Atrocious is the only word I can use to describe Professor Landecker. While the class itself isn't very difficult, she herself is. She makes the midterms extremely hard to score well on -- even if you understand the material (e.g. takes points off for using synonymous words in free response questions instead of the EXACT word she wants you to write, takes points off for writing outside of the text box???, etc.). Then, when most of the class scores poorly on the midterms, she has a bad habit of sending out passive-aggressive emails accusing students of not attending lectures/completing the readings and that we're creating more work for her by scoring badly. Her evidence and logic for why we are poor, inattentive students (rather than her being a bad professor) is that a few people managed to get full scores on the exam.
She also waited until the very last minute to submit grades (as in 3 hours before the deadline) and upon questioning when grades would be in, sent back a snarky email saying grades would be in by the end of the day.
One of the worst professors I've ever had in my undergraduate career; would not recommend.

To this day, I am still vexed about my experience in this class. My TA, Maris Kamalu, would take off points for such arbitrary and trivial things. It almost felt like she had it out for some students. My classmate received a higher score on a small assignment submitted using ChatGPT than on one she wrote herself. How are you deciding that the substance of AI can surpass the minds of the sentient? I will feel bitterness toward her whenever I remember this class.

Dr. Landecker also has a poor attitude. On the first day of lecture, she whistled at students who were leaving prematurely and said that she wasn't finished. People could have places to be or valid reasons to leave. Attendance wasn't mandatory so it was so bizarre of her to point out those students in front of everyone. She has the same demeanor as a strict substitute teacher who felt that she needed to demand respect at all times. When the midterm average was low, she attributed it to laziness. She thought so lowly of her own students and felt the need to remind us that she gives speeches at Ivy Leagues. She's the type of professor to tell students that only 10 students can receive an A in the class.

However, the readings were very interesting and helped enhance our understanding of the units she chose. The multiple choice portion of the midterm wasn't too difficult as long as you did the readings and understood the main idea of the lecture slides. But the free response section was phrased so vaguely and you wouldn't get credit unless you worded the answer in the exact way they wanted. Professors can test on whatever they want but I don't know how many students will take time to remember the exact year a certain law was passed.

TLDR: While the course was definitely more than manageable, the experience felt like being in a class where none of the instructors wanted you to succeed and held the belief that you didn't want to succeed either.

Prof. Landecker is very knowledgable in her field of study and this course has definitely been one of my favorites at UCLA! The class is divided into two sections (the first half on antibiotic resistance and the second on sleep biology). I found both to be extremely interesting to learn about from a biology and social lens. Although there is a hefty amount of reading each week, the coursework consists of attending lecture and section, 2 short essay assignments, 1 longer essay, a midterm, and a final. I felt like the midterm was on the harder side of tests since the study guide was somewhat broad and vague. However, I liked how in the second half of the class (after the midterm) she started to post reading questions for the readings (this helped to understand what I should be focusing on).

As a sociology student, I really appreciated the "integrative approach" taken in this course. The professor did an excellent job of having students engaged with the material in various ways, through many creative activities in discussion sections and assignments. She also communicated a lot through class announcements, which made me feel my learning was encouraged.

Professor Landecker's lectures were always well-organized and engaging. I always felt like I understood why we were doing what we were doing in class. The format of the class is very unique. I liked how we approached two very different topics from a variety of analytical perspectives.

Beware of the amount of reading required for this class. The exams are alright as long as you did the study guide and understood all the terms. Overall, this was a pretty generic GE. I am also selling the printed book of Island of Dr. Moreau for 5 dollars. Feel free to message me at **********.

This class was not hard at all, as long as you put in a bit of effort. If you do the readings, go to lecture/section (participation is a large portion of your grade), and study for the exams, you will be fine. She gives a study guide for her exams and the material to fill out the study guide can be found directly in her lecture slides. Her lectures are also BruinCasted, which were useful to refer back to while studying. She doesn't allow technology (phones or laptops) during class so you have to handwrite your notes. Overall good class.

As a 3rd year HBS major, this class is much like your other GEs - written portions on exams (this is what got me, forgot how to english), per-lecture readings, weekly discussion participation assignments (30 min spent typing them up), and so on. The grading for this class was fairly lenient, although as mentioned before, a large portion of it is up to the TA's discretion. The biggest takeaway from this class by far though, is the way Dr. Landecker presented the class material. For those who are interested in applying to the HBS BA or BS, I highly suggest you take a course with Dr. Landecker. She is truly passionate about her research, and if you are interested in the topics as well, you will find her lectures immensely engaging. This course was by no means hard, and is the most unique courses I've taken yet in its unconventional structure without a textbook supplement.

~SELLING THE ISLAND OF DR MOREAU EMAIL *************~

Professor Landecker and this course were not overly challenging at all. I'm not premed and got higher than a 93% on both the midterm and the final. Participation also counts for 20% of your grade, and there's a weekly assignment that has to be turned in each week. Also, there are pop in class assignments to make sure you go to lecture since they're podcasted, giving you an easy 10% pass credit. I'm a little annoyed at the end of class, since there was one paper that brought my grade down to an A- when I got a 95% on everything else, and it appears my TA graded much harder than most other TAs, but overall the grading was lenient and nothing on tests was out of nowhere. It isn't a bad GE at all, and a very interesting class for pre HBS majors. Section was mainly lecture review, so could sometimes be a little bland, but at least it paid off on tests. Landecker is very passionate and knowledgeable about the subject, but she could often talk monotonously which could make listening difficult after multiple other lectures. Overall, I would take it again and didn't find it too challenging in the least.

The other review for this particular quarter (Fall 2016) is unfair; while Landecker may not be the most engaging professor, she is extremely well versed in the material and wants to see students succeed. Lectures are BruinCasted, slides are posted online, and there is no textbook; instead, students have to read about ~4 articles per week and do a very short (less than one page) assignment regarding TWO of the articles per week. Your grade will be determined mostly by your TA, as they grade these assignments, the midterm/final, and the one essay that is required of you. The grading scheme is actually rounded out fairly nicely by large percentages attributed to participation in discussion, alongside a few (very short) participatory assignments that Landecker passes out every once and a while to encourage attendance in lecture. I also took Soc Gen 89 (the honors seminar for the course) and highly recommend; Landecker's 1-on-1 interactions are inquisitive and much more charismatic than the large lecture allows for. I am a more of a science-heavy student, so I actually wished we focused MORE on the biology-based material (we rarely discussed the biological causation/explanations of the material in-depth; rather, we focused a lot on their actual implications and this often spun the conversation in-lecture towards more societal narratives. Just another reason I disagree with the other review). The exam questions CAN be misleading, I admit, but they are not so impossible to navigate that you will fail the exams; review what she SAYS in lecture rather than the lecture slides themselves and the rest will follow (this is made easy by the BruinCasts). All-in-all, this class is not all-that-difficult to succeed in - it's up to you to put in a decent amount of work and not just blow this class off as an easy GE. I'd definitely take this class - with this professor - again.