Lewis, Jennifer  

I would highly recommend taking Anthropology 121 from Lewis. I loved the class, and it was obvious my classmates did as well, because, despite the fact that the class was early in the morning, you had to get there early to get a seat. Showing up for class is very important, as lecteur notes are the main source test questions are pulled from. Taking notes is crucial, but Lewis writes them on the board, so it is easy. There is a decent amount of reading involved, but no papers or other homework, which is awesome. Most importantly, the material is presented in an interesting manner. The class is not boring, but imformative and eye-opening. It does not take much studying time to get an A, just read crucially and study your notes.

Professor Lewis came across as a total Nazi on the first day of class and I wasn't looking forward to the remainder of the quarter. However, she had 3 tests which were all very fair. Do the reading, attend lectures and you'll do just fine. Much of the lecture material overlaps with the textbook reading, but test questions covering only the text have shown up. She is very approachable if you have a question. I also enjoyed what the class covered, its interesting material. I recommend taking professor Lewis for this class.

Ms. Lewis was overall a good instuctor, she tried to make the material interesting and the videos were great. Three tests are given with multiple choice on the reading and essay and short answer on the class notes. Unfortunately, there is not extra credit, so if you bomb a test, there is no making it up with extra credit.

This class was nothing like I thought it would be. I was hoping to learn about many different cultures, but a majority of the class is spent learning about how anthropolgists think and work. As far as presenting the material, Lewis does an excellent job. If you go to class and do the reading, there are no surprises on the tests. There is quite a bit of memorization, but each test is not cumulative so you only need to remember info for about 2 hours:)

Professor Lewis was a pleasure to take a course from. The material is usually relatively simplistic. However, she is a fan of lists. A bit of work and memorization has to go into this class, but it is definitely worth it.

I enjoyed this class very much. Professor Lewis is very friendly and funny. Her lectures are easy to follow and interesting. If you do the readings and take good notes, the test is simple and straighforward. I definetly recommend taking her course as a GE.

Lewis was my least favorite profess so far at Cal Poly. While the reading she assigns is interesting, she practically reads her lectures from her notes. It was difficult sitting through a two-hour class with her. I also studied my butt off for her tests...the multiple choice section I always did well on, but the she graded the essays in a very biased way. I would feel very strongly about them, then she would give me a 15/20 with no notes as to why I received such a low score. When I went in to talk to her at office hours, she didn't really give me a better idea of what I did wrong, except she basically told me it wasn't what she was "looking for." Let's just say I invested way too much time into this class for the return I got in terms of grades. It didn't seem worth it to take this class.

Lewis is a really good professor. She is very laid back and down to earth. She goes through the lectures slowly and clearly and always asks to make sure everyone is caught up and understands.

Her tests are soooo hard!! I mean, I studied pretty hard in her class, and I still got only C's on the tests! I think it's because the test questions are so specific, so if you miss studying one thing, it most likely will be on the test. Her lectures make it hard to stay awake, especially if she puts on a movie... my best suggestion for doing well is to not miss class, she goes over a lot in her lectures that isn't in the book that is on the tests.

The class was very interesting in the beginning. I learned some pretty crazy stuff. As time went on though, things seemed to drift away from cultural anthropology towards political stuff. I myself am not a fan of politics (an apathetic moderate of course) so I didn't really like the direction of lecture. At the end of the quarter, it was a lot of "rich getting richer" "poor getting poorer" "white people are bad" kinda thing. But besides that, Dr. Lewis is a very good teacher. She writes down everything you should know for the tests. The tests are not comprehensive and neither is the final. The tests are based out of the 2 textbooks as well as lecture so make sure you go. She also brings her dog to class (Ella Fitzgerald) and she is the cutest little dog ever!

lewis is an awesome teacher, she is funny and very knowledgeable about what she teaches. the lectures can get a little tedious at times..but you are almost always out of class at least 15 minutes early. she presents the material very clearly and stops many times throughout the lecture to make sure that people understand. her exams are extremeley fair, as long as you do ALL the reading you should be fine. although lewis does not take attendance, i strongly suggest it because the lectures are a major part of the exams. there is no outside homework, just three exams throughout the quarter. take her if you can cause she will HELP you...

Dr. Lewis is the greatest teacher. She is very entertaining and is in love with her dog. I thoroghly enjoyed her classes although her tests were hard. Just make sure you read the material. If you're lucky she'll bring her dog to class, :)

Professor Lewis is a great instructor. Her class is very interesting and got me even more excited about Anthropology, which is the field I will switch into very shortly. The work load is not that bad at all, though the reasing may seem like a lot at first: it is mostly interesting but can be somewhat dry, but considering that it's the only task required for this course other than coming to class and studying - that is, no projects or homework - it's very manageable. To get an A all you need to do is come to class, pay attention and take good notes, do the reading, and look over the notes and maybe the reading summaries and terms once or twice before the exam. There are two midterms and one non-cumulative final which is just like the midterms, all of which have a multiple choice portion and a fairly easy short-answer portion. I would definitely take this instructor again. Oh yeah, and make sure to bug her for Halloween candy if you take her during the Fall so she'll bring some in on the lecture before Halloween, and tell her to bring her cute little dog in. Candy and a cute black poodle were the highlights of this course... in addition to the whole learning thing.

I loved Lewis! The class content was very interesting, and she presented the info in a very clear way. I missed a couple of lectures and was fine because she follows the book for the most part. There are a couple of sections you do have to go to lecture for. There are three exams, including the final, which are all evenly weighted, none of which are cumulative. Multiple choice and a few short answer. She also has a really cute dog that she might bring in lecture. Take Lewis for a lighter work load and an interesting professor.

Lewis is a very interesting lecturer. Her class is set up with two midterms, multiple choice with a few short answer questions. Her final is just like a midterm, but it has a few more short answer questions and a long answer question. The class was fairly easy. There is no homework except for the reading. Do the reading! It is important and she asks questions straight from the book material. The class was boring at some times, but overall the class was pretty interesting and I learned a lot about our society and humanity in general.

