Prof. Gaulin is really knowledgeable, and I think he really enjoys teaching the material. This class is so interesting to me. It is not super easy, and you have to work hard, but it is not impossible to get A.
Prof. Gaulin is one of my favorite professors, and he taught us a lot of interesting material. He is just so knowledgeable. I think he really cares about the students, and he wants us to learn things from his lecture. This class is not super easy, but as long as you work hard, you can definitely get an A.
I genuinely am going to double major in anthropology because of this class. The textbook is interesting and fun to read, and the chapters aren't too lengthy. The lectures could be interesting, and he'll expand on topics that might show up on the mini-exams. As long as you have good notes and do the mini-exams carefully (no time limit!), you'll ace.
Prof. Gaulin is a great professor and an overall great guy. He made me genuinely fascinated in a class taken for GE. Grading is clear but hes firm, wont round or anything (but extra credit is available). Quizzes on each lecture were pretty easy but the 6 mini exams werent. Be careful on the tests cuz 1 option is always REAL close but wrong.
I loved taking his class! You can get up to 10 points extra credit for just asking questions and the 6 FRQs are completion credit. The tests are fairly difficult, just because of how he words the questions. Just take your time on the tests and use the book and lectures and you should be ok.
Avoid this class if you can. 50% of the grade is based on 6 mini exams all of which are extremely difficult. Most of the questions are vague and have little to no correlation with what we learn in class. For an intro course it is very difficult and the professor assumes we're experts in the field.
Lectures are long, pre recorded, quiz after each. Textbook and lectures are redundant, only really need 1 or the other. 6 FRQ assignments basically free points if your TA is lazy. 6 17-18 point exams, difficult but possible. Gaulin cares a lot and wants you to succeed, very intelligent and passionate. Class is well adapted for online, manageable.
I loved Professor Gaulin! The class is lecture heavy, and the exams are pretty much only about them. There is an additional textbook as well that goes into more detail but I rarely read it and still got an A+ in the class. If you keep up with lectures and the mini-quizzes (after each lecture) you'll definitely do fine. I took this as an area C GE.
I truly believe that Gaulin is a cool guy and is a great professor, but his intelligence translates into his own exams and sometimes that is not the best way to teach a class that is just trying to absorb the material. His mini-exam questions are very difficult and its so disappointing when you spend hours studying just to fail the exam.
Material is interesting but professor is not. Despite being in a pandemic/studying from home, he offered little accommodations. He replaced midterms/final with 6 awfully worded mini-exams worth >50% of the total grade. You read 2-3 chapters, watch 2 lectures,2 Zoom meetings,1 FRQ set,1 exam per week. sent us a 'withdraw' link 1 week before finals.
It is evident that Prof Gaulin cares about what he teaches and is passionate about it (I mean he did write the book that we read in the class). He is very encouraging for everyone to go to office hours and loves to answer any questions you might have!
A great professor if you really want to get into the subject details, very insightful and a wonderful resource to learn under. Perhaps not the best professor for an easy A
The way he conducts class is a little unconventional, you watch the lectures outside of class and then he goes over questions/homework during the lecture. You need you iclicker for participation but going to lecture clarifies a lot of the topics. He is very knowledgable about the subject and it is overall straightforward, but difficult at times.
Very enthusiastic. His grading system makes for an easy A. Great class.
Best class I have taken so far at UCSB! He really cares about the subject and makes it really interesting
Lectures are boring but worth the iclicker points. Reading the book is more helpful than watching the online lectures. His tests are way trickier than iclicker/problem sets, but he lets you bring a cheat sheet(!!) and the MT score can be replaced by the final. Plus, enough extra credit is offered to help you pass.
The online lectures are pretty unnecessary. Read the book and attend lecture for iclicker and you'll be fine.
The annoying part of this class is watching weekly 45-60min online videos and answering quiz questions--that DO count for your grade. Problem sets aren't too bad (weekly) and the rest of your grade is midterm/ final. Know the lectures and text to do decent on the tests. Come to class, its worth the iclicker, GO TO OFFICE HOURS for the extra credit!
Prof. Gaulin made me want to switch majors to Anthropology. The course material itself was super interesting to me, and he provides anecdotal information that helped me get something out of the course. His in-person lectures drone on, and he doesn't teach new material during them - his actual lectures are online; he only answers questions in class.
Gaulin was a good professor that was nice and very passionate about his subject. He is always available for office hours and offers extra credit. Overall, I would recommend Gaulin and the class to anybody even remotely interested in the sciences.
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!
Hard test, but an easy A if you spend time reading the textbook. Don't forget to visit TAs or professor himself each week for the extra points.
Professor Gaulin is extremely passionate about the subject which makes the class engaging and interesting. However, this class does take a lot of work. He gives at home lecture videos that can be up to an hour each night with supplemental quizzes. Midterm and Final need to be studied for, but it is possible. Hard class, but super interesting.