I don't think she is even trying to teach. All homework from week 1 are graded after the final. The lecture is poorly structured and do not complement the readings. The final is a "research proposal for graduate grant". You get absolutely zero feedbacks on any assignment. Also, she never respond to any emails?
Based on the reviews on here, I was expecting to hate this class, but I loved it. Professor Brown is super knowledgeable in this field and her lectures are amazing. The grading is quite hard on the exams, but it's balanced out by the points you receive on the homework assignment, which are easy to get a good grade on, and attendance.
AVOID THIS CLASS IF YOU'RE ABLE TO. Tests are so difficult. Way too much information and way too complicated test questions. She wants you to work the answers backwards, go from DCBA and not A-B-C-D, it requires you to basically decode. Lecture notes do not help much. Super dense lectures, lots of note-taking and will not help much with tests.
Just the absolute worst. So unpleasant, I feel for any graduate or undergraduate that has to interact with her on a daily basis. Avoid her general proximity if at all possible.
Professor Brown is incredibly knowledgeable in her field and that is reflected in the class content. However, her exams are often confusing and only pertain to some of the most complex and difficult concepts. It's an interesting class but also a difficult one. There is a substantial curve though. It took me from a B+ to and A+.
She expects everyone to have background knowledge on primates. Heavy curve because she expects us to not do well on tests. Proud to be a hard grader, and felt the need to spend 3 class periods "teaching us how her brain works" so we could attempt to understand convoluted test questions. Must apply and reengineer questions on exams. Cool person tho.
A great professor who knows a lot and knows what she's talking about. The nature of her subjects however require a real and actual effort to do well. She holds a clear standard for her grades and is fair in her grading. I had her for her two undergrad classes and I took her grad level class. Meet with her often if your struggling. good 1on1
Dr. Brown is one of the best and most knowledgeable professors I've ever had. Her classes are all fairly difficult, but I'd you are passionate about conservation and ecology, you have to work hard.
I took Anth 153T fall 2020 (covid so online). There are weekly quizzes and if you just listen the lecture she posted for that week or even just read the book you should be fine, but doing both is of course better. The questions don't have obvious answers, but you just apply the knowledge you learned. The class is also mildly curved.
She can't teach nor should she. Her TA did the lecture instead of her one time cause her dog was sick or something and that was the only class where it felt like progress was made. She might have been better if the material wasn't so full of jargon that she adopts herself. I did the readings for the first month only.
Please do not take this course. I beg you. I didn't listen to the reviews and took the class anyways. scored 40% of every quiz with hours of studying. Quizzes were hard even with reading the textbook and watching lectures. She's also kind of intimidating to approach. Don't take unless absolutely desperate (Took online w/ Covid)
Prof Brown is clearly incredibly knowledgeable in her field of study and fascinating to listen to. She mixes seminar and lecture-style teaching of current material (news and journal articles), and posts super clear and precise rubrics for every assignment. That said, she can be a lil rough around the edges/curt at times. Altogether, def worth it!
Professor Brown is an intelligent and kind person, and I learned SO MUCH about primates from her. That being said, she's a really tough grader. The tests are intense -- I went in feeling like I knew what she asked me and walked out feeling like I knew nothing. This class was a pretty big hit to my self-esteem.
If you are looking for a sign to not take this professor; this is it! Studied the lectures and book religiously but barely made it out with a C. Midterm/Final had ridiculous questions that were not in class material. So frustrating! Harshest grader I've ever encountered. Felt like I could not succeed in this class. Also, she will embarrass you.
Professor Brown is a very knowledgeable and smart woman who expects her students to be able to emulate and apply the information she teaches. The class was graded on a natural curve and the average ended up being below a C-, which upset some students. I would recommend the class, and Brown as an instructor, to those into STEM and natural sciences.
Took her "Observing Behavior" Honors Seminar, and it was wonderful! It was definitely a lot more work than my other honors seminars, but we were always out in the field during class and working on our research projects so it was a valuable learning experience. She can be tough, but you can tell she's very passionate about her career.
Shes's tough and required a 4 page paper every week, all cited from journals, so no BSing. She grades hard, but if you actually try you'll be fine. Wouldn't recommend her class unless you're super interested in the subject. 123 was all based on student presentations, no lectures so I only learned what I read on my own. Participation is required.
worst anth class I have ever taken at UCSB. as an anthropology major who loves studying the major, she made me HATE anth for the quarter i took it. SHE GRADES SO HARD and she expects so much from her students. when you visit her during offices hours she seems annoyed and disgruntled. WOULD NOT TAKE A CLASS WITH HER AGAIN! avoid at all costs
I wouldn't wish Michelle Brown upon my worst enemy. Never have I been caused so much misery from one class. She makes you feel absolutely terrible about yourself with her grading system, and does not want her students to succeed. She provides little direction for assignments and expects students to learn by trial and error. Don't take her.
Professor Brown is very nice woman and is very passionate about her studies, however if you dont plan on becoming a primatologist, DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!!! Her lectures are very dense, and she expects you to pick up on everything. She is also one of the toughest graders I know, If brown is reading this. Chill out.
She is definitely not easy. However, you can tell she's extremely knowledgeable, knows the current research in her field, and loves what she studies. She has high expectations for her students. I learned way more than I thought I would about primate behavior. People are salty about her grading, but if you wanna get in the field she's a good start
This was the worst class I have ever taken in college. That being said, I have taken very hard courses (calc, chem, physics, etc.) so this lady is just out of her mind if she thinks people should work that hard for an anth class. She makes a seemingly interesting subject into a living nightmare. I highly recommend everyone stay away from her class!
Her Exams and regular 1 page paper homework require a lot of research on top of the research project paper you have to do. You can never use the things she teaches you in class unless you find a research journal or article on it. Lectures are very dense from slides to what she says in class. Take if you're truly serious about this field. Not easy.
I've never in my life experienced this in my years of school. But, this is absolutely ridiculous. She's so hard. As a anthropology major, she teaches it like a grad class. She even said "I'm trying to be a easy grader because I had harsh graders when I was in school." WHAT THE HECK. I'm just trying to get my diploma and get on with my life man.