Fall 2026

Principles of Biological Anthropology

ANTHRO 105 covers the genetic basis of human variation and the origins and evolution of populations.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Margaret Bryer3.8/5Abby ScheeserCatherine Byun +3 more

Summary

1 / 7

The workload is light, featuring four exams where the lowest score is dropped and simple, one-hour labs. Readings are optional, and lecture attendance is not recorded but recommended for exam preparation.

Grade history

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average GPA
letter grades
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AB
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All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

None

  • None
ANTHRO 105 used by

“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree
  • None

Professors

Fall 2026
/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.00/5 from 17 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Margaret Bryer teaches ANTHRO 105 with clear slides and study guides, though lecture engagement varies. Some reviewers find her monotone or boring, while others describe her as engaging and knowledgeable. She offers flexibility, such as allowing makeup exams, and provides guest lectures to break up the routine.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.45 GPA, 74.6% A/AB (n=563 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.50 GPA, 77.2% A/AB (n=517 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.54 GPA, 79.0% A/AB (n=434 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews for Michael Tilkens and John Hawks highlight engaging lectures and clear expectations. Tilkens is praised for humor and accessibility, while Hawks is noted for interesting demonstrations and easy quizzes. These instructors offer a positive experience with low workload if students pay attention.

JOHN HAWKS is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Spring 2007, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2014, Spring 2016, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MARGARET BRYER is recorded teaching in Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MICHAEL JOHN TILKENS is recorded teaching in Fall 2013, Spring 2014. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

RICHARD MCFARLAND is recorded teaching in Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2019. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

TRAVIS PICKERING is recorded teaching in Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Fall 2026

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction139 / 3000
DIS 301Classroom Instruction17 / 200
DIS 302Classroom Instruction19 / 200
DIS 305Classroom Instruction14 / 200
DIS 307Classroom Instruction20 / 200
DIS 308Classroom Instruction20 / 200
DIS 303Classroom Instruction11 / 200
DIS 304Classroom Instruction18 / 200
DIS 306Classroom Instruction19 / 200
DIS 310Classroom Instruction16 / 200
DIS 311Classroom Instruction15 / 200
DIS 312Classroom Instruction20 / 200
DIS 315Classroom Instruction12 / 200
DIS 316Classroom Instruction19 / 200
DIS 318Classroom Instruction17 / 200
DIS 319Classroom Instruction10 / 200
DIS 320Classroom Instruction17 / 200
LEC 002Classroom Instruction256 / 2800
DIS 321Classroom Instruction13 / 200
DIS 323Classroom Instruction18 / 200
DIS 324Classroom Instruction15 / 200
DIS 325Classroom Instruction15 / 200
DIS 317Classroom Instruction19 / 200
DIS 309Classroom Instruction13 / 200
DIS 313Classroom Instruction17 / 200
DIS 314Classroom Instruction18 / 200
DIS 322Classroom Instruction20 / 200
LEC 101Classroom Instruction17 / 200

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
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Student experience

the class

Margaret Bryer teaches a generally easy and interesting course with straightforward labs and exams based on lecture slides. While some find her delivery monotone or boring, others describe her as engaging and understanding, making it a solid choice for fulfilling requirements.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.47 GPA, 68.0% A/AB (n=381 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.54 GPA, 79.0% A/AB (n=434 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.46 GPA, 70.1% A/AB (n=284 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The workload is light, featuring four exams where the lowest score is dropped and simple, one-hour labs. Readings are optional, and lecture attendance is not recorded but recommended for exam preparation.

Students appreciate the interesting content on evolution and primate relations, clear study guides, and flexible grading policies. Some reviewers found the lecture style monotone or boring, while others valued her knowledge and willingness to accommodate scheduling conflicts.

Topics

  • Genetic basis of morphological, physiological and behavioral variations
  • Variations within and between human populations
  • Origins and evolution of human populations

Grades

Historical instructor

Fall 2026 · Projected

Before grades are released

– average GPA

Approximate 80% prediction interval

About this estimate

The course’s semester-average GPA, not an individual student’s grade. The center uses 5 same-season terms, weighted toward recent results.

The range uses the finite-sample 80th-percentile rank of absolute errors from earlier same-season forecasts. Each forecast uses only records from earlier terms. At least four forecasts are required; bounds are rounded outward and limited to 0–4. This is an empirical estimate: changing instructors or grading policies can reduce its coverage.

8 earlier forecasts · 0.22 GPA average error.

Grades over time

Through Fall 2026

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · all course levels

GPA

Higher than % of other courses in this group.

Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range

letter grades

More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.

Typical course in this group: letter grades.

About this comparison

1283 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.

Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.

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Selected offering source records
ANTHRO 105 · Fall 2026

Principles of Biological Anthropology

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
[
  {
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:156:000805",
    "course_id": "ANTHRO 105",
    "course_uid": "course_31e91bbc6e3be8c0f49483f2",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "000805",
    "source_subject_id": "156",
    "title": "Principles of Biological Anthropology",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
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Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-09-07

Download the original dataset
Model outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Download part 1Download part 2
Model & dataset provenance
{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "53e26b5b2ce6516e448bea42a5e28d349015ee9acd85db084fa4dad1c8731b4c",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}