Great teacher -makes a boreing class interesting with his passion and personal application. Go to class, take notes, and study hard you will learn a lot from him. One of the best teacher's I have had throughout my entire academic life.

Super caring teddy bear of a man. If you have to take Psych 2 you should definitely take it with him- it's not easy material but he makes it easier, curves, AND grades 80% as an A, 70% as a B etc.

He is a nice guy and is very enthusiastic about what he is teaching. He explains things well and grades pretty easy. I slept in his class sometimes and managed a B. I recommend him.

Great teacher. Helpful, enthusiastic, fun. The material is very interesting, and you fall in love with Hebbian synapses. Highly recommended.

His lecture is very helpful and neat. He doesnt grade so hard and gives students opportunity to earn better grade.

He's a really cool, laid back prof. He knows his stuff... but the class itsself is really difficult.. my suggestion is to never miss class and ask q's... very easy grader.. and you have lecture outlines to help you along with the book...

very understandable/need to READ the CHAPTERS not just notes to ACTUALLY get an A on his tests. test are not difficult but you can not slack off on studying. tests(simple)multiple choice/no trick questions/BEST PSYCH2 TEACHER AT SMC/wish i could take his class again/lectures are extremley clear.

Not as intimidating as he seems. The man knows his stuff, that's for sure, & he has proven himself (not to mention that he is the head of his department), and will stroke his beard to your questions while thinking outside thougts...whether he listens or not, well, where do the synapses begin? Grea

Weekly quizes, two exams, and extremely hard cumlitive final exam! Bring your "A" game for this teacher!

Easily the best professor I have ever encountered! The class is tough but he makes it as interesting as possible.

Oh man...I hate Psych, I think it's pointless and a waste of time...but Prof Russell....oh man...if I took a couple of more classes with him I'd prob become a Psych major. He made the class very enjoyable.

interesting teacher and class. quizzes are concept based, not necessarily fact based. in the beginning of the class, the room was full, and by the end of semester, there were 25% of the students left. don't slack off.

He is very gentle, and his lecture is clear. Exams are not that easy, but you'll be ok if you read the book.

The exams are not that easy, but are curved. He goes out of his way to answer everyone's questions. His lectures are also interesting.

This is a quality prof who has a passion for neuroscience. And he isn't that easy, but he isn't that hard either. If you didn't like his class its because you never had any interest in Psych or science. Remember this: Psych is becoming less of a chump major; naturally selecting the "interested" and weeding out the "chumps."

extremely hard to get an A in this class. but he is nice and tries to answer questions clearly and tries to make the concepts simple. his quizzes are confusing and his tests are too detailed.

Really good and clear!!

really hard class as far as the material goes. you need to study and pay attention, but he is good about going back over things. the tests are hard if you are not good at picking up on his "style". a funny personality really, if you are quick witted!

Prof. Russell is very helpful and pretty clear in his lectures. There are weekly quizzes which make up a whopping 30% of the grades. The other 70% comes from 2 midterm and one final exam. Quizzes and Finals are all pretty tricky and requires attention to details. Tough class but manageable. At least he makes the class marginally more interesting.

He is just great! Class is fun and enjoyable, if you like Psychology, but why else would you take it? He is very helpful and supportive, little tricky on the quizzes. As he says: "I have some nasty questions." :-) If you study, it's not hard to get an A. Good luck and have fun!

it is an extremley hard course regardless of the teacher so of course im gonna say it was hard, but he is a really cool guy. he will pop a joke once in a while, but he has put me to sleep a few times. just pay attention, study and you should do fine.

It is already a hard course but Professor Russell teaches it very well. He is extremely helpful and funny too. If you come to class and study, you will get a good grade. Very nice man!

Yes, the material is hard and he is actually really nice. I had to take this class again, but when I took the class for a 2nd time I started to really understand it and know it. Participate because the other students will not which causes the class to be even more boring. Go to his office hours, study, and grasp the material being taught.

Dr. Russell is very unique. He is animated and easy to listen to and he knows the material really well. He is always there to make sure you understand the material from prior lectures and encourages questions. Lots of quizzes which help you learn the material and serve as a great study guide. Show up, take notes and pay attention. You'll do fine.

