<p>Anyone know which teacher would be good to take for CAT1? I've been told that that class is a pain in the ass, and can't be taken anywhere else for credit except UCSD. The only professor I discovered on ratemyprof was Lampland and apparently she's terrible to take. ANy upperclassmen willing to help? thanks.</p>
<p>Oh yea there McGraw, gere and algaze</p>
<p>I’m becoming a sophomore, took CAT last year.</p>
<p>Honestly, it doesn’t matter what professor you take. The only thing that really matters is your TA, and you can’t even control that cuz you don’t know who your TA will be. You just got to be lucky when choosing your discussion.</p>
<p>All the CAT professors basically summarize the readings during class and that’s it. </p>
<p>Last year, I always researched for who was the “best CAT professor,” and I found that there is no such thing as the “best CAT professor.” All of them suck, because well… the class just sucks in general. They will all give essays, they will all give you a ****load to read, and they will all be boring.</p>
<p>The specific topics they each teach might be different, so you might just want to choose your professor based on whether you are interested in what they are teaching or not.</p>
<p>Last year, I took Carlisle for Fall quarter. He was supposedly one of the best CAT professors. I never went to lecture because I learned absolutely nothing in the first 2 weeks I actually went to class. My TA was a **<strong><em>. I never did any of the readings. In class, everyone is just on facebook and there are a few that pay attention. And of course there are always those people who try to kiss up and say the most ■■■■■■■■ things. He’s an anthropologist and he teaches things relating to that area of study and its boring as *</em></strong>. I can’t believe people actually are able to stay awake in this class, let alone find it interesting.</p>
<p>hi, I finished the CAT series last year. in my opinion, as long as you do most of the readings and participate in discussion for CAT1 (and the other classes as well), it’s really not that bad.
I had Algaze for CAT 1 and he is an anthropologist so his class mostly focused on the evolution of human culture and on his and others’ research and opinions on the emergence of tool use, agriculture, and other innovations. … first thing you have to know… he is a genius. on the whole, his lectures are really interesting. second thing… he talks extremely quickly and does not podcast his class, so you really have to pay attention and take either smart or comprehensive notes to do well in his class. paying attention can be hard in his lectures admittedly, but it’s important since you may end up citing his lectures in your papers a lot. and lastly… the format of the class is relatively straightforward: three short “commentaries” on the readings that you do, one longer paper (3-5 pages), and one take home final (6 pages). sometimes your TA may give you quizzes in section just to check you’ve been doing the reading. other than that, just papers. if you can handle that, then you’ll really be fine (as long as your TA isn’t a complete jerk and is okay with your writing. that part is up to chance). there were no projects or final exams, which our other CAT class had to sit through.
some people think his accent is really thick and hard to follow, but I didn’t have all that much trouble. I guess it depends for you.
the only thing I have to say about Darrin McGraw, that I’ve heard from others, is - no. and no again.
and that’s all I have for you. Gere’s ratings on ratemyprofessors seem to be very good. you might be well off in her class.
good luck !</p>
<p>Thanks to all the responses. I might end up taking Algaze anyway because he fits the best into my schedule… Maybe I’ll jusy bring a tape recorder to class? ;p</p>
<p>What’s wrong with Mcgraw? Unfortunately he’s the only one that fits my schedule ]: And also, is his final a take home essay as well? My chemistry final and CAT1 final are back to back</p>
<p>DO any of you upperclassmen recommend taking CAT 1 pass/no pass?</p>
<p>hold on how do you guys figure out if stuff fits your schedule already if you don’t know which classes you’re going to get? Just guessing based on the four year plans? Cuz I’m just gonna take whatever I can get. I want a letter grade for CAT though.</p>
<p>Yes, I’m pretty much going by the four year plan. I started playing around with the Planning tool yesterday. It’s pretty neat. I think I’m going to create a few plans so I’ll be all ready when my enrollment time comes up.</p>
<p>@casey - No. there were rumors of Sixth students who had chosen the pass/no pass option for Cat 3 (I don’t even think it’s available for Cat 1) and now have to retake the class next spring, because that option was primarily for students outside of Sixth college or something. to avoid issues like this I suggest just taking it for a letter grade, it won’t be that bad really.</p>
<p>and about the tape recorder, I knew some kids who did that but I think if you take good notes you’ll be fine : )</p>
<p>@rawrrawr -
I don’t actually have experience in McGraw’s classes. I just… didn’t take to his personality, he seems to care about the smallest details and be very nitpicky, I guess. he did not teach his own CAT class last year, and only assisted Prof. Jaffe with his class, so unfortunately I don’t know what type of final he tends to give. </p>
<p>having back to back finals, as long as they are relatively close (distance wise) to each other, is not a problem if you study in advance. it can be tiring, but you’ll get through it. make a couple of backup schedules in the class planner just in case.</p>
<p>So, you had Algaze. What was the grading like for the Final project?</p>
<p>Take Algaze- He’s a super sincere and nice guy, kinda reminds you of the guy that Tom Hanks played in the movie: The Terminal.</p>
<p>Literally, you write 3 short essays and one long essay and you’re done.</p>