PSYC 2150

This was the first psychology class I'd taken ever, and it didn't leave the greatest impression. Willingham is a really cool guy and his lectures are always interesting to sit in, but it was just so much information that mixed too much together. The exams were pretty much based more on memorization than understanding and application, so they were beyond hard, especially since information typically came from 4-5 chapters of reading each AND lecture. For reference, the class average for most of the exams was ~75% and for the final ~70%. If you're really great at psychology (and I mean REALLY great), then this might be the course for you, but for most people, it's not a great course to be taking for a grade.
If you do end up taking the course, I would recommend getting the reading in before you start studying for the exams (i.e.: don't use the textbook as a review, actively take notes) and always review with a friend or two. Try to teach each other the material and connect vocab to each other. Always ask clarifying questions, especially during office hours and the review session. Good luck.
#tCFfall2021

Willingham is an amazing lecturer! He's really funny and engaging, and he's definitely very knowledgeable. It's clear that he wants you to succeed. However, sometimes he starts going off on tangents and we wouldn't be able to finish the lesson for that day (though when this happens he makes it very clear in his slides so you know to focus on that more in the textbook readings). His slides are pretty bare bones and out of context if you don't go to lectures so I wouldn't recommend skipping. He also doesn't record lectures unless you're sick and email him ahead of time to say you'll be absent. Overall, he's a very nice person and good teacher. The class itself is also really interesting and covered a range of psychology topics.

The textbook readings can be pretty dense. However, the tests mention really specific stuff from the readings that he doesn't cover in lectures so DEFINITELY read the textbook in addition to attending class. I always read it after the lectures because I found the textbook more confusing so it was easier to have some background knowledge going into it. Usually he assigned about 30 pages 1-2 times a week, and each chapter took me probably 1.5 hours to finish.

There are literally no assignments besides the exams so on weeks when I didn't have the study the workload was pretty light. This makes the exams more stressful though - there's 3 midterms, the lowest of which is dropped (so the 2 highest scores are each 20% of your grade), plus the 1 final which is worth 40% of your grade. The tests are pretty hard since they mention A LOT of really specific details. They're mostly multiple choice with some fill in the blank. It's basically pure memorization, but really deep memorization where you have to understand the concepts fully. His curves are pretty generous. I think the average on every test, pre-curve, was a 70% but the average in the class at the end of the semester (post-curve) was a B.

I did well in this class (A+) and I took notes on every chapter because the exams often mention specific studies or vocab terms from that. I hand-wrote my lecture notes, so before each test I would go through those notes and the lecture slides and then type them up to review. I would then reread my textbook notes, taking notes on those notes and integrating that information with my class notes. I also rewatched the exam review session recordings he posted since they were really helpful.

The lectures were for the most part captivating and enjoyable. His dialogue was never monotonous, he would never just read off of the slides, he would explain the concepts at a pace where we could take it in and he would always give us time to ask questions. The exams were not easy, with grades averaging around a C. You have to put in time reading the textbook and studying the material at depth. It's maybe not the best option if you dislike psychology, but if you do, definitely take this class. He is a cool dude.

This class was a lot. Professor Willingham is a good lecturer, he's entertaining and cracks jokes here and there. The class material itself is just a lot. There are specific studies, concepts, applications, etc... And there are things not discussed in the lecture that are in the textbook that you kind of have to piece together yourself. The tests were kind of hard but there's a curve. I didn't know my grade until the very end of the semester so that was not fun ,

I am a psychology major that had to take this class as a psychology requirement. I entered this class thinking that I was going to do decently well since I had discussed cognitive psychology in IB psych in high school, but I was sadly mistaken. This class really made me question my capabilities as a psychology student and made me question my major altogether. For this class Professor Willingham wrote the textbook that is used so he knows this information inside and out. Professor Willingham has a good personality and cracks jokes during lecture, but even if you pay attention to the full lecture, and read all the chapters, you will almost inevitably do poorly on the exams. My grade in a regularly weighted class would've been a D, but with the curve in this class I ended with a C+. Professor Willingham basically creates his own grading system with Z scores and deviations that is extremely confusing and leaves you unsure of what your grade will be. You get a "rough" estimate of your curve for the first 3 exams, but you can't really use that as an indicator of your grade because it is subject to change. You take 3 exams and a final, and the lowest of your first 3 exams is dropped. The first 2 exams are each worth 30% and the final is worth 40%. Even with consistently low averages on the exams, nothing about the way the class was run changed. The most frustrating part of this class is that you can go to lecture, read the textbook, and study with classmates and still fail the exams. You can talk out the content and really understand/grasp what each study or theory is saying, but the questions are so complex and convoluted that your basic understanding of the content is not enough. Just be prepared to receive a test grade that does not truly reflect your understanding of the content. Unless you have to take this class as a psych requirement, I do not recommend putting yourself through this course.

I thought I liked psychology before this class. I took AP Psych in senior year and scored a five on the exam, but none of that prepared me for this course. Professor Willingham is intelligent and knowledgeable--he wrote the textbook he assigns--and he was accessible at office hours when I needed help. That being said, a lot of the psychology courses run on the test-only grades, meaning the very difficult exams are your entire grade. There are no quizzes or anything else. I studied for hours until I felt I understood the information and still couldn't score above a sixty percent. The exams are simply very challenging, and even when you know the information, you won't perform well. This course's content is really dense and complicated, and it is so far from an introduction course that I warn you: if you are not a psychology major, then do not take this course "For fun."

Professor Willingham wrote the textbook for this class himself, so much of what he talks about in lecture is also covered in the textbook. There is not homework at all for this class. You are just supposed to read the corresponding textbook chapter for each lecture. I did this throughout the semester. Your grade for this class consists entirely of three tests. There are three midterms and a final exam. The lowest midterm is dropped, the other two midterms are each worth 30%, and the final is 40%. I ended up with a B- in this class. While the course content is not that difficult in theory, the tests ask very specific questions about things from the textbook, so you basically need to memorize the entire textbook. They are all online Collab tests taken in the lecture hall.

Prof. Willingham is one of the most intelligent professors I have had at this university. You can tell by the way he speaks and answers questions during class that he truly cares and has extensive knowledge of the brain and cognition. Lectures were always captivating. I would recommend what he recommends on studying habits. I would go to lecture with skimming the textbook, and take notes afterwards. Do cheat sheets before your exams to help memorize information. He uses really basic/fundamental questions on his exams as well as specific studies from lecture and textbook. Final Exam is hard. Would recommend to everyone, you learn so much.

Honestly, one of the best courses I've ever taken. Willingham is such a good lecturer and makes the content very engaging. He also wrote the textbook, so lectures and readings are pretty much the same (although I would recommend reading parts of the textbook before exams). There are 3 midterms and 1 final and you get to drop the lowest one. The midterms are all multiple choice and are pretty fair questions with great curves. If you pay attention in lecture you'll be fine.

This class is unreasonably hard. The material is interesting and the professor is nice but he makes his tests unreasonably hard and even harder to study for. No matter how much review you might do, you will not be prepared for the tests. To make matters worse, the entire course grade is based on the tests with no homework buffer or opportunities for bonus. Don’t take this class it makes you feel stupid.