Rucas, Stacey  

Dr. Rucas is the NICEST lady, and her class is really interesting. She has passion for her students as well as her subject. Asking her for help or clarification is always beneficial.

Great teacher. The lectures are interesting, the tests are hard, but not impossible, and she gives no homework (not for this class at least).

Rucas was an awesome teacher. Her lectures were interesting and for the most part kept my attention. Although she makes the class entertaining, most people don\'t go to lecture. DON\"T BE ONE OF THOSE. Her tests are designed to make the people that go to class pass, and those that don\'t go to class not do so well on the exams. Multiple attendance questions appear on the exams which are weighted far more than any educational questions. Basically, as long as you go to class you have nothing to worry about because she curves the class at the end by a lot.

Rucas was a great lecturer. I had her lecture 6-8 at night. The class is open door, you can come and go as you please. I highly recommend going to lectures... her tests are HEAVILY weighted for in-class material. She tells really entertaining stories, most of her travels with Amazonian tribes, but also all over the world. She is well-researched and loves Cal Poly and it\'s students. Tip: Read all the material before you take the online tests, you don\'t have time to search through it all. They are open note, so they can be quite tricky, but if you are efficient at locating material, you will do well. Good luck.

Dr. Rucas is freakin\' amazing when it comes to lectures. She has so much experience in the field that she has tons of entertaining stories to tell which illustrate her points. Her assignments are free points if you do them and they make up a huge portion of the grade. The exams can be pretty difficult if you don\'t know what you\'re doing. The best advice I can give is to DO THE READING, which isn\'t too bad because it\'s actually interesting material. Her tests are online (the one midterm and the final), open book and open note. They do not require ANY memorization, but you must know where exactly in the book to FIND the answers. She stresses that it\'s more a game of find the answers than memorize them. They\'re definitely doable though. The last point is to COME TO CLASS. She gives out free answers on the test (her attendance questions) and they can make up as much as 10% of an exam grade. Pretty easy to get that 10% if you were there. I\'m excited to take ANT 250 with her next quarter. She really is a lot of fun.

I thought her lectures were sometimes interesting and her stories of her own experiences were interesting but her exams were extremely HARD! She does curve them but they still are hard. They are open note online timed, but not only does she test on information in the lectures and book but also she asks questions about her own personal stories in class where most of the time I just zoned out. She also put attendance questions on her tests. I thought she was an interesting woman but her class was pretty boring and it was hard to pay attention. She is very experienced in her field though and she seems like a cool lady.

When I first went into this class I was really excited about the material that we were going to learn. Rucas does an awesome job lecturing and she is extremely interesting. She does a great job teaching. BUT the tests are incredibly hard. They are online, but they are very thorough. I was not prepared at all for the first one, even though I had taken notes, been to every lecture, and read the chapter. I would recommend this class if you are not worried about getting an A, but would like to learn.

Rucas is one of my favorite professors at Cal Poly. I hate having a 2 hour lecture, but she makes it so interesting I don\'t mind it at all and I look forward to her class. The course has a final and a midterm, both of which are online and timed. However, if you do the reading (which is not much) and go to lecture you should be able to pull off a good grade on the exams (plus she gives you answers to some questions just for attending lecture). There is one also a group project which is not difficult at all. This is a great class and Rucas is an awesome professor! Take her if you can!

Do NOT take this class if you are given a choice. It was very interesting but the tests are IMPOSSIBLY HARD.

Dr. Rucas is indeed a nice lady, but the class is based on 1 midterm and 1 final and one project. The exams are online and FUCKING IMPOSSIBLE. Vague questions, material you never covered, terribly worded, you name it. Do not take this class.

I liked the teacher. 2 test and the essay were awesome. The essay is an easy A if you show it to her before you submit it. She'll tell you what to do to get a 90% or more. The test.... consider it a search and destroy mission between all her slides, the book, and the random lecture questions. I'd say its pretty even on all those fronts with 33% to all those categories. I never studied for the test... i kinda learned the material as it went on, but if you are persistent and can search for the answers in a really efficient manner you'll be golden. Also she curves it, so don't worry if you get a low grade.

This class is great, but a few words of caution. Prof. Rucas' laid back attitude can cause you to underestimate her. Her tests are tricky, and she does actually grade the Food Ways paper. However, if you visit her in office hours, she will tell you exactly how to right the paper, and that will help you get a good grade easily. Otherwise, the class is very interesting, and doesn't involve too much work. Only 2 online tests and a food assignment paper. A worthwhile elective or GE.

This class is great, but a few words of caution. Prof. Rucas' laid back attitude can cause you to underestimate her. Her tests are tricky, and she does actually grade the Food Ways paper. However, if you visit her in office hours, she will tell you exactly how to right the paper, and that will help you get a good grade easily. Otherwise, the class is very interesting, and doesn't involve too much work. Only 2 online tests and a food assignment paper. A worthwhile elective or GE.

Very well versed in her area of study and knowledgeable overall. This class is extremely straight-forward. What she says is directly from the powerpoint and all powerpoints are on PolyLearn, accessible at any time. The thing about the class itself is that it can be VERY BORING and towards the middle of the quarter I found myself not taking notes (b/c everything is on polylearn) and falling asleep. But its still very important to go to class to get the attendance questions she gives at the end of lectures (freebies on the exams). Class consists of 1 easy paper and two online tests. Tests are timed but only 30-40 questions. Seems easy, right? Not exactly. Every question has 5-12 possible answers which are similar to each other and include those "only a, d, and g" options. So it is important to know the material well before going into the test or you'll waste all your time looking for the answers and fail. All in all, tests are more that doable and class is an easy A or B, plus Rucas is a sweet lady.

