[EEEB V1010] The Human Species: Its Place in Nature

Dear brilliant slacker,

Do not take this class. It is not for you. I don't care what you've managed to do in the past, but the squeaking by with minimal effort stops here. I promise.

If you (for some godforsaken reason) are legitimately interested in learning about the shapes of primate skulls and are honestly excited about memorizing 65 million years of primate evolution, then by all means take this class. You will have a blast. If you are looking for an easy science credit that doesn't really demand your attention or involvement, DO NOT PROCEED. I mean it. Heed my warning. I ignored the warnings and regret it.

The frustrating thing is that this class is theoretically so easy. It is 100% memorization. Nothing is conceptually difficult. Shapiro, to her credit, is extremely straightforward about class expectations. She writes the important points of her lecture on the board and tells you exactly what articles to read. This information (the board stuff and the articles) and ONLY this information will appear on the exams, in exactly the layout that it was first presented. If you take detailed lecture notes and STUDY AS YOU GO, there is no reason you should not get a 100 in the class. It's that simple.

That said, you obviously won't do that. You will see that she only gives a midterm and a final with no other sort of work in between, and you will forget to review anything until the night before, at which point you will remember that 65 million years is a lot of evolutionary history and there is simply no way in the physical universe that you could ever, ever commit it all to memory, regardless of how simple the information is. Sorry.

Unless you really, honestly trust yourself to stay on top of the material--and if you can, good for you--or are genuinely interested in learning all about bones, find some other way to fill your science requirement.

Shapiro herself is tricky. In some ways she could not be more helpful. She really, really wants every single person in the class to come away with not only an incredible amount of knowledge but also a love of the material. She probably cares more for her subject than any other professor I've encountered here. Her lecture style is very clear and her exams are very fair. However, her classroom policies are a little absurd. She kept us needlessly overburdened by FAQs, course packets (20 pages!!), and clerical business. Any criticism of her teaching or classroom style was dismissed (preemptively, in the aforementioned 20-page behemoth) by her statement of her pedagogical philosophy. She doesn't seem to trust her students not to be stupid or dishonest, which I found very annoying. Borderline tyrannical computer policies, too.

In the end, this class wasn't a good one for me, but I can understand why people who like the material and are willing to put in the time like it a lot. Your call.

You really have to follow Jill's advice. Take the notes exactly how she dictates, study in exactly the manner she proposes, do the readings she requires. If she says "write out five sentences," or "practice saying it out loud," you'd better do it. Likewise, make sure you read her other emails and instructions for the exams and way the class works. She has a clear and intentional pedagogical method that she has painstakingly devised, and she's right, so go along with it and you'll do great.

Some people don't think the textbook is necessary--it's easier to handle all the info if you read the book, but you can do well without ever opening it. I suggest not buying the book, but reading it (they usually have the newest edition in Butler). It's an expensive text and it gets outdated like every year.

I've been using the previous edition, and it's almost identical (but all the page number are off). Pearson Higher Ed will show you a sample of every page in the new edition on their website, so you can cross check from an older edition to do the right readings.

I learned so much in this class. The emphasis is on memorization, but it's taught in such a way that you'll retain most of the information. Jill Shapiro is a really entertaining lecturer and her exams are very fair if you take good notes and prepare accordingly. You can do very well in this class as long as you take excellent notes, which she makes very easy to do since she organizes her notes on the board.

Professor Shapiro is an interesting woman, and one whom I respect. She seems to only have one mode: extremely overzealous. This translates into everything from teaching with genuine passion for the subject to yes, writing 10 page single-spaced documents on what writing utensil to use for her tests. I can definitely understand how this personality would rub people the wrong way. Personally, I didn't have a problem with it at all--in the big lecture class, she was a remote enough entity that when she said that she would be checking the inside rim of every head covering during the midterm for cheat notes, I could just chuckle and think, "Ah Professor Shapiro. You card." One on one, a level at which I've interacted with her plenty, she's very personable. Her enthusiasm is genuine and not overblown or overbearing. She's just interested. You will be, too.

