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I didn't like plant bio in the beginning but enjoyed it by the time we got to the end. The interest really depends on the person. I don't really like the ecology or development side of plants, which is what we focused on in the beginning. When we got to the genetics part I was very interested: we learned techniques, we learned about various genes and pathways, and eventually did biotechnology.
The workload is light compared to other courses. I had Cameron, her quizzes were from her slides. I didn't even buy the textbook for the course and did well in it. The labs are the most work in this course. They're 3 hours long, sometimes have concepts that aren't mentioned in class (but we were expected to know them by the end of the lab period for an informal TA quiz), and you'd better have a good memory, draw everything, or take pictures because there's a lab exam worth 30%. It wasn't insanely hard, but you really couldn't do well without having been in lab and actually learning and recognizing the different plants and slides and micrograph images.
But compared to how light the rest of the course is, I thought it was fair. Cameron's exam was also really easy... she puts up a practice exam and I swear there were some questions that were exactly the same, and lots were the same wording but one concept replaced (so you have to pay attention). Last few classes of the term, she gives you hints on what to study. Also, one question on the exam is a written answer which you prepare for beforehand, you talk about the benefit or cost of GM technology using links on Avenue. Do it beforehand and memorize it.
Since I don't think most people have done plant biology before, this course might be a pleasant surprise as to how interesting it can be.
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