Okay, here's the deal. I think the reviews of this class are polarizing because it mashes up two opposite sides of the academic spectrum: humanities (history, philosophy, literature) and science (neuroscience, psychology [which could swing humanities], and neuroanatomy). Some of the basic neuroscience concepts swing nearly on the side of chemistry-type ideas. It's interdisciplinary and if you find yourself skilled on one end of the spectrum and are not willing to stretch out of your comfort zone and work hard to learn the concepts on the other end, don't take this class. I began this class fully expecting it to AP Psychology 2.0, and in some cases it was (if you took AP Psych, you're set for quite a bit of the neuroanatomy and psychology), but in many cases it is not. I find myself pretty well-rounded in that while I lean more humanities, I can switch to the more science-based concepts with a bit of work. Learning the neuroscience is a steep learning curve, even for those in science majors. However, if you go to your TA's office hours, the professors' office hours, and make sure to ask questions, you WILL get it. This class takes effort and I think very few would say its an easy A, but it is 100% worth taking. It was the best experience of my life and I learned so much. I think the first quarter is much harder than the second quarter because by the second quarter you can apply the knowledge from the first quarter to real concepts like movement and mental illness, which I found incredibly interesting. The seminar was also good, just be sure to choose a topic you really like. Fall and winter quarters have a midterm and final (multiple choice/short answer style), weekly quizzes, a final paper, and a midterm/shorter paper. It's all doable. The tests can be challenging, but if you do the weekly study questions they are very manageable. If you don't put in the effort, you will be miserable and get a poor grade. This isn't a class you can just skate by in, not study, and not do the readings. However, it is a class that will enrich your freshman year and put you in a great place for your subsequent studies at UCLA.

This class is a lot of work for a GE. You must attend office hours to fully understand the material as well as go over it before and after lectures. This course also has a section with analysis on movies which is interesting but difficult in the sense of time. I studied a lot for this class. Also, there is a final paper as well as weekly quizzes and a few lab reports.

This class was the most engaging and interesting, however Fall has a heavy workload of weekly readings. Lectures switched professors often, and material was always something new and intriguing but this is no easy A. Definitely worth it, as we covered neurophysiology fairly in depth which has complex concepts. However, there was a variety of material being taught, and there was never a sense of boredom.

If this class seems interesting to you, I would definitely recommend it, but do not think that this class is a walk in the park. Studying for the midterm and the final is essential, as they are challenging, and it is important to read the article reading assignments for questions on weekly quizzes and the midterm and final. Very doable, don't be frightened, but definitely put the work in.

I would say Chandler's module was the most difficult one in 101a. This module heavily involves conceptual knowledge and much physics-based, plus neurophysiology is a tough subject in itself, so making this class a bit difficult at least for me. Chandler's lectures were not Bruin-casted, so it made studying for this class challenging for me. I would definitely recommend recording the lecture if you can. Chandler provides weekly questions for students to work on, and he goes over them in his office hours. I highly recommend going over the questions carefully and really understand them because the exam questions are quite similar to those. The exam questions were all hypothetical and all short answers, so very easy to miss points here and there, which can add up to a lot. Overall, Chandler is an interesting guy and a good teacher, but the topic itself is just quite difficult and requires a lot of time and commitment to study for it.

For 101 series:

Selling Cellular Physiology of Nerve and Muscle 3rd Edition by Gary G. Matthews for $25. Cellular Physiology of Nerve and Muscle 4th Edition by Gary G. Matthews for $35. Neuroscience (Fifth Edition) by Purves, Augustine, Fitzpatrick, Hall, Etc. Neuroanatomy: An atlas of structures, sections, and systems by Duane E. Haines for $65. None of the books have been used

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