I respect her because she is very straightforward, without being rude. She speaks her mind and is not afraid of her own opinion or duty as a teacher. For example, after all, students DO cheat in all the various ways she warned against. I know someone personally who wrote equations on the inside of their shirt cuffs. Some teachers act almost apologetic of the silliness or inconvenience it causes to be rigorous about anti-cheating, perhaps trying to ignore a reality that disappoints them (that their students cheat). Professor Shapiro does not. (I personally have no crusade against cheating, this is just a good example about how Professor Shapiro addresses everything--even touchy topics--with refreshingly active honesty and unflagging vigor).

One important thing: she speaks loud enough, and clearly; she writes all information of the lecture, as she goes, in chalk on the blackboard--clearly and organized extremely neatly in an outline format. The information is not "easy," but her teaching style is. You will be grateful for it!

That being said, there is a LOT of information to learn, and she expects DETAIL on her exams--you can get something "right" and still get lots and lots of little point reductions due to a lack of specificity that translate into one or two grade letters lower. Her exams are like her: straightforward and rigorous. You can ace them, but you will have to actually STUDY, not just "review," which can cut it in so many other classes.

TAKE THIS CLASS! It was one of the best experiences I've had at Columbia and Shapiro is probably the best professor I've ever dealt with. I see others have criticized the way she runs the class and her lectures. They clearly have no sense of humor. Shapiro is funny, obsessed with her field, and genuinely cares about her students learning and enjoying the material she's teaching. She's incredibly organized and that makes it easy to study and learn the material. The assigned readings were short and really interesting and her lectures are fantastic - incredibly interesting and well organized. Again, this also makes it easy to study for the exams because she specifically outlines what you're expected to know. Yes, there is a ton of material we covered over the semester but she and the TAs are very helpful in guiding you through it. Her pre-exam packets were especially helpful. She puts way more time and energy into her class than any other professor at Columbia (I'm a senior and I've dealt with them all). I would recommend this class to any Columbia student, science major or not. It was an overall great experience.

I am going to be the only person here who did not enjoy Jill Shapiro, but someone has to be the minority report. Although much of what is written here is accurate, I found her to be extremely obnoxious and irritating and the class structure ridiculous.

Essentially, she has hypergraphia and OCD and treats the class like dim-witted kindergarteners in the way she explains the material. I always felt like I was being talked down to; concepts were explained in terms of things like Power Rangers, in what I found to be a very smarmy and patronizing way of speaking.

The course is just memorization and regurgitation (she has a strict no-questions, no-one-but-her-may-speak-during-class policy).

Most annoyingly, there was more meta-reading (i.e. rambling housekeeping / logistical notes) in this class than I have had actual reading in other classes. She spent the ENTIRE FIRST TWO class sessions (~3 hours) on content-free housekeeping, and before the midterm she distributed a rambling document that she instructed us to read - eleven pages, single-spaced. It was COMPLETELY DEVOID OF ACTUAL COURSE CONTENT, but contained such crucial information as:

- "All hats (though not religious head coverings for Moslem, Muslim or Sikh students) will be examined before the exam."
(Oh, Moslem AND Muslim! Wow!)

- "They will also be grading in green ink, none of that horrid red. [After all, red cues in this culture to stop while green cues to go. We want you to read the comments without fear.]"
(I'm so glad I internalized this crucial information as I study for a test where I will be asked to regurgitate dozens of dates!)

- "If English is your second language, you may bring a dictionary to class but we will have to check it for notes and scribblings."
(Really? All of it?)

- "If you write in another color ink or if you write in pencil, your entire exam grade will be dropped by a full grade."
(Glad this important information was in an 11-page document)

And on, and on, and on. The instructions for her tests were much longer than the tests themselves.

This was just for one exam, passed out ahead of time. And then what do we have handed out to us on the day of the test? If you guessed "the test", you'd be wrong. Yet another all-new instructions document! This, too, was full of wisdom, including a paragraph on why it is important to be quiet when leaving the room if you've finished your test early. It was useful for me, because I was planning on finishing before everyone else and loudly yodeling on my way out.

