Professor
Anthony Friscia
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2020 - Cluster 70A is a great class for non-stem majors. It is super interesting and you can really learn some fascinating and interesting things if you open yourself up to it. Throughout the quarter the main grades were five quizzes, a paper, and some lab assignments. The quizzes were 10 multiple choice questions and a few free responses. The free response was generally straight forward, but sometimes the wording could be a bit confusing on the MC. The paper was also not too difficult and there was a lot of opportunity to work on it. In addition to these assignments there were lab assignments. These were not too difficult but could all build up if you procrastinate. Professor Friscia was a great lecturer. He was super informative, answered questions well, and used his slides effectively. Overall, he was really clear and covered a lot of information without the lecture feeling too dense.
Fall 2020 - Cluster 70A is a great class for non-stem majors. It is super interesting and you can really learn some fascinating and interesting things if you open yourself up to it. Throughout the quarter the main grades were five quizzes, a paper, and some lab assignments. The quizzes were 10 multiple choice questions and a few free responses. The free response was generally straight forward, but sometimes the wording could be a bit confusing on the MC. The paper was also not too difficult and there was a lot of opportunity to work on it. In addition to these assignments there were lab assignments. These were not too difficult but could all build up if you procrastinate. Professor Friscia was a great lecturer. He was super informative, answered questions well, and used his slides effectively. Overall, he was really clear and covered a lot of information without the lecture feeling too dense.
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2023 - The cluster was interesting but I got an A- because of the final paper. My advice would be to use office hours religiously, it greatly helps. The workload for this class is very manageable if you stay on top of your assignments and the scoring of the participation grade is based on weekly labs which you will be guided through by your TA.
Fall 2023 - The cluster was interesting but I got an A- because of the final paper. My advice would be to use office hours religiously, it greatly helps. The workload for this class is very manageable if you stay on top of your assignments and the scoring of the participation grade is based on weekly labs which you will be guided through by your TA.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2024 - Cluster 70B was an incredibly fun quarter where you revise aspects of evolution that you've learned before and also learn a lot of new information. Overall, content is decent, quizzes are biweekly and based on content taught in lectures. The class is recorded, and my favorite point is that there is no final exam, you submit a final paper after selecting a topic out of several choices at the end of the quarter. The paper is 4-5 pages, and double spaced. I enjoyed this class and would definitely recommend as a GE!
Winter 2024 - Cluster 70B was an incredibly fun quarter where you revise aspects of evolution that you've learned before and also learn a lot of new information. Overall, content is decent, quizzes are biweekly and based on content taught in lectures. The class is recorded, and my favorite point is that there is no final exam, you submit a final paper after selecting a topic out of several choices at the end of the quarter. The paper is 4-5 pages, and double spaced. I enjoyed this class and would definitely recommend as a GE!
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2019 - I loved Winter quarter of this cluster, especially because I really enjoy biology (though not a bio major) and it was therefore also much easier than Fall in my opinion. The big change from Fall quarter is that Friscia lectures on evolution instead of Larkin lecturing on astronomy. Friscia is hilarious and great at explaining the concepts he presents. The textbook (Tangled Bank) is "mandatory". If you have a good grasp on the bio concepts, you can probably do without it, but it's definitely a good resource if you struggle with bio. It's not a difficult read so it's worth having around. Again, they guide you through the paper throughout the quarter so that it's not so daunting. I would definitely recommend going on the field trips (there were 3 in Winter quarter alone when I took the class), as they are all paid for (in terms of transportation, lodging, etc. except food). The overnight one to Nevada was super fun and we got to collect fossils. I would say this is one of the few classes that has a field aspect to it. I would recommend sticking it out for Winter even if you struggled with Fall because the material is more familiar to most people, especially if you've taken some sort of biology class in high school. Overall a great class and one of my favorites.
Winter 2019 - I loved Winter quarter of this cluster, especially because I really enjoy biology (though not a bio major) and it was therefore also much easier than Fall in my opinion. The big change from Fall quarter is that Friscia lectures on evolution instead of Larkin lecturing on astronomy. Friscia is hilarious and great at explaining the concepts he presents. The textbook (Tangled Bank) is "mandatory". If you have a good grasp on the bio concepts, you can probably do without it, but it's definitely a good resource if you struggle with bio. It's not a difficult read so it's worth having around. Again, they guide you through the paper throughout the quarter so that it's not so daunting. I would definitely recommend going on the field trips (there were 3 in Winter quarter alone when I took the class), as they are all paid for (in terms of transportation, lodging, etc. except food). The overnight one to Nevada was super fun and we got to collect fossils. I would say this is one of the few classes that has a field aspect to it. I would recommend sticking it out for Winter even if you struggled with Fall because the material is more familiar to most people, especially if you've taken some sort of biology class in high school. Overall a great class and one of my favorites.
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2023 - Professor Friscia is actually the best. His lectures are clear, interesting, and educational. Everything about his class is so well structured, I cannot stress enough how much I encourage you to take this cluster as an incoming freshman. We have had some great field trips to Nevada and the La Brea Tar Pits, and I have gotten a few good friends from this class as well. Tony is so helpful and it is clear he cares about his students learning. At times the class can be a lot of work, but generally it is really spread out and manageable. TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU ARE A FRESHMAN STUDENT IN A HUMANITIES MAJOR.
Winter 2023 - Professor Friscia is actually the best. His lectures are clear, interesting, and educational. Everything about his class is so well structured, I cannot stress enough how much I encourage you to take this cluster as an incoming freshman. We have had some great field trips to Nevada and the La Brea Tar Pits, and I have gotten a few good friends from this class as well. Tony is so helpful and it is clear he cares about his students learning. At times the class can be a lot of work, but generally it is really spread out and manageable. TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU ARE A FRESHMAN STUDENT IN A HUMANITIES MAJOR.