ANTH 3155

Prof. Damon is one of those anthropology professors who lectures in a rather confusing and non-linear manner. If you're not adept at following along or unwilling to just go with the flow you might have a bad time. However, this class has been probably one of the most valuable courses I've ever taken at UVA. Damon is obviously brilliant and his course is genius. I can honestly say that I've seen myself grow as an anthropologist because of this class. That being said, would probably not recommend if you're not an anthro major. If you are, I highly recommend, and I just encourage you to stick with it. I guarantee you'll be glad you did. Also, Damon is one of those professors that is widely renowned in the field, so if you're interested in grad school he's a valuable mentor to have in your corner.

A lot of reading with Damon covering the key concepts in lecture. Dry lectures with information overload. Wouldn't recommend the class.

Overall, this was a very worthwhile course. Professor Damon has been teaching this course at UVA since the 1970's, and he puts a lot of effort into perfecting it. He isn't the best lecturer, but if you have any questions he is much better in a one on one environment. At the end of the course, you will feel like you've learned a ton. I was surprised to find much of the course had an economic perspective, but it made it interesting. No matter what, you'll definitely get a lot out of the class, and the grading is not too tough as long as you make an effort.

This class was really interesting because since i want born in the US i learned a lot that i have never heard about before. If you are an anthro major you will be fine, me not so much. Its a LOT of reading and writing can be difficult but really rewarding. I took it thinking it was an easy A but it required a lot of work towards it. I am very glad I took it but it sure took away time from my other classes

Lots of writing, not an easy class but Damon is one of the best professors here. Can't guarantee you an A, but you'll love it and learn a lot.

This class is boring if you're not an Anthropology major. Professors Damon's lectures are very abstract (many of the things he talks about seem irrelevant) and he tends to mumble. The class is really easy though. I didn't go to often class, did minimal readings, and still got A's on the essays. The books for the class are pretty interesting though!

There is no more TA for this class. Damon's lectures and slides are confusing and hard to follow. He rambles on off-topic things a lot of the time and his point gets across very obscurely. However, if you can somehow attempt to write the essay, it's not hard to get an A. The reading load can be heavy, but I found it easier to read after I got the prompt. He is very knowledgeable and willing to help though. Five 2-4 page papers and one 10 page paper

The class can be confusing but Damon genuinely wants to help his students understand. I spent a lot of my time confused but came out of it feeling like I've learned a ton and that it was definitely a worthwhile class. It made me look at the world in a new way. Definitely go to class, but I got away with not doing all of all the readings.

Damon is very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about his subject, but is kind of all over the place in terms of lectures. He expects students to make connections between the most random things. Overall, there are five 2-4 page papers and a final 10pg paper, so the workload isn't bad. I didn't read a lot of the books and have still managed to do fine on the papers; fairly easy grader. Still, I wouldn't recommend the class unless you want to be very confused and bored during lectures.

Fantastic class. Damon might not make much sense at first, but he connects the course together with well selected texts. Focuses heavily on Marxist analysis, but introduces a valuable variety of antropological models for consideration that may be explored further in the papers (there are a lot of papers).

This class is great, both for anthropology majors or any other major. There's a lot of reading so be prepared, but the books are novels or easy reads for the most part so the material is really fun. Damon's lectures can be hard to follow, but the TA will always explain everything for you so no worries if you can't quite understand Damon. even if they are confusing at times, Damon's lectures are pretty down to earth and hilarious.

There is a LOT of reading, but you'll be okay if you don't finish it. There were 5 "response" papers and a final 10 page-ish paper. If you like your TA and the subject matter (coming of age, "cowboy" culture, sports, basic economic structure) you'll be fine. Damon is awesome - lectures are pretty amusing - but he's not very approachable. David is the man! I took this for second writing requirement which was a good decision.

Alot of theory.

The readings were generally fun, accessible and interesting because they were about contemporary American culture. Toward the end of the course, Damon's lectures grew more difficult to follow. The course culminates with a research paper rather than a final exam. Andy Nelson is a great TA.

You only have to write two papers and a research paper in whole year. Lectures are really interesting and well prepared. But get ready to keep up with the notes. Even though you don't go to lectures, you can understand everything in discussions cause TA is amazing.