Stacey Rucas is by far the best professor/teacher I have ever had. She is so understanding and effectively presents course material. She is enthusiastic and I honestly looked forward to going to her class. She is wonderful!!! She cares about her student's success.

Doctor Rucas is one of the kindest, sweetest, most approachable professors I've had so far. She is SO ENTHUSIASTIC about anthropology, it's awesome! I would highly recommend taking this class as it is not only super super interesting, but she is great, and it is not hard at all. All you really have to do is show up to class. She gives attendance questions you don't want to miss. The essay and two tests are super easy - the tests are online and all the answers are in the textbook, her lecture slides (which she posts online), or were given to you in class. Take this class!!

Really loved Professor Rucas for my first quarter at Cal Poly. Her lectures were really interesting and explained a lot cultures all over the world. But one thing is to always attend class every day or you will miss the attendance question.

The entire class is based upon your midterms (part 1 and 2), a lesson that is around 5 points, Food Ways assignment (30%), and a final exam (35%). The perks of the class is that Rucas gives powerpoint presentations which you can use for your online tests.The tests are online and open book/open textbook. Yet, it's really not as easy as it sounds. You're going to have to really know your shit as each question tends to have the format of : a-d, e is none of the above, f is all of the above, g is a or c, or h is a, b, c, or etc. Those suck. Some questions are weighted differently too. still, it's doable if you take notes in class. I highly suggest you try to take notes on what she says NOT on the powerpoints. There are some notes that I didn't take because I thought she was rambling on a tangent but it ended up being a question on the exam. Overall, she was a really good teacher since she knew her stuff. She is a very nice and knowledgeable lady. If you study hard and pay attention in class, you'll easily get an A. If you pay attention in class, you'll get an A-.

Stacey Rucas truly is an amazing human. Cultural Anthropology was a great and interesting class. I loved coming to the lectures. The tests can be a little tricky but really not too bad. Her teaching style is awesome and she really engages with the students. I highly recommend taking this class. I learned a lot from the classes.

Only 3 graded assignments for ANT 201. A paper that is gently graded and the midterm and final. Both the midterm and final are taken online at home during a week window. The midterm and final are open note but still fairly difficult. Attendance is taken in the form of random questions on the tests (such as choose a color) and the answer is told in class some day before the test date. Overall a very nice, effective and reasonably easy teacher.

Rucas was great. Very knowledgable in her field, and she knows how to teach. I loved her lectures. We watched two movies that were really interesting. Food ways project was easy. Midterm wasn't too bad, but the final was really hard. Prepare for it even though its open note and you can take online!

Anthropology is one of my least favorite subjects, but Stacey Rucas is an amazing teacher. She showed a lot of relevent videos and shared stories that actually made me interested in the subject. She clearly knows what she is talking about, and presented the material in an effective way. I can't help but wish she taught chemistry or another subject that I enjoyed more. The class itself was fairly easy. There was one project that shouldn't take more than a few hours to do. The rest of the grade for the class relied on the midterm and final which were both open note and online. The tests were actually fairly difficult, but there was more than enough time to look at the book and notes while taking it.

Professor Rucas is an incredible lecturer/teacher/professor/life sage. She has so much experience in the field and finds ways to incorporate her experiences or studies into every class. She really challenged my world view and how I perceive other cultures. The tests were difficult so make sure you always keep up with what she talks about since you can find her powerpoint online. Definitely my favorite professor at poly so far!

Prof Rucas makes the class very engaging. She calls everything 'spicy' and has a huge passion for the Tsimane. She will straight up tell you a story about the Tsimane in the middle of lecture and make references to the Tsimane every other lecture. This is the first year that she let the midterm and final to be done in pairs...which I really liked. Your grade is the midterm, finals, online lessons, and a foodways project. My best advice is to go to class bc the midterm and final are heavy lecture weighted...and although she posts the powerpoints on polylearn she will give you random words that you will need to know for the exam (ie a color). Highly recommend! You really don't need the book if you are going to class everyday. Went through the entire quarter without even touching it.

Stacey is my favorite professor at Cal Poly thus far. She is highly intelligent and interesting. I would look forward to going to her lecture every time, because I knew I would spend 2 hours learning very interesting material. She is very funny and always keeps lecture engaging. The midterm and final were easy to get A's on, if you spent time reading the articles on polylearn and the assigned textbook material. Highly recommend!

Stacey is very nice and funny. She has had a lot of experience in the field of anthropology and I enjoyed the majority of the material covered in her class. She tells a lot of personal anecdotes which adds a nice touch to her lectures. That being said, her tests were super hard!!! They are multiple choice, given online, and with a partner, so you'd think there's no way you wouldn't get an A. But, each question offers like 10 possible answers and draw from very specific lines in the reading so you really have to read your textbook and online articles very well!

Dr. Rucas is such a sweet lady and has so many stories to tell, I absolutely loved her class. Although the class was late at night, she really makes an effort to make it interesting and worth your while. There are often exam questions on videos shown in class or attendance question; she does post the slides but doesn't include the video links so it is in your best interest to go to class. While these are online, open-note, partner exams, they are not to be underestimated because they are often looking for a specific phrasing from the book/notes. Make sure you at least skim through the notes and readings before starting the timer on the exams so you know where things are and don't waste time looking for the answer. My partner and I both took notes during class and split up the readings (because it is A LOT of reading) for each exam. Overall, a really fun class, great teacher, go to class and you will do fine.

