3.6
Quality2.4
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake105
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
105
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
35
4
32
3
26
2
6
1
6
What Students Say
“Material can be interesting sometimes”
PSC155 - 5.0 rating“He's very easy-going and goes into the subject in great detail”
PSC155127 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
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Predicted Grade
F
Grade Distribution
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Declining
-0.29 avg changeRatings by Course
PSC155127
5.0
(1)PSYCH
5.0
(1)PSYC127
5.0
(1)PSYCH155
4.3
(3)PSY127
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PSYCH127
5.0
PSYCH101
4.0
PSC155127
3.0
PSY127
3.0
PSY101
3.0
Reviews (105)
If you read and study the classical notes it is possible to do very well in the class. Material can be interesting sometimes. Shows a lot of slides.
Great teacher! He's very easy-going and goes into the subject in great detail! He doesn't give minuses or pluses, just straight grades, so I got an A in 155! Just attend class and read the classical notes! His tests are hard because of the extensive vocab
He is very laid back- can get stuck sometimes going off on a tangent about his research. Tests are hard but fair- definitely study and DON'T take the essay tests if you have a choice between essay and multiple choice- the average is always lower!
very laid-back; to do well in the class make sure you read the classical notes and pay attention during his 2 hr review before the midterms. Exams are straight forward; comes directly from lecture notes and classical notes. Very nice professor.
Good professor. Very straightforward subject matter. His packet of lecture notes at Classical Notes is very helpful. His midterm (each of the 3 profs give one midterm) was very easy. It was 40 MC questions and many people were done in about 20 minutes.
His test was pretty straight forward. Make sure to buy the notes and study.
Great teacher, very specific classical notes, if you just put in moderate effort, you can get an A.
Lectures were good, only uses the chalk board though. Classical notes were essential and were helpful when studying for the final, interesting, overall good professor.
Compelling material and theories. Tests were challenging, but the grading curve is fairly distributed. Recommended for anyone, especially those interested in evolutionary psychology.
Easy A!!! only 2 tests and every thing on the review is on the test and nothing more. Not alot of studing needed (Dont Do the reading (a wast of time).
great professor, explains well, very passionate about subject, make sure you go to class and take good notes to get an A. One of the best professor at UCD! Highly recommended.
Class started out very slowly, but it became interesting. He pretty much just tests on information from the lecture notes, so study those closely. Only two tests, a midterm and a final, but don’t worry the midterm is pretty easy....
Great professor. very approachable and helpful. Seems to care a lot about his students. Go to class and pay attention to the slides and what he draws on the board. It helps to picture them when taking the midterms.
Pretty laid back class. Not much work involved with this class. Just read the notes he provides with the reader... if you know them well you'll do fine on the midterm and the final.
his section of PSC 101 is by far the easiest- don't do the reading (it's a waste of time)....pay close attention to his final review session, everything he talks about shows up on the test. As long as you know the review material you'll get an A!
Coss is an expert in animal cognition so this class was particularly harder than his other classes. I highly recommend you to attend his class if you are taking psc 127 because the material can be confusing if you only read his reader and classical notes.
He draws many pictures on the board which helps you visualize what he's saying. Very helpful and a great professor!
Study his packet that he provides! Study it well, and all goes well:)
read the classical notes and you'll get an A...no need to study anything else.
Lectures were a bit hard to follow at first, but he does a lot of drawings to give you a visual representation of what he is trying to teach. Tests was straight off the review session and the classical notes, no reading necessary at all.
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Just took test, so I don't know how I did, but it didn't seem to be overly hard. Get the classical notes and study the review key terms and you'll be set, test comes from only the stuff on there. Might be a little difficult at first because most of the lecture is visual and you're not quite sure what to write, so rely on the classical notes.
he tries to use so much big vocabulary that it confuses a lot of people. what's the point of that? just use common understandable english to teach and dn't try to make yourself look smart. this clas is a bunch of bs.
If you're a visual person, go to class. It helps A LOT! Otherwise, just read the lecture notes he provides and keep up with the readings and you should be guaranteed at least a B. He provides a CD with all the slides. Great Prof.
He is TERRIBLY boring and monotone. Im sure he's intelligent because he knows his stuff, but he's not a good teacher at all. He is one teacher who inspired me to never go to class.
