Professor: Braun Course format: Seminar w/Section Number of respondents: 29 Total Enrollment: 33 Class Composition: Froshs: 0 Sophs: 0 Jrs: 9 Srs: 21 Concs: 13 Non-Concs: 12 Don't Know: 0

Instructor Average: 1.26 Course Average: 1.34

"The Biological and Social Context of Human Disease" is an interdisciplinary course designed to study how disease is viewed in society and how this social perception relates to underlying biological principles. The course is not geared towards biology concentrators specifically, although it is fulfilling even to those with an extensive background in biology. Only basic biology (BI 20 or AP credit) is a necessary prerequisite, but many other courses could prove helpful, including Bio 53 (Immunology), and courses in public health.

Professor Braun was almost universally loved by her students. She was clear, engaging, and very open to students" questions. She coordinated classes perfectly, making use of both lectures (aided by slides and overhead projections) and group discussions to reinforce the material. Her style was very responsive to the needs of her students, while allowing for the understanding of a large body of material. She was also praised for giving breaks in lecture to make the long period seem shorter.

The course work consisted of weekly readings from two large course packets, as well as weekly short papers written in response to the reading. Other work included wo large papers, a midterm exam, a final exam, and a final group oral presentation. Students found the workload necessarily demanding, but did not let its intensity sway their great feelings for the class. They spent three to seven hours per week on the course, although many reported that their workload became far more intense during weeks of papers and exams. The exciting perspective provided by the course, and Professor Braun"s superb teaching style kept them motivated.

The course is a superb interdisciplinary course. People should note that it is an intensive course that involves a significant amount of reading from primary sources, and requires a fair number of both exams and papers. However, its students clearly were not daunted by the quantity of their work, a fact that further sings the praises of the course. Unfortunately, the course is quite popular, and thus admission is competitive; it"s open to anyone, but it is more open, to seniors concentrating in related fields. Register before it"s too late, and you"ll be in for what may be one of the best courses at Brown.

View BI/0085 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.