I enjoyed this class! took is as an elective as bio major and I must say there is a lot of overlap between 128P and EEB 100 which I really enjoyed since I was taking them at the same time! Her multiple choice questions are FAIR but some harder than others and you have to pay close attention to her slides as all the answers ARE there and there are NO surprises. She actually made me care about a subject I didn't care about before and made an effort to learn names of students which I liked! She has a very friendly and approachable nature and you can tell she knows her stuff and is definitely one of the most intelligent professors i've had at UCLA! Would recommend her class, favorite part was there was no discussion just lectures twice a week and the reading for the class (Manipulative Monkeys) was actually a VERY enjoyable read!

Perry writes the textbook for the class, and has contributed valuable research in her field. She is very nice and helpful, but the lectures can a bit dull or monotone if you aren't engaging with the material. Exams were graded so that top 1/3 middle 1/3 and bottom 1/3 receive an A , B , and C respectively. Perry is obviously very smart and you do need to do the readings if you want to receive an A on the exam; however, her textbook is quite interesting so its not a tough read (i hate reading). Lastly, my TA was Kotrina, and she was very friendly, knowledgable, and helpful.

BEWARE! Her tests are extremely difficult and she has to curve them a ridiculous amount. I got a D on the final and it was curved to an A. I'm happy to have gotten an A but the time I took studying for the final could have spent on another class more worthy of it. Additionally, I would have liked to know that I left the class having learned something. So ya, kind of easy... but awful teacher.

If you have an interest in primatology and human origin you will likely enjoy this class. Susan Perry has worked with capuchin monkeys for over 20 years, so she is able to supplement her lectures with examples from her own research. She is very available to help, offering two chances to have lunch with her! The final was cumulative and 60% of the grade, midterm 40%. There is an almost overwhelming amount of information to know, but the fact that it is so interesting makes it easier to cope with. Regardless of your grade, you'll leave this class feeling like you've learned so much. And you'll be able to apply what you've learned to almost everything. It's such a fascinating course and Susan Perry is a fascinating person.

Absolutely loved this class. If you are interested in primates, this is definitely the course for you. Professor Perry is very accessible and has office hours all the time, plus informal lunches that are great for discussing primate related things (and things not related to primates at all) with the professor and your classmates. The book was a quick and fun read: think Game of Thrones, with monkeys. Unfortunately, I doubt I'll be getting an A in this class, but that is due to frequent absences for health related reasons and my general inability to take tests. This was a class that I really always looked forward to going to even though it was a morning class. Not a lecture went by without fun and educational anecdotes about various primates (mostly capuchins). The midterm was difficult for me, as I was sleep deprived and stressed out about things unrelated to the class, but the grade was curved so that helped people who didn't do as terribly as I did. In spite of the fact that I am very obsessed with getting a 4.0 and died a little inside when I saw my midterm grade, I don't at all regret taking this class because I've learned so much from it, and isn't that what going to a good school like UCLA is supposed to be about? This class changed my perspective on how human beings fit into the tree of life and the universe (as cheesy as that sounds). 10/10 would recommend this class to anyone with the slightest interest in animals.

Instead of Chimpanzee Politics, she should make The Selfish Gene a course text. The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins is pretty much her entire course, which I'm suspecting she modeled her course from.

Professor Perry's class was enjoyable and I learned a lot about primatology. You are pretty much forced to learn a lot. The lectures cover a lot of material and the course reader readings are kind of intense (other than the text book itself, which perry wrote,and is entertaining). Tests are rough but she curves them and that helps a bunch. Work hard and you will be able to get an A.

The gist of the class is that monkeys have dramas just like WE do. Imagine watching an MTV reality show while taking a basic Evolutionary Biology course. Oowala!, you get 128A. Sure it is interesting at first to see some of the resemblance, but overkill with monotony after the 3rd week. You have to read two books: Chimpanzee Politics and the one that she wrote, Manipulative Monkeys. Much of the contexts of the two books are identical, which is like beating a dead ape by making us read them both. If you're really into Primatology,go for it. If not then spare yourself the monkey chatter. Overall the class is not hard.

The most pointless class I have ever encountered at UCLA. Do NOT take this class unless you feel like being tested on extremely specific irrelevant facts about monkeys. The final project isn't too hard but the grading scale is ridiculous. Don't take this class it sucks and the professor sucks more.

If anyone needs the book and course reader for 128a, please message me at jonathanL1991@ucla.edu. I am selling both of them.