Phelan is the greatest. Lectures are genuinely engaging, as is course material. I took this class as a non-LS major and still greatly enjoyed it. If you attend lecture the material is covered, but the readings, especially "What is Life," do a good job of supplementing lectures. Mean Genes is also an interesting read if nothing else.

I would highly recommend this class as a fairly easy Life Science GE which you will genuinely get something out of, and Phelan is a truly fantastic professor.

Phelan wants to make this science class fun for non-science people. Pretty much, if you're a science person, this class will be unicorns and rainbows for you. Superrrr fun. Lecture is very enjoyable with many laughs. Time flies by.

Discussion sections weren't very helpful. I thought they were a waste of time, but they usually end 30 minutes early so it's not too bad. Discussion is kind of mandatory as well if you want a good grade because the quizzes and participation points are a pretty hefty chunk of your grade.

Topics covered (based on memory - probably not going to list all of them):

1. Natural selection
2. Heritability
3. Genetics
4. Nutrition

Readings:

Super fun to read. I read them when I was bored rather than to actually study...The textbook definitely covers the topics in more detail than you actually need. You only need to know the super basics. For the genetics section, the most complex thing was the punnett square, which you learn in high school lol. 70%-80% of the stuff covered in this class you probably learned in high school biology.

Class structure:
1. 20 points participation
2. 40 points debate
3. 150 points midterm
4. 250 points final
5. 84 points weekly quizzes (there are eight 12-point quizzes and you drop your lowest score)
6. 30 points Prep-U (An online quiz thing that's graded based on completion)

I thought the participation and debate were rather subjective (but not super subjective lol). If you do a good job, you should get the points. I rose my hand during discussion to the point where I wasn't getting called on anymore, but I still got a 90% in participation. I'm just bitter lol. Don't worry too much about these two. The debate doesn't require too much preparation, but you need to know what you're talking about. Spend maybe like 2-3 days preparing and you're good to go. The quizzes are pretty easy. The questions are the same as the ones given on the weekly problem set. Any of the harder questions probably won't be quizzed. I usually just prepared answers for all of them in case though lol. You can probably find the answers to the quizzes from people who took the class before. If you can't find anyone, just look for the answers in the appropriate section of the textbook or do a little Google searching. Just as a little tip for the class, know your hypothesis testing steps in detail (observation, prediction, hypothesis, experiment, conclusion). You need to know it for the midterm and final most likely. And they might quiz you on it for the first quiz as well because it's important lol.

Exams:

GO TO THE TEST BANK. Not kidding. Do thisssss. The graders grade friggin' crazy on the free-response section. I was looking through previous midterms and was like "why did they take off 50% on this question...the person answered it pretty well". A person who I thought should've gotten like a B on the midterm would end up with a D (without the curve). If you print out like all possible past midterms, probably around 15/20 of the multiple choice questions will be the same as the ones on the actual midterm. The free-response section might have 2-4 of the same questions or very similar ones. Looking over past midterms will give you an idea of what the graders want...and will save you from losing a few points to tricky multiple choice questions lol. I can't say much about the final because I didn't do very well lol. Just make sure you GO TO LECTURE or watch the podcasts (they're fun anyway). Listening to lecture is the only way you'll know what will be covered on the exams. That way you won't be reading the textbook and memorizing stuff you don't actually need to know. They said Prep-U was supposed to prepare you for the exams, but it didn't lol. Only like 1 Prep-U question was on the midterm and most of the questions are things you didn't learn in class and won't learn in class.

Midterm grade: A+
Final exam grade: A-

Final grade: A

Highly recommend this class (especially if you're a science person)!

I thoroughly enjoyed Phelan's lectures, but was not a big fan of the structure of the class. I felt it was extremely counterproductive to have the quizzes at the beginning of the discussion section, and they were graded rather harshly. Also, the midterm and final were ridiculously difficult despite the immense amount of time and energy I spent studying for them (yes they are both curved, but it is still quite discouraging). The science material is quite interesting however,and the lessons I've learned in this class have actually helped me with some daily life struggles!

Great Professor but there is quite some work. Read the book it helps a lot for the test! (What is Life) His lectures are great he is a really funny guy I was never bored it was fun to be in there. There are weekly quizzes and a debate (everyone has to participate). One midterm, one final. Overall it was an okay/good class.

This is one of those classes you just have to take because the professor is awesome. He is so much fun in class and lectures are easy to follow. The midterm tests are in the test bank, so that will help you out a lot. That being said, the final will take work. To get an A, you will have to work hard. However, you will learn A LOT! Plus, he is very approachable and great. I never dreaded coming to this class, and I actually looked forward to it. What more can you ask for?

I came in to Phelan’s LS15 class with pretty high expectations, based on what I heard and on previous reviews. He did not disappoint.

His class is informative, interesting, and entirely applicable to your everyday life. What I learned in Phelan’s class has made me change the way I view things. He covered the basic stuff, like evolution and natural selection, but it branched off into things like drugs, sex, health, and a multitude of other things. Most of his concepts are really just geared towards making you a better person – and yes, all within the context of life science.

Class-wise, you have to do some serious work. There were readings from his textbook, a separate smaller book, weekly problem sets and quizzes, a debate in section, and online practice questions. Be sure to keep up with assignments, and attend his lectures (he’s fun to listen to, anyway). If you have a good and informative TA, you’ll be set.

That said, midterm and final are pretty difficult, and you’ll need to do quite a bit of studying. Luckily, his curve is extremely generous. I received a raw grade of C+ and B on my midterm and final respectively, with A’s in all other assignments, and ended with an A.

By the way, attend his office hours. He keeps reminding the class, and that’s because he genuinely wants to get to know you! :)

Best Professor ever had . Topics are really interesting.i wish to take this class again if i have chance

If you don't take this class (even if you have crappy mathematic and scientific skills), you're missing out.
You basically learn about sex and drugs and emotions all quarter long.

the most interesting professor i have ever had at ucla, if you have ANY interest in science whatsoever take this class.

DR. PHELAN IS THE BEST PROFESSOR I HAVE HAD AT UCLA.
I look up to this man! Every lecture I looked forward to coming to class and sitting in the front row, thrilled to know what new material he was going to introduce to us.
Ever wonder how a class is going to apply to your life and how it's going to make a difference in the future? WELLLLL.. This is one of those classes that you will definitely learn from and gain information that will be useful throughout your life. Material is very, very interesting.
He loves what he does and is great at it! I honestly wish I could rewind time and take his class all over again. He is absolutely AMAZING.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND HIS CLASS.