DONT BUY THE BOOK! I opened it once to try and read the first chapter and didn't get past the first page. When he lectures he is kind of all over the place but he gives you the lecture notes and has a review session before each test. All you need to know is what he says during the review. I missed an A buy only a few points and didnt work very hard
This was the most interesting class I have ever taken. As long as you read the notes and attend class you should do well.The book is more for additional info.Everything you need to know is in the notes.The key, is also to attend the review sessions before the exam. Trust me.
the material is interesting & easy to understand, but he seems to find a way to make it insanely dull. review the lecture notes hardcore before taking the tests. your grade is based on a midterm and a final - nothing else. take a diff class if you can, this is kind of a filler class.
As someone posted for PSC101, "read the classical notes and you'll get an A...no need to study anything else," this stands for PSC155. I got an A and I went to class maybe total of a week and 1/2. He doesn't give + or -'s, and he has a generous set curve based on previous classes. Good luck.
His class is really boring.For the midterm and final you get a choice of a multiple choice or essay version. i highly recommend taking the essay. it's easier and more flexible. Be sure to read his notes. don't need to buy the book. i never opened it
Omg, soo boring! He seriously spent an entire 2-hr. lecture explaining classical and operant conditioning to upper-division psych. students! Buy his classical notes and memorize them and you will get an A. I suggest bringing a Sudoku and coffee to his lectures if you ever attend...
I graduated from Davis in 03 and am now working on a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. I thought that Coss was a bore, but looking back at all of the professors I have had thus far, I now know that he was as CLEAR as they come! Also, he allowed my to conduct research for him that got me into grad school (no easy task even with a 3.9 GPA).
So easy. Professor Coss is very nice but his lecture is boring and much of what he teaches is a review of PSC 1. Buy the classical notes! You do not need to read the book for his thrid of the class. If you memorize the classical notes and attend the last lecture before the exam when he reviews you can get an A easily!
Is he monotone? Yes. I highly recommend you sit at one of his lectures and see for yourself.I am sure he won't mind. He offers essay OR multiple choice test. I choose the latter, and it had very sophisticated test questions where his choice of words complicate the questions.
Prof. Coss is fair with his exam. If you spend the $2 to buy his lecture notes on campus, you should at least get a "B" on the exam (without really attending lecture). He does not test the book. However, if you want an "A" on his exam, attend all lectures and review session. Definitely approachable. Check out Dr. Henry and Dr. Owings ratings.
His lectures are kind of boring, but he is pretty clear in his material. His classical notes help a lot...test is very fair.
Ok- unlike many others- I thought that Dr. Coss had the MOST energy than any of my other Profs. It was obvious that he loves what he does, and that was inspirering after 30 years of teaching the same course. GO to open hrs- and read his material- and take the multiple and you'll do fine. He is VERY fair. The one class on perception was hilarious.
I hate how he draws so much on the chalk board b/c then you have to copy it, but it does help you to understand what he is saying. He has his notes at Clasical Notes, buy them b/c they help and they are cheap. His lectures are recorded and you don't have to read the textbook. 40 multiple choice test. Easy.
Honestly, this is the worst class I've ever taken. It was boring, and Coss poorly explained the concepts, so that when looking at my notes, I had no idea what message he was trying to get across. Topic sounds interesting, but it's not.
He explains concepts well, but is very dry. He loves to show off his artistic skills by drawing pictures of every animal he mentions, even if it's not really helpful to our understanding of the material. Exams are easy, it's possible to get by with just the classical notes and lecture recordings.
Copying lecture notes are pointless when you can just buy the classical notes...easiest test of the three teachers.
buy the old classical notes for his section of this class cause its pretty much verbatim. you don't have to read at all for coss's section, and he holds a whirlwind review right before the midterm where he literally tells you the answers to the test.
Easiest of the 3. Got a 40/40 on his test and all I did was memorize his classical notes. His review session was helpful and since he records his lectures, it would be wise to play it over yourself before the test.
Funny man. He draws everything, but his drawing ability is actually really good, almost entertaining. Get his reader as it helps much more than his lecture notes.
Worst professor of the three. His exam is a bunch of rambling questions that are hard to make sense of. His lectures are practically in pictograms, he loves to draw on the board. Following the classical notes kind of helps but he gives you no indication as to what to study.
he's senile. goes off in weird tangents and never returns to the original topic.
Ok he is not senile, but he does go off on tangents. I thought the class was hard but then again I only went three times. I ended up with a B. So I guess its alright. If you study what he says in review you will get a B. Oh ya under no circumstance should you take the essay test it will lower your grade. The mc was very easy.
