This class wasn't very difficult. When I took it, there were 3 writing assignments, as well as a written essay final. Each of our writing assignments, including the final were graded by different TAs too ensure fairness, and Handler himself would also do some grading. Our lowest of those first 3 writing assignments would be dropped. I didn't really do the readings, besides some skimming so I could say a couple things in the discussion section if necessary, and for the relevant portions of a paper. Walked away with an A+ without doing a crazy amount of work. Would recommend taking it with Handler, as the class isn't set up to be overly difficult, in my opinion.

Great class! A very easy intro course and interesting readings/materials. Prof Handler is a very interesting man and extremely knowledgeable. Didn't really have to do many of the readings to do well.

Interesting course, but you MUST have an open mind coming into the course. I hated Handler and the course for the entire first half of the semester b/c he does come off a bit strong and can at times sound arrogant and dismissive of other opinions. Lectures are highly recommended. I never really got more than 2 sentences worth of notes out of them but it's worth going to just listen to the interesting things he has to say. Readings are fairly optional. Grade is somewhat unforgivingly comprised of 4 essays, so strong writing skills are critical. Overall, an easy B+ class that was reasonably interesting.

This was one of my favorite classes taken at UVA. Handler is a really interesting man with very provocative opinions that make you think and reevaluate how you approach the world. I think I gravitate towards anthropology as a discipline itself rather than this specific class, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. At times Handler can be very opinionated to the point that he doesn't consider others viewpoints. This is easily remediated in the discussion sections where the TAs are very helpful and let the students take charge. Take Michelle as your TA if you can!

Not too much reading and take-home exams/final. The reading can be dense.

I would recommend this class to every person in the world, the lectures were really thought-provoking and it was nice to only have writing assignments for exams. Some of the reading was really interesting, some of it was sort of long. Regardless, this was by far my favorite course this semester.

Take this course if you are looking for an easy good grade with minimal effort. If you actually like Anthropology, then I guess take this course? I can't really speak to that as that was not the reason I took this course.
As far as the teacher goes, Handler is extremely liberal, to the point where it is nauseating. He makes it his to point to say shocking things and make you feel uncomfortable, all under the guise that he is just "teasing your brain," trying to get you think outside of these institutions that control us. In all honesty, it comes off as a bit cheesy, sort of cringe-y. However, all the kids eat this up, thinking its really radical and forward thinking.
You can get away with not going to class very easily, you can also get away with not reading, which is primarily why I give this course a high recommendation. However, outside of that, the class is really just this hyper liberal guy trying to say really provocative stuff on purpose because he can. If I could report him, I would.

Tl;dr - Teacher is cringey, course work is just a lot of bogus reading. HOWEVER, easy A with only take home tests, even the final.

This class was fantastic! Handler was a great professor, and I thought everything he taught us was very applicable to our own lives. You learn a lot not only about other cultures in this class, but also about yourself. Also, I greatly appreciated how Handler would change lesson plans in order to talk about current issues, especially because there were so many during the semester I took the class. He genuinely cares about his students, and lectures were very entertaining.

While some people do not like Handler, they simply do not appreicate his views on things. They are narrowminded. He is the man. I am so happy I got the chance to be a student of Handler here, and hope to take another class with him down the road. Handler is very friendly and nice and wants to help you. While he does impose his political views in class, I actually enjoyed this aspect of class--very interesting to see what a real anthropologist thinks about certain things around the world. This class will change the way you think about your world. GO TO CLASS. Take good lecture notes, b/c after all, that is what the TA's are looking for on the take-home tests. The readings are not necessary, but very interesting if you just want to skim them. They are not necessary b/c Handler only tests you on one little passage from the book/article, ususally one of which he talked about in lecture. Be as objective as possible in essays--do not be subjective. TA's are not looking for how you feel; they want to know what you know about anthropology. Overall, great class. Take it.

The topics you discuss, such as race and development, are interesting, but Professor Handler only really presents one view of the issues. He frequently inserts his liberal political commentary in lectures as well. The grading can be subjective based on the TA, but if you go to lectures and read, you should be okay. The take-home tests are essentially looking for what was discussed in Handler's lectures.

Although Handler can be off-putting for some because of some of the provocative (political) things he says, I learned so much about how the world works from his lectures. The mission of ANTH 1010 is "to make the exotic familiar and the familiar exotic" and he is superb at doing so. Exams are take-home and open book so as long as you put forth some effort, your grade will be fine. I'd definitely recommend this class!