.
ACK! Study guide he hands out before the midterm and final have 50-60 short answers, 10 essays and 20ish slide ID's to memorize on top of a 10 page intense paper. By far the most work I've ever had to do at UCSB. If you don't have a laptop note taking is impossible. Everything he says (which is A LOT) ends up being something you need to know.
this guy is a trip. he knows his stuff. i guarantee he's going to talk about how he helped with Stargate and the Mummy movies. throws a lot of info at you, which you'll see in the study guides. a lot of memorization... if i could describe the amount of memorization in terms of weight, i would say it was a ton.
He is extremely boring. He would tell lame jokes occasionally, but those jokes are not funny. The lecture are also useless. He just keep showing pictures of Egypt or Maya or whichever place the lecture is about. The textbooks don't help either. Basically you learn everything from the TA. Don't take this class for GE!
He was a very knowledgeable professor, but you cannot do well in this class unless you form a study group, 10-page project, mid-term and final are very intense (76 terms and 10 essay!) I also thought his lectures were very disorganized. It was very frustrating taking notes, trying to keep track of the chronology of what he was talking about.
class is 5 units and he makes you work for them. stupid busy work that takes u hrs to do. boring reading. he's nice enuff in class but not approachable during office hrs. really disorganized lectures and boring too. don't take for ge.
I am sorry to any anthropology student who is obligated to take this course. He has a very ethnocentric bias in presenting information and also presents false information. HE DOESN'T KNOW HIS STUFF. For instance, he claimed that there are no archaeological dates for domestication in the South Pacific (NOT TRUE). DON'T SILENCE PEOPLES HISTORY!!!
COME ON! The class wasn't that hard. In fact, I missed every class except the first day and the day of the final and I ended up with a B. I remember this one TA let us email everything so I never had to print out the busy homework. There is only one test-the final (25%). I should have gone to class more though because there were so many hot girls.
pretty easy class, homework every week but it was easy and quick to do.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS. i don't know why he's still here: if the admin knew just how cruddy he was, he'd be out in a heartbeat. ARROGANT LIL ISH. he seems nice enough in lecture, suggesting you go in to clarify material ... reality is that he doesn't answer emails and really isn't listening to you in office hours. serious jerk. disorganized & lame.
Ancient Egyptian Religion is an awesome class and Prof. Smith is an awesome teacher! He tells you exactly what will be on the midterm/final and he's a really cool guy. Lectures are helpful and interesting but it's not terrible if you miss a few, as he tells you exactly what will be on the tests so you can look it up. Expect to do skits.
He is a good professor but if you are not already interested in Ancient Egypt don't take the class or you will be board out of your mind. I was not interested so I found it really hard and boring. A lot of facts and random gods you have to learn for the exams so be ready to study.
Interesting subject, and he does get the material across. However he spends a lot of time obsessing over how cool he is (you'll hear about how he worked on the Mummy and is best friends with The Rock just about every class). Lots of material to know for the tests, but he gives a comprehensive study guide. Memorize it and tests are easy.
SO MUCH WORK EVERY WEEK. He wont give you time to work on other class assignments
Lecture sides are unorganized. Tells you lots of stuff you don't need/irrelevant to homework or projects. Assigns work as if this is the only class you have.
His lectures are completely unorganized and he talks about a lot of irrelevant information. He assigns way too much homework most of which is pointless and lacks support for the lecture. Only one test at the end but he makes up for it by assigning 2 essays and weekly writing assignments.
Wouldn't recommend this class unless you have to take it. Lots of busy work, I felt like I was in high school with all the projects and homework assignments. The material can be interesting at times. You have to use the books a lot & they are very expensive. Homework assignment every week, 2 group projects, 2 essays, and a final.
This professor is very unorganized. The material is interesting but there is no real use for it. You should only take the class if you have to for a major requirement.
lectures are hit and miss. it is a lot of work, but that is because it is also considered a writing course. the work is also hit and miss in the fun factor.
The WORST class ive ever taken. The unclarity of everything is unreal. Major assignments at the most inconvenient times. The professor has no idea what he's talking about, neither do the TA's. You're expected to do these far fetched assignments where you have NO idea how to even BS them. Tons of busy work. Never know about assignments or when due
RUN. Do not take this class if you want to keep your sanity. His "lectures" are terrible. He spends most of the time talking about himself. He doesn't mention when he's transitioning from topic to topic. He assigns work like you're going for your doctorate. It's not worth it.
Archaeology of Egypt class. NEVER went to class, lectures are boring and all over the place. All you have to do is study the terms on the study guides, which you find the terms in the books. That plus a ten page paper make up your grade. Lenient grader.