Prof. Rucas is my FAVORITE professor I have had at Cal Poly and cultural anthropology is a very interesting subject. She is highly educated in her field and has conducted research in third world countries, creating a greater insight of real-life applications of anthropology. I have this class 6-8 pm, but am always excited to attend class and the time passes by quickly. If you have the time in your schedule or need a GE, this is definitely the class to take. I am currently in it and am considering adding on an anthropology minor because of this class.

Professor Rucas is clearly a professional in the field of Cultural Anthropology. The material she presented was equally intriguing and engaging, and although the lecture felt long at times, I felt that I was taken on a story of humanity throughout this course. As an engineering student I did not expect to like the content of this class, but ended up enjoying it more than I had expected. Additionally, the grading of this course --especially seeing as it is a freshman level course-- is fair and frankly easy. I would highly recommend this class as an elective

Prof Rucas is very engaging and passionate about anthropology. Its hard to sit through a 2 hour lecture but she kept them interesting. Definitely pay attention in class, the midterm and final are online but pretty hard if you don't go to class and take good notes.

This class was great. The time was pretty rough because it was from 6-8 after a long day, but she made it interesting. She tells a bunch of interesting and funny stories that keep you interested. She also shows a lot videos. It's important to go to class and stay until the end. She gives attendance questions on what videos she shows in class and on random words that she tells you to remember. You don't really have to take notes because all her lectures are on PolyLearn. Her midterm and final are online and focus more on the reading than on the lecture slides. It helps if you read the chapters or at least skim through them before you start the exam. This was a pretty easy A, and it was a fun class that gave me so many fun random facts that I know now.

Dr. Rucas is amazing at giving lectures, she can literally go on and on without any breaks it's amazing. I was blocked into this class as a GE, and to be completely honest, I was never totally interested in the subject matter or the class. Going to class was a struggle but I still managed to attend all of them because she gives "attendance questions" which were pretty arbitrary words or sentences or numbers that would, without fail, be on her midterm. These are easy points that should not be missed so ATTEND LECTURE. When you're in lecture do not write down what is on the slide, but write down what she says, also make note of the videos you watch somewhere in your notes. Do all the lessons on time, and really try your best on the Foodways Project. It's a large part of your grade, and it is peer graded. Getting 100% will be your lifesaver especially if you don't do too hot on the tests. The tests were a struggle, but if you can do well on all the lessons and the projects, then getting an A should not be too hard. Don't underestimate this class, and try to keep up with the reading.

Cool lady, not super interesting, and not the easiest GE. The tests totally messed me up.

I took this class awhile ago but I never left a review. This professor is so sweet. I went to her office hours and she really helped and she left a great impression on me! Her tests were long, but they are online so that makes up for it.

Stacey is a great prof. The online open note tests are not easy but they are fair. Attending lecture is critical to doing well. She's an excellent lecturer and very helpful if you need something clarified.

You have 3 exams (3 midterms) and a paper in this class. Each item is worth 25% of your grade. Her tests are BRUTAL. they are all online and they take 4-5 hours each, each questions has possible answers of a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k and the last 4-5 answers are all of the above, none of the above, or a combination like a& b, c& d& g, or a &e& f&k. Everyone gets C's and very low Bs and she does not curve. She is a brutal [professor]. The material is very interesting that she lectures on the TESTS ARE IMPOSSIBLE. ... I hate her. I wish i NEVER took this class, I dont know why I signed up, oh I remember, because she didnt have a polyrating warning me not to. ... She makes the lamest jokes in class and needs to get a life outside of biological anthropolgy, take another teacher if possible because the material covered is very interesting.

The tests were way too hard and there was so much information it became totally meaningless. Dr. Rucas is super smart and very kind, but I ended up having to miss other classes to take her tests which averaged from about 4-6 hours. She knows they are hard and just laughs it off when something is said concerning them. She really loves her subject and can answer almost any question you can come up with, but the class was just a little too over the top. The class is required for social sciences majors and she is the only professor for the class, so just be prepared to get a low grade on the tests even though they are open note, go to class, and hope she curves all of the tests like she did for our class. I ended up with a B+.

Her tests are online, so you can use your notes and take all day if you need to. However, you will need ALL DAY to do well on the exam. The questions are multiple choice, and have about eight answers to choose from, which in itself is confusing. Plus, they are the kind of questions where two of the answers could both work, and many simply didn't match up with the notes. Another horrible thing about these online tests is that you can't really ask her questions. Another bad part about this class was the zoo project. I had to drive over the grade to the Atascadero zoo, pay the admission fee to the zoo, observe a primate for an hour, write a paper with VERY nitpicky guidelines, and I got a C minus on the paper! I really tried my best to do it to her specifications too. It is a shame, because the actual course material is very interesting. I just got the feeling that this woman feels spiteful for something and is taking it out on her students.

Dr. Rucas is a really nice person. She is a charismatic lecturer and the material is interesting. DO NOT buy the text "How Humans Evolved" or whatever its called. It does not help you at all and is not necessary. Also the other text, Demonic Males, is interesting but only has maybe two questions related to it on the exam. About the exams...they will make you want to walk into traffic. They are online, open note and book. But don't let that fool you. If you want to do well, it will take you a good five hours. Many questions are answers A through G (with answers like "a, b, d but not e) Ridiculous. Eventhough its an honor system, teaming up on the exam is a must. As you will find out, it's not a matter of honor, it's a matter of survival. And not only are the answers not found in the book (thats why you don't need to buy it), some are not even in her lecture slides. The only plus side is that she tends to curve (she has no choice because a lot of people fail) Though she didn't for the last two exams in my class because we had such a "high average" (high average being like a C-) So God be with you. The zoo assignment is pretty easy and it's cool to do. Just do EXACTLY as she instructs and you'll do fine.

