Ken Catania - Vanderbilt University

Professor: Ken Catania

Department: TBD

College: Vanderbilt University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: BSCI3254
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

This course was incredible! Probably one of the best classes I will take at Vandy. Catania is one of the intellectual leaders in the field and makes lectures enjoyable. No textbook, so record the lectures and take good notes to study from. Only 3 exams, no cumulative final. If good at memorization, class is anxiety-free, informative, and fun.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: BSCI3254
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

The course is so specific and focused that no textbook is used. Therefore, it is imperative you attend lecture and take EXCELLENT notes (that is all you have to go off of for studying). Class is only graded with 3 exams (no cumulative final)- so study well! Catania is very knowledgeable in this field and the content is very interesting.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: BSCI3254
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Catania's Neurobio of Behavior class was awesome! The material was so interesting, and he is an expert in the field. He is an awesome professor, and I definitely recommend him. The only grades are 3 tests, so it is important to do well on those. Take detailed notes, study hard, and you should be fine. One of my favorite classes at Vandy.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: BSCI3254
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

This class has a lot of material, but it's doable if you have organized notes and study carefully. Tests are pretty difficult because of the obscure details he pulls from. Honestly, I didn't really enjoy the heavy focus on animal behavior and the relative absence of neuroscience stuff, but many people did.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: BSCI3254
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Catania is a great professor and truly loves what he is teaching. I would highly recommend this for any neuro/bio majors. His slides are all pictures so you MUST COME TO CLASS. Pay close attention and study with other classmates - definitely helps in case you missed what he said in class. He shows us cool vids and brought in birds from the zoo

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: BSCI3254
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Neurobiology of Behavior was by far the best biology class I have ever taken. Dr. Catania is very passionate about his work, and I never would have had the opportunity to learn about so much interesting research otherwise. The tests cover very specific material, so you need to come to class. It's worth it though! He really is a great guy.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: BSCI3254
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

This is by far the best and most interesting class I have taken at Vanderbilt. Dr. Catania is a hilarious guy with incredible knowledge and insight. There's no textbook so tests (all multiple choice) are based only off of lectures. The only caveat is that his slides are just pictures so you must actually attend class to understand the material.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: BSCI254
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Catania is brilliant and knows a lot of interesting things but his lectures can sometimes get dry when it's a T/R class.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: BSCI3454
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

One of the best professors I had at Vanderbilt. Took Neurobiology of Behavior and enjoyed going to every lecture. Truly fascinating professor and would recommend to anyone interested in Neuro!

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: BSCI3252
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Amazing professor. He is a great lecturer, really funny, and always presenting incredible stuff. I highly recommend taking this course. Though don't let the reviews fool you: this is NOT an easy class. Be prepared to study a lot.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: BSCI254
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Best class ever. Dr. Catania is a leader in neuroethology. It is a very cool experience to hear him discuss the groundbreaking research of the field, and if you look up the papers cited in lecture, he's an author on many of them! A true animal enthusiast, he finds a way to bring many of the animal models to class. I suggest recording lectures

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: BSCI254
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Catania is one of my favorite professors at Vandy and made every lecture worth attending. Exam material is entirely from his commentary during class; be sure to take thorough notes.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: BSCI254
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

One of the funnest and easiest class at vanderbilt. Dr. Catania is well-known in the academic community and along with his research. There is no textbook for the class therefore, going to class is essential to doing well on the exam. Those who don't do well probably are those who don't go to class or fail to understand the simple concepts.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: BSCI254
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Okay class. Not too much information. Professor Catania mostly seems to focus on the minutiae in his exams (all multiple choice) rather than "big picture" ideas of neuroscience or biology. The curriculum is almost word for word the same as in his 275 neuroethology seminar so take note if you have already taken that class or are planning to.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: BSCI254
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Very interesting class. Not too heavy on the neuroscience side, so don't take this if you're expecting heavy emphasis on neuro concepts. Very much a bio class. I agree - it's like watching the Discovery channel. The tests are 100% multiple choice - great if you like multiple choice, not so good if you don't.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: BSCI254
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I tell people this class is more or less like watching the Discovery Channel. Prof. Catania is incredibly engaging and knowledgeable about what he teaches. Took it for neuro, and it was a nice change of pace compared to what I have been taking. 3 tests, all straightforward. Just show up, take notes, study, and you'll be fine.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: BSCI254
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Catania is an excellent professor who loves what he teaches, and this is apparent in his lectures. The material is very interesting, and he brings animals (owls and alligators!) to class. His tests are not tricky, but expect you to know any detail covered in lecture (e.g. names of scientists), so bring a recorder! Fun/easy A for a BSCI class!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: BSCI254
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

All neuroscience majors should take this course. Professor Catania is extremely knowledgable and tests are not as hard to study because the material is actually interesting. However, be prepared to take very good notes, including the first day of class, because test questions are picky except for short answers. The first test is the hardest.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: BSCI254
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Absolutely the best class I've ever taken. Catania is a mild mannered genius who truly loves the material. I can honestly say "genius" because he recently received the "MacArthur Genius Grant," which is basically one step down from the nobel. Fantastic; if you're a neuro major, you must take this course.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: BSCI254
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Excellent class, very interesting, very clear. Test require a decent amount of studying but very straightforward, no tricks.