Good: very interesting class (life changing), questions given before exams to prepare, phenomenal TAs, very cheap textbook
Bad: 8am, pop quizzes everyday, tremendous study load, could potentially hurt GPA

Absolutely life changing class... as another person said this class will totally change the way you view yourself and the world because you learn the ultimate reasons why humans are the way they are; the information you learn in this course is priceless and I think everyone should take this class in general. However, Fessler does not mess around. He gives 1 question pop quizzes right at 8am almost every class (first quiz was the second lecture of week 1), the reading can be very dense and difficult, the study load is absolutely tremendous, and there are many concepts to know. He does give out potential exam questions before the midterm and the final. The knowledge is very interesting and life changing, but truthfully it could semi-hurt your GPA. I worked very hard, read everything, participated in discussion (with Brittnay), went to office hours, was above the curve for the first midterm, and still did not get an A. This was kind of frustrating given how much I was invested in the course and spent a lot of time studying for this class and I loved what I was learning; in the end my answers to the exams mostly were just incomplete. The TAs and Dr. Fessler cannot tell you if your answers to the study guide are incomplete or incorrect. I don't think his lectures were at all disorganized but what helped me is recording his lecture, then listening back and fill in my notes (best strategy is just to listen and absorb the information). This strategy helps the most because he is very intelligent and that kind of smartness is just too much sometimes at 8am. I don't know what I could have done differently to actually get an A (probably make friends with the smart people in class), but I DEFINITELY don't regret taking the course because I will use the information I learned probably for the rest of my life. "Knowledge is power, but not over other, but for yourself" -- Dan Fessler

Never in my life have I ever taken a worse class than this one. Please do NOT be fooled by these comments because I was, they do not in any way align with this class. I took this class because I needed the req but it ended up being miserable for me. Fun fact this class made me want to withdraw from UCLA. Also what none of these ratings tell you is that literally half the class failed and got D's. Do not get me wrong his class was extremely interesting and I have never been more integrated in a class but I feel like that's what made it worse. I got a 10/40 on the midterm (which is an in-person 3-HOUR pen written exam) and when I asked him why he said "Your answers are right but they aren't what I'm looking for." wtf? For extremely stressful classes prof will not under any circumstance give out extra credit. My friend was a single point off from a C a PASSING GRADE and he said he couldn't do anything about it. I have to re-take this class next spring so please, save yourself the misery and do not take this class I am warning you!

Class is not recorded and was at 8am when I took it. The prof wants to see who is willing to actually show up to the 8am as it shows they are dedicated, but even though I showed up every single day (including the day after the protest violence), I did so poorly on the midterm that there was no way I could get an A so I switched the grading last minute. The class material was very interesting, but the formatting of the class and how harshly the exams were graded made it not so fun.

This class is challenging, especially if you're not naturally good at writing or in-depth papers, don't take this class. You do need some basic background on biology for this class. 2 midterm essays, 1 final, that's it. You need to show up to the discussion. Both midterms are "75 minutes" but take about 5-7 hours each. Final requires 12 hours. Wouldn't take it again. However, this class is insanely interesting and very insightful.

I enjoyed the class overall. The professor talks very fast and goes on many tangents, but our section classes were always helpful in clarifying the key points of the lectures. The tests were challenging, but as long as you understand the material and do the readings, you will be prepared.

Okay, this is my favorite class I've ever taken at UCLA. It's SO interesting, I feel like I have such a different perspective on society as a whole. HOWEVER it's very hard. I really like Fessler, though I know some people don't. But be careful on the midterm/final, because they're graded really harshly. Also, your whole grade is basically the midterm and final, but if you get high enough on the final you get an automatic A. Anyway: TAKE THIS CLASS! In conclusion. Thanks.

Real quick note before I delve into my review of this course: it is no longer known as 124P, but 124S.

First and foremost, I will come out and say it. This class is NOT easy. I’m sure a lot of students thought the class was going to be a piece of cake given that Fessler provides a study guide which contains the ACTUAL questions that are on the exam. However, the study guide is given to the class about a week or so before the actual exam, which means that one should already be well-versed in the material before the study guide is released. The study guide is LONG and each question has multiple parts. Furthermore, the questions themselves are NOT very straightforward and require deep understanding of the material. The average for the first midterm was about a 55%, which means people simply waited for the study guide to be posted in order to start studying, and this was a bad mistake.

In order to do well in the class, you have to keep up with the material, which is A LOT. Make sure to record his lectures (he encourages you to do so) and listen to them and write/type down EVERYTHING he says. This is CRITICAL in order to make sure you are able to answer the questions on his study guide. If you are able to trabnscripbe everything that he says, you will have what you need to answer the questions, and then after that, it’s just going in and doing some hardcore memorizing. I never went to his office hours, but I made sure to visit my TA every chance I got whenever I didn’t understand anything. My suggestion is to join forces with a couple of RELIABLE and COMPETENT students and start a google doc as soon as he posts the study guide questions. Working on the study guide alone is difficult and it’s best to have some help.

The midterm and the final are just the select questions from the study guide, so make sure to memorize ALL of the answers because he picks which questions he will actually put on the exam. The midterm consisted of about 3-4 questions if I recall and the final had about 5-6. Both exams are pretty grueling given that you are under time crunch to write down everything you remember from the answers on the study guide. My hand was literally trembling after the midterm.

Any who, enough with the scary stuff. This class was actually SO FREAKING AWESOME. You will learn so much and it will stick with you. Professor Fessler is pretty darn intimidating because he is so damn articulate and intelligent, but he will make you look at things in such a different way. Even after the class, my friend and I always make connections to the concepts we learned in this class. Highly recommend if you are looking for super duper interesting class and of course, if you’re up for the challenge.

This was probably my favorite and most difficult class at UCLA. The workload and concepts taught in the class are tough and you have to put in a lot of effort to succeed, but trust me, it's worth it. I can apply everything I learned in this class in my life and now I have a completely different way of viewing the world. Make sure to form study groups and start going over the study guide together as soon as it's posted. He posts them about a week before the exams and they cover a lot of material. The exams require you to know the material in depth and be able to explain your answers. The average on the midterm was 45% and the final average was a bit higher. Also, get to class on time because there are usually pop quizzes that start on the dot.

Fessler is a very knowledgable professor but his lectures are a bit disorganized -- the readings really help understand the material before class but the 8AM pop quizzes suck. Go to office hours and stay on top of the reading material. Midterm is 3 written questions that he chooses from a pool of 10, given beforehand to study. Final is 6 written questions from 19 questions (the 7 he didn't use for the midterm plus 12 new), also given beforehand to study.

Just a heads up, Professor Fessler posts all of the course evaluations from students on his personal website (danielmtfessler dot com) to help students out. There are a ton more reviews there than here.