Lawrence Reed

Professor's exams were not difficult if you paid attention in class. Much easier workload than a majority of Psych classes. Yet I still feel like I learned a lot and challenged my brain. I would HIGHLY recommend this course. Ian is great!

basic understanding of psychology as a whole (exactly as it's advertised)

Ian is great! I really enjoy his point-blank style and humor - I was constantly frustrated by my peers that didn't laugh at his jokes. He is very intelligent and is very skilled at lecturing and teaching. I wasn't personally offended by his style, but I think some of my peers were offended with his responses to their questions (i.e. they felt like he responded to them like they were stupid; in Ian's defense, they were stupid questions). I did some of the readings because I was genuinely very interested in the course work, but he doesn't require them for exams. I also went to every single lecture because I highly value an in-person environment and what I pay per credit to be a Columbia student, but he also records all lectures and doesn't require attendance. I also enjoyed the highly psychological way he organized the group-take-home final. It really clearly demonstrated the topics we covered in the class and made me realize how intelligent, awesome, and bold Ian really is.

The reading is serious. There were 44 pdfs some fifty pages long of single spaced research reports and sections from various books. It was all doable, but it was far more than 15-20 per week. I'd do it all again.

I learned about a wide variety of topics on psychology. Pretty much a survey course on fundamental psychology concepts and information.

It would be amazing if every professor at Columbia was like Professor Reed. He is levels above the two other psyche professors I've met, and levels above many other professors in unrelated disciplines. He was available via text, call, email, after class, and office hours. He responded quickly and accurately. He followed up to insure all questions had been answered. His presentations were fun, informative, and concise. His presentations were available prior to class. His syllabus was informative and well paed. He made all quizzes and exams available with answers attached. They became learning material. I would take any class I could with him. I easily learned twice as much, in the short summer session 2019 in Professor Reed's open, transparent, and engaging Evolutionary Psyche, than I did in the entire Kafkaesque Spring session with Professor Lindeman's Experimental Psyche and Human Behavior with its opaque grading and secrecy over exam your.

Many things in different parts of psychology

Stop reading this review and just enroll in the class. Ian is a nice guy and what I love about his style of teaching is that he is very efficient in communicating the material. Honestly though, there were many moments during his class where I think to myself "why haven't I thought of that". He makes slides relevant by including GIFs etc. Rather easy grader too.

I learned introductory information about psychology.

This class was a basic survey introduction to the field of psychology through a topical approach. I learned a lot about how the brain works, how psychologists study the mind and behavior, and the development of the field of psychology over time.