BIOL 1040

If you don't have to take this class I suggest you don't take it. Although the topic is interesting, the tests include information about DNA that is a little irrelevant or unimportant. Taylor is a cool guy, but personally I did not like his teaching style. I think he made things too simple at times. I found it really difficult to attend lectures, so I would just take notes on the slides.

I don't really recommend this class, but I know a lot of other people enjoyed it. It is definitely interesting and current.

If you can’t do well in this course, that’s entirely on you. Doug Taylor is hilarious and genuinely one of the most entertaining professors I’ve had, especially if you don’t have a strong science background. You don’t really need to go to class as long as you put in the time to grind Quizlets and study seriously for the multiple choice exams. It’s a very easy A and knocks off a new department and area for non-stem people. Highly recommend for that purpose.

Great class! Professor Taylor is definitely very knowledgeable about the subject. The class is a pretty easy A, just go to lecture and spend 2-3 hours studying for each exam, and you'll do great. The first part of the class is definitely a little more biology-heavy than I was expecting, but as a pre-law major, I really liked the later parts where he talked about ethics. And Eric Green is a really great and engaging lecturer (does about 2 lectures a semester). Overall, great class and would definitely recommend it, especially for the Science + Society requirement.

If you're looking to fulfill a discipline requirement and have even a vague interest in genetics/bioethics, I really recommend taking this class. For reference, the only bio class I took in high school was basic freshman-year biology and I'm not the most STEM-y person, so you definitely don't need to be an expert to do well. The class is relatively low time commitment. 5 short assignments throughout the semester (some individual, some in small groups) and three tests. No final exam. The one thing I will say is that some of the exam questions rely on very specific details from the slides and Prof Taylor can go on tangents sometimes. However, all of the powerpoints are posted on Canvas, so if you review the slides before the exam and pinpoint the important details based on what he talks about in lecture, you can generally predict what you'll need to know. The first section of the course is pretty bio heavy, but after that, the topics broaden and definitely appeal to non-STEM-y people like myself. If you're willing to study hard in the week or so leading up to the exam, you'll do great. There are also two review sessions before each exam, one on Zoom with Prof Taylor and Eric Green (he guest lectures a few times throughout the semester) and one with the UTAs. If you have any questions, GO TO THESE AND ASK THEM. The review sessions can also be a great source of insight for what topics the exam will cover. Some other reviews of the course say that the exams can be unnecessarily challenging, but I genuinely cannot stress this enough: if you complete the assignments, utilize the review sessions, and put in effort to study before each exam, you will do well. There's usually an annoying question here or there, but overall the exams are fair. Prof Taylor is also super interested in what he teaches and a funny guy, so you'll get a good laugh every so often during lectures.