PSYC 3410

Prof Emery was a great lecturer and the course material was extremely interesting. The tests weren't a piece of cake, but if you put enough time into studying (and did the reading), you could do well.
Also, there's optional writing assignments for extra credit.

Professor Emery was one of the most enthusiastic and engaging teachers I've had at UVA. He brings in case studies and personal experiences that are interesting and relevant to the topic he's discussing. There are opportunities for extra credit and his tests are very fair. He is a really nice guy and you can tell that he likes teaching and actually wants you to learn.

Overall an easy course. Professor Emery is an enthusiastic professor but the textbook is a bit boring since it just follows the format - diagnosis, causes, treatment - for 15+ chapters. I usually read the weekend before the exam and received an A on every exam. Like other psych class, 4 exams and a final and you can drop any one. There are also 6 papers and if you write 5 out of 6, you get a step boost (ex. A- to A). I recommend writing these essays since they are super easy, fun, and wouldn't take more than 30 minutes to write. Overall, it's a nice, relaxing elective to take.

The course was solely based off lectures and the book. It was a great class!!

Professor Emery is awesome! The class is pretty easy if you read/pay attention at all in class. Professor Emery makes lectures pretty entertaining so its not hard to go and pay attention. One of my favorite classes in the psych department!

It's likely that not everyone feels as overwhelming as I do, but for me, this course was life- changing! Learning about mental illnesses and the true scientific knowledge surrounding them gave me such an important and empathetic perspective on the world. Professor Emery likes to stress critical thinking on the media's portrayal of mental health topics, which was refreshing. He's a caring guy and very knowledgable about clinical psychology. Lectures were kept interesting with case studies and videos and Professor Emery's charismatic (dad-like) personality. The textbook reading is significant (2 chapters per week, and sometimes chapters took me 3 hours each), but the exams are fair, multiple choice, and easy if you studied well. The extra credit writing assignments are fun and give a great grade boost. Some people were neutral towards or even disliked this class (I guess depending on their academic interests), but I loved it, and I think everyone should learn about these important topics.

Great professor, very interesting lectures, very knowlegdeable. 5 exams, all fair, not very easy , and if the averages are low, he will curve. Posts powerpoints online, so no need to take notes. 6 optional writing assignments; if you do 5 you get a grade boost (ex. A- to A). No homework, and reading is not hard to manage. Do read the entire book however.

Emery is a great professor who really know's what he's talking about, and really cares about his students. This class does take a lot of work, but if you put the time in, you can do well. Your grade is made up of 5 test grades. All the tests are 50 multiple choice questions and each count for 20% of your final grade.

For starters, I like the topics covered - mental disorders and such, so it wasn't tedious content-wise. Prof Emery essentially covers one chapter per lecture, so he really just skims through the sub-headings and doesn't delve into much details. Because of this, I found the lectures pointless initially, but once you get used to it you'll realize that it actually speeds up the subsequent learning and understanding of details.

Most exam questions are based off the textbook, with a few lecture- and reading-specific. Have to read through the book pretty thoroughly, lots of memorization, but it isn't hard per se. He also offers extra credits - bumps you up 1/3 of a grade if you do 5 out of 6 short papers, 1 page each. Overall a worthwhile class if you're interested in mental disorders, pretty easy to score, so definitely go for it.

Great professor! I would highly recommend this class. I was always interested, although I am a perspective psych major. I would say that you should probably take this class after first year and after some other psych classes because it helps to have a good background. Emery was funny and approachable during office hours. He is passionate about the subject and it shows in his lectures.