I had Butcher for 115 and 119X. I really enjoyed both of the classes and did not think they were too much work at all. I took 115 in the summer, and i literally just looked over the notes for a couple of hours before the midterm and final and really listened in class and got an A-. The material is really interesting and i feel that Butcher's lecture style helps me stay focused. 119X was also very easy. Just keep up with the book readings and take good notes and you should get an A- no problem. Total amount of hours spent studying for 115:10. Grade: A-. Studying for 119X: 6. Grade: A-. Very generous curve too i think. I definetely recommend his classes, hes really nice too. Go to office hours if you are really interested in the material.

1 midterm (40%) + 1 final (60%) Don't miss any lectures and "digest" the book as well and you should be fine. His exams are not easy at all, at least 10 Q's on each exam you probably not know are from the corner of the book. The final is comprehensive, and about 8 Q's are from the 1st half of the quarter. Some of the Q's are treaky although he said he didn't mean to be that way. He really cares about students to learn something from his class, not just passing. He's really nice, gentle and helpful. Overall, it's an intermediate level of psyc class at UCLA. I don't recommend someone who is math/physics/enginnering majors to take this class.

I really thought the exams were not going to be that difficult. When it comes to the exams some of the questions can be tricky. The textbook is really boring and he did not put a copy in reserve. You really had to pay close attention to what he was saying in class, and try to write down everything he says which may get tiresome. He did not provide an overall stats of how the class did but I am sure some were surprised by their grade. He usually curves to a B, but for this class make sure you do not mess up in the final (its cumulative, at least 13 from first half of quarter). I was unsatisfied with my grade, even though I took copious notes. This class is not an easy A, and not so much an easy B. Remember the midterm is 40% and final is 60%, so if you do well on both then no problem getting that good grade. There is biology discussed in this class, so maybe Psychology of Aging which is offered in the summer may be easier.

Just finished Butcher's class, the guy's ability to teach has passed, if it was ever there. His lectures don't coincide well with the exams, if you can even hear a word he's saying. The entire quarter students were complaining that they couldn't make out what Butcher was saying due to his low tone of voice, he responded very early in the quarter (week 2) saying that he put out a request for a microphone, and that was the last anyone has heard regarding it. He pulls most of the exam questions out of the book, which is EXTREMELY florid and difficult to comprehend (Butcher KNOWS this, jokes about it in class, and yet does nothing to change it), and worst of all, Butcher tests on the most trivial information he runs across. If you can get past the fact that he loves formulating very detail-oriented questions (such as exact statistical numbers), you'll soon learn that his exams are packed with trick questions. It's not that he doesn't try, because I've seen him attempt to do so, he just simply fails. If the class has taught me anything regarding senescence and it's effect on people, it's that the ability to teach apparently diminishes with age. Do yourself a favor, avoid this guy.