She is amazing! everyone should take her classes.

Her online tests are ridiculous... the day you have to take them you better make sure you have no other classes or anything that will force you to leave your room or the library to take care of. i would not take this class again or this teacher. i'm really surprised that she has so many good comments, i was expecting the exact opposite

ANT 250 is a cool class, especially if you really don't want to take a plain old biology class. Dr. Rucas is incredibly intelligent and incredibly nice as well. You take 3 tests, one of them being the final exam, and write a short essay on a primate based upon observations that you do at the Zoo. The material is complex but Dr. Rucas makes it accessible. The material is also really applicable to everyday life, especially the stuff about sex and love (you'll get what I mean when you take the class). You have optional reading but you should do it, the class is really hard without it. Also, the exams are all online, and open-note/open-book. That being said, they are ridiculously long and difficult. They take at least 3-4 hours to complete and the class average is always really low (but she does adjust with a curve). Pay attention, go to class (she gives out random test answers in class that you won't get if you don't go), and take good notes. You will learn a lot and have a good time too.

Awesome professor and sexy too when she wears tight dresses! Dr. Rucas is extremely intelligent and delivers her lectures with clarity and concision. She is always happy to help those who need it. But with the yin comes the yang. Her exams are evil!.... but manageable. Many of the multiple choice questions have anywhere from 4 to 15 options including "all of the above", "none of the above", "a and c", "b, c and d" etc. The exams are online so you can use all your lecture notes and the books. Do yourself a favor: 1) Develop a keyword index from your in-class lecture notes; it helps with the exams 2) If Dr. Rucas gives you multiple days to complete the exams, START EARLY otherwise you'll be rushed and will probably burn out by the end of the exams. Most of the questions you'll be tested on will be included in the lectures. But if you want an A in the class, you'll need to read the books, especially "Demonic Males." Also, the exams are graded on a curve (typically increaed by a full letter grade). The only homework you'll have in this class is a short paper called "The Primate Project." No sweat, it's easy. Just follow the instructions closely and turn it in on time. Overall, Dr. Rucas is an outstanding professor. She has a unique ability to make an otherwise dull subject into something very interesting. Pay close attention in this class; you'll get a lot out of it!

This was my favorite class that I took all year. Professor Rucas's enthusiasm for the subject made the class very interesting and enjoyable. i actually looked forward to going to this class. The tests are a bit hard, but you have a couple days to do them online, and there's no time limit. so basically you can use what ever you want to find the answers. I would reccommend this class to anyone.

FoR SaLE!!!!!!! BoOkS FoR ANT 250 BrAnD NeW!! CHEAP 805-215-8467 I dropped the class last quarter and never used them

Dr. Rucas is an amazing professor. You will learn much from this class and experiences. It\'s also VERY VERY interesting! But please please please please! Keep up with the reading! In both the textbook and in Demonic Males. If you don\'t, it\'s all over when you take the test. If you can\'t imagine reading that much from the textbook, just skip through the boring parts until things get interesting. DM is interesting all around, so read that one cover to cover,(It\'s also kinda upsetting). Take very very very very very good notes during the lecture. Some questions on the test will be from the lecture, but not on the slide show. Also, attendance is a must because the most valuable question on the test are based on attendance. Take your time and pace yourself when you take the tests. It helps, a lot, to have the reading done before you take the test so you know where to look. You will fck up and fail the tests if you don\'t. Office hours is also a bonus to get her to know your face and where you can ask certain questions you wouldn\'t want to ask in front of a class of 120 students. Take Dr. Rucas; she knows her shit and you\'ll learn a lot.

Professor Rucas is the BEST!! Usually its hard for me to sit through a 2 hour lecture but this class kept my attention the WHOLE time! She is so passionate about what she teaches. The textbook and other book she had us read were actually very interesting and good and it helps tremendously on the exmas which are online and untimed, but they are still pretty tricky. Overall this is a great course and you will not regret taking it even if you dont get a good grade because you will walk away with alot of great knowledge.

Rucas was really straight forward about what the class was about. She had all test dates and class cancellations in her syllabus. As long as you actually go to class, you\'ll be fine. Its only if you dont go that you will suffer. Also, you need to actually read the material but its not that bad. If you arent interested in anthropology, dont take it. But if you are interested about why humans act the way they do, its fun.

this teacher is absolutely terrible... the tests are open note open book and they are still ridiculously hard! she doesn't realize this class is a freaking GE not a senior project! i hope this teacher gets fired... i got an A and still hate this lady.. I totally had an open mind going into the class and she ruined the attitude after i spent 12 hours on 1 test... absolutely ridiculous questions and sometimes you wont even know the answer. She thinks she helps you by giving a lot of attendance questions but those are the hardest ones because there are no ways to find out unless you record her lectures... overall i would never recommend this class to anybody.. i would rather do an upper level concentration course then this pathetic GE. absolutely a waste of time!

Dr. Rucas is a G! She's super excited about what she teaches and for the most part her lectures are interesting. My favorite units were The Biology of Love and Sleep. There are 3 graded assignments: A zoo paper, the midterm, and the final. Both the midterm and the final are online, open book and open note. Show up to class to get the answers to Attendance Questions. The textbook reading you dont really have to do, because the test questions can easily be looked up in the glossary. I hope you take this class! It's a really great option for B2!