She is one of the best profs i have had at cal poly. she was interesting and funny but also very informative. She clearly emphasized all main points to the class and the readings were very interesting, so even though there was a lot of it i didn't mind at all. Take her for any class you can!

This is a good class to take for the Area D requirement. There are no homework assignments and the tests are kind of tricky worded. The midterm and final are 80 multiple choice questions and 10 short answer questions (which are two points each). She is a really nice lady and is approachable if you have questions.

Dr. Lewis was amazing! Her lectures were fun and interesting and she really knew her material. The tests weren't too hard if you took notes in class and read the book. She was very approachable and always willing to help you out in anyway possible. I would ddeffinitely reccommend this class to anyone who needs an anthropology requirement fullfilled.

Dr. Lewis is wonderful. shes hilarious and a great person to talk to and her lectures were quite enjoyable. theres a lot of reading for each test though so if you are prepared to do that, take this class. i felt like i read most of the chapters pretty thoroughly but only got Cs on all my tests. she is a great professor/lecturer but her tests are pretty hard!!!!

This was a great class. We went over topics that you wouldn't normally discuss in an educational setting. I came out with a whole new outlook on life. If you are open-minded and would like to learn more about the world we live in, take this class.

I LOVED LOVED this class. it was so interesting. The only class I never missed. She makes the lectures entertaining. At first it was hard what to make of her, but she turned out to be nice, funny, and personable. There's only three tests. No homework. Which means its mainly reading. Study for the tests otherwise you won't do that great. I studied for most of them, maybe not completely, so I got a C. but I still loved the class. The things you learn in this class are pretty cool, I'd actually find myself talking about it outside of class with people.

Professor Lewis was awesome. She made the material interesting and had a great sense of humor. She picked the more interesting topics to lecture on and she made it really straight forward and easy to follow. She had 2 midterms and a final, which were all weighted evenly, and no homework or papers, which was great. As long as you came to class, studied your notes, and did the reading, the tests weren't bad at all. I really liked the class and Lewis. Take her if you can!

Very helpful when needed, but help not needed often. Go to class, take notes and read, thats all you need to do. The lectures were very interesting, but the textbook is a textbook, not that exciting...

Dr. Lewis' class as amazing! Her understanding of the subject is evident and the way she presents material in class is clear and easy to understand. There are three 100 point tests that make up your grade. The tests are somewhat difficult, but if you take notes from lecture and read the assigned material then an A is possible. Dr. Lewis presents the topics discussed in class in an unbiased manner and makes her lectures really interesting. Take her class; with an open mind you can learn valuable lessons.

This class was amazing! Jennifer Lewis is so smart and her lectures are really interesting. We got into some pretty interesting class discussions. I would definitely recommend taking it to anyone, it can really change your perspective on things. There are three exams, the final is the third but its the same as the other two, its not cumulative. Her exams are pretty easy if you go to class and do the readings. Some of the textbook readings can get a little dull, especially towards the end but the other readings are really interesting. She asks several question from the readings on the exam so definitely read those. Take this with Lewis, no question!

Professor Lewis is a very nice person, and her lectures are pretty interesting. However, the test questions are very confusing and not consistant with the material learned. There were too many "all of the above" or "none of the above" answers. She could have definitely made a study guide to help her students who she seems to care so much about...

She\'s legit. She\'s super nice and funny and explains the material really well in class. Her tests are reasonable as long as youre prepared. You should definitely take a class with her.

do we need the textbook for this class or does lecture suffice?

Dr. Lewis is a witch doctor.

Lewis is okay. She can be pretty funny sometimes but mostly her class is really boring. The textbook sucks but overall it's not a bad GE class.

This class is composed of two things. The first is obvious information on world issues. The second is her repeatedly telling you that some people live differently than you. Overall not fun.

Prof. Lewis is really funny! She has a way of teaching about serious subjects, but making you feel very comfortable. I had her 7-9am, but people always asked questions because, for the most part, she made the material interesting. The tests are fair, but DO THE READINGS. You can't pass without doing them; they go into further detail about what she goes over in class. Plus, on the last day, she bring in her dog. Also, she takes random attendance, so go to class. It will help you in the end because she is more than happy to go over your grades and be lenient. If you get the chance, take her!

She's an awesome prof. really funny and randomly in class will say totally random but really funny remarks. The class is challenging in a way. The grade is 3 tests all weighted the same, they are on any material covered in the assigned reading and in lecture. The reading is atleast a good 10-13 hours for each test but that's if your going through and making flashcards which I did and she highly reccommends. I'd take her again but the studying was a beast but she is pretty awesome.

Overall class isn't to boring for someone who has no interest in cultural anthropology (me). The tests are difficult because she does not make it clear whats on the test. Everything in the textbook and everything from the lecture can be on it and supplemental readings. Textbook is very dry, but supplemental readings are interesting. I got a C on the first test and had to work up from there, but if you make flash cards of everything you should be able to get at least a B on all the tests. Sometimes a little boring, but doable.

This class will change your life if you have an open mind. I recommend it for ANYONE of ANY MAJOR. It changes the way you think about things. Dr. Lewis is hilarious and makes classes well worth it (even if it's 7am). Take this class if you have the chance!!

Professor Lewis is an excellent teacher, she knows what she is teaching and makes it easy for students to understand with concise notes. She also doesn't test on anything she did not teach or assign which is great because if you do the work, an A is guaranteed. The tests are not too hard and the workload is minimal; her lectures are also really entertaining.

Dr. Lewis is an amazing professor. It was the first time I felt like I was getting a real university education by a real university professor in the sense that she's very knowledgeable, open-minded, and caring about her students. You can tell she's a good anthropologist because she tries to look at everything objectively and also helps her students adopt this perspective through her teachings. This isn't an ordinary class you'll take at Cal Poly where you are simply reading and regurgitating information to simply pass a class and barely hold the knowledge you learned throughout the quarter to use it in your subsequent classes, no... this class may change your life. I REALLY REALLY REALLY recommend taking Dr. Lewis. And if you're not an ANT major, take her for a GE if you have the option to. You'll be missing out on an experience if you don't. Seriously. As for the administrative mumbo jumbo... There were 2 midterms and a final. Mostly multiple choice with a few short answer questions. The questions are not tough as long as you read the articles she assigns and the textbook reading. Yes, you do need the textbook for this class because nearly half the material on the exams are straight from the book. Studying won't be too intensive; if you read through it once, the questions on the exam will look familiar enough for you to know it relatively well. No homework. Fair grader. Take her.