The syllabus and various supplementary housekeeping manifestos were a total of SIXTY-TWO (yes, I counted on Courseworks) completely content-free pages (including an entire page on how annoying laptop keyboard clicking sounds are and the implications of this for where laptop users are allowed to sit in the room and the penalties for use of laptops to do anything other than take notes. REALLY?!).

I, like many others, took this class for the science requirement.

Maybe this isn't the best time to review Professor Shapiro, as I just took the final, but let me just say:

This class is NOT easy, it's actually really fucking difficult, so don't think it's an easy A. You can get an A, but most people won't, even the science people.

There is just an INCREDIBLE amount of data that is almost impossible to know. She's clear about her expectations, though, so no surprises. Everything is fair. It's just that no one person can devote as much time to Human Species as her exams require.

That being said, take this class. It'll really change how you see things. The difficulty is worth it, because it's fascinating material most of the time.

This course is rigorous, and taught very old-school style. Notes are meticulously organized on the black board, and the midterm and final are very fair, but extremely extremely intensive--you will have to regurgitate all that you have been taught so far. That said, you absolutely DO NOT need the text book. I repeat, YOU DO NOT NEED the text book. It's prohibitively expensive--I couldn't afford one; but Professor Shapiro will very kindly let you borrow her copy, and there are several in the library on reserve. Even so, the notes she provides are really more that sufficient. I never looked at the text book. Master the notes, and the handouts she provides. That will be a lot, and I mean, A LOT of information on it's own. Really, you'll save yourself more than $100, and be far far less confused-- because, Prof. Shapiro disagrees with the textbook on numerous occasions. Go to lecture, copy EVERYTHING that's on the blackboard, and internalize it. If you can do this, you will ace the class. If not, you will do very, very badly. Prof Shapiro, is , as all reviewers have already pointed out, unbelievably comitted to student learning, and EXTREMELY passionate about her subject. Her enthusiasm is remarkable.

Everything has already been said extolling the virtues of Prof. Shapiro. My only addition is that she had a magical way of making the material l of her EEEB class live. As she guided us in tracing the beginnings of our human lineage, I awoke to the science and the mystery of who we are and where we came from. In many ways it was like being guided on a vision quest. The reading was intense & the memorization was intense. Yet her teaching style drew you in and made you grasp the material. It was nearly mystical. Yes,she deserves TENURE. She is a wonderful teacher.

There is absolutely no reason why you should not take this class with Professor Shapiro. True, she does squeeze all the material she can into every single lecture (she vocally measures time, i.e. "don't pack up yet, we have a whole minute left and much to cover), but this material is FASCINATING. Professor Shapiro never disregarded anything such as Creationism; rather, she encouraged us to look at both ends of the spectrum and come up with our own theories. Seriously, the essays on the final, though strenuous to complete, were actually interesting to write because Professor Shapiro basically says "I've taught you all you need to know, now where do you stand?" All this woman needs is TENURE for Christ's sake! I was a first-semester Freshman who screwed up his grade by not attending discussion, lecture, etc. so if you take this class my best advice is suck it up! I wish my grade in this class would reflect how much I actually took away from it but nonetheless Professor Shapiro is kind, engaging, approachable, extremely knowledgeable in her field, and overall the most enthusiastic professor I had this semester. If more people loved their job as much as Professor Shapiro does, it'd be a better world. If ever at any time at all you asked yourself "why am I here?" or "why do we exist", I think it's about high time you take this class. Honestly, I have no regrets and Professor Shapiro is amazing.

I sit in the library after my Human Species final, my hands trembling, while I write this. I refrained from reviewing prof. Shapiro's class before the final exam because so much of my grade (70%), even though little of my experience, is riding on this last pull. Now that it is done I can be honestly say that this was an amazing experience I would recommend to every student at Columbia.