Dr. Rucas really knows her stuff, her tests can be tough if you're not willing to put in the time but she is really enthusiastic and friendly.

just go to lecture, take notes, and spend a few hours on the online exams. they're easy if you use your brain. L2P.

TAKE RUCAS INSTEAD OF NEIL. retaking to replace my grade from Neil's class and Ruca's midterm and final are both online and maybe take 2-3 hours, and the only other assignment is a zoo paper. For the midterm, she gave an 8 point curve for a 70 question test. You don't even have to go to class if you get attendance questions from someone who actually goes, and over half the answers are from her powerpoints which you can use the find command on your computer. So worth it, take her class!

This was one of the strangest classes I've ever taken at Poly. Rucas is an amazing person, but not the best teacher. She has great teaching philosophies and is one of the most helpful and willing to help professors I've ever encountered. But... the class is all over the place and has no organization. Her slides are packed with so much information it's almost a waste of time to take notes. The midterm and final are both online and open for a week. When I first heard this I was sure it would be the easiest class of my life. But of the 80 questions they all have 9 possible answers and a lot are written in a way to confuse you. The project is so easy and useless. Overall I'm glad I took the class because I barely showed up but got an 88%. But if you're taking anthro to really learn the subject manner I'd avoid her

read below

Loved her and loved the class! Dr. Rucas really knows her stuff and I thought her lectures were very interesting. She is very sweet and laid back but don't underestimate her. The midterms and final are online and open note but I still found them pretty difficult. I just make sure you go to lecture. Also, this class and ANT 202 share a bit of content so if you have taken that before it helps out a bit! I totally recommend this class if you need to get your life science GE out of the way!

One of the best teachers I have had so far. She is so passionate about every class, and I've had her twice now, she really knows her shit. But don't think because the material is easy to digest, that her tests will be the same way. My biggest mistake the first time taking her class was underestimating her exams. They're online and multiple choice but you really have to check on each answer, and they can be a lot trickier than you think. Also showing up to class is huge for the attendance questions, I know she can sometimes make attendance questions worth up to 20% of her exams. Doing the paper is also an easy way to get your grade off to a good start. Take it seriously, try when it comes to the exams, and talk to her during her office hours. She's really fair and an awesome person

Rucas is a fantastic professor, she's passionate about the subject and really knows what she's talking about. You're graded on three things, a paper, the midterm, and the final. For the paper, if you follow the rubric exactly, you will get a good grade. For the midterm and final, they were online and open for a week and could be open book and notes. It's not as easy as it sounds however, instead answers A through B, they are A through P. As long as you read the chapters and pay attention in class you should get a decent grade.Take this class, Rucas makes it interesting and even sometimes funny, highly recommended.

RUCAS IS THE BEST! Despite the fact that I got a B in the class, rather than the A I had hoped for, taking this class with her was an absolute pleasure. Stacey is so passionate and knowledgeable, which makes attending her lectures bearable. Class consists of one online midterm, a research paper, and an online final, but don't let that fool you! The tests are very difficult and confusing, so you have to study. Stacey is one of the best teachers I've ever had and I would do anything to take another class with her!

I am an Anthropology Geography major and took Dr. Rucas for both ANT 250 and ANT 201. I received an A in both classes. Dr. Rucas a very kind, interesting, intelligent, funny lady. Both classes consist of 2 Exams (1 midterm and 1 final) and 1 paper/project. For 201 the Exams are online and timed, you get one week to take them and once you open it you get I believe 2 hours. For 250 the Exams are online you get one week and can spend as much time as you want on them (I spent about 7-8 hours on each and got 86.5% before the curve on each). The paper for 201 is the Food Ways project, it is very easy and if you follow her directions exactly as she says you get an A. For 250 you have to do an observational paper on primates at the zoo, again follow her explicit directions. In class make sure you write down anything that she says thats not on the slides because it will be on the exam. The content can be a bit difficult but you will do well just by paying attention and being careful on her exams. Take Dr. Rucas! She's my favorite professor!

PROS: Fun teacher, engaging lecturer Knows what she is talking about No homework All her slides are on polylearn CONS: Portrays a lot of whackball, unscientific theories (has a huge hard-on for aquatic ape theory, which is categorically debunked) THOSE TESTS THO (you'd think an open note test you have a week to take online would be great- wrong. Ten multiple choice questions, all of which are similar answers. Not to mention, asks bullshit questions about her personal stories/anecdotes. Absolutley horrible.) Never stops lecturing over the two hours, and the slides are all online (literally the only reason to come to class is becuase there are a lot of questions that have nothing to do with the material, but mentioned in passing during the lectures) Male bashing (and its bad)

Rucas seemed like a really cool lady. I didn't get to know her, since it was a lecture hall class with tons of kids, but she seemed really chill. I was a little disappointed that I got a B instead of an A, since I thought it was going to be an easy GE, but I definitely could've gotten an A if I worked a bit harder. Actually pay attention and take notes in class (I didn't usually), and actually study the book a bit before the tests. Yes, the tests are online, untimed, and open-book, but I still got a C on the midterm and either a C or D on the final. *But, those two mediocre grades combined with an easy A on the zoo project and an extra-credit assignment came out to a solid B in the class.

