This class is difficult, but if you make an effort to understand the concepts, it's definitely manageable.
Gaulin is amazing! I've taken two classes with him and he's the most intelligent and interesting prof ever. He writes the textbooks for this class and anth 5 so all the lectures and chapters go together perfectly. Super cool class, I actually enjoyed studying!
Professor Gaulin is a well-respected genius. He is so passionate about his subject and not in an annoying way. He clearly wants his students to succeed and is extremely helpful during office hours. I dropped in on his office hours during a time that I thought was his allotted office hours times but wasn't. He took me in anyway. Such a great man!
His lectures are brilliant. He is very funny, in a restrained, academic sort of way. Due to the nature of the material, provocative questions often come up regarding the nature of human behavior, and he gives thoughtful answers each and every time. He was one of the reasons why I decided to double-major in Anth, so you know he's one of the best.
Definitely a good guy and a interesting lecturer but the final and midterm seemed to cover little of what was discussed in class or in the book. I really wanted to like this class but the rather esoteric exams really ruined the whole experience for me.
Things to know:The textbook is ridiculously expensive(he wrote it)and there is no library copy. His midterm and final are very difficult and have little to do with what he actually lectures about. The essay had no agreed upon prompt so grades were very low. Overall don't expect to learn anything and expect it to hurt you GPA. Ridiculous class.
The class seems really straightforward until essay or test time. Instructions and questions are really deceptive. Definitely not a professor concerned with whether his students succeed.
He is especially great in UD course-doesn't care if we cover 1 slide/lecture, he'd rather go at our pace & take the discussion wherever our questions lead. It's refreshing to be able to discuss theories/ideas with a professor almost as colleagues. There is a mutual respect. Exams are kind of difficult but if you like the subject you'll be fine!
If you have taken ANTH 7 and ANTH 107 prior to taking this course, then this class will be a lot easier. It is basically the same information repeated from ANTH 7 with a slight amount of changes. If you are familiar with Tooby and EP, it won't be too hard. However, Gaulin can be a bit tough and does not curve the grade.
The class could be interesting at times. It dealt with subjects like innate gender differences that he handled rather insensitively though. You practically had to be a mind reader to get a decent grade on the writing assignments. Overall, no fun and struggle to maintain a B.
Terrible.
Class was very interesting, but I felt like most of the time, the tests and assignments were designed to REALLY trick and deceive the students.. the TA (Emily Miner) wasn't helpful either. Weird grading methods and confusing course overall.
Grades on a 100 point scale. Isn't very clear on concepts/ideas. Jumps from one idea to another irrelevant from those of the class. TA Emily Miner was horrible. Do not take this class! Totally hurt my GPA.
Dr. Gaulin is an excellent professor, he knows the material inside out. If you really want to learn something take this class. It's challenging, yet he kept me engaged throughout the entire lecture. He is extremely enthusiastic and enjoyable to listen to, two very high thumbs up. Take his class you will not regret it.
Evolutionary Psychology is probably the most interesting class I've ever taken, but I found it to be extremely difficult and there was no room for opinion in his class. the book was great and the papers were easy... or so I thought. Guess this just isn't the subject for me.. I got C's on everything :(
Gaulin is easy to understand. If you go to class, you'll understand the material
Great teacher. Sometimes I loved the class sometimes it was hard to stay awake. The material is hard but he does a good job in explaining it. Like others have said he will take a whole lecture answering one person's question. Take home midterm is really hard. The material really opened my eyes to a lot of different topics.
one of the best professors iv had. this class caused me to change my major because it was so interesting. his lectures are very well organized and testing and grading is very fair. i also took anth 5 from him it was just as good.. he is extremely approachable and truly cares about his student's understanding.
Professor Gaulin is by far the best professor I have EVER had. He is amazing. His lectures were so interesting and well organized, he would spend forever explaining something if you didn't get it and he is so passionate about his subject. If you ever have a chance to learn from this man, do it.
One of my favorite classes! Super interesting and though provoking. He engages students very well. The text is pretty much the same as lecture so I got by without doing my reading. Class was just the right difficulty, challenging without being too hard.
Excellent class! One of the best Professor's @ UCSB. The class material is throught provoking..
Worst professor ever. He teaches verbatim from the text he wrote, which is more painful than a brick to the face. He has obvoius favorites and calls on them frequently during lecture for no reason, often engaging in meaningless one on one dialogues. Uses many straw man fallacies to prove his weak arguments. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!!
Worst class I have ever taken! Lectures were pointless and boring. Don't even bother taking notes because slides aren't helpful at all. Rambles way too much and tests are impossible!! Class material is interesting but the way it is taught and who teaches it makes it torture!
tends to ramble on and eventual you forget what he was talking about or his point. He gives you a take home midterm, but its the hardest take home mid-term ever! He words questions on his test so that you don't understand what excatly it is hes looking for or even asking.
