An introduction to archaeology and the prehistory of humankind from the earliest times up to the advent of literate civilization and cities, also processes of cultural change. Partly self-paced learning.
5
UnitsOptional
Grading1, 2, 3
PasstimeNone
Level LimitLetters and science
CollegeGreat 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.