<p>I'm thinking of taking either MCDB 50 (Stem Cell Biology/Politics/Ethics) or 60 (Biomedical Ethics) for the Spring 2014 term as my GE but am not sure which to take. I think eventually, I'd like to take both but I just wanted to see what students who previously took the class have to say about it. If everything works out, my other classes will be Chem 30A, LS2, and a fiat lux freshman seminar. </p>
<p>Does anyone have any feedback on how the class was in terms of workload, interesting content, fun, etc? Also, the professor teaching both the courses is Cvrkel. I couldn't find anything on Bruinwalk about her, so any info on her would be appreciated too. Thanks!</p>
<p>I don’t know much about MCDB50/60, but the rest of your schedule is very manageable. You could easily add in a hard class into your schedule without too much of a challenge. </p>
<p>Well I’m also doing 10+ hours of research a week along with 3 club involvements. So I might be a little more pressed for time. But I’ve found that science-type classes are easier for me to handle than just random GE classes (weird, I know).</p>
<p>I’m taking MCDB 60 with Cvrkel now. There’s some reading but it’s pretty light. She has you write questions about the reading so you at least need to skim it but that takes 15-20 minutes total depending on the article. The first part of the course we talked about a few simple philosophical ideologies, while the rest of the class we discuss actual issues like abortion, animal testing, etc Cvrkel is hilarious and a pretty awesome teacher (her examples are always memorable, and she spends roughly half of lecture answering questions and seriously, ask anything you want no matter how crazy because she loves it when people try to object or work around an argument she presents) but be warned that she doesn’t curve, and her tests aren’t easy. Our first midterm average was a B, and apparently that’s the highest she’s ever seen for the class. Her exams are all essay that make you think critically. Studying for her exams is less memorization and more “do I understand this concept and can I apply it to a hypothetical scenario” so it doesn’t take several hours of studying if you get the concepts. It’s my favorite class this quarter and the work load is totally doable. </p>
<p>Thanks for the insight! And just as a side note, I’ve been wondering for the longest time: exactly how DO you pronounce her last name?? Haha</p>
<p>No problem! Haha, you say it sss-verkle so pretend there’s another “e” stuck in there somewhere. </p>
<p>I took MCDB 50 a few years ago. Loved both the biology portion (where you learn about pluripotency, iPSCs, etc.) and the ethical/political debate over stem cells (religious viewpoints, Dickey Amendment, CIRM, and so on are discussed). The guest speaker and the videos/movies that were shown in class were all excellent. I had Professor Lee, your grade consists of a midterm, final (ample extra credit), essay, iClicker questions, weekly discussion assignments + participation in discussion, and an extra credit movie project which seems like a lot but it’s manageable. I looked forward to going to lecture and doing the homework since the topic is so fascinating, which also made it easier to learn. </p>
<p>I did not do well on her MCDB 50 homework. Yes, you need to write down one question from the papers you pre-read. I wonder how to do it well and if you can offer any thoughts. I did well on her MCDB 60 a year ago.</p>