Luis Vivanco - University of Vermont

Professor: Luis Vivanco

Department: TBD

College: University of Vermont

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ANTH021
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

You can tell he knows what he's talking about. Exams were based off of his thinking and words rather than what was in lectures or in his textbook so make sure you understand what you're reading. There's also A LOT of reading if you're not used to it.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ANTH021
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Luis is interesting to listen to, but the exams were HARD. Even though they were open note they were harder than exams in my other classes, and the one midterm and final are worth 65% of the overall grade. We did not talk about a lot of the material that was covered on exams and there is a ton of reading, some of which did not seem relavent.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ANTH021
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Super nice guy, interested in the topics but the large lecture size made it difficult to stay engaged. Much easier to talk outside class. His material covered in class feels very different than that on the tests and essays so make sure to study.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ANTH021
• 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:

Best anthro professor! I would love to take more anthro classes taught by him, he really knows what he's talking about and makes it easy to learn

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ANTH195
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Luis is wonderful, at first I was nervous for this course as I was surrounded with upperclass anthro majors but it was actually so interesting. I spent a lot of money on books though, but you DO need to read them! There were no exams, just "reading logs" every couple of weeks to write.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ANTH021
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

While the lectures were very interesting, the tests, quizzes, and assignments were either pretty unfair or graded really harshly. I went to every class, put effort into the class and still received a bad grade because the final and midterm in-class essay prompts were super confusing and vague. he also teaches his own textbook he wrote lol

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ANTH021
• 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:

He's the best. Extremely interesting and easy going

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ANTH059
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Luis was a really good professor, I learned so much in this class and he presents material in a very engaging way. We had 5 papers due, and he tore each one apart. Ultimately a good experience because he gives very detailed feedback and it made me grow a lot as a writer. Personally, I found him a little distant/hard to reach.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ANTH021
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He's a good teacher and I'd recommend him. He's super obsessed with Anthropology but it allows him to teach it in such a passionate way. He bashes psychology a lot for some reason but it's not too bad. He's cool and funny and teaches the material in a way that makes it easy to learn.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ANTH021
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

It is hard to predict what you will be tested on. There was a lot of reading, but I found them not completely necessary. Lectures could be boring.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ANTH021
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Luis comes off a little weird but in order to pass his class, since everything, quizzes AND exams, are open note, all you need is good notes. Technically the textbooks are enough to pass, but he often includes little things in his lectures that are relevant. Not to mention he makes his lecture worth it.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ANTH021
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Assessments are usually open note so making a table of contents for your notes may be helpful. This really helped on the final. There is a lot of reading assigned nightly. The class is passable without doing it, but you're gpa will probably take a hit.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ANTH059
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Vivanco is a very approachable professor. His lectures are pretty comprehensive, but expect to read many 20-paged articles or more on end. He literally tears your writing apart, but you'll end up a better writer by the end of his course. He makes himself available if you need help.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ANTH021
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Luis is a great professor if you have an interest in anthropology. He's a bit full of himself and assumes everyone in the room also thinks anthropology is the greatest subject the university offers, but aside from that the class is very easy. Quizzes and tests are open notes so print out the ppts from class along with key terms from the book.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ANTH021
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Good class. Not too difficult if you go to class and take notes. With regard to the textbook, you just need to know the key terms and you're fine! Quizzes and exams are definitely tricky though.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ANTH095
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Amazing teacher!

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ANTH021
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Lecture's were pretty organized and his humor definitely came out during lectures. The textbook he cowrote is actually organized really well and is interesting. Quizzes were hard to study for, and were definitely a little tricky. Show up and pay attention and it's a good class.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ANTH021
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Luis is an amazing teacher. His classes are hard, but if you do the work you'll be fine. He also offers extra credit opportunities that are 1-page reflections and they really help your grade.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ANTH59
• 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:

I never learned more in once class than I did with Luis, however I also never worked harder, especially for a B. He presents the information well however is a very hard grader. He's a great person to sit down and talk about life with but may have you pulling out your hair in a class with him due to his ego and biased views.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ANTH59
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

This class has lots of potential to be interesting, but Luis taught from a very one sided view point. His grading is harsh enough that it makes doing the work not rewarding or enjoyable.