She is an awesome teacher! Her lectures were always interesting and her tests were pretty easy as long as you paid attention in class and at least scanned the assigned chapters. TAKE HER!

She was very passionate about what she talked about and seemed very knowledgeable about her lectures. She was also very nice. ANT-201 had a lot of reading but no writing. Two midterms and a final, none of which are too bad if you do all the reading and take notes on the textbook. It's an interesting class and a good one to take with her for your D3. Take her.

Lewis is a boss. I took her freshman year and it was life changing. She states many time she thinks tests are basically arbitrary and your understanding is most important. I have the utmost respect for this woman, and I learned so much!! TAKE HER

She made me realize I have a fear of bunnies...but on a serious note she really is an inspiring woman and you learn what you are supposed to take away from this course. Don't underestimate the importance of the assigned readings. Exams are heavily based on those, and if you go to class you will likely find the lecture-based exam questions straight-forward.

Not a good Teacher... To all those below me saying she is a "life changing teacher" you must also think that fortune cookies offer the best advice. Dr. James is full of hypocritical, pseudo-intellectual BS tainted by her own biases. She is also Lazy. She offers three tests. No hw, no participation, no quizzes, no PowerPoint. So she literally only grades 3 things all quarter but refuses to make a study guide. Sure she lectures, but if its not her own commentary they literally come word for word out of the book. Can you miss class though? Of course not because she takes attendance that can only hurt your grade. Without a study guide studying will consist of you rereading every chapter she assigns to scour for minute details she will invariably randomly ask, for a test that is 33.3% of your final grade. The sad thing is the class is not too hard but she makes it worse. I have never been so misled by Polyratings before.

wow, yes. I Love Lewis. She's so entertaining and I love the way she lectures. Her tests are kind of hard, but it's not a big deal. She brings her poodle at the end of the quarter which is TOTALLY WORTH IT. It's very interesting to learn about different cultures n stuff and she's great teaching it.

Took this class to fulfill a GE requirement and was unfortunately mislead by the reviews given. Sure Lewis is a nice person, but as for the class, it was a disappointment. Three test determine your grade. Lectures from the book vaguely. Penalizes students for being absent. Not a class style I am fond of.

I am very conflicted about Lewis because I like her as a person. She's very passionate about her subject and she seemed to care about as students, which I appreciate and respect. However, I did not like her as a professor. There were no assignments, no quizzes, no attendance taken - our entire grade was based on 2 midterms and a final, 100 points each. Also, the lectures were fairly dull, especially since they were 2 hours long (at least in my section). On the syllabus, she divided the quarter into 3 sections to go along with each test. We had lecture twice a week, but she never specified which week we should read certain chapters out of the textbook. She just said to have chapters 1 - 5 read by the test or whatever. I would read a chapter before lecture and then find that the lecture had absolutely nothing to do with what I had just read. This discouraged me from reading the textbook at all. Overall, she's pretty cool - as a person, not really as a teacher.

Professor Lewis was an amazing teacher. Her lectures are entertaining to listen to because she is so passionate about the material. She also adds some stories from her life every now and then. Her tests are very difficult and you must study. She tells you what chapters to read, what online readings, and to pay attention during her lectures. That is all the information that is covered, but in a very detail oriented way. Most questions give 3 answer choices and then answers D and E are "all the above correct" or "just answers A and B." The final parts of the exam are true/false and short answer, so you really do need to study and pay attention to all details. The textbook we used was pretty dull, but overall I enjoyed the class. Her only grades in the class are the two midterms and the final, so I am not a great test taker and finished with a B. She does take attendance randomly, but that does not help your grade. It is only there to hurt the grades of people who do not show up. I recommend taking Professor Lewis but make sure you study all your notes a lot!!!

I only took this class for a GE requirement, but Lewis actually made the subject interesting. She is very enthusiastic about the topic, and is very approachable if you have any questions. The class can be a bit preachy at times, but for the most part it's an insightful class that actually helped me in discussions outside of class. Your grade is composed of three exams. Yep, that's right. Three exams that are each worth 33% of your grade in the class. I found them to be fairly straightforward, as long as you read the outside readings and at least skim through the textbook. Thankfully, the exams are independent from each other, so that material on one won't be on the next (although retaining the knowledge can make some questions a bit easier). Occasionally she takes attendance, which can lower your grade, but if you don't skip class then that shouldn't be a problem. Overall, Lewis is a solid professor. I'd recommend her.

I had her for Cultural Anthropology and I found it quite difficult. Her lectures were boring and the tests were super hard. I read the book and took notes on every chapter and still did poorly. The chapters were super long and the tests are super specific. Good luck....

I absolutely loved Dr. Lewis. Though the material may be dry and somewhat uninteresting at times, she is very much able to liven it up and keep us mentally present. Her tests aren't the easiest, but they're extremely straightforward and clear. If you've done the reading and taken good notes in class, you'll do very well in her class. I strongly believe she recognizes it as a GE, and therefore she treats it as such. She won't let you skate by by any means, but she's fair with her workload and won't give you more than you can handle. I would definitely recommend taking Dr. Lewis for ANT 201.

The entire class consists of 2 midterms and a final. These are the only 3 grades the whole quarter. Each test in 90 multiple choice questions and maybe 20 of them actually come from lecture. The lectures are her standing up there reading straight from her notes, usually a bunch of bullshit that has nothing to do with learning anthropology. She really does not seem knowledgable about the subject and seems to be a raging biased liberal. She is very biased when we talk about capitalist economies and wealth. Just not a good teacher at all. I did not learn one useful thing in this class.

I personally enjoyed Dr. Lewis' class greatly. The lectures were very interesting and overall the material appealed to me greatly. With that said, note that your whole grade is based off of 3 tests, and no study guides are given. This leaves you reading over pages of (very boring) textbook, with no clue as to what can pop up on the exams. Even so, if you keep up on the reading the exams are manageable.