One of the worst lecturers I've had at Davis.Lectures way too fast without explaining sufficiently, uses tons of words that we don't know without defining them, wastes 70% of the class time drawing unneccessary pictures on the board. People either stopped coming to lectures or sat with their head down on their desks because they're completely lost.
This was the easiest test, period. I dont understand how people can get less than an A on his test, which is basically directly off of his review that he conveniently posts online. Listen to the review 2 times, and you will ace the exam. If not just message me, and I'll give you more advice
Boring lectures, but luckily notes were available at Classical Notes as well as recorded and posted online. Tricky test...MEMORIZE the notes and you'll be ok. His review was also very helpful.
The coolest professor at Davis. Not only does he know his stuff, he records everything and gives u his notes. Very easy even though he covers a lot. There are sometimes people asking him to slow down like in every class, but an able and curious mind will appreciate his subtle humor and see examples in everyday life long after the quarter is over
His section was easy. I got a 39/40- no problem. It's not necessary to read the book or really even to show up to class. He has a review class- just listen to that podcast and use the lecture drawings when he goes through it. Know everything he says in the review. Soo easy!
i had a difficult time following his lectures because i was so distracted by his drawings...man this guy can draw! all i did was read his classical notes a day or two before the exam and i was able to pull a B. OK class overall.
I like this teacher. He devotes the class before each of his tests to a review session where he goes over all of the possible answers. read the material, go to class, and definately go to review days. He also posts podcasts of his lectures. Put the review sessions on your ipod, listen to them once or twice and you'll be fine.
He talks in monotone but his drawings make it up; beautiful drawings and they help me a lot in remembering the material. He is really clear in what you need to know on the midterm even though he covers a lot of material. I recommend him!
his lecturing style is very different. he draws pictures... if you want notes you have to get them from classical notes (unless of course you take notes) test is from lecture. not too difficult.
Nice guy, very knowledgeable but not clear in his lectures! His midterms are detailed and the wording is very confusing. You don't get tested on what you know, but rather on whether you can understand what he is asking in his test questions.
blah, blah, blah, thats what he sounds like after the first hour. Nonetheless the material is pretty interesting and can be applied to daily life.
at first you think you hate him 'cause pretty much all he does is draw and he makes you come up with definitions of the terms instead of giving it to you. but then you realize just how passionate he is about his work, at the end of class those who stayed all appluaded! tests are confusing and hard for me but most people seem to do well in them.
Class seems very hard to follow at first, but you just have to understand the main points, review lecture and key terms! You will end up learning a lot of useful info in his class. He is a passionate professor, very knowledgeable! Make sure to go to every class and pay attention(its hard to do) but will help you learn the material!!
I LOVED this class. I thought Dr. Coss was a fantastic teacher. the information was really interesting. The class is titled "environmental psych," but it covered everything from the aspects of evolution to the impact of shapes/patterns. The reader he provides is extremely helpful. there is 1 midterm and 1 final. Go to lecture and study the reader.
Class is very interesting and insightful. He cares a lot about what he is teaching and does and the readings are very relevant. His drawings are immensely helpful. Attend the review classes and understand the concepts. This was a great class.
I've taken Coss before for PSC 101 and enjoyed him but for some reason when it came to this class I had a really hard time paying attention to him. He went off topic alot and showed 50 examples for easy points that only needed 1 or 2 examples.Also, although I was only 2 points from the A cut-off, I was given a B rather than a B+ which hurt my GPA.
His section of the 101 course was by far the easiest. I think you could get by with not going to any lectures/reading except the final review session. He used the whole 2hrs going over every question, just listen to his recording a few times and you're golden. I felt bad though, I think his wife died recently...
his wife recently died which made his lecturing more unclear than usual *sad* but he is very understanding, gives you alot of materials to study from, and a huge curve even though if you don't make the A it'll hurt your GPA cuz he doesn't give + or - still help to go to lecture, do well on first 2 tests which are easy cuz the last one is hard
easiest prof for 101. He podcasts his lectures and the notes, and summarizes it in his review session- make sure you go to this. Listen to the podcast of the review session a few times and you're good. His notes are confusing but beautiful drawings, but he explains them well if you pay attention
take the essay exam, trust me, it's much much easier since the questions are basically: give me an experiment that explains "" (a term that you should be familiar with, like classical conditioning), so much more straight forward and it'll confuse you less and there are only 4 questions. One of student who listened to me got highest grade in class
Professor Coss is an amazing artist and excellent professor. He's clear about what's expected and is quite approachable. Heard his wife passed away last quarter.