The class is exactly the way it is described in the earlier reviews. There is a lot of work, a lot of reading and memorization and a necessary comprehension of the material. The details are as equally important as the big picture so there is no way of avoiding learning the massive amount of information the professor covers in each class. The best advice I can give you is to GO TO CLASS WITHOUT EXCEPTION and take extensive notes, DO THE READING assigned and read everything she posts on Courseworks (optional articles are not necessary) and DON'T WAIT till the exams TO STUDY. If you still have trouble, speak to prof. Shapiro in person and find out everything you need to know.

The reasons why I loved this class are many. Prof. Shapiro is upfront about her expectations and is very honest about what her midterm and finals will look like. There is absolutely no ambiguity about what lays ahead. The exams were never a surprise because everything that was expected of us was already explained beforehand. The class itself is very interesting and a good thing to know no matter your field of interest, but the way prof. Shapiro delivers the material is what deserves praise. Her classes are structured in a way in which she can expose you to enormous amounts of information without you feeling too overwhelmed (you will, at some point or another, nonetheless). She is very approachable and eager to answer all questions one might have after class or during her office hours.

The first part of the semester was easier than the second and there was a lot of pressure for the final as it is such a big part of your grade. I fell behind on the work after the midterm, but what saved me is that I still went to class and took notes even when I wasn't sure what she was talking about. Her classes tend to make little sense at the beginning but somehow always tie in towards the end (sometimes it takes 2 or 3 classes to see where the material is going).

Human Species is a great science requirement since there is no math whatsoever (unless we count one question that demands you know how to add and subtract to a 100 and divide with 10 ON A CALCULATOR!!). This is my first semester and I'm very glad I took this class. I hope I will have more professors like this in the future.

Even as I sit avoiding review for the final, I think she must be one of the best professors at this University. Having Shapiro as a freshman or sophomore could be dangerous for a couple of reasons: the class is no joke and if you don't do the work you will not do well - no sliding by here. That said, Shapiro is utterly straightforward when it comes to what you have to know....a characteristic of her approach that is more rare among professors than it should be. She is great enough that you may never find someone who matches up to her level of engagement and enthusiasm for teaching.

Where is her gold star?!?! I have been here for three and a half years and never found a professor who seems to love teaching as much as Professor Shapiro. She is intense, brilliant, and has high expectations for you, but as one reviewer before has said, she is unambiguous about those expectations. She makes the material accessible without dumbing it down and will answer any questions you have without even a hint of condescension. After many semesters of tweed jacketed folk standing behind lecterns, I found her enthusiasm a little overwhelming at first (you will NOT need your coffee before this class). It is refreshing to be taught by someone who is a remarkable teacher in every sense of the word and an incredible scholar as well.

I'm only halfway through the semester yet felt compelled to review this woman.

She seems really genuinely sweet, like she actually cares about the students. Very refreshing in what can feel like a cold university. She called me by my name despite having never spoken to me individually before and the class having nearly 70-80 kids. How does she do it? Who knows. She is also clearly passionate about the material, which shows.

What I really appreciate is how organized her lectures are: she gives them in a neat, useful, outline form that makes studying so much simpler. I'm so tired of professors who ramble aimlessly, leaving my notes a useless jumbled mess.

The readings are fascinating, the kind of "popular science" stuff I read for fun.

The midterm was harder than I expected, but only because I underestimated the class. I'm a bio major and thought that, as my "fun" class, it would be a breeze. I was wrong. You have to go to class! The stuff she says is not in the book! I learned the hard way, don't make my mistake. But now I've learned my lesson and know what to do for the final. Again, I can't stress this enough: GO TO CLASS.

Interesting stuff, great professor, reasonable workload= highly recommended!

Professor Shapiro is an angel! She is insanely smart, hilarious, and extremely personable. She will work with you one-on-one if you are having trouble. The workload though is not easy. Make sure you do all of the reading and learn anything she tells you to know!

A true gold star professor!

It is only based on my truly wonderful experience with Professor Shapiro that I have felt complled to write this my first CUPLA review. Ah yes, long have been the days of simply being a passive CULPA reader, content to sit back and benefit from the labor of others, but no longer! I write only to taut the incredible merits of this great teacher and I say teacher in the purest sense of the word. She TEACHES and makes every effort to ensure that students do learn. Professor Shapiro is compassionate and very understanding.