One of the best professors I've had at Cal Poly! It might seem intimidating that your entire grade is based upon three exams, but they are very straightforward as long as you're awake in class and read the textbook. Sometimes waiting a little bit to read the (long and boring) readings is better, so that the information's fresh. Without a doubt you can get an A in this class as long as you pay attention to her and pay attention to the readings.

Dr. Lewis was a phenomenal professor and by far my favorite this quarter. Yes, the workload is pretty heavy in terms of reading (I think there were 15 textbook chapters total) but nonetheless I highly recommend taking ANT 201 with her. Lewis loves to crack jokes and they aren't corny, the whole class actually gets a kick out of them. Also, the class is very eye-opening and a class I think everyone should experience regardless of their major. THANKS FOR AN AMAZING QUARTER! 10/10

BEST PROFESSOR!! Dr. Lewis is funny, engaging, and knowledgable. The lecture is not boring because she adds her own flare and keeps it interesting and moving at a good pace. There are 2 midterms and a final and that is the entire grading for the class. The exams are pretty straight forward. As long as you go to class and read the textbook, you'll definitely pass this class. It was an interesting topic and Dr. Lewis is very easy to listen to. She's an awesome professor and person!

Loved her. She tells it like it is. She doesn't care what other people thinks. She's EXTREMELY liberal and lets you know that right in the first class session, so if that's a deal breaker, then don't take her.

So there's a lot of reading and taking notes, IT IS ABS CRUCIAL TO GO TO ALL CLASSES, the tests honestly aren't like too hard if you listen and read and do the extra required readings, your grade is only based on those three tests which sucks. Anyway, J lewis is a cool person but I hated her two hour lectures they are so boring, and literally impossible to focus to, her notes are bland and really seem dumb about the things she lectures about, tests are like multiple choice, true or false and then free response that are like usually a sentence long, idk I wouldn't recommend this class if you don't like reading/if you hate 2 hour lectures like me, not the worst class in the world though

Professor Lewis was a pretty good teacher. You need to go to class every day to get a good grade on the tests. She was super knowledgeable about all of the subject matter. She is super liberal so if you know that you won't like that then I recommend you try to take someone else.

I loved professor Lewis! She was such a greater teacher/person overall! If I could go back and retake the class, I would probably get a WAY better grade. Still just a first year trying to figure out how college works. She lectures the entire class, but her lectures were pretty interesting and easy to follow. We watched a few movies here or there that went along with the topics we discussed. She doesn't give homework the entire quarter, so the grade at the end is basically the 2 midterms and the final. So its up to you to put in the extra work and STUDY/READ the textbook. Her test overall were based on the material covered in the textbook/lectures. Definitely recommend taking Professor Lewis if you want an easy GE and interesting as well!

I LOVED THIS CLASS!!! Professor Lewis was one of the best teachers I've ever had! Im in Engineering so I only took this class to fulfill my GE, but it ended up being my favorite class. It is not easy, and I studied as much as I could and still only got a B. There are 3 100 point tests that are mainly multiple choice and you need to make sure to read every chapter and reading assigned to do well as well as paying attention and taking good notes in lecture. It took me more time to study for these tests than any other one of my classes and it was still the worst grade I got. Despite this, she made me think about things I never thought about before and it really made me more aware of the world around me and changed my perspective on life. Also, she lets you out early every class, cancelled class once, and even brought her EXTREMELY cute dog to class one day. She is funny, entertaining, nice, and overall a great professor! Take Lewis!!!

Professor Lewis lecturers with enthusiasm and genuine interest. I had Cultural Anthropology as my 9am and never fell asleep in her class. Her tests are about half lecture half book; but she doesn't test and stupid specifics. She wants her students to have an understanding of the general material and concepts, not be able to recite specific instances from the textbook. If there are any examples to know for the exam, she goes over them in class. If you listen in lecture, take decent notes, and read the textbook you will be fine. I went to office hours once before every test to get my questions answered and she is so easy to talk to and holds a conversation with you about the material so you can understand it better. She gives little "easter eggs" in class and office hours as to what will be on the exam. The class grade is mostly based on 3 tests that include 90 questions of multiple choice and true/false and 5 2-point short answer questions. very short, as in a word or two MAYBE a sentence. If you're looking for a class to slack off in all quarter and save your grade at the end - this is not the one for you. But if you can handle a quarter of textbook readings and expressive lecturers, this class isn't so bad. Her lectures are organized very logically and she gives them nicely. I like that we talk about history, but she makes it relevant to the present day. Professor Lewis also has a great sense of humor. I enjoyed this class.

Dr. Lewis is my absolute favorite professor! Her lectures are totally entertaining and you learn SO much in her class. The reading are even interesting, and though there's a lot you can skim them and still get an A/B (although I recommend the readings, they're actually pretty cool.) Dr. Lewis' tests are pretty straight forward, its just 50/50 lectures and reading but they overlap a lot. Attendance isn't required (but would definitely recommend going to class.) Take any class you can from Dr. Lewis, you will love the class and her!!!!!

Professor Lewis' tests are written pretty much exclusively from the in-class lectures; but don't ignore the book completely, because she isn't lying when she says some things in the book are not presented in lecture. There isn't any assigned homework, but as a result, the three tests you take during the quarter determine your final grade.

Clearly very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject she teaches. Your grade in the class is made up of two midterm grades and a final, so there is not much leeway if you don't do well on the exams. However, she presents material in a straightforward and interesting manner. She assigns a lot of heavy textbook reading throughout the quarter, but if you leave it all to the end you can just read the end of chapter summaries and bolded words and manage at least a B on the exam. She does not take attendance (except for about 3 times over the quarter) but she does not post lectures online so you need to go to class or get the notes from someone else if you want to do well. I am NOT an anthropology or history buff but I still enjoyed the class and got a good grade. In short: take detailed notes in class (or make friends with someone who does), do the textbook reading semi-thoroughly), study, and you will get a good grade.

dr lewis....thought i would enjoy this class but DID NOT! She does "not believe in technology" and uses the chalk board to write during the class. The extent to what she writes on the board is usually about a sentence and lectures the rest of the time. Tests are 50 choice M.C then about 5 short answer questions. Short answers are very specific and you most likely will not get any partial credit on them if you do not answer them correctly. Overall, not a fan of her teaching style and would not recommend taking this class with her.

