LPPL 2100

Found this class to be somewhat unfulfilling given my expectations going in. Lectures tend to be relatively dull, and the readings often seem to be generic common-sense theories on human nature. The discussion section was a great environment, even virtually, but the rest of the course was disappointing. Plus, the class is curved downwards, as I and many other students mathematically received grades above the threshold for an A but had our grades lowered to A- due to the grading policy of the Batten school.

Disclaimer: I took this class remotely during the Covid pandemic.
Summary: I loved this class and highly recommend it to any student.
I am surprised that this class only has one review, which is negative, at the time of me writing my own review. This class is essentially about teaching students how to be a more effective student and person in general. It will cover things like relationships, goal-setting, productivity, positive bias, career and major planning, etc. If those terms seem vague/foreign to you, I would essentially describe the class as positive psychology class with a bit of life-planning mixed in so that you learn how to be a better version of yourself and you begin to define more clearly want you want to study and do as a career. In that regard, it is probably most helpful towards first-year students like myself who could use some guidance in the messy period of starting college, but it was populated with students from every year, one through four. For those who are worried that it doesn't fulfill any gen-ed requirements, I felt the same way, but just remember that you have plenty of time to do those requirements, especially if you came in with any credits from APs/IBs. For those of you who wonder if the content will be boring/redundant like said in the other review, I understand the concern. A lot of the information you learn is intuitive. Sometimes you will learn stuff you already know (like the lecture where they discuss the importance of sleep, healthy eating, etc.), but much of the time you learn new things (like how I didn't realize only 27% of people work in careers related to their major, so don't stress about your major too much!). I have taken a positive psych class before, so for me more than most students this content could be stuff I already knew. I found that even though I knew much of this information when reminded, I hadn't been applying it to my life, and so everything I learned helped me in that regard. Professor Davis has had a past in marketing and clinical psychology and that history shows through his engaging lectures and his kind demeanor. The workload is scattered and very manageable compared to most classes, consisting of a book, 2 quizzes, 3 short/easy writing assignments, and occasional assigned readings (which were engaging). The grading was a little more harsh than expected, and I ended with an A-, but I feel like the information you learn in the class is worth it. In summary, this was one of my favorite classes of all time, taught by one of my favorite teachers of all time, and I think that anyone who is considering it should take it.

Awesome course, the quizzes aren't too hard and you can cap your way through it pretty easily. Highly recommend. The discussion group was awesome.

Took this class to be an easy class this semester. The class has what I would consider a lot of busy work, meaning it is not necessarily hard but there is work, like some readings and reflections and short essays. You spend the semester working on a resilience experiment, which you decide yourself on what you are going to do and do that in your own time. There is a lot of group discussion in class and in the discussion itself. If you get a good discussion group and leader (Domenick Bailey is the best!), it is enjoyable! While I took this class to be an easy A, it is not a difficult class, but it does involve doing the work. Overall, would recommend, but just know it is not necessarily and easy A.

This was a really interesting class and Professor Davis was a very engaging lecturer! However, there was a lot more work than I expected. The work isn't necessarily hard, but you will have to dedicate some time to the class. My Discussion group was also really great and the class that I most looked forward to for the week so that made my experience much better! Overall, it was a really interesting class, but the 3rd month of the semester (for me it was November) does get pretty busy with lots of assignments due.

This class was way more work than I thought it was going to be. There were readings before every lecture, books we had to read, movies we had to watch, and more. Overall it was just way too much work to genuinely enjoy the class. The professor wants the class to be amazing and mandatory for all students but it needs a lot of revision before that happens. There were 12 foundations of the class and some felt way better done than others. It was also harder than I thought to do well in the class. Your discussion community leader has a major effect on how your grade turns out, and mine was very unhelpful. I know others had better discussion leaders but getting a bad one had a detrimental effect on my experience in the class. I was hoping for a very different experience but I know others enjoyed it more than I did.

Tim Davis is a smart and engaging lecturer. Each lecture was a different valuable life lesson on resilience, and the weekly discussions are basically group therapy. Sort of a chance to unpack the week and discuss the topics and also a chance to be vulnerable and discuss personal topics. Madhav Nair was my discussion leader and he was literally the BEST. Kind and great person, was such an easy person to connect with, and totally felt like he had my back and cared about us doing well and gaining experience in the class. There is a big resilience project that was probably the most challenging part of the class, and you are kind of on your own to figure out what you do, but other than that the work is pretty easy. The readings are not too long/difficult and there are two quizzes that aren't bad. A lot of grading on completion with weekly blogs and "non-graded" assignments (completing your resume, meeting at the career center, going to career fair, etc). Overall I felt like the lessons in the lectures were the most useful part of the class, but I also really enjoyed our weekly discussions with Madhav.

BEST MAN EVER.

Professor Davis is one of the most incredible professors I have ever had. He is so kind and truly takes the time to listen to his students' responses during lecture. I highly recommend everyone taking his course at some point because it is truly incredible and unique. He is a very supportive professor that is easy to talk to, both during lecture and OH. This course was truly life-changing, and Professor Davis was a big part of that.

Batten School grading is rough to keep that in mind. Prof. Davis is so kind and just has such an amazing personality. There were a lot of readings that sometimes weren't too interesting, but if you like to read, take this class. The quizzes were okay, they were tricky when the questions were about the book. Take the feedback on papers.

This class single-handedly made my first semester better. You truly get out what you put in. My discussion section led me to make some great friends and gain confidence. This class does have a lot of work, but it isn't too dense. Most projects are reflection-based and will help you in the long run. There are only three quizzes, which are relatively easy but are on both lectures and the readings. The projects are long and kind of harshly graded, but they are all an effort to improve how you adjust to college and push yourself out of your comfort zone. I recommend this class HIGHLY to any first year in their first semester.