Incredibly interesting class. All professors are clearly passionate about the material. There is some disconnect between the professors and their sections of the course. The assignments, quizzes, and tests are somewhat difficult, but if you rewatch lectures (Bruincast!) then you should be fine.

This cluster is great becase it fulfills two life sciences, one society and culture, and one arts and humanities GE, in addition to the Writing II requirement. Going into it, I thought it would be super fun. While the content is interesting, this is probably the hardest class I have ever taken. You are expected to complete at least 18 hours of work a week outside of class, and you have weekly quizzes that are super specific to the lectures. The average on our midterm was a C. Everyone in this class wants to drop, has mental breakdowns 24/7, or is failing. Chandler's lectures are definitely the hardest, especially because he has no idea how to explain concepts in oprder. Meldrum and Levine's ectures are okay, and you just need to memorize their presentations for quizzes on weeks she lectures. Knowlton is a wonderful lecturer, but when her unit on perception overlaps with Meldrum's lectures, it can get confusing. Kristal's lectures are easy, but MAKE SURE you do his readings, or else you will be lost.

Cannot emphasize enough how much I love this class. Coming from someone who previously disliked hard science (I took this cluster to eliminate as many of my science gen ed requirements as possible), it is totally doable for all of my humanities-favoring students out there. The biology sections (Chandler's) are tough, but if you pay attention in discussion and do a little extra studying, you can understand it. Plus, there's two easier sections (film and history) that require much less work and studying, so doing well in these sections can balance out any struggles you're having in the biology sections. This cluster has made me start considering majoring in Neuroscience, even though I previously would have laughed at the idea of a major that wasn't a humanity. Chandler is super nice and funny, and all the professors are approachable and easy to ask for help if you ever need it. The course material is engaging and definitely interesting--this cluster has been my favorite class every quarter so far. It's a 6 unit class so it will be a fair amount of work, but I truly believe that the benefits are worth the extra effort.

This cluster is super interesting, I learned a lot, and the class material covered was very applicable to real life. The essays give you room to explore topics that interest you and a lot of guidance is given. The biggest difficulty with this class for me was the science-heavy sections, and having to readjust my learning practices to fit the different professors’ lecturing styles and topics. The TAs and professors have ample extra credit and the inquiry specialist was very helpful in assisting with writing. Succeeding in this class is possible if you work hard. The textbook and homework readings are not necessary and are not tested. While the midterm and final weren’t that difficult, it was upsetting to me that there was no makeups for the exam. Even though people were living all over the globe due to COVID, everyone was forced to take the final during the same hour. I wish we had a time window to complete the exam. I feel like I would’ve done better if I had not had to take the final late at night my time. Otherwise, the TAs seemed understanding and helpful.

Out of all of the professors this year for Cluster 73, Chandler was by far the most difficult one to work with. His portion of the lectures were so filled with information that he didn't spend the appropriate time explaining. He expects students to just automatically understand what he is teaching however the material is very advanced and hard to grasp. He is engaging and funny, but oftentimes I would skip the live lecture and watch the recordings because of the anxiety I got watching them live. He insists that the TAs make the quizzes harder as well as the exams, which is a big reason my grade kept dropping. The class itself is very interesting and the other professors make it better, just beware of how hard Chandler is going to be.

I really enjoyed the first two quarters of the Cluster. Dr. Chandler is an amazing professor. He cares about his students learning and actively engages them during lectures. His office hours are incredibly helpful. I would highly suggest taking this course (The cluster).
The tests are very managble if you actually put effort into them. Study a lot and be prepared for difficult but fair questions. Every point counts, especially on the quizzes and the labs. Do not slack off! it is a class to take seriously if you want to do well. Do ALL of the readings, and pay attention/take notes while you do.

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.