This is one of the most intelligent professors you can get at Cal Poly. She understands Anthropology extremely well and provides a ton of personal insight. Show up to class and enjoy it and you will do well. A great class and a great use of a GE

Stacey is definitely one of the most awesome professors. She knows her material so well and makes all of her lectures super interesting. You don't need to go to every class, she says she gives out attendance questions for the midterm and final but I went to most classes and she didn't give out more than 3. Her midterm and final is online, open note/book and you have a week to do it. but DONT PROCRASTINATE. That shits hard. took me 7 hours for the midterm and i got a C before the cure. BUT she curves a good amount on both tests, so you'll be fine. The paper was an easy A, just meet her requirements and you'll get an A. definitely easy and fun class to take. She's a wonderful woman!!

Rucas was super cool. She knew a ton about what she was teaching and it showed. She puts all of her powerpoints online which are awesome for note taking. She does talk really fast though and she assigns a lot of reading. If you go to class and do the readings, the midterm and the final are pretty easy. They are all open note and take home and you get a week to take them. You should still study though because those tests are no joke...some multiple choice questions had up to 13 possible answer choices!!

Spend time on the online tests! I got Cs on both tests but an A on the zoo assignment, which is how I managed to get a B in the class. For a GE, it is very interesting, but pretty difficult. Professor Rucas is very passionate about all of the material which helps students stay engaged, but does lecture for the entire two hours every class period. She allows laptops and phones which can be good or bad depending if you get distracted easily. I would probably not recommend this as a GE, simply because it is harder than the standard GE, but if you are interested in Anthropology, I would recommend it.

Stacey is the world's best professor. She genuinely cares about her student's success and makes every class interesting somehow. I have taken 4 classes with her now and she continues to impress me with her teaching and wisdom. She should have a perfect Polyrating- I've had a lot of professors and none compare to Dr. Rucas. Take every class you can with her she is truly inspiring.

she's so funny and interesting hahahaha i love her. such a fun class, SO INTERESTING. and legit only one easy project and two online tests that are easy to find the answers for. 10/10 recommend for interesting and easy GE! make sure you go to every class tho! they're hella interesting and funny though hahahaha such a bomb course

I LOVE PROF RUCAS. If I could recommend a very interesting and easy A, it would definitely either be Cultural or Biological Anthropology. She is a great speaker and prepares her own powerpoints and posts them all online ahead of time so you can take notes on them. Attendance is important, because a majority of the midterm is based on "Attendance Questions" that you will only get if you have a very nice friend willing to share, or you attend all classes. All tests are 100% online and you get a whole week to finish the test, with the ability to open and close it. I usually don't get excited about my education, but I want to minor in Anthropology because of Prof. Rucas. LOVE IT

This class is made up of only two exams and one assignment. The two exams are not cumulative and are online, Dr. Rucas gives you a week to finish them, open book open note. Although, you need to go to class because often what she says in class is what is on the exam, not just the powerpoints. And usually 10 questions on each exam are just to test if you attended (they're easy if you did). The one assignment is fun! You are required to go to a zoo and study a primate, literally just watch a monkey for a half hour. Extremely interesting (even though this is my major, I don't specialize in biological anthropology) and a class everyone should take. You'll understand yourself and other humans a whole lot better after.

I absolutely loved Rucas. You have two midterms and one research paper, along with a few ted talks and small assignments. She not only makes class interesting, but I wish she was my aunt. The tests are hard, but she curves them, and she even offered extra credit for going to some one hour lecture. The class is interesting and I genuinely enjoyed going despite her making attendance optional (however there are attendance questions on the tests as incentive). She also has an open door policy, so you can come and go as you please. I actually felt like I learned a lot in her class, and would love to have her again in the future. I would recommend taking her, as you can tell she is very well educated and passionate on the topic she is teaching about. Never would I have thought I'd enjoy a two hour lecture, but the topics are interesting (lust, porn, falling in love, jealousy, romance novels, etc...).

This is a great GE to take. Only take notes on what's not on the slides (things she says) because the 2 exams are online. Initially I wasn't excited about biological anthropology because come on with a name like that as a GE.... But it's actually really interesting learning about how humans evolved and the science of love. Grade-wise as long as you attended class and take your time on the exams you should get an A.

Absolutely hated this class. Based on 2 exams and 1 paper. Her tests are open book, open note & not timed.... Seems great; however, she makes it impossible to get correct because there are 20 options. Do not recommend....

Dr Rucas is a nice lady, kind of a drama queen, but i like her as a person. I had her from 8-10 PM and she was able to make the class engaged and awake, even excited at times. She thinks that she is blowing everyone's minds in this class but to be completely honest, as a 4th year anthro major, she is just obsessed with evolutionary determinism and its very irresponsible to be telling students that its the truth. She talks about how all humans are the same way and that all of our complex behavior is because of biological sex drive and that is just some bullshit from the stone ages of Anthropology. It is a great field of study in general, but just remember that she is teaching a LOT about her OPINION, not about the actual anthropological viewpoints of biology and culture. #1 advice is GO TO CLASS because she gives explicit answers to the tests and if your'e not there and don't write them down you will miss like 10 questions on the hard-ass online midterms. fun lectures tho and not too hard. plus you get to go to the zoo.

Dr. Rucas is amazing! She is so passionate about biological anthropology and you can tell she really knows her stuff. Her lectures are incredibly interesting, even to non anthropology majors like me. She is also more than willing to go over concepts in office hours if you don't understand anything. There is barely any homework for the class. There is only one paper based on an animal that you observe at a zoo (fun day trip and an excuse to get off campus). You do have to read a book called Demonic Males but it is actually pretty interesting. The tests are SUPER hard but they are all online and open book and you have a week to complete them so you will do fine if you take your time and use your notes/textbook. I highly recommend this class, but it isn't a super easy A. Not crazy hard but not a breeze either.