I got a B and I'm super salty. Her tests are super skewed towards her own personal agenda. Some of her exam questions are like "according to the lecture, how does (certain ethnic/gender group) get treated in society?" You just have to think about what Lewis thinks about society and then you've got the correct answer. I would try to make this class a bit less biased and more middle ground. She's a very sweet professor and she brings her dog in on the last day. Still a good time though!

This class was great. The lectures consist of her talking about different world cultures, anywhere from modern times to 1500s. She would periodically ask the students questions, though I wish she promoted more organic discussion as the subject material lends itself to reflecting on our own values and customs. 2 midterms and a final all weighted evenly, no homework or outside assignments. You WILL need the book for this class as a large portion of the tests are based on the text and also the online readings she assigns, and you will need to study well. Like another poster here, I noticed she promoted a very liberal way of looking at the world, which might offend or register poorly with conservative minded people. But still, if you want to learn about different world cultures, have no homework and medium test difficulty, take Lewis.

Lewis is very passionate about the subject and she's a good teacher. At times it can seem like the class drags on forever and then their are times when the class will be interesting and you will learn cool stuff. The movies you watch are pretty cool and better then a 2 hour lecture. Lewis helps a lot with the dry stuff. Two midterms and a final are makeup the whole of your grade but the tests were easy. I never read the book (although i did review the key terms that the book highlights) and slept a couple of times in class but I still got an A on the test.

Dr. Lewis' class is the one I most look forward to, and she's a very interesting and engaging individual. The material we're studying in Anthropology is very interesting, and she is very good at lecturing and I learn new interesting things every time I go to her class. She seems like a wonderful person, and she really does rock that hair cut. You're awesome Dr. Lewis. Keep doin' your thang!

Professor Lewis, was one of the best teachers I've had in my five years here at Poly. She's super friendly, easy going, and easy to talk to. She makes you do a book report in the class, but the books that you can choose from are really good, at least the one I did (Gorillas in the Mist). The tests are hard, but if you go to class, and study you can do good on them. You almost don't even need to read the book because, it just further explains what she talks about in class. Sometimes she even brings her dog to class! I highly recommend her. In my opinion, her and Dr. Jones are dead even for being the best Anthropology teachers.

Lewis is a really nice person and friendly in class. Her lectures could be better organized though, taking notes was sometimes difficult. But her tests are pretty easy.

I really liked Dr. Lewis. She's very nice and it seems like she likes students and really wants to be there. Having said that I must say the class was so easy it bordered on insulting. I could have passed the first exam in the 7th grade. The next two were slightly harder but not much. If you want to learn take a different professor. If you want an easy A here it is.

Dr. Lewis is an awesome instructor. She is very considerate of students' lifes and also pays attention to detail. For Ant.250, take neat notes since 90% of her exams are from notes and reading is reasonable (4 chapter per exam). Also, you are required to do a book review, make sure you give yourself enough time to read it and write it. I didn't get the hang of the class 'til late in the quarter, so don't waste any time and stay on top of the subject.

What the guy/gal below said. Amen. I too took this class and have long since graduated from Poly, but I was cruising Poly Ratings for a kick and thought that I should pipe in and let you know how much of a joke this prof is.

She is a chill teacher, but the only points toward your grade are the 2 mid-terms and the final! I took this class as a GE requirement unknowing of how boring Cultural Anthropology can be. It's not the professor that's bad, there is just so much reading and even if you've read thoroughly and studied hours for this class (I did), the tests give what seem to me more than 1 possible answer. Thus, I got a C, D, and another C on the tests and ended up with a C in the class despite all the note-taking, reading, and studying. If you don't like reading, I suggest you take another class under the GED3 requirement. She does take random attendace periodically, and if youre there she gives you points. As boring as this class was, I suggest you show up. The notes she gives are important!

ANT 360 (Human Cultural Adaptation) was the third class that I took from Dr. Lewis. She is one of the best professors in the Social Sciences department and if you have the opportunity to take her do. Her lectures are very organized and she explains everything clearly and answers any questions the students have. Her test are challenging but fair since she tests on everything she covers in class. I recommend attending class (especially while taking ANT 360) since she basically tells you what the essay questions will be on the midterm and final. One word of caution if you are planning to take ANT 360: there is a large amount of reading and assigned reading summaries. As a bonus she often lets the class out 30-20 minutes early!

Doctor Lewis is definitely one of the best teachers that I have ever had. Even though her class is tough and requires a lot of reading, she is a very fair grader and explains the material in class very thoroughly. We read two books that were very interesting, but challenging. All tests were essays and she would give us a bunch of questions before so we could prepare. Overall, take this class if you can!~

Dr. Lewis is a great professor. The only thing I would say is that her lectures can be a bit try, but other than that she's awesome. Go to her office hours, she is extremely helpful. The tests are challenging (essay), but she gives you the possible questions before hand...so just right pre-essays and take them in to her office hours and have her review them. Honestly, she's great...I would definately take her again.

This class has alot of writing and reading. We read 2 books, one interesting and easy, the other, more boring and difficult to read. You have to write 3 summery-responses to the readings, there is 1 midterm and a final. Both are all essay ?'s, but she gives you a list of possible questions ahead of time. If you make outlines for these the tests are pretty easy. Also, if you go to office hours she will help explain the questions and give some answers to them. She explains things very well in class but its alot of information so dont skip lectures. Also is a hard grader.

This teacher is the best professor I have ever had the pleasure of having at cal poly. She honestly cares about her students and is always willing to help a student out. Her midterms are essay questions and she gives out the questions before hand. She loves what she does and I would take her if you get the oppertunity. You read two books and have to do at least 3 summaries but they are easy to do. You learn a ton, it is and easy class, and the teacher is awesome. There is no reason not to take this class or have this teacher.