Took his class last year. The essays will drive you crazy but not impossible(your TA is your friend in figuring out what you need to do for the essays).He is knowledgeable but easily gets sidetracked in lecture. There is a lot of required weekly but,it's not hard to get an A if you put in the effort. Just remember it's a 5 unit class for a reason.
Smith's lectures are completely useless when it comes to actual archaeology. He loves to talk about the movies that he has worked on, but that's about it. A lot of weekly homework and essays, not too difficult if you get a good TA. Don't take for fun, only take if you need it.
He is really enthusiastic, but unfortunately...for talking a lot, not a whole lot of information is given in class. Instructions for assignments are also a bit ambiguous.
Terrible class. Don't take it if you don't have to. It's an excessive amount of work, and he really has no idea what he's talking about.
Abysmally disorganized, and disjointed lectures make the ID-based tests an exercise in detective work. Students must piece together information for a single topic from a multitude of details mentioned in various lectures. And don't get me started on the group project. I'm insulted to be paying so much to be assigned middle-school level projects.
Horrible course. Lecture is worthless. You have a graded section and play that requires out of class work. The tests are difficult and the studying is just rote memorization. Avoid this class and professor like the dead religion he teaches!
Professor Smith is a really nice person, but his lectures and his syllabus requirements are kind of all over the place. Just don't be afraid to ask him specific questions in class about what you are confused on and you'll be fine.
Horrible Lectures, Tests dont match any material we have covered
Nice, genuine guy... However, wasn't a fan of his lecturing style. I actually found his lectures rather useless because of his many tangents and extreme, UNNECESSARY details. 6 papers in this class (3 short essays, 3 medium length)-- if you know how to write, then you'll get the A. Easy class overall.
I felt lost in this class. Too much work, lectures are pointless and have very little to do with the readings. I would only go to class for the I-clicker points and for the movies. There are other GE classes that cover the same areas, I would not suggest taking this class unless you needed it for your major. The books are expensive $100+ each.
The class is pretty confusing and boring though it's improved over the years from what I've heard. There is so much busy work with essays or assignments almost every week. Those assignments are poorly written and confusing. I had Erin Bornmann as my TA and she was the harshest and rudest TA and grader I have ever had. She's usually his head TA.
Terribly confusing class. Easy material presented in an unorganized and sporadic fashion. Wouldn't recommend this class for anyone simply taking it as a GE.
Had to take this class for my major, but if you don't have to avoid it like the plague. Smith is a nice guy but he has no idea how to teach a class. His lectures contain a lot of information about very specific digs and random stuff, but almost never relate to any of the material you'll read.
Smith is an alright professor. You can tell hes really passionate about the subject. He reduced the amount of papers for the class in favor of using a question and answer forum which was nice. The class isnt too bad, but youll get most of your info for your paper from the book. Sometimes he writes almost nothing on each of his slides.
Took this class as a major requirement. Lectures were boring, kind of felt like a waste of time; went to the class only for the iclicker points. I'd say that it would be pretty important for you to have a good TA. B average for the midterm paper in my section class, while I heard the other sections were about a C average.
Lectures were rather boring and didn't expand past the readings, but iClicker questions were used for attendance so you had to show up. Anyone leaving early would make the professor lecture everyone else on respecting his time, but otherwise, the professor is a good guy who loves his work. If you know how to write academically, expect an A.
I came into this class excited about archaeology however a few weeks in I realized that the useless activities necessary for your grade outweighed the interesting material. The TA makes the whole class, they grade everything, so if you have a sense that they are gonna be the bain of your essay-writing existence, switch your TA and don't look back.
If you don't have to take this class, don't. I promise it is not as interesting as you would think. Your TA grades everything, so if you get a TA who seems like they might be a problem, switch your section. Or, save yourself a lot of time and pain and drop the class all together. Trust me on this one, you'll thank me later.
I literally cannot stress this enough. DONT TAKE IT. Its not interesting, fun, good, easy, or anything. SO not worth the time and stress, not to mention the hit to your GPA. Smith is not a good prof and doenst teach. He talks and assumes you know about the material. If your TA seems like a bad TA, dip. Or drop the whole class. Thank me later.
This class was incredibly boring. I promise it's not as interesting as you'd think. The lectures are dry and drawn out, and if anyone leaves early he lectures everyone else on "respecting his time." I only went to lecture for the iClicker points, and never did the readings. The only things that matter are essays, participation, and a group project.
DO NOT TAKE IT. His lectures are sooo boring. You will have 2 essays and 1 final which have no relevance to his lecture materials. If you want to be tortured, take it and have fun.