Biological Psychology is hard, it doesn't matter what teacher you get. Dr. Russell explains everything extremely throughly and does not use the book (all in his mind!). You must be a good note taker and attend every class. If you are interested in Bio-Psychology this man is the best.

One of my favorite teachers! He won't go on to the next topic until every question is answered. I'm a psych/pre-med major so I already loved the topic. It contains difficult information but he's great at explaining it all. Purchase his lecture notes!! I was sad the last day of class b/c I didn't want it to end. Him+his class are great!

You can't ask for a better professor! I wish he taught all the classes that I need to take! He is crystal clear and NO, he doesn't bog you down with useless information. He only instructs on the relevant material; and guess what!? You'll need to study (Class notes)! Ignore all the other negative reviews and TAKE HIS CLASS! ... I wish I could again.

My favorite profeessor so far. Has really good knowledge of the subject and he is really funny! As long as you do your work you will do very well in the class!

Great topic for anyone interested in psychology or biology. The professor is funny, polite and without a doubt knowledgeable of the topic. The class is easy. If you think otherwise, you really need to go back to grade school. Dr. Russell goes over the material until there is little doubt in your mind about it.

Good prof, not easy. For majors, hardest task is understanding on what and how he tests: actually not as easy as you think. afew questions are unfair, it's true, you get it eventually. #1 thing in this class is staying motivated to study. If that's easy for you (DONT TAKE IF NOT INTERESTED!), then @ least a C+/B-. Dont mess with this class 4 IGETC.

Dr. Russell is a good prof. He grades fair and he is fun to listen to. However you must read the textbook to have a better chance at an A he does put some tricky questions on the quizzes, esp. the final. B/c of his quiz questions you could think the material is easy and end up w. a B or C. I would take him again though b/c the class is interesting

Prof. Russell is a great teacher! He's taught Psych 2 a very long time and that?s a good thing... He knows the material inside out & is still very passionate about the subject and quite funny in lecture. The course is well organized, and follows the syllabus. Textbook is a must! Russell won?t hand you an A but gives you plenty of help to earn one.

The person below me is so wrong, yes, this class can be difficult, but it is the material, not Russell. If you come to the class, ask questions and study you can easily get an 'A'. There are no tricks to his class. Grades on a curve and makes the subject easier and likeable.

Mr Russell is a great guy and even better instructor. He dosent take attendence so its up to you to do the work. He is very clear and friendly.

Very knowledgeable professor. You have to study a lot but he makes the subject very interesting. One of the best professors al SMC.

Psych2: The material is of medium difficulty, and Professor Russell explains it well, but the real grade killer is the weekly quizzes. 7 questions + one free response worth 3 points. Could only ever really score anywhere from 3 to 7 points on these tedious quizzes. Hauled ass to pass with a C. Would not recommend.

Best professor at SMC, really inspired a lot of people to get deeper into this subject.

I LOVE his class! It is hard but he explains it so well. Psych 2 in general shouldn't be an easy class if you do not review your lecture notes. I do recommend him because his lecture notes (book) is what will save many students in case in case you missed any notes. quiz each week but its only 7 q's and its always on lecture notes.

I honestly loved his class. I found it really easy but that's because I also found it very interesting. The weekly quizzes force you to keep up with material, which is actually super helpful. He's nice, helpful, friendly, and gives you plenty to study from with his lecture outlines, the textbook, your class notes, and review sessions.

LOVED HIS CLASS! It is an extremely difficult subject to learn but it all comes together at the end of the course. Main thing he tests you on are the lecture outlines and class notes. I never purchased the book for this class and I still passed. Weekly quizzes and two exams. Never a dull moment. Funny and enthusiastic about the course material.

Very clear & passionate about the subject. Weekly quizzes are easy if you review his lecture notes & the notes you take. Never read the textbook & passed. The subject is difficult but it's very interesting to learn. It all adds up at the end. Definitely would take him again.

Awesome professor, hard class. He teaches it well, very clear and efficient. Book is not used much, rather you'll be studying his awesome course outline packet which he created himself. His discussions are always interesting, which is good because the material is pretty dull. Attend class, review the material and your grade will reflect your grind.

