Art Shapiro - University of California Davis, Davis, CA

Professor: Art Shapiro

Department: Biology

College: University of California Davis, Davis, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: BIS2B
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

He may be a little disorganized, and he sometimes rambles, but overall I think he is a great teacher. You can tell he cares for the students. His study guides are to make you re-look over his lecture slides. If you are only looking for the answers in his study guide, you won't get a good grade.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: BIS2B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Avoid this professor! Confusing slides and unfair exams. Office hours are a waist of time. If you ask him a simple question he will take 20 minutes to answer it, while never explicitly saying the answer. Which is annoying because he does not post solutions to his obscure study questions.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: BIS2B
• 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: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Lecture slides are full of text and disorganized, making it very difficult to study. Too much emphasis placed on history instead of biology.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: BIS2B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The man is a genius, & super intelligent. He expects a lot from his students because he truly cares about what you learn. He provides so many information about the topic to the point it's difficult to know which to remember. If you care about learning, take him, if you want an easy A then he should not be your choice! A true renaissance man!

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: BIS2B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Avoid if possible. Makes you learn names of Darwin's family tree for study guide but doesn't have anything related on the study guide on the midterm. Lectures are dry, he reads off the slide but the slides are filled with text. His presentations are filled with too much random info that you'll never know what you need to know or not.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: EVE147
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

super smart professor goes over everyone's head and lectures insanely fast. won't help or explain material because he considers that to be spoonfeeding. makes you shift through dozens of essays. final is totally from left field. midterms are take home. he'd be a great prof if you weren't held accountable for all of the stuff he didnt explain

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: EVE138
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

A real Renaissance man. Integrates information from all areas of study and makes the subject relevant to life. Difficult to sift through the volume of information, but a worthwhile class. Doing the readings helps, and pay attention in lecture! Would take a class with him again.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: EVE138
• 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:

LOTS of information, but don't get overwhelmed. Shapiro is very intelligent, but not the greatest lecturer. Remember to write down everything, even names/places, as they will be on the midterm. Also, collaborate with other students to go over examples from class, it really helps you understand all the papers you have to read.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: EVE101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Agreed with the post below, stick with it! I got most out of discussion section and office hours (thank god for awesome TAs), but still found Dr. Shapiro's lectures well worth attending. Overall, the course was really great.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: EVE101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

STick with it! he is certainly a bizarre man, but a genius I assure you. REally great resource for ANY science based information. Strongly recommend.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: EVE147
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

You need to be an independent thinker to succeed in this class, as there isn't much structure to his lectures. DON'T take this class if you are looking for something easy. The grade is based on two exams (all essay questions) and a term paper.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: BIO147
• 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:

Ugh. Very disorganized lecture style. You end up sifting through piles of information trying to sort out relevant topics and facts. He has a genuine interest, alot of knowledge and plenty of office hours, all of which make the class tolerable. Don't be frightened when he spends an entire lecture writing author citations on the chalk board.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: EVE147
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Shapiro's motto is content -not form. I appreciate his storytelling lecture style and the integration of historical and social causes and issues into the ecological material he teaches. You have to bring your own knowledge to his class and then build upon that.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: EVE147
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

This man is a GENIUS although he may not seem to be from outward appearances. I learned more about what I wanted to do with my career in his class than I have my entire college experience. He doesn't just teach you the material but how to be a critical thinker, and to question everything. Term paper thought me a lot. Great professor and person!

Rating # 15

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Graduate from 1980 just checking on staff I had at UC over 20 years ago. Wanted to leave a note that this brilliant man changed the way I look at the world, it's human and non-human inhabitants, and my role in it. Listen. Heed. Enjoy.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: EVE138
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The best. A polymath. If you want to learn philosophy, ecology, history, biogeography, sociology and literature in a single 50-minute lecture, take something--anything--with Art. An inspiration, a role model, a genius and a Renaissance man to the hilt.