William L. Balee - Tulane University, New Orleans, LA

Professor: William L. Balee

Department: Anthropology

College: Tulane University, New Orleans, LA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ANTH1020
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

There's a lot of books for this class. Most of the assignments can be done with skimming the books. The tests cover the stuff he touches on in class. He doesn't take attendance. 3 page papers, 2 unit tests, a midterm, and a final. Grades don't get posted to canvas so you never know where you stand.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ANTH1010
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Balee is super passionate about anthropology and has tons of experience, but sometimes all he talks about is stuff that has absolutely nothing with what we are learning. For tests i pretty much just read the textbook and was able to get an A, but papers are much harder as he grades them tougher and is super unspecific about what he wants from us.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ANTH1020
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

his lectures can be a bit disorganized but as long as you keep up with the reading, you can pass. his voice can be a bit monotone so I've almost fallen asleep in his class. also, he doesn't take attendance every class but, technically, attendance is mandatory. all I did was show up to his class to do other work and did the reading at home

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ANTH1020
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I love Dr. Balee! I had no interest in anthropology and just took this class to fulfill a core requirement, but I am so glad I did because he is a great professor. He wrote the textbook he teaches from and lectures directly from it, so if you put in the effort to show up to class and study the textbook, you'll easily get an A.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ANTH1020
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

If you read the assignments, you'll be fine. I recommend going to class because he does take attendance, but he really only considers how often you're attending if you're struggling. It's a pretty easy and interesting class.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ANTH103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

His Wikipedia page is extensive and somewhat intimidating, Yet he was always super personable as a professor. I am glad I took his course.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ANTH1010
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I'd recommend this class to both anth-majors and non-majors. Yes, he can ramble a bit in his lectures, but it all eventually makes sense after a while if you pay attention. Some people get annoyed that he doesn't use ppt but it's not so bad because he strongly emphasizes terms and ideas that will be on the tests. About 70 pages of reading per week

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ANTH1010
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

lectures are horrible, he's a mess. You have to use his textbook which is so boring. Hated the class lots of reading, but you can get an A fairly easily.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ANTH1020
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Balee is very knowledgeable about his field. The grade is based solely on exams, but as long as you read everything assigned to you and take decent notes in class, the tests are a breeze. Fairly interesting class to knock out your Non-Western Traditions credit!

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ANTH3060
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Balée is one of my favorite professors. He's incredibly knowledgeable and famous in his field. He loves what he's teaching, and it shows when he's lecturing. You really learn a lot, but he doesn't pile on the workload, and he's a very easy grader. Attendance isn't mandatory, but you need good notes for the tests.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ANTH1020
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Balée is very knowledgable in his field. His tests are not too challenging, but you need to prepare well for them. They include short Ids, definitions, and an essay.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ANTH1010
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He is a terrible teacher. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. He makes you read his own textbook which is not even clear. He also has unreal expectatiosn of what knowledge you can obtain during his course. He is terribly boring and his monotone voice will make you die a little inside every class. DO NOT TAKE HIM.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ANTH1020
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Great professor! As long as you go to class, listen, and take decent notes, you'll do fine in the class. Tests are based directly off of class discussions, so paying attention is key. For the most part classes are interesting and relatively enjoyable. No need to really read the books either, just find good summaries online.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: EVST465
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He loves to talk and gets distracted easily. If you show a lot of interest he will love you. He is very open to suggestions about how to improve the course. He can be tough on grading and doesn't like to give A's. If you participate every now and then pretend to be interested you will be ok.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ANTH102
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Rules for Success: Go to class, listen, take decent notes, and read. Plain and simple! Dr. Balee really knows what he's talking about; ask him about some of his work in South America. He'll even give you pages he "highly recommends" that you read for the exam. I plan to take him again!

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ANTH371
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Interesting subject, especially if you're into disturbance ecology or conservation. Balee is nice, but he tends to repeat himself a lot. He's particularly fond discussing of his own research. It's relevant research, at least -- everyone who writes about historical ecology cites him sooner or later. Easy grader, too. Just make sure you go to class.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ANTH301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He is an excellent teacher. Requirements included five small ethnographic case study books, midterm, and final for hunter gatherers. Tests are based on notes, but it helps to use examples from the books in the essays on the tests and paper. The books help you understand concepts, but are not vital to the majority of test questions.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ANTH315
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I can see the disorganization, but it's not an issue. Tests are obvious if you ACTUALLY GO TO CLASS. The material was very dense for me at first, but after studying it, it grew fascinating. Came out of it with an A. Read four books. Just listen and follow along. He does seem out of it at first, and maybe push-offish, but I and others grew to love.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ANTHR102
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

You can tell that Professor Balee really loves the field his is in and he has many interesting stories to tell about his days in Brazil if you just ask. He seems rather pompous at first but that is not who he is at all. He's easy going and will explain anything that you do not understand. I high recommend taking his class.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ANTH102
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I really enjoyed this class. Professor Balee is extremely knowledgeable on the topic and most of the reading material is very interesting. He stresses reading the material, but I got by with a high "A" simply skimming the assigned books and memorizing the lecture notes. Great class and very easy!