Two midterms and one final, each worth 25% of your grade. There is one "Zoo Assignment" which requires you to visit a zoo and record a primate's behavior for half an hour. There is a zoo in Atascadero, so its not too much of a chore. The paper makes up for the final 25% of your grade. All the midterms and finals are done online and all multiple choice. You have 24 hours to access the tests and complete them. They questions are supposedly randomized so don't even consider sitting in a room with other people from class because thats just a waste of time. I studied for the first two midterms, but then realized that I didn't really need to do much for the tests. Just go off of her power point slides. There are two books. Do NOT buy the textbook. You will never use it. Do buy the assigned reading, because there are a couple of questions on it on the first and second midterms. LECTURES: They were great. She is a good speaker and is interesting to listen to. She shares her experiences doing research in south America. There were also two movies and two documentaries that we watched throughout the quarter. The class load isn't bad at all, getting a grade is easy, and learning is optional!

Professor Rucas is one of my favorite professors at Poly. She knows exactly what she's talking about and makes it really interesting. She's very passionate about what she teaches so class is never boring and she utilizes videos on a regular basis to keep you interested. The only bad parts about her class are the tests and the written assignment. Her tests are online, open book and note, and you have a week to take them. The thing is, they're long-ass tests and the questions are really detailed. Just make sure you set aside a lot of time and you should be able to make it alright. I would definitely recommend this class to someone who doesn't mind a little work.

I spent 6 weeks in Thailand with this incredible human. If you ever have a chance to get to know her or take her classes--do it. She will inspire you.

Overall she is a lousy teacher, with a weird fascination for females. She moves way too fast in lecture, and talks story non-stop. Her class is basically her telling the students about "research" she has done in S.A. and then she tests you on the findings she came up with. The tests are out of hand. She is the kind of teacher who takes an interesting subject/class and then makes it so twisted that you dread going to class, and wonder what her goals are in teaching. Stay away from her. At first things seem great, then you realize she grades like a pissed off English teacher and her tests are meant to confuse and are filled with irrelevant information regarding Anthropology. She was upset when six students in the class ended up with A's on an exam and said that she needed to make it more difficult. Thanks lady.

I completely disagree with almost everything in the last post, and I was in the same class. THE SAME CLASS THAT GAVE HER A STANDING OVATION on the last day of class. Dr. Rucas is only teaching science, backed by studies, which is her job. I am male, and I did not interpret this as male bashing in any way. Very interesting subjects, clearly taught, and she is very passionate about it. I highly recommend her classes, and yes, GO TO CLASS TO SUCCEED ON TESTS. You won't be disappointed tho.

To the guy below me, we were not in the same class. There was no standing ovation in the class I was in. In fact everyone left when the teacher disappeared from the room.

Rucas is an awesome professor. She knows what she is talking about and is wicked smart. She is very open to different ways of thinking about culture and the world. She challenges your beliefs about the world in a constructive and informative way. She is very well researched and knows her lectures off by heart. I have had her four times and will continue to take her classes. For this class specifically, she has a vast knowledge of indigenous peoples, especially because she did her research with the Tsumane in Bolivia. She is very helpful if you come into her office hours. I cannot stress this enough, YOU HAVE TO GO TO CLASS. Her tests are based largely on lecture notes and she has attendance questions that you will not know unless you go to class. You also need to do the reading. It is well worth it though because every class I have with her, I learn so much more and really feel like I earned my education.

The grade is made up of a midterm and a final, both of which were taken online via blackboard. In addition she also has you write a paper of your choice. The tests were quite lengthy... 80 questions with multiple choice some of the answers had options a-k. There is also a short answer part to the test. Go to class and you will do fine. The tests take a great deal of time but you can find all the answers if you go through the notes which she provides on blackboard. As for the paper... it was 20 pages on 10 pier reviewed articles. Not so much fun. apparently she is going to shorten it in the future. this was the first class so we took it in the butt. All in all good teacher and interesting class.

I absolutely love her! Her tests are hard and take way too long to finish(that's why they are online). I would have taken this class credit/no credit if I had thought about it..even though I got an A. I have looked up every class that Stacy teaches because I really like her as a person!

This class was great! She gives tests on black board, so definitely meet with people, they are not as easy as you think they will be. She also only gives 2 tests during the quarter and a project. The project was really easy and actually interesting. She is really willing to help you if you have question, even to help you find articles for your project. I would take her again if i needed to.

Dr. Rucas is AWESOME! She has traveled the world and has a lot to offer students who are wiling to THINK! Critical thinking is IMPORTANT! So if youu are a student who likes to COMPLAIN take this class. Your brain will hurt from all the stimulas this instructor will provide. I wish there were more classes applicable to my major that I could take with Dr. Rucas. The on-line exams are NO JOKE!

Stacy is THE BEST PROFESSOR I\'VE EVER HAD AT CAL POLY!!!!! I absolutely loved going to this class and did not miss a single class all quarter. It was just THAT interesting. Her powerpoint presentations are well organized and interesting. She encourages class involvement by having discussions and hearing everyone\'s ideas. She\'s a great lecture, very animated and highly knowledgeable. The midterm and final are take home tests from Blackboard. They are pretty difficult, but it\'s a lot better than having to take the test while in class with a scantron. If you pay attention and go to class you\'ll be in better shape than most people. If I had taken one of Stacy\'s anthropology classes my freshman year at Cal Poly, I might have even changed my major. She makes the subject come alive.