Awesome professor, very interesting class. Take this class if you get the chance.

Lewis is the best teacher i've ever had.... i enjoyed every day in her class, and actually wanted to get up in the morning and go... i would highly recommend this class for a GE... there are two books that are read (a few chapters out of 1)...one book is really great but the other is a little more difficult... midterm and final are essay exams, but she gives the essay questions ahead of time so there is plenty of time to prepare... GO TO OFFICE HOURS... she is alot of help...

Lewis is an alright professor. Her lectures are ok, but get boring after a while. She pauses lots of times in her lectures to see if anyone has questions, but this gets annoying as her pauses interrupt the flow of the lecture, especially when students never speak up when she asks questions. The material was pretty difficult. The course consisted of two tests: one midterm and one final. We had two summaries to do out of six. There were six possible dates to turn in your summary of a chapter or sets of chapters from the required textbooks and we had to turn in two of them. She graded fairly hard on the papers, so really work on them. Try to do them as soon as possible because if you do the later dates, you will have to summarize more chapters. There was a lot of reading for the class, even though she said she cut down on the reading from previous years. The tests were very difficult and contained a huge amount of material, since each one covered half of the quarter. The tests are all essay and the questions are handed out beforehand. Look these over thuroughly and be very prepared for the tests because the questions are pretty difficult. However, a few things bugged me about this class. Occasionally we would converse about current issues such as the war in Iraq or other issues. She was very intense in these lectures and was very closeminded. I think these topics had little to do with our material, and it was unfortunate she decided to lecture on this the class before the midterm, because it was a hard test. I even agreed with most of her viewpoints, but I didn't like the way she was so overbearing and wouldn't let students oppose her. I think classrooms can have the teacher's opinion voiced, but there needs to be open discussion and to me, it seemed that her discussion of events was very one-way. It seemed she wasn't thinking about if anyone in the class was offended by her view and her imposing that view on them. I think she should have been more considerate and professional to the class, and I even agreed with most of the things she said! Another thing that wasn't very good was that she couldn't be in the room while we were filling out her class survey, where we grade her as a teacher, and she left the class as we did this. But, she waited outside and took the forms over herself to the office to be turned in. This isn't right, and I don't like the fact that she had the opportunity to read what we wrote about her before we took the final. I think this is a very unprofessional thing to do. Overall, it was a hard class, the readings took lots of time, as well as the papers. Be prepared to read lots and to study hard for this class. One nice thing was that we got out of class a little bit early most of the time and she did offer an extra credit paper that we could write summarizing an outside of class on campus lecture.

The best professor at Cal Poly. She is so honest and real. Cool chick, awesome outlook on life. This class was a class I read for, studied for, and enjoyed every minute of!

pretty cool class. no textbook, just 2 novels to read. 2 summaries on a few chapters from each book, a midterm and final (both are essay format) but she gives you the potential questions before hand so you can prepare yourself. usually some extra credit given, go to lecture and read the books.

I took this class cr/no cr, but I would have obtained a B+/A-. The class is not that difficult, just be sure to attend the lectures and do the readings. There are three writing assignments that reflect the readings, and she is a particular grader. Your grade in the class is based on these three writings and the final and one midterm. If you go to office hours, she is very helpful.

Lewis was alright...Her class consisted of two novels, the first of which was semi-interesting, and the second which was absolutely horrid. Her lectures were straight up summaries of the books, every single time. I don't think she ever put in her own information, just droned about the books she'd assigned us which she'd no doubt read multiple times. Never slides, or videos, or anything interesting, and half the time she was whining about all the other classes she's teaching and her gigantic workload. Seemed to put very little effort into teaching, but if you don't really care about stimulation, she's chill enough. Manageable workload, and she gives the essay questions for the midterm and final beforehand, so that's nice. I just got really sick of going to class everyday when i knew everything she'd be "teaching" me would come straight from a book i'd already read. Beyond boring class, unexceptional teacher.

This class was very interesting and very straightforward. Lectures kept my attention. She was pretty funny, and very approachable. I am not a SOC major but it didn't really matter. The grade consists of 2 essays, and 2 essay tests... the test essay questions are given AT LEAST a week in advance. There's really no way to do poorly in this class... it's all laid out for you and it's up to you to do the work. Two books had to be read, fairly easy reads... though there was quite a bit of it to read. Not bad overall.. I would recommend it to anyone

Jennifer Lewis is a pretty cool professor. She doesn't assign a lot of work, but you can't fall behind in the readings, because if you don't read you won't pass the class. Besides the reading summaries, most of the work in this class is preparing for the midterm and final, which are both bluebook. Writing practice essays is probably the best way to prepare yourself, and actually reading the two assigned novels. She might come off as a little intimidating during the first class, but it gets better and her lectures are actually pretty interesting. She also lets out about quarter till almost every class. I would definitely recommend her for any Anthropology class.

Professor Lewis is a wonderful professor. She presents very interesting material in a clear and concise manner and it always open to discussion. Her 2-hour long lectures were always interesting and I never wanted to miss them. 360 is a really cool course and it fills up quick, but if you can get in it, I would highly recommend taking it. One word of warning, though, Lewis is a pretty demanding grader when it comes to her essay format midterm and final so bring your "A" game!

Professor Lewis is a good teacher overall. She presents her material in a clear format which is easy to understand. She expects good work from her students and actually reads and grades each paper carefully. Where I have a problem with her is her ideological stance. She is very liberal and presents all her opinions as facts. Being liberal myself, I tend to agree with her in most areas; I just found it irritating that she refused to even consider alternative points of view to her own. She has a set idea about the world and doesn’t react well to people who disagree.

A lot of reading, but it is an interesting class. You learn about why Europeans became powerful by taking many advantages over indigenous people. It is not because they are genetically superior, but because of the advantages they had available.

Really enjoyed Dr. Lewis' class. It was challenging but I can honestly say I learned a lot from this course. Many people don't like cultural anthropology classes but this is no ordinary anthropology class. You don't learn about the cultures of different populations, what you do learn in this class is how humans have been able to adapt to their environments throughout history and how it has shaped their own history to this day. We read two books in class, and had to write 3 essays based on the reading. There is one midterm and a final. In both students were required to write a standard essay and two shorter ones. Lewis is a great professor, she has a deep understanding of the material and I would definitely recommend this class. Be warned though, it is not an easy A.

