Dr. Phelan is an engaging lecturer and I enjoyed his use of anecdotes. The exams were challenging but fair, consisting of both multiple choice and free response sections. Grades were based off of group projects (a debate and a presentation), discussion posts, and exams. There were two required books for the class, both written by the professor: Mean Genes and a textbook. Mean Genes was an interesting read but not necessary at all, however I do recommend purchasing (or opting into inclusive access for) the textbook.

Dr. Phelan is fun! Lectures are fun and easy to understand, too. However, this is not an easy A class: My study group and I went over every review question before midterm and final and we put in a lot of work on our movie trailer to be the few that earned full extra credits (30 pts), which are the two most important components that helped me get an A+ in the end. Dr. Phelan would give the top 20 students on the final an A this quarter, which is great since you have a chance to make up for your bad grades for homework/midterm/participation, etc.

Phelan is awesome. He really just wants you to learn and always helps you out. I got stuck with a bad ta, but with a good ta this course is not bad.

Overall this class was good, but exams are hard and some parts are left up to TA opinion,

Best professor I’ve ever had. Lectures were engaging, brought in many fascinating concepts and examples, and even when I knew the content it still felt like I was learning something new.

Phelan is a phenomenal lecturer. Super engaging. Content is highly applicable to life. Really recommended.

Jay Phelan is a great Professor. He's a funny and charismatic guy so his lectures are never boring. It also helps that the topics he talks about are already pretty interesting. There is an extra credit opportunity that involves making a music video or movie trailer relating to biology. In discussions, you will have to form groups. Here, you'll debate and present problem sets. His midterm and final was fair. He sets up reviews for both that I recommend going to. The class is great but it's a little demanding. Despite that, I think it's worth it.

Lectures are based directly from the textbook. The discussion sections relied on group work. Quizzes and exams weren't too bad.