Professor Hill was a really funny professor, and he made an already fascinating subject even more interesting! The book was kind of useless, but as long as you go to lectures you should get an A.
If you go to lecture and memorize the notes, you should do just fine in that class. A huge portion of the test is based on lecture notes.
Don't bother reading the textbook. Just go to lecture and you will do fine on the tests.
The coolest class I have ever taken at UVA. David Hill is the man. Subject material is fascinating. The class consists of 4 exams and a final (if necessary), all of which are 40 questions multiple choice. About 30-35 of the questions are from what is discussed in lecture while 5-10 ask specifics from the book. SO GO TO CLASS. Make sure you look at his "summary" pages at the end of each of his PPT's and make sure you know the charts/processes that are on the slides because he pulls a lot of questions from them.
Pretty cool class. Either you like it or you don't because since it's essentially a biology class, a lot of people find it interesting while others don't. It's a class you just have to sit through if you're a psychology major. With that being said, pay attention to him and really grasp the generalizations that he makes in class. You have to read to do well on the exams because there are some things on the exam he never covers, but still expects you to understand. I would go to his study sessions if you don't understand something. Material gets tough on the third exam, but it's manageable. Don't be afraid to ask questions. He's a really knowledgeable professor and wants you to do well.
What bothered me most about this class was the fact that it had little connection with the psychological expression of the biology/neurology we had to study. As a Psych major, this was frustrating. I felt like I was taking a biology class. Hill is a fine lecturer but often played down the complexity of what he was teaching in an almost condescending manner. But then it would actually be kind of hard? I only did the reading right before the exams which was VERY helpful. If you read (not just skim) what he assigns and pay attention somewhat in lecture, the exams aren't so bad.
Go to lecture, take notes, study them, get an A on every test. Easy as that.
Hill represents scientific concepts in a simple way and his tests are pretty easy. If you have a good biology background, you will do well without too much effort.
In retrospect, I should've gotten an A in this class. Some questions on the midterms can make you second guess yourself, but if you've paid attention in class you should be okay. He includes some material that's only in the textbook. This being the case, I read every chapter he assigned very thoroughly. I learned quickly that this was, while often interesting, a waste of time as far as preparing for tests. It definitely helps you build an understanding but a lot of the time the book goes WAY more in depth than you need to know (Hill does a good job of letting you know to what extent you need to know). He's not an amazing lecturer but he's lively enough considering he's really more of a neuroscientist than a true lecture-hall professor. Plus his "gloomy" demeanor and anecdotes are pretty funny. Overall the class isn't as scary as I thought it would be, what with all the anatomy and terms, and it really helps you understand the brain and body functions
Very easy class, very interesting too. Prof. Hill stepped it up in the spring last semester and put some book material on the exams but I still didn't read ever and got an A. Missed being exempt from the final by 1 question, and the final was cumulative and harder than his other exams. Work hard to be exempt from it.
