Terence D'Altroy

Interesting content covered, but a lot of the lecture discusses supplemental information that is not relevant to what is needed to know for the exams. Follow along the lectures to get general historical context, but majority of content is in the readings (which there is a lot of!).

Piece of friendly advice: consider really seriously before taking this class. This is my first review on CULPA but I had an urge to do it for the people who intend to take this class in future. The overall structure looks fancy, 4-5 major civilizations but there is a fundamental problem with class organization and grading. I personally found it very disorganized class with not so much clear focus. I mean, the professor seems hands down a knowledgeable guy, an expert in the field but the problem is the course organized all over the place. That really puts so much pressure on midterms and finals. When the midterm and final approach, there are tons of information (i literally mean it), nitty gritty details and you just get so much frustrated by everything. As someone who attended almost every lecture and asked questions, I spent hours, even days to prepare for both of them, plus essays and still ended up with B. I really have no idea how people actually get A in class. Part of urge to write this review comes from that grade, tbh because I really think it was unfair, considering so much work I've put into the class. There should be a better, less subjective way of grading system for the class. I understand TAs are all PhD students but absolute dependence on TA's subjective opinions on every single components of the grade isn't really the best of giving out objective grades. What y…

True, Professor Altroy is a really nice guy but he's one of my worse professors this semester. He likes to go over a large amount of information so he's forced to generalize everything, which makes the class uninteresting. His lecture style needs some improvment; he often mumbles, doesn't talk loud enough, and groups large words together so it makes his point confusing (he sounds exactly like the textbook). The TA is much better at conveying the information. The tests format was standard. The most difficult thing in studying for them however is that there is just SO MUCH information to memorize that you often end up cramming. I wish he would have told the class what terms to not study because their were so many of them. I have to say I'm disappointed with this class. It wasn't as intricate or as interesting as my East Asian China class with professor Schoenenbaum.

I have to agree with those people who said he was boring in rise of civ, which i also took. It's true, as it is true that he seemed to use the slide projector as a security blanket. But that is not really him. Get him in a small seminar and he is funny, engaging, witty and very knowledgable. Emergence of State Society is one of the best courses I have taken at columbia. It was a small seminar, every week we would sit around and discuss diferent theories as to why states and complex societies emerged. If you are not interested in this topic, dont take the class it is reading and thinking intensive. But if you are, you will not regret it at all. It definitely convinced me that anthro is the right field for me. And his idea that people should bring snacks was excellent.

D'Altroy has the skill of taking an interesting sounding class and turning it into an orgy of dullness. Classes are sprawling collections of eclectic and mostly useless data. If you're lucky, you may escape with the memory that you used to find this stuff interesting, before you took the class. Don't get suckered into "Rise of Civilization" if he's teaching. It may satisfy the Major Cultures requirement but it's not worth it. The only bright spot is that he puts his photocopied notes on sale, so it's not really necessary to go to class. In fact, going to class may actually hurt your grade.

This course is outside my field of specialization but the emphasis on modes of thinking has become valuable to me even within my major. What I'm saying is, I would recommend this class even to those who are unfamiliar with the topic. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Fall 2023 Course: ANTHUN3823_001_2023_3-ARCHENGAGE:PASTINPUBEYE : ANTHUN3823_001_2023_3 - ARCH ENGAGE: PAST IN PUB EYE Instructor: Terence D'Altroy

There is a decent amount of reading. The topics are challenging, posing significant moral and ethical dilemmas. Half of the grade is tied up in class: discussion, posts, participation, presentation - the other half is the 20pp term paper. There are no guide topics for the paper, you're on your own to find a topic not covered by the course and readings. The class is terrific if you're willing to show up for it. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Spring 2023 Course: ANTHGR6031_001_2023_1-CONTESTINGTHEPAST : ANTHGR6031_001_2023_1 - CONTESTING THE PAST Instructor: Terence D'Altroy

Professor D'Altroy clearly knows a lot to the point where it's somehow simultaneously his biggest advantage and weakness. Obviously it's nice having a professor who is passionate about the stuff he is teaching, but he gets sidetrack really easily talking about minuscule details just because he knows them and he's excited to share as much information as he can with his students. This class is interesting in theory, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're just looking to fill the Global Core requirement (like me) unless you're really motivated. The entire history of five major ancient civilizations is a lot of history to cover and a lot to cram into your head prior to the midterm and the final. However, this is also coming from someone who only does the bare minimum in the classes not related to my major. I went to less than 10 lectures the entire semester, only did 10% of the required readings, and almost failed the midterm, but I ended up with a B+ which is a win in my books. I probably wouldn't have been as stressed about the class around exam time and in turn would view it in a better light if it wasn't for my own procrastination so take my view with a grain of salt. On the bright side, the exams are really broad in terms of the essay questions and he gives you practice ones beforehand that are practically the same as the ones you see on the exam. This means if you don't heed…

I have such mixed feelings about this class. I am just finishing the fall 2017 semester of this class and i think at different times in the semester i have both loved and hated the class. let me break it down for you: The Lectures: The lectures are literally going to be your least favorite part of the class. The professor is pretty much just going over slides. There is always an outline of the lecture given ahead of time so you can follow along as well as all power point slide shows. These don't serve as a good representation of the all the information thrown at you in this course though. Professor D'altroy knows his stuff. He throws a huge amount of information at you in each lecture in large part just from the massive amount of knowledge he has in his head. he clearly is passionate about the subject and extremely knowledgeable. This format of sitting for an hour just looking at slides listening to someone speak is indeed incredibly boring, but its also the most important part of the class to ensure your success. if you want an A you need to attend because there is no source wether it is the book, recitations or all the youtube videos on the web that are going to encapsulate what you need for the exams as well as terrance's lectures. Take notes every lecture, ask questions and try your best to stay attentive and you will be fine. The readings: they were a mix of fairly intere…

Alot of reading every week, but if you like the subject the reading is great. One lecture you have to lead the discussion, its very low key. Either a take home final of 15ish pages or a 20-25 page paper (i dont think anyone is doing the paper, i tried and its hard)