Content: Pretty intensive overview of vertabrate morph. Class is 6 units, and lab is intense so it feels like two classes in one. I love the subject so I found the lectures interesting, but the consensus from my peers seemed to be that it wasn't super engaging for them. This class is really memorization heavy, especially with the Lab portion (definitely start studying early if you can). There are three lecture midterms, and two lab practicals. What used to be an extra credit field trip is now calculated in your normal grade.

Professor: It is undeniable that Dines is incredibly knowledgable in this subject area. But where he excels in material comprehension, in equal measure he lacks in approachability. That's not to say that Dines is not friendly, he is, but only when you were doing everything right/understand the content. In lecture, he would respond to questions about course content kindly, especially if it was something he deemed as a "good question" (which he would often vocalize). But he was extremely rigid in his enforcement of syllabus policy without taking into account individual needs of students; which while seemingly equal, it is not an *equitable* mode of teaching. His method of approaching and responding to students inadvertently put neurodivergent students like me at a disadvantage. I don't believe this was done maliciously, but that does not substantially alter the effect that that had on my success in the class. I didn't feel like I could ask questions about material or ask for flexibility (even with CAE accommodations), and when I did ask questions I was met with genuine frustration and not empathy. It is not my fault that I have ADHD and that some aspects of the course were more difficult for me than for others. But Dines doesn't understand that different students learn different, and I did not feel as though I could approach him with concerns without being visibly judged for it. I do not believe that asking for help and understanding should be met with frustration. I understand that this course is rigorous and meant to be challenging; but challenging courses are more impactful and material is better retained when professors are empathetic. The course should have been challenging because of the *material*, not because of the professor's demeanor. I think the most upsetting part about this class is that I think Dines could have been a really good professor. He clearly was very passionate about the material, and any tangents he may have went on were always really interesting to me. But when it came to the student-professor relationship, all of that passion would vanish. If he took some of his investment in the subject matter and allocated it to his students, I think this class would have been much more enjoyable.

Worst professor I have ever encountered. Very unapproachable, dry, and uncaring. Never take this class if it is not a strict requirement...

Really interesting class if you're into 1) evolution and the nitty-gritty of how vertebrates came to be how they are etc and 2) like dissections, but being a 6 unit class, very content-heavy. You're basically taking two classes in one, with there being exams that center on lecture content (more short answers/showing you understand the material) and lab exams (more memorization and identification of muscles, organs, etc). All the dates and expectations are laid out for you in the beginning, Dines is a very helpful and funny guy, and the TAs (at least this quarter) are a heaven-send for lab. Go to TA office hours!!

That being said, tough class, you have to cram a lot of knowledge into your head and start studying earlier than you think. Most of us including me probably underestimated the first lecture and lab exams and got low scores (borderline fail for me on the first lab exam), but Dines and the TAs do give opportunities for extra credit in the form of a museum trip and filling out the evals. I also learned from how badly I prepared for the first lecture and lab exams and improved from there.

TLDR: tough but rewarding and interesting class, just start studying and preparing earlier than you think, as well as asking questions. also lean on each other as students/ask questions in lab esp. - like in HSM, we're all in this together