ANTH V2090

2 papers, one mid-term, some other class participation/non-graded assignments which were easy. Overall not a hard class.

This course was very interesting in content, but I have to say that it was a very frustrating experience, as the reading deadlines and syllabus changed more times than I can count. I agree with previous reviewers who said that discussion sections would be important. It seems evident from the reviews below and from his demeanor in class that Ryan seems to have a rep with students as a "cool guy" (and that he knows it). However in a class of over one hundred students, it just seemed like he had a friendly rapport with a handful of students who he frequently referenced having conversation with (is there some sort of secret student/prof hangout happening every week or something?!) and called on often in class, and that was also mildly annoying. I hope that the disorganization of the course was due to it being the first semester it was offered, because if that improved, my experience would have been much better. And maybe in a smaller class setting with Ryan, I too would call him "the man". After taking The Road, I can't say that I am convinced.

This was a great course. During the time I took it, yes, it was underdeveloped, and probably should have been a seminar, not a large lecture class, but once Ryan had clearly grasped the amount of material we were going to be able to cover realistically, the course became quite interesting. The course is not for the participant who wants to be lectured at blindly, but rather requires that you think critically about the texts on your own so that you are able to follow the class and contribute effectively. The multimedia aspect was also well planned and interesting, watching film and listening to audio really rounded out the cultural aspects of this course. Yes, this course could serve with some narrowing, but Ryan Chaney is a wonderful professor and this course asks you to think creatively about interesting tasks. I recommend it highly.

Weekly readings, two short papers, a final from which some students were apparently exempt

This class was probably the worst I've ever taken at Columbia. While Chaney seems like a nice enough guy and has an entertaining shtick, that definitely wasn't enough to save a course with no clearly defined goals and no unifying arc to speak of. (Beware reviews that start off by calling a professor "the man.") A lot of the material was independently interesting, but it wasn't organized in a way that accomplished anything. Additionally, the lectures were pretty terrible (Chaney often read from paragraphs of notes) and run as a partial discussion, which did not work at all. This class should by no means be taught again as a lecture.

Two prompted but for the imaginative, open ended 5 page papers and one final test. Would've been difficult to bullshit through it and get a good grade. But 'The Road' as one of 4 solid courses where you do the readings and put some thought into it (maybe an extracurricular study group) would be infinitely rewarding.

Ryan designed entire course with sophisticated concepts that are intertied and interwoven with each other in a way that helps memorization, the drawing of connections and the applicability to the real world and personal life. He used music, films, poetry, guest speakers and photographs to make the concepts enter your brain with more of an applicability our life than texts. That having been said, the readings were all very useful and thought provoking. I will keep all the readings, which I saved to a folder from courseworks. His syllabus, although difficult to keep up with, was quite brilliant. It took us through theory, smoothly into the American world, into historical figure's lives affected by the issues at hand, and then, in class we'd tie it all together to the best of our abilities. There should be more courses like this one. I hope this isn't a product of a stray brilliant instructor, but a reaction to the need for courses that are as experimental as they are groundbreaking and thought provoking. I cannot emphasize how important discussion sections would be for this course or any course similar to it. It's OK that it's large, as the content is worth making available to as many people as possible, but discussion sections would make many more of those students gain much more from the course. The TAs were all friendly approachable and intelligent, as anthro TA's in my exper…

2 papers - final - reasonable amount of reading that is for the most part really interesting

Ryan Chaney is the man. He's absolutely brilliant but is excellent at explaining what can be convoluted material. as stated below he claims the class should have been a seminar and probably won't be taught again. i would recommend him for any other class as he does an excellent job of lecturing combined with leading a discussion. he has great stories that lend themselves well to the material and it is evident he really cares about the class and wants to get to the heart of the course and certain texts.he asks intelligent questions causing you to think rather than just write down whatever he says. take whatever class you possibly can with him