I took this class because I thought it would be an easy A. However, I was wrong, and a lot of people took the class because of the same reason and were proven wrong too. So first things first: this class isn't an easy A. You're going to have to put in some work.
The class is on a point based system. You've got a couple of quizzes related to the topic of the week, discussion posts, a debate, a problem set presentation, LOTS of reading, a midterm, and a final. The lowest score you get on the quiz is dropped. I got pretty good scores on everything like the quizzes and discussion posts and my group even won the debate, but I did pretty bad on the midterm so it hurt my grade. PROTIP: Do the short responses for midterm/final first and then work on the multiple choice. I didn't do that for the midterm and I did bad and then I did better on the final because I did the free response first. ALSO: the multiple choice questions were pretty tricky for me, too. So be aware of that and read the questions carefully. I got below the class average on both the midterm and the final and I was able to get a B+, so not too bad I guess. I underestimated how much I'd have to study for this class, so remember to review!
I never read Mean Genes, but I hear it was interesting and helpful. You'll be fine without it. The actual textbook that he requires is vital, however, so make sure to read that. I made the awful mistake of procrastinating on the week readings and had to cram a lot of the chapters near midterm/finals week.
Professor Phelan is a great professor and makes his lectures interesting and fun to watch. He offers extra credit, which is great and you should be taking advantage of these extra credit opportunities. He also has review sessions before the midterm and final. As long as you can answer all the 30ish questions he gives in the review session, you'll be fine on the exam.
In conclusion: Read the readings for What is Life?, do the questions from the review session, watch the lectures, study, and remember: this is not an easy A.

I LOVE JAY PHELLAN AND HIS BOOK AND HIS CLASS AND HIM❤️

SELLING TEXTBOOK FOR $10, "What is Life, 4th Edition". Text me at (949)-835-6213 , I'll get back to you super quick! PDF version, very easy to use and the table of contents has a navigation setting where it will bring you to different sections (a must-have for this huge book). I loved this class, definitely take it if you're looking for a LifeSci course.

TAKE THIS CLASS!!! Okay so all my life I was like ew biology sucks its so boring BUTTTT I took this class and it completely changed my perspective!! Like lowkey considering switching my major to something related to evolution or genetics. Also, this class lowkey gave me an existential crisis like YO your emotions aren't what you actually think they are :o and oh boy don't get me started on the theory of kindness :/// BUT YOU WILL FEEL SELF MOTIVATED TO ATTEND EVERY SINGLE LECTURE!! My advice: study for the weekly quizzes so you don't need to put too much effort into studying for finals like I'm so happy we got weekly quizzes it made the final much easier. I don't know my grade yet in the class but I got a 79% on the midterm and As on most of the quizzes.

I absolutely loved this class and professor. Phelan was incredibly engaging and you can tell he was passionate about teaching the students. He made sure to lecture in ways that would stick with the students. The material itself also was incredibly interesting, and that is coming from someone who is NOT a fan of science/math things. It has a lot to do with using biology and science as a way explain why humans are the way we are and why we do the things we do. I found it so interesting! It was definitely my favorite class and I actually really looked forward to lectures.
The class itself consists of a weekly optional assignment of usually about 8 questions, but it's best to complete the assignment because one of the eight questions would be on the weekly quiz in discussion.
Discussion was unnecessarily long but still enjoyable. You are required to participate in one formal debate during the course of the quarter in front of your discussion with a partner, which seems really scary but really was not. I had Chris as my TA and he made it very unintimidating. It does not require an extensive amount of preparation and as long as you are confident and cohesive you'll get a good grade.
The midterm /final wasn't an easy A, but it is definitely possible and even likely if you just put a little bit of effort. He hosts a review session in which he gives you around 23 questions that if you know the answer to, you're guaranteed an A. Low and behold, I studied all of those questions and received an A on both. I suggest studying as soon as those review questions are given, and going to the test bank for the midterm.
I also recommend going to Phelan's office hours at least once, because he genuinely wants to get to know his students and he will answer pretty much any course-material questions that you have (though he's more reluctant if it's questions from the final/midterm review). However, I didn't continuously return because sometimes he spends so long talking to one person that you're sitting there awkwardly (it's in a group) while you wait.
Overall, I highly recommend this class and think Phelan was an absolutely amazing professor.

I took LS15 when everything was online so I never went to section or lecture in person, but rather on Zoom. A lot of people on Bruinwalk rave about LS15 and say that it changed their perspective on bio/science. I have to disagree and felt like LS15 was just a regular biology class. The content itself is pretty manageable and gets more interesting after the midterm in my opinion. I have prior IB Biology knowledge which I think definitely helped me out in this class and the pre-midterm content felt like more of a review. I scored within the average range on both my midterm and final but got the extra credit points from the assignment Professor Phelan offers which boosted by grade to an A. Section is pretty long and usually doesn't teach extra content, it's more like a review of the lectures. I didn't read the textbook at all but before the midterm and final I would answer the multiple choice questions at the end of each chapter to prepare for the tests and a couple of those questions came out, so I would recommend that study method. Best of luck!

Professor Phelan was a great lecturer, and the course material was really interesting. I’ve never considered myself to be super interested in science, but I found myself liking the practicality and real-world application that this course has. I took this class online, so I think I would’ve gotten more out of the lectures if they had been in person.

In terms of workload, this class has a few bigger group projects and quizzes, but isn’t overwhelming in any way. I definitely recommend reading / taking notes on the textbook before lecture, as Phelan’s lectures are more conversational and better to listen to, rather than take notes on. The textbook goes into more depth and technical terms, while the lectures are more about applying and talking about the concepts. All of the projects and quizzes are completed in the discussion, so participation is really important!

Extra credit was offered, and was a super fun assignment.

Overall, would definitely recommend this class and professor!

I took this as an easy A science GE and it was indeed an easy A science GE. It was easier than my freshman biology class in high school (never took AP Bio). I never read the textbook unless our weekly problem sets had a question on a section from the book, in which case I would read like 2 pages. Don't buy his book "Mean Genes"; I never read a page and got an A. Since all of the quizzes are open note and he gives the possible questions in advance, ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS IN ADVANCE and bring those answers in and you'll always get an A. Go to his midterm + final review sections and answer all the questions he gives you during that--have those notes out during the test and you'll be fine. I got a 93 on midterm and an 87on final and got an overall grade of 96; lots of extra credit and smaller assignments to raise your grade, and he seems really nice.

If you're looking for an easy GE, look elsewhere. Professor Phelan is an amazing lecturer and his teaching content is entertaining and easy to follow, but there was just an unnecessary amount of work. Not enough time on the midterm, more than enough time on the final. MCQs were harder than short answers in my opinion. Got a 71 on the midterm and 90 on the final and got 20 points from doing the extra credit project and ended up with an A. Overall, thoroughly enjoyed the content but I do not recommend this class.

This class is one of my favorites that I've taken at UCLA. Every single lecture was so interesting, engaging, and fun. I seriously learned so much from this class. The exams were challenging, but totally fair and Professor Phelan is awesome! He helps with study techniques as well which have helped me out in my other classes. Take this course!!