Unless it is your major requirement, otherwise do not take this class. The grading is tough, and the papers/tests are hardly related to class. Sections are boring.
If your TA is nice then youre set for an easy A. Otherwise, you're going to have to work pretty hard for your grade. His lectures are pretty boring with little text but he does try to sprinkle in a couple pop-culture references to make them a bit more interesting. I had an easy TA so I thought his class was super easy. Note that Im an outlier.
He was an ok teacher. I would've skipped lecture if he didn't grade attendance. Lectures were very boring and I usually slept through most of them. He was very passionate about his work and seemed like a cool guy, I just don't think he was great at teaching.
Assigns lots of reading for homework, but none of the reading seemed mandatory if you attended lecture. Final is an essay with the prompt chosen by him on the day. iClicker attendance counted for a large portion of the grade, as well as section. Two papers, one group project, no midterms/tests. Get ready to write :)
This is a easy A if you put in the effort. There are two midterms which are a 4-6 page paper. There is also one group project. The homework is an online forum thing which is super easy so make sure to complete it since it accounts for 25% of your grade. The final exam prompt is given to you in advanced. There's also iclickers.
Professor Smith is a pretty good professor. I personally found his lectures kinda "whatever" and mostly went to them because it was graded. This class is a super easy A as long as you write your essays. The essay topics are quite easy, and I found that the essays were not graded too hard.
Definitely more effort than most GE classes, but for 5 units its not that bad. There's a lot of assigned reading but its most is not really necessary. Lectures are pretty boring for a subject that /should/ be interesting. If you talk to your TA and do all of your assignments its an easy A.
Anth 3 w/ Stuart is a 5 unit class that certainly does not feel like one. Lectures are boring, and he loves to talk about the work that he does. The papers were easy, participation in iClicker in lecture as well as section were a looot of the grade, and the final was not worth too much. I felt very unprepared for all assignments and still did well.
a lot to read, not hard though, you could still pass if u don't read anything at all. TA really matters,MONROE best TA ever,2 papers, 1group project teammates matter, my teammates were basically free riders so I got a low grade on that. Otherwise I'd be A. extra credit need a lot of effort and not worth it. Lecture makes u wanna sleep tbh
It's an easy class, all things considered. There's a group project and two essays which aren't too bad. The professor talks about himself a lot, and my dislike of him made me not want to go to class. But if you try it's an easy A!
Only 3 essays and a group project. The rest of your grade is from asking/answering questions on Pack Back and participation. The class has a lot of reading but you can pass the class without reading. This class is easy for a 5 unit class and is an easy A. He gives extra credit. Professor is passionate and caring. I highly recommend this class.
Taken during remote learning. Async lectures, usually less than 2 hours a week and 1 sync section. As long as you attend section and do the discussion questions you can easily pass. Three medium length essays. Smith is a pretty cool guy, hes got a background working in the movie industry and is very knowledgeable about archaeology.
If you like listening to this oleaginous man talk about himself for three hours a week than this class is for you. He repels students with his sexist remarks. Claims to be anti racist, but spent 25 yrs talking about his pivotal role in Stargate- a movie about white ppl and aliens establishing Egyptian culture. Totally offensive. Avoid this creepr
This class is the reason there are no archaeology majors in the department. Talks about sexy cavewomen among other cringeworthy asides. He is known as Me Me Me Smith or professor Slide Projector.
Smith doesn't know how to spell so get ready for a lot of little red dotted lines under your notes
Prof Smith is a really cool guy. You could honestly skip the lectures and read them at home, the real deal is in the sections, but I don't recommend missing his lectures. There's barely any work and it's pretty good for a 5 unit course. Do not take this course if you don't know the difference between paleontology and archaeology.
Lectures boring but do help a bit when writing. If you have a nice TA, things get better. This year, he shrank the time for essay 2 to be 1 week instead of 2, gave work over thanksgiving, and had a final 6 pages essay to complete over 3 days--the weekend before final week. If you're not interested in the subject, just leave for something easier
Prof Smith was alright. His lectures are definitely pretty dry, but it all depends on your TA. If you have an easy grader, you'll be fine. But they require a super specific niche citation style that's built to make students lose points. Anth 3 is a decent GE if you want WRIT credit, but be prepared for it to take a weird amount of your time.
Super passionate and interesting guy. Good lectures, not boring. iClicker points for lecture. Easy midterm, final, and essays that had lots of instruction (a little too much). Reading is not really necessary, no real homework. Study guide is just 1 question after "reading." No studying or anything outside of class. Final was an essay due online.