Granted, Human Species was not easy and it will challenge you in new and unexpected ways yet do not despair nor shy away from a good intellectual romp!

Professor Shapiro will go out of her way to teach you the material, encourage you to come to office hours, and then never reprimand any ignorance on your part. If you want to CONNECT with a professor at this storied yet often coldly-distanced university then please take a course with Professor Shapiro.

Professor Shapiro cares about her students more than any other Columbia professor I've had. Take 'Human Species' from her simply for an engaging, rather fascinating, and incredibly humorous journey through our collective history.

Professor Shapiro is truly a saint! She provided her home phone number to contact in case of some emergency questions and even calls students who require extra assistance, though is never intrusive. She also reads CULPA reviews but this is in no way seeking any sort of favor from her as struggle I did with the course and by no means came out of it with a shiny top notch grade.

After three years at this venerable institution, Professor Shapiro is truly the only professor who I feel has gone out of her way to help students and make a personal connection with them.

Professor Shapiro was by far my favorite instructor this semester. Her lectures were always well organized and informative. She is so passionate about what she teaches and it makes the material, which can be boring for many, seem very interesting. She does expect a lot from her students but she also offers help. She is available during office hours and you can even contact her by phone during midterm and final cram time for last minute questions.

At the beginning of the semester, Jill Shapiro - clothed in dowdy vestments, arm upraised emphatically - declared to our class of lazy laymen trying to pass out of the science requirement: "This is a hard class." This was true for me, but it didn't have to be. What Shapiro won't tell you at first is that her midterm and final - which comprise the entirety of your grade - are directly from lecture. If you go to lecture, you will understand what she wants you to understand. If you don't go to lecture, you'll be stuck in the labyrinthine textbook, trying to sort out relevance from irrelevance in a discipline about which you are completely clueless. Plenty of reviews have already extolled Shapiro's endless list of virtues - kindness, energy, accessibility, humor, wit - so all I really have to say is GO TO CLASS.

Great educator who makes the effort in and out of class to get through to the students. She expects you to work, though nothing unreasonable. If you pay attention to lectures, which are very well organized and presented you will do well. Fascinating subejct matter, and a teacher with a really great personal touch, make any of her classes rewarding academic experiences.

If you have a chance to take a class with Jill Shapiro, do it. She is the best professor I've had at Columbia, enough to reverse a lot of the disillusionment I have had with uninspiring profs and grad student instructors. She is hyper-organized - you will never be at a loss as to what she wants from you. Her lectures are fast-paced, exciting, interesting, challenging. The entire grade is based on two exams, so make sure to go to class. Plus, the subject is fascinating. It will challenge the way you think about what it means to be human. She presents all sides of each issue, in a humorous and engaging way. The class did not convince me switch to from archaeology to EBHS, but I am 100% glad I took it anyway. I look forward to taking a class with Prof. Shapiro in the future. Please, do yourself a favor - take this class!!

I took this class because it sounded interesting, and thanks to Jill Shapiro, I am now seriously considering the EBHS major.

She is a fascinating lecturer and her enthusiasm about the subject matter is contagious. She tends to be very specific about the way she teaches (borderline obsessive-compulsive, like when she times every single lecture and "makes up" for letting us out early by keeping us late, to the minute) but it makes for very organized lectures. Once you know her style, the expectations of the class are very clear and there is little to stress about as long as you stay on top of the material.

Weekly discussion sections are not required but can bump up your grade. The sections earlier in the year were not that informative, but are definitely worth it once the skulls come out (especially if you are a visual learner). Prof. Shapiro specifically dictates the content of the sections and so the it sometimes seemed forced coming from the TAs.

There is a LOT of memorization. The midterm and final (non-cumulative) are 1/3 and 2/3 of the grade, respectively. The midterm is entirely short answer, and the final is short answer and long essays. YOU WILL NOT DO WELL IN THIS CLASS IF YOU DO NOT DO WELL ON THESE EXAMS, and the only way to do well is to set aside time to memorize. Find a method that works for you and just memorize.