Coss is my favorite psych teacher. He talks about the most interesting topics, and he podcasts everything and posts lecture notes online. He even does inclass reviews before exams. His multiple choice tests are the only tests I have ever gotten a 100% on. Definitely one of the best, smartest, and helpful profs at Davis.
Great teacher. Talks about the most interesting subjects. Notes can be picked up at classical notes, podcasts are online, but going to class is worth it, because he is just that good. Test can be hard, but just study everything he gives you and you'll get an A. No textbook, assigns his own reader, which is optional.
In lectures I found his slides extremely confusing. They are disorganized & information is scattered randomly with hard to understand drawings (cool though) . I did better on his tests if I did not attend lecture & just studied the online notes (organized & easy). It may just be my preference, but I feel Dr. Coss is a great author, not so good prof
He's really good at drawing, makes lecture more interesting. If you miss lecture he posts a podcast. When I took 101 with him I had 2 other professors with each one teaching 1/3rd of the class. Coss and Henry were probably easier than Owings.
Really sweet man. Subject was a little dense for me so it was difficult but managable. I really like his lectures he does everything with pictures.
Coss is a good guy. He bases the midterm and final curve (which are quite generous) on the various classes over the last 3-4 years. He gives you the option to take either a multiple choice or essay. I chose the multiple choice and got an A on the midterm. Pretty much all the reading is optional. He gives you notes for the course that you can study.
He is a very good illustrator! Even though his voice is a bit monotonous, he presents the information well and the subject matter is interesting. He posts lecture notes and podcasts online, which definitely helps for studying. I usually don't complain when a test is easy, but I really thought his test should have been more challenging.
I wouldn't know about this professor because I didn't go to any of the lectures for his part of the course. However, I listened to his review podcast and studied the lecture notes and got a 37/40 on his midterm. Just give yourself 2 nights of studying and you're good
his lectures were boring. all his notes were hand drawn and kinda hard to follow. he podcasts but i never listened. the exam was multiple choice and everything was from the lecture.
It's easy enough to get an A if you come to class and just absorb the material. You don't even have to take notes since the lecture notes/drawings are all provided for you and a podcast is available if you miss a class. Yes, he does tend to drone on and give too many examples but you do get a thorough understanding of everything.
There wasn't a single lecture where I didn't fall asleep. His drawings are cool but they're kinda hard to follow.
Extremely disorganized. Hard to stay awake! I got an A... all I did was go to every class and absorb the material. Before the test I went over the classical notes (which he provides online). Readings are basically optional. Take this if you want an easy class but don't mind getting bored. I'm still not sure why this is a class...
Take this class if you need a 2 hour nap every monday and wednesday. I don't think he could possibly be more boring. Also, he's a real jerk. SO rude to his TA! It was unbelievable.
I despise the grading system of this class. It clearly benefits ppl that do not do so well and punishes those that actually do. I was one point away from an A and received a flat B. Could have really used the A- or B+. Every question counts!
He's a cranky old man who is really rude to his TA. I learned nothing in this class. The class was incredibly unorganized and random. I have no idea how he puts his lectures together because they make no sense.
The material for the course wasn't difficult, but Coss' presentation was so disorganized, it seemed much more confusing than necessary. He was pretty rude to his TAs and isn't super approachable, but the class was still interesting and worth taking. Thank God for awesome TAs!
EXTREMELY UNAPPROACHABLE!!! I ask him a question after class and each time he tells me off, telling me to refer to his drawings, which by the way are more confusing than helpful. Best way to study is to go over podcasts, take excellent notes, maybe make some flashcards. Course notes also not very helpful. Otherwise he's okay, wouldn't recommend him
Dr. Coss has a true passion for his subject, and is up-to-date in the material he is presenting. Use his classical notes & just absorb his lectures; he's very approachable! Exam podcast reveiws have all the answers-study these. No +/- grades though (curves are generous). Useful for the future!
At first I wasn't sure how to study even though I attended class everyday but I just listened to his review podcast, took good notes from it, and studied the classical notes he provided and got a 35/40. But you can also print out his drawings which are sort of like powerpoints and take good notes on there, and you'll do more than fine on his test!
Very unclear. Jumps around constantly. Pictures with very little/no text. He's too quiet to hear during lecture and the quality of his podcasts is questionable. 40/40 with Morgan, 36/40 with Henry, 27/40 with Coss. Horrible prof, destroyed my grade.