Lots of reading but you can skip it, the lectures are engaging enough. There are three papers and one paper, but other than that the only work you'll be doing is discussion boards and making comments during section. For a 5-unit course it's not an unreasonable amount of work, if you're actually interested it can be rewarding.
Professor Smith's class had a relatively light workload for a 5 unit GE. His lectures can be pretty dull, but you are mainly graded on three essays and one group project. Participation and weekly discussion boards are suitable for building your grade as they are weighted relatively heavily.
Lectures were never my favorite, Professor Smith is a very nice guy, but some lectures didnt math up with essays given. My TA was very helpful and helped understanding each concept through lecture along with essays and the group project. There were readings, but I never read and still did okay.
Beware TA Rareshide for this course. She treats students like middle schoolers (taking phones, calling names, baby voice) and is barely helpful. Will tell you you need to improve but offers no constructive criticism. I noticed her lowkey infantilizing international students. Prof. Smith is chill tho
Lecture slides were unorganized. Mandatory lectures and participation in section is crucial depending on your TA. Strict grading on papers, unclear criteria
Extremely awful lecturer. All slide shows that make completely no sense. So full of himself too. Three papers, one group project. Lectures and taking notes on lectures feel so useless because of how unclear he is and how unhelpful his slides are. Attendance is mandatory and the iClicker detects when you try to join from outside class.
lecture and sections were mandatory but you can miss one without it affecting your grade. professor smith lectures are engaging and interesting, he's really passionate about what he's teaching so it transfers over to you. 3 essays in total: midterm paper, 2nd paper, and final paper consisting of 2 parts. the class is very easy to pass
rly nice teacher- lectures were fine. essay criteria unclear and section participation crucial. I had TA LoBiondo- nice dude and section more helpful than lecture for actually understanding material. Take home final- no in person tests, 3 papers- 1 group project- 3-4 sentence discussion post weekly- rly not too hard and would take again
Stuart Smith has engaging lectures, gives great information in his readings, replies to emails, and is very open to chats during his office hours. He genuinely cares and wants the students to learn and do well. My one mild criticism is that the group project was a bit confusing.
Amazing professor! His online instructions were always very clear, he had great examples of what he wanted for his essays, and he has a fun sense of humor. If you attend the lectures, the seminars, ask questions whenever confused about an assignment, read the course material, and do the homework, you will get an A!
I liked that Dr. Smith seemed truly interested in archaeology and you could tell he was passionate about the subject. The class wasn't too bad, the only thing is that he does not make grades available on Canvas throughout the quarter so it was difficult to predict what my final grade would be.
Some of these poor ratings make me think these students haven't taken a University course before or are just angry they didn't get a higher grade. Dr. Smith is a great teacher! TA's are always partially in charge of your grade for such big classes. Lecture slides are not going to replace actually reading the books. Take notes and show up.
Really interesting guy, but attendance is mandatory and lectures are hella boring. Easy to get an A. Class is mostly based on three papers and there are no tests. All the papers are essentially lined out for you, and it's relatively easy to get a good grade. TA's are really willing to give help.
The lectures are so boring and not well structured, but they are mandatory. We have a lot of assignments (weekly reflection and study guide) and also gives work over break (an essay and two assignments over Thanksgiving). His grading criteria is clear and it's not that hard to get a good grade. Spare yourself from lectures and endless study guides
Nice guy, very passionate about the subject. However, the slides are completely unintelligible if you aren't closely following along with the lecture (which can sometimes be hard). He assigns a ton of content for the weekly study guides, but it isn't to hard to get through if you space it out throughout the week.
Lectures are kind of all over the place and rather boring. You learn about a lot that you will not remember but luckily you don't need to, to succeed. There were 2 essays and one project, all of which you can do well on so long as you put it in the effort. Final also isn't very demanding, two essay questions provided ahead of time.
I dont get why people are complaining about the work load its a 5 credit writing class of course there is a lot of writing. Attendance is mandatory for both lecture and section, can really mess up your grade if you dont go to either. Ask the TAs all your questions bc they do the grading. Interesting enough class for a gen ed
If you're not somewhat interested in archaeology, this class will be a pain! You NEED to attend the lectures to understand his slides + iClicker. There are weekly readings, study guides, and written reflections. Section attendance is mandatory but extremely helpful. The class consisted of a group project, two essays, & an in-person 2-part final.
Nice dude who is passionate about what he teaches. Most of grade besides 24% section participation was a group project, two papers, and a two part in person final Exam. A lot of reading and writing and you need to be interested to do well
I was so excited for this class, but it was near impossible to do all the work for this and my other classes. There's a hundred or so pages of reading every week, plus 200-300 words of writing, and weeks with 1000+ word papers still had that on top of it. 5 credits is supposed to be more work than a regular 4 but that was just impossible.