Stacey Rucas is seriously one of my heroes!!! I absolutely love her!!! Its because of this class that I decided to get an Anthro minor at Cal Poly. Tips to pass her class: GO TO LECTURE, I seriously cant emphasize this enough you get answers to the test just based off your attendance, then print out her lectures, ya I know that it seems like a waste of ink but she goes really fast. Its really hard to write what's on the slides AND what she says, and when you take the test have everything organized in front of you. I never even studied for her test which actually are quite long and I always get A's in her class.

Dr. Rucas is a boss. She may talk a lot, but she has a lot of interesting things to say. The work load was decent for a GE, I really didn't do much of the reading, but I did go to class. EVERY SINGLE ONE. DO NOT MISS CLASS. The tests and what not are all based on lecture and some of the reading.

Dr Rucas is an awesome person, it's an awesome class but I'll tell ya, the class is HARD. While the workload is decent, once the tests roll around, you better have all resources available. As people have said, tests are online and open for a week. However, the multiple choice is tricky with like 10 possible answers, all very similar. And the essay questions are very specific. She knows her stuff so she is super picky about your responses, GO TO OFFICE HOURS BEFORE SUBMITTING. She is not exactly clear about what it is she's explaining, she more just talks about an enormous load of things that may or may not be on the slides. The slides are not helpful if you don't know what she has to say about them either so go to class.

Dr. Rucas is a truly a kind person who cares about each and every student who is in her class. She is passionate about the content in which she teaches and as a result presents the material very clearly. I would strongly recommend you take Dr. Rucas if you have the opportunity to because there simply are not many professors like her. (Note: The classes can be a bit of work, however, the work is manageable and you should be able to receive a good grade as long as you complete assignments and stay up to date on your studying)

She has a ton of material in lecture, probably too much and she goes through it very quickly. She's smart and interesting but the tests are ridiculous. This is an anthro. class, not an exact science. Why the hell she makes her tests so difficult and time consuming is beyond me. Never have I experienced such a weird method of testing in the social sciences. Based on her tests alone I wouldn't recommend this instructor. There is also a huge female bias in this class, basically male bashing. She denies it but look at the book, Women of the Forest, and she brings this up in lecture a lot, explaining how men treat women as less than equal in primitive societies. If her tests weren't so asinine, the class would be alright.

Although, I passed the class with an A, the class was overall taught in an unorganized fashion. The lecture portion of the class was useless, all we did was play little games and exercises that required you to work in pairs or groups. The games were not very relevant, like the one where you have a list of 15 people and only 9 can go into the bomb shelter before a nuclear blast and you have to choose which 6 have to stay outside. Pretty irrelevant to research and design methods of anthropology... In addition, the large project was assigned on the first day of class, but no due dates were listed. Immediately after she assigned the big project, she assigned another smaller project, but it wasn't with real data, so basically we did two large projects at the same time, but one was with fake data and the other was with data we had to go out and find. The syllabus was inaccurate and was not followed even though Rucas asked us to follow the syllabus. The big project was said to be "more important and more work than your senior project". She never actually taught the class how to use SPSS, she instead told us to watch a bunch of videos on youtube about SPSS that she had recorded her voice over. Those were our "lecture" notes. When it came around to the midterm, there were 57 questions, but none of them tested our knowledge, they tested whether the student could open the videos and find the answer (midterm was open computer). Some of the answers could not even be located in the lecture videos and students had to ask her about it before she said that there was actually a pdf reading online that had some information we needed on it. The midterm overall was not hard, just time consuming. I would say it took everyone at least 3-4 hours each (it was online and open for a week). Finally, during class if you had any questions about how to use SPSS and what your data means and what tests to run, you had to place your name on the whiteboard and wait for her to get around to you. Usually this was at least 30 minutes depending on what kind of questions the previous group had. That means that if you were stuck on something and didn't know how to proceed, you had to wait at least 30 minutes for your question to be answered and the class is only 2 hours of lab! There were other assignments that were to be completed, but nobody had time to do them because we had to spend so much time working on the big projects. She was nice enough to make the last assignment extra credit instead. This class was overloaded with small busy work assignments that were unnecessary, she never actually showed anyone how to use SPSS, and there was a lot of contradiction in the due dates and grading. If you want to do a lot of independent work and you already know a ton about SPSS, this class would probably be a lot easier for you, but if you have never used SPSS like me, you will have to spend a lot more time working in the lab on these projects. Other students have taken this class with other professors and not had this high of a workload. Also Rucas can be condescending and sometimes laughed at students problems with their projects. I have to admit her lectures were fun, but they just were not relevant and I would have rather had that time to work on the big project that was such a time crunch for everyone.

This class was awesome!... and I learned a ton about designing research and conducting basic analysis in SPSS. There was also a fair bit of qualitative style work like pairing up to do pile sorting and freelisting. We also went over interviewing strategies that we used in writing an ethnography about a group, which in my case turned out to be a lot of fun. Dr. Rucas was really sweet and went out of her way to met with our group in lab spending several hours with us on our project outside of class time. She also pushed some due dates to allow more time (time management is key in this class since you are working on several things at once). Luckily, she had a good sense of humor about stats, which took the pressure off. The format uses lecture videos like SPSS tutorials for running different tests mixed with lab assignments and the qualitative style in-class activities which were fun. I’ve had Rucas before where she lectures the entire time. This format was better for this class since it allowed us to have more lab time to try out a lot of different methods activities and run different statistics. Actual research is what made this class quite refreshing. That said, it means you have to rely on yourself to do the work, and there’s a lot of it. One tip: Get Your Data Early! We did and it made all the difference.