Prof Lewis is FANTASTIC! Not only an amazing lecturer and incredibly passionate about the class, but is also a very real person and totally motivating. She expects a lot from you, and you need to read, but it is fascinating information, and she helps you through every step of the way. Perhaps not a class for the faint of heart but unbelievably rewarding. She's made me consider taking an Anthropology Minor as an Architecture student...now thats one motivational professor!

Professor Lewis is AWESOME! I took this class to fulfill D5 and it was hands down the most worthwhile GE I've taken at Cal Poly. The material is so interesting and there is a lot of reading but Dr. Lewis has such a passion for the subject that she goes over the material so well during lectures. It's super important not to miss lectures because that's when you can really get a grasp on the material. The information I learned in this class extends far beyond the subject matter and provides a unique perspective on the world around us. It was worth every bit of effort I invested in doing the reading and learning the material.

I took ANT 360 to fill a GE and as an adviser approved elective. It was a snap decision to take this class and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I LOVE Professor Lewis and I absolutely loved this class. I was initially skeptical because on the first day we were told that this class was not going to be easy and we would have to work hard. Not quite something you want to hear on the first day. But I am so glad I stuck it out because this ended up being one of my favorite classes at Cal Poly. It is by no means an easy class. There are two assigned books and expect to do a lot of reading in a short amount of time. There are random reading quizzes, almost weekly when the reading is due, so do the reading! It will also help you so much for the two midterms, which correspond to the two books. The midterms are essay tests that usually take the whole class period. If you understand the reading, you will be fine. The reading is also the base for lectures, so go to class! I understood the reading sooooo much better when Professor Lewis explained it in class. Overall I learned a lot and found the books to be very interesting. Professor Lewis is an amazing professor who really understands what she's talking about and is truly passionate about anthropology and helping her students to learn. She expects you to work hard for your grade, but is extremely reasonable and fair. I would take this class again in a heartbeat!

Dr. Lewis is by far the best professor I have ever had. She sets the bar high, but she makes it clear that she won't bullshit you. You have 2 books to read over the series of the course with quizzes once a week (they are pretty easy questions if you do the reading) and 1 midterm and 1 final. The material is interesting, and its not your typical dry history class, but offers a different perspective on how the world works. If you're not willing to go to class or do the reading don't take this class, but if you're willing to put some effort into it you should pull off at the very least a B. She gives you the grade that reflects your work. Honestly, she just wants you to think and reflect on the course material.

Professor Lewis goes above and beyond and really makes an effort to connect with her students with good advice/ enthusiasm/ and making the classroom vibe not so much teacher vs students but everyone learning together. Anthro 360 is an eye opening and extremely interesting class- would definitely recommend it. You read 2 books throughout the quarter and have weekly reading quizzes. The midterm is on the first book and the final is on the second book. The midterm and essay are made up of 3 essay questions that you write in class- she gives you the prompt about 2-3 weeks before but you don't know which essays will be on the test. I hardly read the books (do read them!) but went to every lecture and pulled off a B, so needless to say it is very passable.

I found Dr. Lewis's lectures to be world altering. She makes it easy to become engaged in the course material, and is extraordinarily good at connecting with her students. You leave the class with a better understanding of why the world is the way it is, and with the knowledge that we all have the power of choice and the ability to choose love and peace in all situations. ANT 360 is useful and applicable in all areas of life, and Dr. Lewis presents the material brilliantly... Also, her dog Ella Fitzgerald is the most adorable dog you've ever seen (if you're lucky, she will bring her into class one day).

I echo the previous sentiments. Dr. Lewis is a WORLD ALTERING teacher. It's obvious she really cares for and connects with her students. She really wants to teach students about the history of the world and at the same time teach them about love and the power we have in our own lives. She seems so enlightened! Also, her little dog is soooo cute. She is by far the most real and honest teacher I have ever had. My first anthro class was with Rucas but Lewis is way better. TAKE HER!

I'm actually shocked that her reviews are so favorable. I took this class about a year ago and I thought that she was a very hard grader. Like not just "oh no, I have to try" kind of hard, but like "I tried really effing hard, had this edited, revised it, showed it to her beforehand and still didn't get an A" kind of hard. This class was the 2nd lowest grade I've ever received in college and it's my minor... so yeah. Oodles of reading (half of which is hell-ish; the other half of wish is purgatory-ish).

Dr. Lewis was great at teaching the material you needed to know for the midterm essays and final essays, but her judgment toward people's backgrounds was horrifying. She gives a lecture on the first day about being non-judgmental in class, but bad-mouths Oklahoma constantly and frowns upon all rural areas. If you can get past her quirky ways and judgmental attitude, I'm sure you can probably pass her class no problem.

I’ve never felt the need to write something on poly ratings before… but after taking ANT 360 I felt I had to. Dr. Lewis is the perfect balance of witty, intelligent, optimistic and cynical. She presents materials in a way that is entertaining, straightforward, and eye opening. She really hits home when she asks obvious questions that I have never thought about before. She’s really changed my perspective on the world in the past, present, and where we are headed. The quizzes where straight forward, the Exams where even more so. I had never expected to get so much from a GE course, but I am pleasantly surprised that I did. Honestly going to class was more like attending a very particular Ellen DeGeneres show. She really makes you want to change for the better. I suggest to all needing to fulfill an area D to take this class, it’s well worth it. And to Dr. Lewis, thank you for the awesome quarter! Your class will affect how I perceive the world for the rest of my life. (P.S.: For those who took this course and like the environmental aspects of it, I would suggest taking AG 360 as a follow up course, or reading Alan Savory’s “Holistic Management”. That goes into methods to improve the current desertification that our environments are going into.)

