I loved Winter quarter of this cluster, especially because I really enjoy biology (though not a bio major) and it was therefore also much easier than Fall in my opinion. The big change from Fall quarter is that Friscia lectures on evolution instead of Larkin lecturing on astronomy. Friscia is hilarious and great at explaining the concepts he presents.

The textbook (Tangled Bank) is "mandatory". If you have a good grasp on the bio concepts, you can probably do without it, but it's definitely a good resource if you struggle with bio. It's not a difficult read so it's worth having around.

Again, they guide you through the paper throughout the quarter so that it's not so daunting. I would definitely recommend going on the field trips (there were 3 in Winter quarter alone when I took the class), as they are all paid for (in terms of transportation, lodging, etc. except food). The overnight one to Nevada was super fun and we got to collect fossils. I would say this is one of the few classes that has a field aspect to it.

I would recommend sticking it out for Winter even if you struggled with Fall because the material is more familiar to most people, especially if you've taken some sort of biology class in high school. Overall a great class and one of my favorites.

Looking back, I'm happy I took this class because it's the only science class I have to take here, and it was fairly eaasy. 4 Science GE requirements ticked off for 3 quarters of (easy) class is a good deal and you should take it.

As for the actual class, it's a lot of busy work -- its easy, just annoying. For average college freshman like myself and my friends in the class, you may find that lectures are a little slow and it's hard to stay engaged. HW is mostly busy work and not too helpful for understanding class material. Sometimes I question why I'm reading a chapter of a random book that has nothing to do with the lecture.

For grading, same format as 1st Q with biweekly quizzes (open note, 24hrs to complete). The quizzes can be a little difficult sometimes, but most people do fine. It also mostly depends if you have a good TA or not. I had G. Mann and he was the best. Get him if you can, he's super chill, actually tries to teach you the material in a fun way, plus he's an easy grader. Some of my friends had bad TAs who graded based on accuracy and effort rather than completion, and they got worse grades as a result. There's an essay that is insanely easy as long as you have competent writing skills, and the final is hard but it's only worth 10%. Overall, I put in minimal effort, got an 80% on the final and still finished with a high A in the class.

I wouldn't say I enjoyed the class while taking it, but it is an easy course with good GEs ticked off, so I recommend it to those humanities majors who want to be done with science.

I hated this class. SO much work. If you are not into astronomy you will HATE spring quarter. It sucked. The topics were dense and too many of them.

The material focuses on biology and chemistry, and it is somewhat easier than CLUSTER 70A yet still hard. That said, if you follow instructions, you can get the grade without learning; this class is very obviously designed just to knock off GEs. The lecture and discussion are two separate classes. There remains a quiz (online, half multiple-choice and half free-response) every other week, and they are hard. Everything else is in discussion and again graded primarily on completion.

TL/DR: Decent class. I preferred Friscia for the lecturers and he is pretty funny. Class is very similar to Cluster 70A. For more on the grade breakdown and experience I had with it, see my link (didn't want to clog this site) https://docs.google.com/document/d/15vILblHwWrnV7KnB-sOFzTRnQE2QPA7nmHxj4gdNKBU/edit?usp=sharing

Friscia is intrinsically an evil human being with wicked intentions. His goal is not to teach you. His goal is to morally degrade you and make it clear that your existence in this world is a burden to society and that you're nothing but a disgraceful presence to mankind. He wants his students to fail. He feels HAPPY when his students SUFFER. He hates it when his students succeed. It makes him ANGRY!!! It ENRAGES him that you are a happy human being. If you ask him for help or address confusion about a quiz, he will provide you with the most inhumane, vile, degenerate, morally corrupt answer known to man. He is truly an evil and sinful human being. If you have a functioning brain and a will to live in this world and contribute in some way to society, you wouldn't want ANYTHING to do with this guy.

My Cluster 70B professors were Jewitt, Friscia, and Brown. This was my favorite class all three quarters. The topics of the evolution of the universe/galaxies/stars/planets/life/ecosystems were SO interesting. I would absolutely take this class again in a heartbeat. It has upended my life plan because now I am debating pursuing a career in astronomy/biology/ecology. GREAT CLASS! GREAT TEACHERS! The workload is soooooo do-able. It is just readings each week and then a quiz every other week.

Papa Tony takes us to museums for free. Papa Tony doesn't give finals. Papa Tony is life.

Overall, I'd say that winter is definitely the easiest quarter of cluster 70. Friscia is an engaging lecturer who's very passionate about the natural sciences and evolution, and his quizzes are pretty easy compared to Petigura & Jewitt. There are even a couple of fun field trips that I'd recommend you hop on with your class friends! Again though, grading really depends on your TA, and you'll have two different ones for this quarter: one for busy work and labs (which are kinda annoying but easy), & one for your final paper assignments. Even if you struggled a bit in the fall quarter of this cluster, I would recommend continuing with at least this next quarter because the benefits of completing everything are definitely worth it.

this class is extremely unorganized but its pretty easy. When you have 3-4 professors lecturing about whatever it becomes pretty hard to keep up. Also, they are terrible at making slides, your quiz score depends on your attendance in lecture since slides are not helpful/logistical nightmare.

Overall, it's pretty easy, get a good TA and your A is locked in. Bad TA, you better hustle, but overall 50% of the kids get A's.

Attendance is "mandatory" with iClicker. Sitting at home and pressing one button once every class also suffices.

Shoutout Ariel Graykowsi for carrying my grade. She's a great TA and really understanding/willing to help.