This is just an overall review of the course, not just Dr. Chandler. This Cluster is super interesting and has been a lot of fun! It is really cool to learn about the brain from so many different point of views (my favorite by far has been film, though, Sutherland is adorable). You get rid of so many requirements with this Cluster and if you are Psych or anything like that it makes sense to take because it gets rid of your Sciences and it has a lot of Psych content. The midterms/finals aren't too hard, I did no readings and got low Bs on both. If you put in the effort I think this class is really doable. PICK A TA YOU MESH WELL WITH AS YOU WILL BE SEEING A LOT OF THEM!! I believe my TA won't be around next year but both Jeremy and Joe are fantastic and I highly recommend them and this class!

Hard Midterm and Final. The short essay and the research paper were fine though. The weekly quizzes were killer though. There are quizzes every week, which are killer. All the quizzes are cumulative, which makes it very difficult to predict what content the quiz will test on. The weekly Friday Study Questions are CRUCIAL to succeeding in this class. All the quizzes, the midterm, and final all draw questions from these Study Questions.

This cluster was amazing! It is basically a well-rounded, in-depth course on the brain. I loved that you examined theories of the brain in multiple aspects of academics--through a historical lens, a scientific lens, an argumentative lens, a literary lens (I hate literature but this section was my favorite), and current issues lens. It is great because there were 5 or 6 professors, and each professor's teaching time lasted 2-4 classes (1 to 2 weeks) so if you didn't like the topic or lecturer, you only had to put up with it for a short period of time. This class was definitely a lot of work but it was well worth it and I wouldn't change anything about the class. You get out of it what you put into it: if you do all the readings and are engaged in lectures, you will come out of the class with a breadth of fascinating knowledge. Additionally, the TA's (called TF's because they're actually more qualified than TA's) are extremely helpful. Labs are every other week and they're not a big deal at all. The weeks during discussion that you don't have a lab, the TF's go over confusing concepts from the previous week. They really are amazing. Also, the professors provide you with enough information to do decently on the midterm and final. They have "Friday study questions" posted every Friday, which are basically what the free response questions on the midterm/final are, so make sure you do those! I learned that lesson too late. Also, you have your own inquiry specialist which is someone who is there for your class to help out with papers. We had a mini paper (2-3 pages) and a final paper (5-6 pages) and I would definitely recommend going to the inquiry specialist for editing because she knows exactly what the TF's are looking for! If you sign up for this class, you won't regret it. Just make sure you put the time and effort in that it deserves.

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The course is fun but a challenge, it's doable. The cluster is taught by professors from the subjects: sciences but also humanities. It was a lot of fun. Make sure to form a study group, they help a lot. It's a good intro to life here at UCLA.

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Taking this cluster was by far the worst decision I've made at UCLA. It is advertised as history, science and philosophy but it is heavily focused on neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, which unless you are EXTREMELY interested in is challenging and uninteresting. Professor Chandler (the head of the cluster) does care a lot about the course and his students but that does not make up for the long, boring lectures, very difficult tests and tedious readings. Additionally there are "community events" that you have to attend each quarter that are supposed to connect you with other students but are a waste of time. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS unless you are absolutely positive that you will enjoy studying neuroscience for three quarters. If you do end up taking this cluster forming study groups is a must as this information cannot be learned studying alone in your room, and if you are interested in mythology take Jeremy's seminar (it was very engaging and the only good part of the class). If you feel the need to take a cluster (for the extra GE and Writing II credit) there are other clusters that are better. Look for one you are very interested in (not just think you might be), and that fulfills GE requirements outside of the GE requirements your pre-major will fulfill. Plus some also fulfill the diversity requirement which is nice. Again, this class was terrible and my friends can attest to the number of times I complained about this class, which was the bane of my existence last year. Not at all a GPA booster unless you're a neuroscience genius.

This class is lots of work, but it is a cluster. Be ready to have to go to office hours and put in much more time and effort than your pre-major classes. This was by far the most work I put in for a class during this quarter. However, it does pay off as the material is interesting and the exams are very straight forward. There also is weekly quizzes in discussion so you don't want to miss lecture and have to pay attention. A few lab reports are also scattered in there with a final paper at the end of the quarter. Definitely a lot of work.

To any freshman reading this, DO NOT TAKE THIS CLUSTER. GEs are supposed to be a GPA booster to complement your already hard major courses. Not only was this class extremely time consuming, the distribution is worse than any math course I have ever taken. I originally took this class as I liked the idea of getting 4 GEs out of the way for only 3 quarters worth of time. I did not have anyone telling me that GEs are useful to use thoughout your time at UCLA when your major courses get hard. Also, I had to spend 3 quarters learning about neuroscience. I am mildly interested in the topic , but after 3 quarters of it you end up really pissed off at yourself for signing up for this course. My advice to you freshmen is to not do any cluster, unless the topic is literally your passion. Yes, you will spend an extra quarter on GEs, but you will get to study a variety of topics instead of just one and an A in those courses will be much more obtainable.

This class was not an "Easy A" but very manageable. It is the best of the clusters. If you take notes and pay attention in class and study for the quizzes each week then the class will be fine. One of the things that helped in this class was the book. It is written very clearly and helped make some of the topics covered in class clearer.

This class is definitely a lot of work however it is manageable. The lectures are posted online so if you miss class you can look at them. You should go to lecture however because certain professors (Levin, Krystal,etc) don't put too much writing on the slides. There are weekly quizzes but if you study the lecture slides you'll score well on them. DO THE FRIDAY QUESTIONS. They help immensely when studying for the midterm and final. This class is really interesting, but you have to work for your grade. Make sure you do the readings, especially the plays. A lot of the wrting portion of the final requires you to do those readings and understand them. Selling the textbook for lower than amazon price email me at ************* or text me at **********