This is an extraordinary class that you won’t find anywhere else. The lectures were amazing. Dr. Allard presented cutting-edge research (including his own - he’s humble about it:) as well as classic cases in gene and environment interaction. We learnt why different people process alcohol differently or get different effects from chemical exposure, why some people may get sick from eating red meat, while others don’t, about the genetic predisposition to melanoma, connection between the genome and microbiome and many more aspects of GxE. For each GxE issue we looked at biochemical pathways which were pretty complex, but Dr. Allard explained and clarified the nuances. We looked critically at many research papers, analyzed the results and discussed their validity. Some topics were challenging for me, because I’m not a science major, but Dr. Allard was helpful and understanding. He made the class engaging and fun. There was a lot of conceptual learning, memorization and hard work. Dr. Allard was always available to answer any questions and consult about our research. He really required everyone to be logical, sound and detailed in our papers and presentations. He gave me constructive feedback on how to improve and organize my work. Overall, the class expanded my horizons, and I learned a lot. A truly innovative and unique course.

Dr. Allard is an amazing lecturer! His lectures are organized, dynamic, dense with information and full of great visuals. He's so passionate about genetics and has a gift for explaining concepts. Time flies in class, and there is never a dull moment. In just ten weeks he managed to cover so much material and make it accessible and interesting. After each lecture he encouraged thought-provoking, inclusive discussions that connected the topics to relevant social issues. He really welcomed everyone’s opinion and made us feel safe to express our thoughts. He keeps his standards high, he gives a lot and he asks a lot. Exams require a thorough understanding of concepts and a lot of memorization. As a person, Dr. Allard is really humble, funny and helpful. He answered my e-mails quickly and when I struggled, I went to his office and he explained the concepts and helped me develop my paper (he requires immaculate organization and clarity). If you mastered LS 2 or 3, you’ll be prepared. If not (like me), read the book in advance. I ended up with two thick notebooks full of hand-written lecture notes. Prepare to study a lot! In return you’ll learn fascinating material on genetics of immunity, aging, cancer, behavior and on biotechnology. This class inspired me to take his course on genes and environment which is a more in-depth study of epigenetics, equally fascinating. Gained a lot of knowledge in such a short time! An amazing and truly worthwhile class.

Took soc gen 5 with Professor Allard. He is a very nice, welcoming professor. However, beware of the amount of reading required for this class. The exams are alright as long as you did the study guide and understood all the terms. Overall, this was a pretty generic GE. I am also selling the actual book of Island of Dr. Moreau for 5 dollars. Feel free to message me at 661-292-9419

The class is pretty easy and straightforward, especially if you have a biology background. Its really interesting and Allard is a thorough lecturer who covers everything you need to know while keeping it interesting. The worst part about this class is all the homework assignments that are due in discussion that are like 1% of your grade but literally take hours to complete like the problem sets. But otherwise the exams are straightforward and the class is interesting.

Soc Gen 5 was one of my favorite classes I've taken at UCLA, and Dr. Allard is incredibly passionate and knowledgeable on the subject material. When I took this class, Dr. Allard taught the latter half of the quarter, which was focused on endocrine disruption. As he has a background in toxicology, he brought in personal anecdotes based on the work he has done and tied them well into our class curriculum. This class overall is very informative and not too challenging. I definitely recommend (even if you aren't pre-HBS) and you want to learn more about some of the biosocial factors of healthcare, medicine, or toxicology.