I took MCDB 50... terrible class if you're looking for an easy GE. I slacked off a bunch at the beginning and got a below average on the midterm (which was pretty hard). There are alot of essays and the TA graded them exceptionally hard. It seems like he's looking for a specific style of writing and if you don't do it... you will fail. His comments didn't really help either. Overall, the class will teach you stem cell biology pretty well... however, most people take it as a GE... and it was terrible. After around week 5, I started working hard and got second highest score in class on the final. However, I ended up with a B. So yeah, study hard since the beginning and always ask the TAs what they are looking for on the essays. I thought I could get a high score by making it up on the final, but it wasn't the case. Bottom line: if you're looking for an easy GE, do not take this class or this professor... but if you're generally interested in stem cell bio, take it.

Dr. Meyer is fantastic! She explains everything really clearly and in an unbiased way. She's really organized: posts all of her lecture slides online the night before lecture and let's you know about assignments and grading criteria along the way. If you're unhappy with a test grade, you can submit a formal appeal which she looks at and decides, not the TA. The midterm was completely fair, and so is the appeal process. She really cares about the students' opinions and breaks down Stem Cell Research and politics in an interesting, engaging way. I'm a North campus major and dreaded the science part of the class, but there wasn't a single concept I didn't understand. I highly, highly recommend this class to anyone who wants a great professor and to learn about very relevant scientific research.

Great Professor. You learn a lot in this class.

No words can describe the excruciating pain that permeated through every limb and fiber of my being as I sat through lecture, as I sat through group projects, as I sat through mandatory volunteering--as though all these required tasks would magically instill in me a greater desire to further the war against AIDS. Inspiring, maybe. Sad, definitely. But in the end, with a class full of 100+ idealistic self-serving freshmen eager to get their first GE requirement fulfilled, and move on, one only gives a damn about the grade. And boy, she doesn't make it easy for you. The course reader weighs more than 3 limited edition hardcovers of J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings trilogy, the movies she has you watch on your own time are arduous and hardly discussed, her lectures don't make very much sense and she's hard to follow, but lastly and most irritatingly, is the fact that she has you complete 15 hours of volunteer work (from a list of organizations pre-designated for you) AND a group project. This class was not worth my time. If you want to be scared out of your wits by what STDs can do to you, take it. Otherwise, stay away.

I have no idea what the reviewer below me is talking about. The course reader is definitely not heavy. As a North Campus major and hater of minute biological details, I thought that Dr. Meyer was a great professor and explained the biological and social details of HIV/AIDS very well. The volunteering is somewhat demanding, but not bad, and can teach you a lot. She was a pretty good lecturer, and her exams were not too difficult. Overall, the class isn't hard as long as you try. Readings are not really necessary, by the way.

She is overall a great professor, her class is tough but if you're interested in HIV, AIDS and STD's she works really hard to get guest lecturers to give you a well rounded approach to the topic. She is very helpful during office hours if you put the time in to go. She really wants you to learn and makes sure you get a lot of different perspectives. She's very knowledgeable and is willing to find the answer to any question you could bring up about AIDS. Her midterms aren't hard if you go to lecture and study the slides that she posts up online, the movies and community service is pretty much just for you to grow and learn a different way. This was one of the most challenging classes I've taken but the most rewarding. Overall she's a really great professor, who's loves getting feedback on how she can become better.

This course is worth taking if you are interested in the material and want a manageable science GE. Dr. Meyer is extremely concerned about her students and wants to make sure everyone does well in the class. She takes feedback very seriously and actually improves her teaching methods as a result of it. Her lectures are clear and she usually sticks to the powerpoint slides. I found that I did not have to take very many notes for the course. The first half of the course is more focused on the biological aspect of AIDS and STDs whereas the second half is more focused on its social implications. The midterm requires a good amount of memorization, but it is manageable. Dr. Meyer tends to emphasize certain things in class that you know will be on an exam. Another good thing about the class is that the final is not cumulative, so it's easier than the midterm. Additionally, Dr. Meyer gives a study guide that pretty much covers the material for the final. I would not recommend this class if you have a busy schedule because there is a 15 hour community service requirement, which requires you to go off campus. I had a great time volunteering, but it was a struggle to get those hours. I really liked this class because it took a holistic approach to HIV/AIDS and I found Dr. Meyer to be a very knowledgeable and passionate professor.

I hated this class. Her voice is really annoying, and sometimes I couldn't even understand what she was saying. If you're not a South Campus major like me, I don't recommend you taking the class.

Dr. Meyer is a really engaging professor. The tests were really fair, but I think it was important to participate in discussion sections throughout the quarter.. During 3/4 of the quarter, she switched the group discussion to a small group discussion, which I found was better, but you also have people who don't like that and would rather talk in a larger circle. Buying the clicker was sort of a waste of money$$, so if you can, try to get it off from a friend... Some students aren't as accommodated to the idea of just speaking out loud in a circle of 16 students, and to those students who speak for more than 5 minutes at a time saying the same idea over and over.. it really took away the opportunity for other students to speak. The essays were alright, although the last one we had was comparing Obama v. Bush Policy ANNOUNCEMENTS, which had no rubric (somewhat unfair) since it was the first time she assigned it... Overall, the material is incredibly interesting, especially because stem cell issues are current and still on the move.. just make a good study guide and remember historical events... Wikipedia is great if you're stuck studying for the final... Remember to participate!

She has a stick up her butt and takes her class way too seriously. Last time I checked we were in college and didn't need a 2 hour presentation on how to develop a poster. She overemphasizes pointless stuff on the poster we have to do but then dings you when you don't have the stuff she was supposedly "looking for" even though she never made clear WHAT she was looking for. I love how passive-aggressive she was. I had heard it was a pretty easy class but I wouldn't recommend taking it especially if you don't agree with the topics since she isn't very appreciative of differing viewpoints. Her class is way too much for nothing.