I found this class eye opening in some ways, disappointing in others. Overall, Dr. Lewis's class is worth taking. There were a few things I didn't like: the class structure is repetitive. If you do the reading first, take the reading quiz, then listen to the lecture, you'll find yourself listening to content you've already read about for the next two and a half hours. If you try listening to the lecture and then doing the reading to expand your knowledge from the core concepts to more specific details--which is what I would have preferred to do--you won't pass the reading quizzes, as you'll always be a chapter behind. Combined with that, the two books assigned were repetitive themselves. Somewhere near the end of the first book, the author Jared Diamond leads in with 'As you read in the second chapter...' and all I could think was--that's what I read in every chapter! That's all you've been writing! The second chapter is the third, is the forth, is the ninth with a few more global applications... On the bright side of all that, you won't have to study to do well. Tests and reading quizzes grade on comprehension and your ability to explain what you've been taught, not to analyze it. Fairly easy stuff, but it could have been so much better. Still, there's plenty to take away from the class, and the readings are interesting if slow.

Wow Lewis is awesome. Second time I've had her she's hilarious!! Keeps you interested and understands it's a GE. She does give a lot of reading but it's do able. I'd say take her you'll actually be interested in what's she's saying and it's relevant Information! Best lady

dr. lewis was an awesome teacher. Her class was the only one all quarter I wasn't horrifically bored in. Shes a very interesting a down to earth person and easy to relate to. She's got a good sense of humor and is very clear when she lectures. She does require weekly reading that she quizzes on, but the quizzes are ridiculously easy if you even look at the chapters. Her exams are definitely lengthy, essay style. But she gives you the exact questions weeks before for you to study. Shes a rad lady, highly recommended.

Doctor Jenn is an awwsome person/professor. She is very comical in her teachings but also serious when she has to be. In the beginning of class she warns you to drop the class if you're not interested in anything she's saying at first. Although I loved Jenn, her quizzes sucked and made me wish I listened to her. Especially during weeks 3-5 which were hell weeks for me. She has you read two books that are very, very long and boring. Every week she has you read over 100 pages worth of chapters and quizzes you on them. The quizzes were 5 questions on random things you have to hope you stumbled across. Luckily the midterm and final saved my grade. She gives you the 3 prompts before hand on what you have to write about from the books you read. I suggest going into her office hours and asking about your outlines before taking the tests. Her lecturers can sometimes be boring but also sometimes interesting, I suggest trying to take good notes because most of what she says will help you on the tests. I suggest taking a different class as your upper elective because of all the reading and writing, but if you do end up with her, you should be good.

I really loved this class. The first book was much easier to read than the second book but if you skim through and read some summaries you may be able to get some of the quiz points. I really loved the first book and read all of the required chapters. The second book I skimmed because it was very dry. Her lectures are very thought provoking and I feel this class enriched my life a ton.

Dr. Lewis is one of my favorite professors. I loved this course, it made me consider minoring in Anthropology. Despite some of the readings being quite dense, she helps guide you through the big picture. I highly recommend taking her if you have the opportunity. Seriously... she's awesome. One of those professors you could see yourself go out to get a drink with. TAKE HER!

funny as a person, monotone as a teacher. Alot of the class struggled. About 5 of the people I talked to were at a C due to the difficulty of her quizzes. Reading is extremely excessive if you are taking a heavy load of major classes. No grades are posted online so you have to go to her office hours to get it. No curve. She starts off in the 1st class talking about how grades don't really matter. But then she goes on to discuss how she got a PHD (don't grades matter to get into doctors program???). For that reason, don't expect a grade lifter after failing a ridiculous quiz. It was hard to enjoy the class when I was worried about my grade the whole time. I had the lowest grade I have ever had in this class.....and I am senior standing. As I said, I wasn't the only one with this opinion, as I talked to 5 others on a consistent basis. My biggest mistake....not dropping this class from the start.

One of the best professors you will ever have. She is straight to the point and does not mess around, but she is funny as hell and is easy to listen to. You definitely have to put the work in the get the grade you want, but she grades fairly and is totally willing to work with you in office hours or after class. If you want to take any anthropology class, make sure to take something with her.

Lewis is a great lady however she is extremely unreasonable with her demands. Are you kidding me she gives 4-5 hours of reading every 2 days. Then she quizzes you on the reading but the quizzes arent even worth that much. Her midterm is write three essays in an hour and fifty minutes. She expects 10 pages single spaced in under 2 hours... and then gives you low grades on them. Not a good class especially since everyone is taking it for GE. REALLY REALLY excessive reading and harsh grading. If you love reading books on books and writing lots of essays and then getting bad grades on them this is your class.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE ANTHROPOLOGY OR ARE NOT INTERESTED IN WHY THE WORLD IS THE WAY IT IS TODAY THEN DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. I found it interesting because I loved the material, even though there was a lot of reading and the second book she assigned for the latter half of the quarter was dense. The midterm and final are essay based and worth most of your grade so you need to read and study in order to fill the pages with writing. The lectures can be dry at times, but you need to go to them because she narrows down what to focus on in the readings which are very lengthy. I loved how this class broadened my mind on the past compared to our society today, but I definitely had to work hard for the A.

Lewis is a great teacher. This is the third class I have taken of hers because I enjoy her classes so much. typically, two or three TESTS depending on the class. ANT 415 had three tests. tests are usually MC, t/f, short essay, and/or long essay. it seems like a lot of stuff, but she pretty much outlines what you need to know and tells you the class before the test what the essay questions will be. READING assignments are fair and manageable. This class had a research paper 10-12 pages in length due at the end of the quarter, but the class before it was due a student asked if she would move the due date back a week and she easily said yes. this gives you an insight into her personality, as well, in that she is really down to earth and cares more about you learning the material than getting a grade for it. i definitely RECOMMEND this class or any other.

Dr. Lewis is going to be one of those teachers who you will talk about to your kids when they go off to college. She is great! If you have had her you know what I am talking about. If you have not had her YOU NEED TO TAKE HER! In a school full of closed minded cowboys and up tight prude Poly Dollys (yes I am from AG) it is so nice to have those reality checks every now and then. I took Dr. Lewis for 360 as well, and just walked out of there with a new sense of life. I know it soulds like BS, but it was not the content of the course...It was the teacher. If you talk to almost anyone who has taken Dr. Lewis their responce is always positive.