2.9
Quality3.6
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake83
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
83
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
22
4
12
3
14
2
19
1
16
What Students Say
“Things to know: -He wrote the book and will never let you forget it -he speaks many languages and will talk to you in those languages and expect you to comprehend -he screams african chants at will -he runs on african time so don't expect to leave class on time -his daughter is the greatest tennis player in the world -too much hw for gen ed”
RELST101 - 1.0 rating“He is consistently late to class and will hold the class later to make up for it”
IDS206 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
92%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.33 avg changeRatings by Course
ANTRO45
5.0
(1)RELIGIOUSSTUDY
5.0
(1)REL101
5.0
(1)RELSTUDIES101
5.0
(1)ANTRHO45
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ANT040
5.0
RLST
5.0
ANT
5.0
ANTH
5.0
ANTHR45
5.0
Reviews (83)
No Comments
He looks like santa claus
No Comments
No Comments
Makes no damn sense. Always runs over time. gives 100 question tests in too short a period. makes you write a crazy notebook.
most confusing teacher ive ever had. makes no sense, get very very annoying, shows movies the whole class, boring, repeats himself every day,gives 100 question tests in a normal test period,collects notebooks like a high school teacher
This guy is horrible. He randomly starts speaking African languages in his class, all he does is show videos, and he goes off on random tangents and make you take notes on his tangents. IF YOU TAKE THIS CLASS, DROP IT!
The worst instructor at PSU, BY FAR!!! Late to every class, shows films constantly, mostly old and poor quality. He is obviously tenured and can't lose his job, so he doesn't care about anything. Penn State really needs to remove this professor.
Overall, he sucks! He's late 4 every class,lets the class out 5 minutes late, speaks in languages no one understands, shows films ALL the time, & expects us to know anthropologists names 4 tests, AS IF we will need that info later on in life!
Blakely is a wonderful person witha great sense of humer. Only those who cant appriciate the differences of the world would not like his class. He speaks in other languages to express these differences and the emphises of how the cultures differ from us.
DO NOT TAKE CLASS UNLESS YOU NEED TO OR FEEL LIKE HAVING A TON OF WORK!!! This 3 credit class had more work than my difficult 4 credit class. Too much work for just a 3 credit class and his lectures are very erratic.
HARD, and confusing class, he was always late and then kept us late. presentations were BSed on the spot.hard multiple cholce tests like A,B,C,all of the above, 2 of A,B,orC, one of A,B,orC. he whined all the time that the class was too big.
Has very poor time management skills. Insists on showing you five minutes of a movie, and than expects you to watch the rest of the movie out of class. He will show you five minutes of a movie and keep rewinding it to point out stupid little details.
He is ALWAYS LATE. Who can respect a teacher who doesn't even respect his own class enough to show up on time? Mid-term was ridiculous, he asked who EDITED a film we watched in class. What does that have to do with anthro.? Smart guy, horrible pro
Why is this professor still at PSU-Berks??? I have taken classes at 4 different schools, and Blakely is by far the WORST and Least professional professor I have ever come in contact with.
Blakely has no respect for students. He is at least 10 minutes late to each class, and will hold students over time to make up for that time. He thinks he is great, because he camped in Africa for a while. He is a HORRIBLE prof.
Like a H.S. Class. He makes you submit your class notes at the end of the semester. I passed all the tests, but failed the course because of how my notes were formatted. Thanks for the F Tom!!!
No Comments
Horrible prof. Late to every class, then holds everyone after to make up for it. Lots of work, I've gotten behind in my other classes just to keep up with this class. unclear lectures, ridiculous tests, you name it. take it from a senior..avoid him!!!
He was a great professor. Most of the people who do poorly in his class just don't do their work. The material is so simple! SUCK IT UP, THIS IS COLLEGE.
He always showed up late for class. I had him over the summer and he kept us 20 minutes after class because he can't manage his time. He also took 2 1/2 months to grade my project. This guy should not be teaching. I cannot stress enough how horrible he is.
Dr. Blakely may have a bad reputation but I disagree with it all. As a college student in this class all I have to do is listen in class, and answer some study questions. He gives three tests and an optional final. If you put in the tiniest amount of effort he will bend over backwards to help you.