Russell is a really great guy. Funny, obviously passionate about his subject. My only complaint would be that he can ramble sometimes, but it's usually about something relatively interesting. Honestly don't understand how someone could fail this course. He is very clear and moves very slowly (in a good way).

One of the best teachers I've ever had. He's very organized and great at answering questions. His lectures and lecture notes are detailed and informative and well-written. If he taught more classes in psych I'd take them all.

Love this guy. His jokes are the best. And he makes everything interesting. I mean, this class is hard. But he tells you everything you need to know up front. Show up to every class, take notes, do the reading, study, study more. No participation or attendance points.

His class was interesting, it sometimes seemed like forever. His grading system is amazing. He's a good teacher overall

The hardest class I have ever taken, but he does a good job at teaching it. Weekly quizzes, midterm and final. Your grade is pretty much based on the final and anything you miss gets replaced by the final. Also, the final is 75 multiple tricky choice questions and is cumulative. Study a lot and study some more. You will actually learn in this class

I enjoyed this class. Dr. Russell is hilarious and you can tell he loves to teach. He provides excellent notes for each lecture, just attend each lecture and make a few additional notes on the outline and you will be solid. Study your notes frequently as he gives a quiz each week. He has a very lenient grading scale, but you need to study!

Professor Russell is absolutely amazing! DO NOT come into this class looking for an easy a. Psych 2 in general isn't, and there's no getting around it. You have to put in the effort. Prof Russell really takes the time to explains things and also the majority of the time you will be using his lecture outlines - pretty clear and precise. Work hard!

straightup the rudest class of students i've ever witnessed and the professor is just so patient and level-headed. besides that, he's incredibly smart, wrote up literally the entire semester's lecture in a printout, and gives really good lectures to supplement the reading. lots of work... obviously

I love prof Russell. He is 100% avaliable outside class for you, and if you just ask him he will do his absolutely best to help you succeed. Had another prof last semester and got an F, but got C now. (This is a VERY hard subject) do not fear the weekly quizzes, they are pretty easy and will defenitely help you trough the semester.

I honestly love professor Russell. He is very funny and doesn't bore me at all. If you engage with him and participate and ask questions you won't be bored. He cracks a lot of jokes when he sees students are actually engaged in the lecture. He is very caring and has a clear outline of ways to pass the class and ways to fail

Professor Russell is a solid choice and is very organized and professional. He writes up his own "lecture outlines" that are clear to understand and full of information. He gives a quiz once a week on material taught in class during the week, and most of it is over the lecture outlines and stiff mentioned in lecture.. great teacher!!

Best professor ever!!!! A real gem. Hes very helpful, always open to talk and to help students to develop better study habits.

Professor Russell was a great! He truly cares for his students and will take time to explain if you don't understand something discussed in lecture. He made Physiological psychology really fun and interesting. If you put in the work, READ, and attend lecture you will pass!

Great professor overall. Gives easy weekly quizzes that really boost your grade. Tests are 95% lecture and 5% from the book. Occasionally also gives easy online HW. Has a good sense of humor and will explain everything in detail. Definitely recommend Professor Russell. And an A is 85%, B 75% etc.

This professor is really nice and sweet. I took his class during the transition to online due to cover-19. I can tell that online isn't the easiest for him and like many of us he prefers in class sessions as well. I think my grade would've been higher has we been in class. Overall though, he is great and will try to help you understand as much as

Professor Russell's course took a little while to adjust to the flow of but it's eventually easy to fall into. You have to read from a textbook and from his own reading, which is essentially a dense textbook of its own. His lectures are pretty clear and comprehensive, and he does a good job of answering questions his students have.

Professor Russell is absolutely engaging, understanding and inspirational while teaching biopsychology. It is a great option if you are interested in studying the human mind, the perspectives he presents in class are clear, thorough, compelling and interesting. He demonstrates a genuine passion for the subject and for the students to excel at it.

Professor Russell is an incredible instructor. The man lives and breaths Bio-Psych. There's nothing he doesn't know about the subject. It's a bunch of information to learn, so don't miss class. Pay attention because he makes little notes on his own lecture notes. I loved his class because he was really into what he was talking about.