[PSYC BC1108] Perception

Remez. What a guy. If you ever read this, Remez: don't ever change.

Ok that aside, Perception was a great class. I really thought that it was going to be terrible based on previous reviews (just read them - pretty awful), but I loved it. This class made me happy to be a psych major. The material was really interesting and obviously relatable to everyday experiences. The textbook wasn't my favorite, but I don't think Remez liked it very much either (it was the first semester using this particular book). But that said, I did get used to reading and studying from it.

Yup, the exams are tricky, but honestly guys - can we stop complaining about having to take exams that aren't easy A's? We do go to this school, after all. If you aren't a psych major and you think that psych is a way to get the science requirement out of the way no problem, either don't take the class or PDF it. Done.

He'll say it on the first day: to get your A, you have to put in the work. So, don't say he didn't warn you.

I'm not going to lie; Perception is sometimes a bit dull. But it's really not as hard as some of the previous reviews make it out to be. If you go the lectures and read the textbook you can definitely do well on the exams. I only took this course to fulfill the science requirement, and it did not end up being very time consuming. For the last two exams I didn't do any of the readings until a few days before the test and I got an A in the class. Remez is amusing in an you're-laughing-at-him-not-with-him sort of way, which makes lecture worth going to.
My real issue is with lab. Lab was basically pointless, boring busy work that taught me nothing and was a huge waste of time. Avoid lab if possible.
Overall, this class is not that interesting or life-changing, but it's not very difficult to get a good grade.

After reading previous reviews for this class, I went into it assuming it was going to be a terrible class that was impossible to do well in. I ended up really liking this class, and the lectures weren't boring. Professor Remez brings new information to class so that he's not just repeating what you read in the textbook, and he's funny, too. This was one of the only classes at Barnard where I've actually enjoyed going to the lectures, and the information in the readings is interesting.

This class is one of the courses that many psychology majors take, so most people in the class are only taking it for the requirement.

The lab was one of the most difficult parts of the class, and it was more time-consuming than difficult. The lab brings aspects of the lecture and reading together with active learning, and while some of the experiments were long and the assignments took time, if you focus on them they're not so difficult.

Take this class if you are the type of student who likes to learn and who does not like to bitch about unfairness or dryness or lack of an obvious correlation between powerpoints and exams. Its fascinating if you actually try to understand the big picture that he paints for you, and don't focus on the minutiae that he does ask for on tests. (He scales a lot, so if you try you will do well)

Don't. Just don't.

Past reviews of this class are pretty much accurate, Prof. Remez himself has said so in class. How you do in the course pretty much depends on you. If you are the type who is listens closely and take good notes in the lecture; if you are the type who always does the readings on time and study extra hard before an exam; you'll probably do well (in this and every other class), but Prof. Remez won't make it easy for you. The readings are dry, the exams are hard (I can't emphasize that enough) and he goes on tangents. Tangents are fine, because he is a funny man, but that humor and those tangents come up on the exams later, and then it's not remotely funny anymore (it's just sadism). Getting an A isn't impossible (in the sense that anything is possible, just not probable), I know people who do extremely well on the exams but I know more who don't.

If you are like me and find it difficult to pay attention all the time in lectures (he doesn't have lecture with powerpoints) and can hardly find the time to do the readings, just drop the class and take something else to fulfill that major requirement (if you are a psych major). It has nothing to do with humor as the previous review said. I don't think the students should have to adopt a prof's sense of humor in order to do well on exams; students should do well on exams because they studied and the exams test their relevant knowledge.

I can't speak for everyone. My advice is to take the class if you really want/need to. The first exam results come back before the deadline to drop. If you didn't do well on that first exam, I'm telling you it does not get easier. Decide wisely then whether to drop or not.

This has been one of my top classes since I've been here. Yes, the exams are difficult, but all you have to do is start studying a little early. Remez has a great sense of humor and the lectures are very interesting, however this sense of humor is put into the exams so if you are the typical columbia student that doesn't understand humor, don't take this class, because his exams will confuse you. You really have to use his sense of humor to know when he is making a joke on the exam. Once you've mastered this, the exams are very straightforward. There are no powerpoints or notes posted, so you do have to go to class and take notes on everything he says (even his tangents because they will likely be on the test). I wouldn't consider myself the hard working type of student, however in this class you have to be. In the end it does pay off.

Take this class if you want to learn some interesting facts about the world. Don't take this class if you are looking for an easy A and only go to class to browse the web.

Robert Remez is a very intelligent, comical man, but he is not the greatest teacher. He is very approachable and nice outside of class, but he does not teach very well. This is a very challenging course, and it caused me a lot of stress. As others have said, the tests were almost impossible, and the average grades were somewhere between 60-70, which he curved in the end. There is much information on the exams that you will have never seen before, which is frustrating. He does assume that you apply your own knowledge to these questions. You will probably end up with a B if you score somewhere within the average. His lectures are not at all helpful and your notes will not help you prepare for the exam. I went to many of his office hours, and that helped me a little on the exams. This is probably one of the most challenging courses at Barnard.

Don't take this course if Remez is teaching it. He will kill any curiosity you feel about Perception, and the exams are impossible and will make you feel like studying for them is hopeless.

Professor Remez would often leave sentences or ideas hanging, which was very frustrating as I was just trying to keep up with him. He taught the class like it was for grad students, not students who had never taken a Perception class. I also found it really disruptive to the class when he made that big stink about cell phones going off and how you would have to leave the class immediately. I agree that cell phones going off are rude and interruption, but the way he handled it exacerbated the problem, and was insulting to the students.

The exams: Challenging beyond a reasonable point. I studied a ton and really felt like I understood the material, and yet when I took the exam, it was impossible. The difficulty of the exams didn't make me think, it made me guess. I am amazed that I am doing as well as I am in the class, considering how screwy the exams are. What exactly is Professor Remez trying to test us on? I would appreciate a fair test that actually looked at our retention and understanding of the material presented. This urked me so much. What is the point of designing a test that your students can't answer, and then having to curve it so you don't fail everyone? Shouldn't that tip you off that maybe you aren't doing a good job making exams?

I feel obligated to write a review because a) the most recent review is from 2004, and b)the other reviewers were exaggerating. Remez is actually not Satan, as they would have you believe. Sure, he has an off-beat sense of humor. Yes, he is rigid about test dates. But he is passionate about his subject, he tries to keep you interested during his lectures, and he is a totally nice guy when you go talk to him during his office hours. (And he is really smart.) I did not find him condescending at all, only helpful. But be warned: if you are a Barnard student thinking about taking the class to fulfill your science requirement because you are terrified of all things science... don't do it, unless you want to pass/fail. The other reviewers were not exaggerating about how hard the tests were - especially if science is not your thing.