Students mentioned that the professor was knowledgeable and approachable. They said the downsides were that the lectures were sometime difficult to hear and there was not enough guidance for some of the assignments. Suggestions for improvement included making lectures more interactive or varied and clarifying directions for the assignments. Overall, students said this was an interesting and manageable class. They encouraged students to pay attention and take good notes.

The best aspects of this course were the professor, whom students found knowledgeable and interesting, and the stimulating materials. Students especially liked the hands-on experiences they got on the field trips and believed that they learned an enormous amount over the semester. Students did not like the lectures as much, as they found them disorganized and hard to fol ow. Students suggested creating notes to put online and distribute in class and going over the materials a little more slowly. Prospective students should be prepared for a light-course load, but know that they should pay attention during the lectures.

Students praised this course for having an extremely knowledgeable and passionate instructor who covered a broad range of topics during in-class lectures and added an entertaining field trip to the experience. Perceived issues with the course included a belief that it was highly disorganized to the point where students thought that topics were taught via anecdotes rather than by explaining key concepts. In addition, students found that grading seemed harsh and arbitrary. Suggestions for improvement included a desire by multiple students for information to be taught in a more organized 158way with some students wanting the instructor to organize lessons around PowerPoint slides and lecture notes which could be turned over to students. Prospective students should know that students found that the course had a moderate workload and that attending lectures and taking good notes were essential to success in this course.