Do not take this GE unless you're really interested in the subject. I took this course for all 3 quarters and it was the worst time of my life. Although it fulfills a lot of requirements, it was not worth my time and I could have taken other courses that I was actually interested in. Clusters are usually a scam though since they are a lot of work. Textbook is not really needed: I never read it since there are only like 2 questions on the multiple choice part of the test. Also, your TA matters since mine was a harsh grader.

This review is for the entire cluster. Honestly, when I was at orientation I was a bit unsure about taking a cluster because all the NSAs were really pushing the cluster program which kinda made me not want to take a cluster. But having taken this class, everyone should take this cluster, ONLY if you are genuinely interested in the course. As a pre-med, the material is very interesting and very applicable to real life. I really enjoy Dr. Hsu's lectures as they are very engaging. The class is a lot is you procrastinate the papers at the end of the quarter-- but overall, workload is not bad for what you are getting out of this. Also, winter quarter you do service learning at a nursing home or senior center which takes up some time but is worth it. Honestly... TAKE THIS CLUSTER! it is not as much work as the others are-- especially the philosophy heavy ones! and I am very glad I took this course. So if you are a freshman at orientation like I was, and if you are interested in learning about aging, then i 100% recommend!

This cluster teaches from many different perspectives, which makes the topic of aging much more interesting. However, at times, I feel as though the perspectives weren't easily balanced all the time during the different midterms. The class does involve a lot of assigned reading, but if you attend lectures, they clarify everything you need to know.

The cluster is a lot of work but not hard to get an A
Make sure you go to the lectures and take notes and review slides before tests. If you want, read the textbooks. It doesn’t help with class content but there may be 1-2 questions on the test relating the textbooks.
I took all three discussion/seminar with Daniel Whittaker. Some people say he is a harsh grader, and he does follow the rubrics and strict about citations. His seminar is a lot of work too, which is weekly assignments that requires reading 2-3 journals and several videos, sending him reflection. No final but a final paper that has multiple parts such as the main essay about cutting edge research, policy memo, research record and all that. I still like him though, because his seminar is interesting and help me live longer.

Fall 2018 was instructed by Drs. Hsu, Effros, and Merkin.

Not a hard course, just time-consuming given that the bulk of the work is reading and writing. From what I hear it's one of the more work-intensive clusters, but I'm okay with it since it covers all the requirements (like diversity and writing II) and GEs I need.

The exams are largely based on the lecture and discussion slides which are uploaded online the day after class. However, you will always be asked a few questions on something the lecturer stated aloud but didn't put on their slides, and on the assigned readings, so pay attention and take notes.

Overall I've probably never been more indifferent about a class; the material is dull but not intolerably irrelevant, getting a good grade is time-consuming but not difficult (given that your TA is a pretty easy grader), the professors aren't necessarily good nor bad, etc.

Hsu is very engaging in his lectures. The other two professors, not so much. But the class as a whole is pretty easy as the TAs are easy in grading papers (a majority of students get 90%+ on their papers). Also I don't know if this is common every year, but this year, barely any reading was tested. I still read just in case and everyone should (there isn't a huge amount if you're keeping up properly). As for tests, they are a lot of memorization of facts and processes (as this quarter is mostly biology and a some policy). I recommend this cluster because you knock out three social science requirements (which is how many you need to complete the GE req for social science for the School of letters and sciences) and because it is overall not that hard compared to other ones I've heard of.

This was an interesting class as the material we learned was applicable to real life. Professor Hsu was in my opinion the best professor and lecturer out of the three. His lectures were often engaging and not as boring as those of the other two professor, and he was approachable and helpful. Overall, the class has a pretty heavy workload. A lot of reading from the textbook and there is a midterm and a final along with various types of papers, projects, and presentations. I spent a fair amount of time on this class, but at least the material wasn't too difficult to understand, the assignments just took a long time. It's a lot of work, but it isn't too hard to get an A and most of the TA's aren't very harsh with their grading.