He teaches well and is very interested in what he teaches
UGH. He's always late, and always runs class AT LEAST 5-20 min late- also gets really mad if you leave early- although he doesn't seem to mind if you come late, very weird. If you can put up with it, he's very easy.. I never knew anything on those dumb 4pt quizes and still passed with flying colors.
best teacher out there, yea he kept us later than the aloted time, but seriously never had it so easy. He knows his stuff!!, he has personal experiences with this, which made me really interested. Made it a point to show us he cares and wasnt a stuck up proff. I wouldve failed the class due to my ex
A little pretentious, but very interested in sharing his knowledge. Grades fairly. If you're interested in the material you should like the class.
I loved his class and hes super nice!! The films are long and he talks about himself a lot. But he's really passionate and doesn't care if you're late. You MUST turn in ALL the assignments and take GOOD notes! Then it is easy to pass his exams!
No Comments
he is very nice
Great Class despite being very early in the morning. Class has alot of work attached to it though. tests are hard too.
well where to start? Its kind of in the middle it seems like its hard.. gives 4pt quizes that he doesn't grade.. stops the films every two seconds.stops.rewind.stops.rewind. relates everything to tennis. Has his own grading percentages...you decide!
Good teacher.. feel free to take your time getting to class becuse he sure does. Gives 4 pts quizes every day on the previous nights reading, but they are only used for attendce. Oh and while grading tests his grading scale is crazy my first test i got a 68 and i was bumed until we found out his curve adds 20% to your grade on all tests. TAKE THIS!
this man basically talks about himself all class. he doesn't have any discernable way of expressing his ideas to the students. he assumes that everyone in the class is a future or present anthropology student, and makes jokes that only someone in the field would get. AND THEN he goes off about his daughters and tennis. DO NOT take his classes.
fairly easy course considering there is a HUGE cuve for every test...and his classes are on "African" time so you can hand assignments in late if your in a bind.
Blakely is not a very *good* teacher, though - he knows his subject well. His tests have HUGE grading curves, and he gives you the opportunity to make up both the first and second exams with one additional exam. He talks way too much about himself and his daughters, and honestly - gets a little old after a while...
He is an awesome teacher. He knows a lot about his subject and is very enthusiastic about the topic. He does speak about his family life a lot, but that can be overlooked by his super generous nature and helpfulness in class. He bends over backwards to help students get an 'A' as long as you show him you'll work for it. He expects a lot, but al
Dr Blakey is a very good professors.. He gives out a lot of assignments. Sometimes lectures are boring and you just want to fall asleep in his class but other than that good teacher and very helpful... If you need help in things just stop by his office he will be more than welcome to help you out
Dr. Blakely is not only a great person but a great educator as well. He is concerned that you know and understand the material he teaches. That is what a teacher should be. Comparative religions is a great course to take if you need a diversity course or if this field of study interest's you. Yes, you have to do work, but you do it little by little
Blakely is a fun teacher. He tries to relate to his students a lot. His class seems hard at a glance but i didn't study at all for the midterm and got a 73. According to Blakely that was still an A. He curves everything and the assignments aren't that bad.
No Comments
I've had Blakely for ANTH 45 and RLST 101...and all I can really say about him is that while he is a nice guy, he can get annoying. All he talks about are his daughters and their freaking tennis BS. He doesn't stay on topic, always on tangents and talks while your taking tests. He CURVES all tests and you can hand in assignments late. SO-SO...
He is a great Proffessor. There's a lot of work for ANTH classes but he will help you however he can, tests are easy if you show up for class and stay awake. Quizes every day suck but overall i recomend.
The Class started off really hard, I almost dropped it. Unless, you went to Dr. Blakely you had no idea where you stood with your grade but he does grade extremely fair. His tests are really hard, but he scales them so it works out. Our class was a ton of movies, notes, and then papers on the movies-every class day.If you do the work you will be ok
He is maybe the worst teacher I've had to deal with. I dropped the class the first week of the semester. I had an extremely hard time understanding his lectures. The whole class is basically watching bad quality films and taking notes on them. I thought it was really strange that he requires a large three ring binder and grades it. avoid the class.
