Easily the best class with the best professor I have ever had. I had the privilege to have Dr. Rissman as my professor for the past two quarters and it has been such a great learning experience. He has taught not only me, but the rest of the class far beyond what a textbook can teach. Very cool and interesting material about neuroscience and ethics. Many of the class discussions are very interesting and will have you thinking about it pass the classroom. Every lecture is clear and interesting. He is very receptive to comments and easily approachable. It was fun learning from him and learning from all the classmates in it. You get to learn about each other on a different level and hear a variety of comments that are beneficial to learning. Coming to class everyday was easy and leaving the class was not easy because you wanted to learn more. I wish the class was longer because this is the type of material that is not discussed in many classes. The information we learned was beneficial and will help you in life. This is the type of class that reminds you why going to school is important versus other classes that have a cut throat environment (which takes away the beauty or fun of learning). It is clear how much Dr. Rissman cares about his students' learning and for them to get quality education. He is passionate about what he teaches and wants to share that with his students. I definitely wish this class was at least 2 hours longer, and I am honestly sad that it came to an end (not something I can say about every class). Jesse Rissman is a professor who makes a difference and who truly makes UCLA a better place. UCLA and all the students that have had him are lucky. If you want to really experience quality education from ucla, take any class with him... but especially this class! GO NEUROETHICS. Make sure to enroll quick because it is a rare class that is not offered often. take it or miss out.

TAKE THIS CLASS. he is he best who teaches it. You don't want to miss out . TRUST

Let's get this out of the way: It's not difficult to get an A in this class. The median grade was probably between an A- and an A. There's nothing really special from the book and it's not necessary. The quizzes also get easier over time (the hard ones you can drop) and you can get +2% extra credit from doing 4 studies. If you do those at the beginning of the quarter, study enough to understand the material before quizzes , then you'll probably get an A. It also helps to do the modules at the beginning of the quarter (don't have to pay for it or worry when it's due) and ask your TA questions about the essay (not too difficult but the rubric is kinda confusing. I lost 1.5 points on it because I didn't discuss controversies enough of the paper).
This class is kinda fun. The professor is dorky and funny. But I left the class not really feeling any different. I know it's supposed to be an intro to other topics, but in the end it felt like I just took the class to satisfy a psych req. Overall not bad though

I honestly really enjoyed this class. I definitely feel like I took a lot away from this class. I absolutely loved the ZAPS modules, those were beyond helpful. They were very easy but allowed for a more in depth explanation of certain topics in a fun and interactive way. I definitely would keep these modules for future courses! Lectures were very interactive and interesting, though sometimes a bit long. While I understand this was a summer class and a lot of material was being pushed into a short amount of time, not allowing a short break in the middle was a bit much. Even if we can go back and watch the recording later of what may have been missed, it would still be nice to have a break implemented into the lecture, even just a few minutes would be helpful. The quizzes were very helpful in reviewing the material from the previous week, especially to see where you need to study more for the exams. I feel that there should be a practice exam or more practice in general with question types that are on the exams. I think the midterm has some poor wording making it more difficult to select a correct answer. Despite studying for days and feeling very prepared, I still did poorly on the midterm and that very heavily weighed on my feelings for how I would finish the course.

AWESOME CLASS!!!

If anyone wants to buy the access code I have an extra unused one. Please text **********

good professor but hard class you have to study a lot and work really hard

This class was tough but fair. The amount of effort you put in is what you'll grade you'll get. I didn't put that much work in and ended up with a B. As the other reviews say, the tests and clicker quizzes are entirely based on the lectures which are bruincasted and the slides are posted. Study them in depth and you're fine. No need to read anything else. Don't buy the textbook there's no point. He's a good lecturer and you will learn a lot so overall it's a good class.

Professor Rissman was a really good professor! The content in the course was very interesting and exams are extremely fair. To do well in the class you do have to put in the work, which means knowing all of the info on the slides and quizzes, which can admittedly be alot if you dont manage your time or study efficiently. Overall, really enjoyed taking Psych 85 with him, he was nice and very direct with the tested concepts.

The material was pretty dense at first but got progressively better (and more interesting) as the quarter went on. There are a lot of terms and nuances to pick out so make sure to read the slides in depth and listen to lecture a second time.

Professor Rissman can come off as shy/awkward but is very approachable and kind. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to take our final online. In order to make things better for us, he adjusted the weights of the midterm/final and changed the structure of the final just a tad bit.

A great class with a great professor!