NEUROSC C177
Drugs of Abuse from Neurobiology to Policy and Education
Description: Lecture, four hours. Requisite: course M101A. Course ranges from synapse to society. Provides intensive didactic on current neuroscientific basis for understanding substance abuse and blends that material with relevant topics such as epidemiology, co-occurring disorders, treatment options, prevention, and public policies, with emphasis on communication of course materials to general public. Concurrently scheduled with course C277. Letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2024 - Ever since taking Dr. Evans' Pharmacology of Cannabinoids class, I have been looking forward to taking this one. Sure enough, it did not disappoint! This is definitely one of the best classes I have taken at UCLA. It wasn't necessarily an easy class, but I never dreaded having to attend or study for it because the material is so relevant and engaging. Most of the class centers around a group presentation that a team gives each week, addressing drugs that the professors did not cover in their lectures. The first hour of the class is lecture, and the second hour is presentation/follow up questions. The faculty are a hilarious cast of characters that were all so fun to learn from, and definitely beyond experts in their fields. All four professors who taught this class obviously care deeply about the students and always went above and beyond to help us, even if it meant meeting with us on weekends to give us extra feedback on our presentation materials. The material wasn't difficult, just a lot of memorizing drug names, schedules, classes, and effects. No where near the level of Neuro 102 though, but Anki cards are definitely the way to go. There were a few questions on the tests that felt like curveballs, but Dr. Evans is super generous with his grading policies (if more than 60% of students miss a question, he throws it out) and I believe he ended up curving the final as well. If you are looking for an easy, throw-away elective to just scrape by in, this class isn't the one. But if you're looking for a fun and engaging class that will allow you to better understand contemporary societal issues, drug research and development, and help you think critically about public policy, take this one.
Winter 2024 - Ever since taking Dr. Evans' Pharmacology of Cannabinoids class, I have been looking forward to taking this one. Sure enough, it did not disappoint! This is definitely one of the best classes I have taken at UCLA. It wasn't necessarily an easy class, but I never dreaded having to attend or study for it because the material is so relevant and engaging. Most of the class centers around a group presentation that a team gives each week, addressing drugs that the professors did not cover in their lectures. The first hour of the class is lecture, and the second hour is presentation/follow up questions. The faculty are a hilarious cast of characters that were all so fun to learn from, and definitely beyond experts in their fields. All four professors who taught this class obviously care deeply about the students and always went above and beyond to help us, even if it meant meeting with us on weekends to give us extra feedback on our presentation materials. The material wasn't difficult, just a lot of memorizing drug names, schedules, classes, and effects. No where near the level of Neuro 102 though, but Anki cards are definitely the way to go. There were a few questions on the tests that felt like curveballs, but Dr. Evans is super generous with his grading policies (if more than 60% of students miss a question, he throws it out) and I believe he ended up curving the final as well. If you are looking for an easy, throw-away elective to just scrape by in, this class isn't the one. But if you're looking for a fun and engaging class that will allow you to better understand contemporary societal issues, drug research and development, and help you think critically about public policy, take this one.
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Most Helpful Review
I love professor Iguchi! He really cares about teaching and his lectures are very interesting and engage the class. Also, the tests can be a little difficult but they're pretty generous with the grading--and honestly the material was interesting enough that as long as you actually go to class you'll remember things pretty well. C177 was a great class!
I love professor Iguchi! He really cares about teaching and his lectures are very interesting and engage the class. Also, the tests can be a little difficult but they're pretty generous with the grading--and honestly the material was interesting enough that as long as you actually go to class you'll remember things pretty well. C177 was a great class!