WOW... keeps you 10 mins after class because he cant stop talking. Watch a movie every class but he stops it every 2 seconds and you have to write down every word he says then hand it in at the end of the semester. The only good thing is he curves the test's GREATLY.. I got a 63 on the test and he said that was an B+ .. AVOID HIM
His pedagogy is different and if you are not a flexible student and tolerant of his oddities you are going to have a hard time in his class. But college is like this... professors can be weird and expect unusual but not unreasonable things from their students. Sit back and relax in class, but do the required work in chuncks and you will be fine.
Dr. Blakely's class was challenging. A lot of work was required, but if you keep up with it and not wait to do all the reaction papers till the end, the class is fairly easy. His class was very enjoyable. I had never taken an anthro class before and now I'm minoring in it thanks to him! He is a great guy who loves to share his wealth of knowledge.
Dr. Blakely is a great professor. His class is challenging and he IS a very important professional in his field. Instead if knocking his knowledge and complaining about actually having to work in his class, just do that work. He is a fantastic professor who will bend backwards to help you as long as you put something into the class. Enjoy it.
Dr. Blakely does give a lot of work, but if you do the daily assignments every day this class is a breeze. He is a very nice guy and is always willing to help out and he is super flexible.
This class has a ton of work, but if you keep up with it day by day, it is very easy. Dr. Blakely is willing to help and he is a very nice and personable guy. If you want to take this class you ahve to go everyday.
Professor Blakely taught the telecourse Cultural Anthropology class @ RACC. Very understanding and helpful!
Please avoid if you want to remain sane. This professor will drive you crazy from his assigning four assignments in one week to his random rants. He makes you use the textbook which he edited since he is a "top scholar." I can't understand his lectures, I don't understand half the readings he assigns. This is a gen ed but not to him....just avoid
Helpful. Understanding. The work you get is too much. a lot of people dropped it after 3-4 weeks. But if u are up for it, you will learn a lot of stuff. The professor does what he is supposed to. If you want to study and learn how to work hard. Take his class. Worth it!
Very helpful and genuinely interested in you doing well. There is alot of work but if you do it day by day the class is easy. The test are fairly easy if you did all of the work and he curves it so you will get a better grade than what you score is. Over all a great educator. Only take it if you are serious about it you will do poorly if you slack.
Dr. Blakely is very helpful and wants everyone to pass with a wonderful grade. He has many homework assingments that are not to hard but time consuming.
If you want to be swamped with work, take this class.
This guy has no idea that his course is an elective and thinks everyone is out to be an Anthropologist. He considers himself a "scholar" and loves to remind you that he helped write the book. He jumps from topic to topic in a crazy manner that makes it impossible to take proper notes. I would avoid this professor at all costs.
gives a ton of busy work, he looks like bill murray with facial hair
You MUST stay on top of the work for this class; and there is a LOT of it. I probably had more work for this 1 class than I did for all others combined. Learned a lot but too wrapped up in the busyness to be able to focus on the content. He does want everyone to do well & will help you to do so, if you do the work.
THis man could talk your ear off. He expected you to do alot of work, but he graded easy. Out of 120 question tests, you only needed about 70 questions right to get an A. Do your work and you will be happy you took the class.
He is one of the nicest people out there, very kind, and helpful. Albeit the class is very rough due to the amount of work that had to be put in it, it was very enjoyable getting to learn about him. Easy grader as long as you stick to the guidelines, gives breaks when you deserve them. Loves to talk.
This teacher means well and wants you to receive a good grade. But his class is very burdening because the workload is staggering. He has tests and homework due everyday. He is prone to assigning additional work. Overall the class is not worth the credits or the time.
This guy is awesome. His work is difficult and there is A LOT but you will know anthropology like the back of your hand when you are done. This is his goal and he will tell you that. His tests/quizzes are difficult but he will let you go back after the tests during office hours and make notes from them and gives you extra credit points for it.
This unorganized professor expects his students to be perfectly organized in a way that is almost obsessive. His lectures are sporadic and demanding of the student (especially at 8am). He tries to be helpful though. The homework is overwhelming especially for a gen ed class. Beware.
Great man. Incredibly knowledgeable about the subject. decent amount of work, he is 100% ready to help he has office hours if you fall behind he will help you and he is interesting.
dr Thomas Blakely always has to remind us that he wrote the book and editied this and took this picture and blah blah. also, do not schedule a clsss right after his. he likes to hold you at least 5 minutes late every day. he can br kind of a meanie to questions asked and its a lot of work. definitely not worth it
He doesn't realize that his students take other classes than his. He gives too much work and not any feedback. Almost impossible to know how you're doing in the class unless you go to his office, which he makes mandatory. Avoid.