Incredible professor, the lectures seem dull but you can tell he is passionate in what he is teaching. TAKE THE ESSAY FORM TEST! he explains the important concepts clearly the lecture before each test so make sure to attend and listen to the review podcast. Take him, he's really great!
The class is very interesting and I found myself very engaged, although sometimes I dosed off. His grading style is odd in that he does not give + or - grades, so if your a point away from an A, it sucks. He is approachable and I recommend taking him.
PSC 155 is an easy class if you attend all the lectures(just listen to the material, taking notes isnt necessary), also memorize EVERYTHING on his classical notes. I found the multiple choice exam to be fairly easy. Essay exam seemed really confusing. Listen to the review podcasts he gives.
Excellent professor. Straight forward class, study guide provided. Two test options: essay or MC. Test is fair, no trick questions. Go to class, do the reading, review the notes. This class is an easy A if you aren't lazy or stupid.
Please DO NOT take psych 127 with him. It has been the most unclear, the most boring class i have ever taken in my life. Tests are REALLY hard, even though sometimes the curve is big people still did really bad. He goes back and forth, confusing you more. No book just his chaotic, unclear drawings and classical notes. I regret taking it so much!
This class is a pretty easy A. I would advise skipping all the lectures, unless you're capable of staying awake. While he does make the concepts easily understandable, he tends to belabor them. To get an A, all you have to do is listen to the review podcast and read through the classical notes that he provides.
Go to the review, listen to that podcast, and you're golden! Coss is great in 155, maybe because of the material, taking 127 with him was kind of "eh".
I HIGHLY recommend taking the essay format only if you have been reading all of the classical notes, go over the lecture drawings & listen to the review podcasts. I wish I had taken the essay format for the midterm but I chose the multiple choice...a huge mistake because it was so tricky! Then I took the essay for the final and I aced it. =)
His lectures can be boring and he does go off on tangents, but he is very accessible and helpful. Most importantly, he is very knowledgeble about the subjects he teaches. And he does basically give you the answers to the exams in class and review session. His classical notes are also really helpful.
Professor Coss is very enthusiastic about his subject, but gives very difficult exams. In order to pass this class, you most definitely need to read and study the notes and drawings provided on smart site and attend the reviews. Attending the classes are also helpful, but in my opinion you're better off studying on your own.
This class was okay, the teacher was okay and the tests were not overly difficult as long as you go to class and study the notes they post on smartsite. I would recommend taking the essay exam. Also the book was not that essential, I actually never used it and got an A...it seems more like background material if you are interested in the subject.
Pretty easy class! Went to lectures for the first midterm, but after never went and it turned out good. I was only 1.5 pts off from an A and went to his OH and surprisingly he was really willing to regrade my final. Definitely do the ESSAY option, hard to bounce back from a poor first midterm grade. No need to buy textbook!
Don't go to class unless you want to sleep. I'm sure at least everyone slept through this class at least once. DON'T take the MC exam. Take the essay. MC exams were extremely tricky (one word differences)! Essay exams were open-ended and based on important concepts. Don't buy or study the book. Study the classical notes provided as well as podcasts
OMG - his class is sooooo boring!!! he curves his midterms-- multiple choice is a lot harder than essay - but soooo boring- i can't go to class and i've never skipped class at Davis yet, only his!
I took the essay exams. However, he knows now that people are choosing to take the essay more and so he splits grading the essay between him and the TA. The TA for my class was an easier grader, so hope that you have an easy TA and that they grade it instead of the professor (if you're hoping for a higher grade). But I recommend reading and podcast
Alot of the people do not give Coss his due credit. If you go to class, study his smartnotes, and go to his office hour, you should get an A. Don't be like one of those students that attend the first day and never attend after that except on exams and listen to the podcast. They won't help. Last piece- if you don't understand,just ask him or his TA
He is a really nice guy and he knows his stuff! However, he tries to freak you out about attending class. Don't buy the textbook. If you read the lecture notes (posted on Smartsite) before the midterm and the final you will do great. You get a chose between essay or MC style for your exams, go with the essay! The class is interesting and easy!
Class Info
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
F
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.29 avg changeRatings by Course
PSC155127
5.0
(1)PSYCH
5.0
(1)PSYC127
5.0
(1)PSYCH155
4.3
(3)PSY127
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PSYCH127
5.0
PSYCH101
4.0
PSC155127
3.0
PSY127
3.0
PSY101
3.0