Winter 2010

Professor Reise is funny and yes, that is how he laughs (you'll see what I mean when you go to class). Personality is a very interesting topic and I think it would be easier for people who have taken previous psychology classes before (like introduction to psychoanalysis, developmental psych, and abnormal psych). To ace this class, you must study his lecture notes very well. Listen to the podcast because you will see that when you take notes during class, you might have missed many important points that he made. I skimmed the book, it was not hard to read and easy to remember; but if you procrastinate and don't have time to read the book, then try to skim it at least and focus on lecture notes (VERY important). His lectures are pretty repetitive and can become boring, so read his lecture essays, it will clarify everything. Read all the essays because they're also very helpful for the exams. Exams cover most of the material in lectures and few questions from the book. The review sheet is okay; I only used it to make sure I've covered stuff I needed when I studied. I got an A by doing all that I've mentioned for his exams. They are a bit tricky and difficult; how well you do also depends on how well your class does and where you are on the curve. Good luck!

Anybody who says that professor Reise is boring just wasn't paying attention! He has a semi-monotone voice, so it is very difficult not to zone out, but if you actually listen you will realize that he is HILARIOUS and that this will be one of the most entertaining classes you've taken. I have never laughed out loud in a class before, but with him I seriously could not help but cracking up at least 3 times per lecture. He should have considered being a comedian, seriously. On the other hand, his tests are very difficult! His questions are extremely specific so you are unlikely to get an A unless you are attentive at EVERY lecture, read both of the books, and go over the notes a bunch! Sometimes all the answers will be right, but you have to choose the one that was emphasized in lecture or the book. But he assignments are great and he is such a fun lecturer that I recommend it even though it is difficult to get a good grade in.

With all the wonderful psych electives out there, don't take this one: it's not worth your time. I went into the class thinking it would be extremely interesting, but Professor Reise made it as boring as possible. Once in a while he threw in a joke, but most of the time he just rambled on about the course. No organization, difficult to follow, and the textbook is horrible. Find a different elective to take!

Very interesting and unique professor.

I totally went into this class thinking it would be a great fun topic. I mean c'mon it's personality it had to be great! Wow was I wrong!!! This teacher absolutely had no personality and the class was so disorganized and horrendously lectured. He was always behind in the schedule. His 2 midterms were ok, his final which he claimed to be "easy" was a killer. This class didn't even have anything interesting, it was mostly theories and we skipped over personality disorders (the only possibly interesting topic) b/c we ran out of time. I completely regret ever taking this class! I DO NOT recommend this guy for a teacher!

I was really excited to take this class because of the reviews, but I ended up being really disappointed. Don't get me wrong, he's a great person with a lot of enthusiasm and personality, but I felt like he repeated himself a lot and his lectures were not very organized. Also, his tests are deceitfully harder than they seem--although many of the questions were easy giveaways, there were several questions that were poorly worded or unreasonably tricky. His assignments were fun though, and they were pretty much free points. All in all, an interesting guy, but if you're not too good at multiple choice tests, I'd steer clear of this class.

Professor Reise is really nice and a very funny guy but, I did not enjoy the class very much. Everything was extremely unorganized and Professor Reise was always behind what was scheduled for the day. He would repeat the same things over and over again...many people would fall asleep in class or not show up. The curve was ridiculous. I have never had such a curve in a psych elective. We skipped the most interesting chapters because he did not go over everything in a timely manner. There are no overhead notes, only handouts. Many professors tell you to read the chapter ahead of class so you can retain the information but do not bother with this class. You will never discuss what you had read earlier in the class that it was scheduled to be taught. I had high hopes when signing up for this elective but it led to disappointment.

Reise is one of the most amazing professors I have had. He is really passionate about the subject, knows a ton, and presents the material in an extremely interesting way. Definitely an interesting and funny guy. He also wrote an essay before the midterm and final that really helped integrate all of the material, showing how all of the material covered in the class intertwined... it wasn't bad for knowing what to study either. If you do all of the reading, attend lecture, and do his study guides, it is a pretty easy A, and more than anything, an insightful class.

Grade Gotten: C+
Prof. Reise is one of the few professors that I've had who could keep me awake through a lecture. Prof. Reise loves telling jokes. He puts lecture outlines online so you can print them out before class and take notes with that so that's pretty handy. The textbook is very important; you should keep up with the reading because that way the information sticks better than learning from his lectures. DO go to ALL the lectures, however, because some of the questions on the midterm and final were taken straight from his lectures. DO go into his office hours. Prof. Reise is always willing to help. Overall, I don't understand how I ended up w/ just a mere C+, but I felt I've learned a great deal about human personality.

Don't let his neurotic looks intimidate you. He's hilarious! =) Lectures are easy to understand and so is the textbook. This was one of the first texts that I actually enjoyed reading. Stuff from the text and lectures are pretty much the same, but he does cover more stuff in lecture, so go to his lectures. Even though he has lecture notes online, it doesn't cover all the stuff he goes over in class in detail. Tests are multiple choice as always and it's straight from the lecture & book. He even tells you what questions are gonna be on the test, so go to his lecture! Professor also gives out lots of extra credit assignments to help your grade, so make sure you do 'em. They really do help out a lot in the end. The TA, Matt, he's a sweet guy,too. =) Very enjoyable class indeed.