He is consistently late to class and will hold the class later to make up for it. You learn more about tennis and his children than the subject. Tests are very long and difficult and have a large grade curve do to difficulty. Extreme work load. He has an excuse for everything that he does and doesn't know his class is a GenEd course.
Dr Tom is a wonderful character - he has many 'pearls of wisdom' that he shares which take up good portions of the class and are unrelated to the subject but are extremely insightful if one gives him the time of day. Go to his office hours and have a genuine interest in the class, and you'll get an A. He gives extra credit often - A Must Take!!
The whole class revolves around him and his family. You can work your stressed out butt off in his class and he will still treat you like a moron. He has no problem screaming at a student and calling them "stupid" in front of the entire class. His homework load is tough, truly expect to spend hours every night doing his assignments.
Things to know: -He wrote the book and will never let you forget it -he speaks many languages and will talk to you in those languages and expect you to comprehend -he screams african chants at will -he runs on african time so don't expect to leave class on time -his daughter is the greatest tennis player in the world -too much hw for gen ed
Nice guy, horrible class. Don't take it. Homework everyday and a paper due every other day. Will start yelling in African languages. 4 test. Boring, never fun lectures to get students interested. Oh and you have to keep three binders in the class. and it has to be perfect. Don't take the class for a gen ed, bad choice. Only ANTH majors should take.
I wouldn't take this class unless you really have to. You have to take notes constantly and he expects you to keep 3 separate notebooks... I'm of the opinion that notes are for the students' benefit and shouldn't be graded. Confusing instructions for assignments. Makes a usually fascinating subject matter excruciating.
He's a nice guy but the class is horrible. He doesn't understand that this is a gen ed and we're taking other classes that are more important than his. There's way too much homework. I have more work for this class than my 4 credit anatomy class. I definitely don't recommend taking this class unless you absolutely have to.
He's a nice guy, don't get me wrong, but the amount of work he puts into an entry level course is ridiculous. He works on "African time" so if he's late, expect to stay some time after class is over. He yells in different languages and expect you to know exactly what they mean. Homework EVERY night. Don't take the class unless you're ready to work
He's a great professor. As much as he focuses on content he really cares about his students learning how to learn. His class with teach you how to be organized in college and in your life. I would take the class again. He's an awesome person on top of being a great teacher.
Dr. Blakely is a great professor and I will never say anything different from that. However, this is an entry level course and the amount of work required for not even a 100 level course is way too much. This class has led to more sleepless nights for me than I can count and the tests are nearly impossible no matter how much you study.
Do not under any circumstances take a class with this man. He acts as if his class is the only one that matters and has admitted during class that his has to be one of the hardest courses at berks. The work load is unreasonable and frankly unrelated to anything that will help you in the real world. Tests are hundreds of questions long.
Great person but gives way too much work for a gen Ed. Sometimes as much as 3/4 assignments due in one day! Exams are ridiculously long and difficult even with studying.
Absolutely horrible professor. Would not reccomend taking him. Lots of homeworks and readings which he does not go over in class. Too much going on at one time and get all material confused. Be ready to be confused and lost all class.
He's god awful. He's so full of himself. Spends 1hr of the 1hr 30min class just blabbing about random crap. He gives so much homework and thinks that is the only class you have.
YOU NEED TO GO TO HIS OFFICE HOURS OR YOU WON'T GET AN A. I pretty much butchered every single exam we took because there were lots of ridiculous questions on there but I went to office hours at least 5 times. If he knows you, he'll pass you.
Blakely was okay. Lots of worksheets; need to make multiple copies of those for this great binder book thing at the end. Take good notes because a lot of the exams are based off of the lectures. Read the book, answers for worksheets are found in there. Exams are okay if you know what you're doing, if not doing well GO TO OFFICE HOURS, it helps.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
92%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.33 avg changeRatings by Course
ANTRO45
5.0
(1)RELIGIOUSSTUDY
5.0
(1)REL101
5.0
(1)RELSTUDIES101
5.0
(1)ANTRHO45
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ANT040
5.0
RLST
5.0
ANT
5.0
ANTH
5.0
ANTHR45
5.0