Professor Duranti is one of my favorite professors. He teaches in a way where you actually learn the material instead of just memorizing it and forgetting it. Showing up to discussion is extremely important because that is where you will go over the readings. You don't necessarily have to read every book he assigns, just read the important parts that are relevant to lecture. There are no midterms or finals. Pop quizzes and tests only, which are usually one or two questions each. Overall, this class is interesting and fairly easy because you learn the material and retain it, so you don't have to study that much.

Tests are extremely detailed questions on books, so you actually have to read, but I read all the books and got As on all the tests, which count for 50% of the grade. The quizzes (worth 30%) are based on the slideshows. Tests and quizzes are all pop, so he never tells you when they are, which makes you attend all the lectures so you don't miss one. Selling all 3 required books in brand new condition (no markings), Confronting the Death Penalty ($30), Forms of Talk ($25), and Everyday Language of White Racism ($40), FOR ONLY $45. Can deliver to you on campus for free. Email *************

Professors Duranti is basically a genius, however his teaching skills are a bit average. His accent can make things a bit confusing at times and he likes the make jokes, which bothers those students that like flow and structure within their courses. However he passes out review sheets before exams which helps A LOT and is basically the entirety of the exams. My TA was TERRIBLE (I can't remember her name, but she was short with short brown hair), she basically just read off the book during the entire lecture. Overall, the class is pretty fulfilling and you learn a lot.

I love this guy! it's sad to see people bash him so bad, but i enjoyed his class. He is really into what he teaches, and his stories were entertaining and necessary for the course. There were 3 assignments, a midterm, final, and random pop quizzes during the quarter. If you have read the material, and at least carry a general understanding of the material you can get an A. I also attribute this to the TAs willingness to fill in where the professor might not have completely covered a topic. Duranti is not so bad!

i couldnt get myself to go to the lectures (too random, no structure... eeeeasy to get all ADD), and my t.a. was a nightmare. the assignments werent clearly outlined, so the grades really came down to your t.a.'s style. theres a lot of reading for this class that last throughout the entire course, and i found it really easy to fall behind if you like to read for detail, opposed to just skimming and not really understanding. section didnt help me out at all, so i wasnt a big fan of the class.

duranti has a rep for being unstructured and quirky. he's pretty weird to me, but i've never met a "normal" linguistic person. the class was alright, my TA was cool. answer all the questions on the study guide and you'll do fine. the projects are a bit weird and tedious, but it had to be done. i wouldn't take it if i wasnt' an anthro major. i feel like only people interested in linguistics and jazz will love this class. it can't be that bad if there were so many athletes in the class.

He's a nice guy and very famous researcher, but I found his class and the readings, dull, simplistic, and self-important rather than educational. Make sure to get a good TA and at least skim the readings. I would recommend strongly against taking his class, but you almost must if you're an athropology major (unless you go to summer school).

i loved professor duranti. he's funny and charming and a really engaging public speaker. this class was not easy. i got an a+, but i worked my butt off. do the readings, which range from unbelievably interesting to unbelievably not-interesting, ask lots of questions in section (get a good TA - ask around, it really matters), do your projects and you'll be fine. i really like an organized class, where i can clearly follow the arc of the class and see how everything connects, and i didn't get that from lecture, but i got it from section, so it was fine. it really did open my eyes to the details of communication, and some of the readings remain some of the most interesting articles i can recall reading. plus, again, professor duranti is just a bad-ass.

Duranti is honestly the most inspiring professor I've experienced here at UCLA. He's extremely witty and funny, and quite brilliant, all of which is reflected in his lectures. He speaks at least five languages, and incorporates much of his own (very interesting) research of language and travel into the lectures, instead of the drab words and research of another anthropologist. The projects aren't too hard or time consuming, and if you either go to lecture or do the interesting readings in the Reader that he wrote, you'll do fine on the midterm and final. He really cares and wants the students to understand the main concepts, but he doesn't make the student memorize nonsenical facts. I still remember everything that I have learned from Anthro 33, and have become so much more interested in Linguistic Anthropology since. Thanks Duranti!

I really liked Professor Duranti! He was very excited to teach and had a lot of enthusiasm during every lecture. He encouraged his students to visit him during office hours or whenever we were in Haines just to say hi. This class is also extremely easy. The discussion sections are mandatory, but that's okay since the TAs (my TA at least) are great and she explained things very thoroughly, especially the readings. I ended up with an A- in the class and i didn't even read two of the books! My TA and Duranti explained the material well enough that I didn't need to (that, plus i didn't buy the books). If you need this class for communications or just as a GE, I suggest taking Anthro 33 with Duranti. Also, as another person mentioned, don't leave lecture early!