Professor
Brooke Scelza
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Most Helpful Review
Midterm is OK, but final is short but pretty hard. I ended with a C+ but definitely learned a lot because all I did is just memorized all the lecture slides. Bottom line, go ahead to take this class if you don't mind memorize shit load of material just like scerri's chem class!!!!
Midterm is OK, but final is short but pretty hard. I ended with a C+ but definitely learned a lot because all I did is just memorized all the lecture slides. Bottom line, go ahead to take this class if you don't mind memorize shit load of material just like scerri's chem class!!!!
Most Helpful Review
Wow, I'm surprised that no one had evaluated Dr. Scelza despite how many people take her class. Pointlessness aside, Scelza is an AWESOME Professor, she is incredibly organized. Class is done powerpoint style, but she places emphasis on printing out slides and writing what she says - Slides can be memorized. She's really cool, looks and sounds like Daisy from the hit TV Show Bones, and she definitely knows what she is talking about. She makes tests sound ALOT harder than they are, so if you're like me, you'll study like crazy, just to finish the midterm in 25 mins. with a Huge smile on your face - I don't mind, I learned ALOT. Bottom Line: Scelza is a great teacher who teaches a fun GE - Take the Class and Learn Something from a GE for a change =)
Wow, I'm surprised that no one had evaluated Dr. Scelza despite how many people take her class. Pointlessness aside, Scelza is an AWESOME Professor, she is incredibly organized. Class is done powerpoint style, but she places emphasis on printing out slides and writing what she says - Slides can be memorized. She's really cool, looks and sounds like Daisy from the hit TV Show Bones, and she definitely knows what she is talking about. She makes tests sound ALOT harder than they are, so if you're like me, you'll study like crazy, just to finish the midterm in 25 mins. with a Huge smile on your face - I don't mind, I learned ALOT. Bottom Line: Scelza is a great teacher who teaches a fun GE - Take the Class and Learn Something from a GE for a change =)
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Most Helpful Review
I have to disagree with most of the reviews here. I found Professor Scelza's lectures entirely uninspiring. While she does put a lot of information into her slides there are a number of problems with her lectures. First, the module I took (Human Behavioral Ecology) involved quite a number of fairly abstract quantitative models for explaining human behaviour. However, as these were presented on an extremely broad scale: they were made assumptions about hunter gatherer societies in general - it became quite difficult to conceive of how they actually manifested in the real world (HG societies being hugely varied and not complying with extremely basic statistical models). Had she introduced a concept - e.g. methods of hunting in a particular society, and then demonstrated how a particular model could be applied to that situation, I would have stayed engaged with the class. As it was, she would simply talk in an extremely abstract fashion rarely displaying any applicability to the models in question. The fact that a good 90% of lectures involved Professor Scelza simply reading out slides, the dull nature of the content kind of inspires you to stay at home. I think the fact that only around a quarter of enrolled students were ever in a lecture at any one time is testament to the level of engagement felt overall. So, if like me, you do well writing papers - i.e. understanding concepts and demonstrating that knowledge by expanding on the basic points from lectures, you will hate this module - there is no continuous assessment. If however, you enjoy learning content and then repeating it parrot fashion in multiple choice exams then go right ahead, just prepare yourself for some dull hours in the lecture theatre.
I have to disagree with most of the reviews here. I found Professor Scelza's lectures entirely uninspiring. While she does put a lot of information into her slides there are a number of problems with her lectures. First, the module I took (Human Behavioral Ecology) involved quite a number of fairly abstract quantitative models for explaining human behaviour. However, as these were presented on an extremely broad scale: they were made assumptions about hunter gatherer societies in general - it became quite difficult to conceive of how they actually manifested in the real world (HG societies being hugely varied and not complying with extremely basic statistical models). Had she introduced a concept - e.g. methods of hunting in a particular society, and then demonstrated how a particular model could be applied to that situation, I would have stayed engaged with the class. As it was, she would simply talk in an extremely abstract fashion rarely displaying any applicability to the models in question. The fact that a good 90% of lectures involved Professor Scelza simply reading out slides, the dull nature of the content kind of inspires you to stay at home. I think the fact that only around a quarter of enrolled students were ever in a lecture at any one time is testament to the level of engagement felt overall. So, if like me, you do well writing papers - i.e. understanding concepts and demonstrating that knowledge by expanding on the basic points from lectures, you will hate this module - there is no continuous assessment. If however, you enjoy learning content and then repeating it parrot fashion in multiple choice exams then go right ahead, just prepare yourself for some dull hours in the lecture theatre.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2019 - Literally such an easy upper div if you just need upper div units. There's one midterm, one final, one argument paper, and 2 article reviews that you do in discussion that are dummy easy. There's no readings except for two articles that you pick and the material is exactly super interesting. Both my TA and the professor were really nice and easygoing though, so idk maybe that's why I never once shed a tear from this class. You just need to go to lecture and pay attention and take notes, the concepts are interesting and not hard. I'd take a class with Scelza any day she's cool and the classes are well structured, also the exams are multiple choice mostly with like 3 one-paragraph short answers, true/false, and fill-in-the-blanks.
Winter 2019 - Literally such an easy upper div if you just need upper div units. There's one midterm, one final, one argument paper, and 2 article reviews that you do in discussion that are dummy easy. There's no readings except for two articles that you pick and the material is exactly super interesting. Both my TA and the professor were really nice and easygoing though, so idk maybe that's why I never once shed a tear from this class. You just need to go to lecture and pay attention and take notes, the concepts are interesting and not hard. I'd take a class with Scelza any day she's cool and the classes are well structured, also the exams are multiple choice mostly with like 3 one-paragraph short answers, true/false, and fill-in-the-blanks.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2023 - Dr. Scleza was an incredible professor who did very well even without a TA (though she absolutely deserved a couple). Her lectures were packed with information and she was very clear and accessible in the way that she presented. She left out superfluous topics, jargon, and information in order to clarify and emphasize the course topics, but she was not unwilling to delve further when prompted. She is very clearly knowledgable and passionate about her research, her work, and this class. This was one of my favorite classes I have ever taken. She gave us 4 quizzes and dropped the lowest grade. The quizzes were very 10 multiple choice questions and were very easy if you just pay attention in lecture. Her slides are quite hefty and definitely need her translation, especially for the case studies, so try to make it to class. If you can't it would be helpful to attend office hours just to gain clarity on some slides. She is super helpful and approachable. There was a final paper, but it was easy and fun!
Winter 2023 - Dr. Scleza was an incredible professor who did very well even without a TA (though she absolutely deserved a couple). Her lectures were packed with information and she was very clear and accessible in the way that she presented. She left out superfluous topics, jargon, and information in order to clarify and emphasize the course topics, but she was not unwilling to delve further when prompted. She is very clearly knowledgable and passionate about her research, her work, and this class. This was one of my favorite classes I have ever taken. She gave us 4 quizzes and dropped the lowest grade. The quizzes were very 10 multiple choice questions and were very easy if you just pay attention in lecture. Her slides are quite hefty and definitely need her translation, especially for the case studies, so try to make it to class. If you can't it would be helpful to attend office hours just to gain clarity on some slides. She is super helpful and approachable. There was a final paper, but it was easy and fun!
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