Smith is pretty okay depending on the person. It's not a lot of homework, it just depends how you go about it. I didn't read the textbook, and the weekly paragraph of 200-300 words is actually easy to meet. His lectures are kind of like rambling to me, but they get the job done. 2 essays that are do-able but def a little tedious. TA matters.
Professor Smith has an organized teaching style, but the class can be a mixed bag. Lectures are dry, but engaging with the material and doing well on the papers can get you an A. unstuck AI was a lifesaver for essay prep.
Do not take this class if you want an easy GE. Attendance is mandatory through iclicker. Professor Smith does not respond to emails so if you need to excuse an absence good luck. Essays are NOT easy - super random prompts that were not discussed in lecture or section AT ALL. Would not recommened.
I couldn't help but fall asleep most lectures because it was dim and he had a really relaxing voice. He has some interesting stuff to say but the course itself is underwhelming a lot of the time. Very nice guy and respected in the field. Super easy class, theres a weekly assignment that is a little annoying but relatively easy. He should do ASMR.
Great Professor! Through his lectures you can really see he loves archaeology and wants to share that passion with his students. Weekly written assignments and iclicker in lecture is required, but they're both graded on participation so it's not bad. Two papers that were a little vague but TA's are really helpful.
NEVER TAKE A CLASS FROM THIS MAN. His lectures are just him talking aimlessly and you don't know if what he's saying is just him talking or actually important. The whole grade is a midterm, final, and 10 page paper. He expects you to know as much as him, he's has 35+ years of experience... Avoid at all cost.
I would not take this class if you are just looking to fulfill a GE requirement and are not actually interested in Egypt. This class was way harder than expected and requires A LOT of memorization.
Pros: An amazing professor who teaches his class very well. His lectures are fun and engaging. He is always willing to meet during office hours He gives out midterms and final study guides ahead of time so you have time to memorize for the exams. Cons: Not an easy class, you need to do the reading and the studying to get a good grade.
Best professor I've ever had. Dr. Stuart made sure that we did the readings he assigned us, posted study guides 2 weeks ahead of time, and was always available for office hours. He explained things in a way that never made me feel talked down to. If you have any interest in the history of Egypt/Nubia and archaeology, I would highly recommend him!
He's actually a funny guy, but not a great instructor for his lecture. Therefore, this course have so much reading and writing homework every single week. So if you want take a GE course for credit then DO NOT take this course emphatically. All because you will not be able to get a high grade without interest in it or even fail in this course.
You can tell he's very passionate abt what he teaches, but his lectures and slides aren't very helpful unless you rlly pay attention which is hard when you're not interested in the subject. If you like writing and is good at it i'd take this class bc of the 2 essays and final essay. How good u do in this class can also depend a lot on your ta
Stuart Smith is an awesome dude with an amazing personality, his lectures do get a little boring sometimes but he's passionate about what he does. Attendance is mandatory, worth big part of ur grade, and you'll be getting weekly assignments to do swell. If you attend class and do the work it should be a easy A.
Professor smith is very kind and you can tell he loves what he does. There's a lot of writing but it's only to fulfill the writing requirement for your GEs. There is a lot of reading so I don't recommend taking this along other classes with a lot of reading. Just attend the lectures and take notes and you'll be fine.
Prof is fine, but if you arent interested in the subject its alot. Weekly writings, 2 essays, final essay. No quizzes (yay) but you do have to write alot. TA matters, I have a friend whos TA literally reported them for AI! Prof is also anti AI :/ My TA didnt report for AI, but she did say it gets details really wrong and usually gets a 50 or lower
He gives every chance for success. His lectures are great, really informative. Sections are where this class shines, with amazing presentations and activities. The class is essays, writing assignments, and an in person final that is made fairly simple and straightforward. Communication is clear, course is really interesting, great professor.
Anth3 is an easy class as long as you do the work. Professor Smith is very passionate about the subject and he likes to share about past his past projects. You can tell that he cares a lot. A lot of what is learned in the lecture isn't super important for passing the class but it's still interesting to learn about.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
91%
Textbook Required
25%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.36 avg changeRatings by Course
ANTH3A
5.0
(1)ANTHR141
5.0
(1)ANTH176T
4.5
(2)INT94GZMUMMIES
4.0
(1)ANTH176
4.0
(3)Difficulty by Course
ANTH118T
5.0
ANTH138T
4.7
ANTH138TS
4.0
ANTH103
4.0
ANTH138
4.0