RELG 2210

If you are looking for an easy A class to fulfill the second writing requirement I would recommend this class hands down. Your grade consists of 3 essays which are 1700-2000 words each and are graded fairly, class attendance tracked via tophat, and discussion posts. Combined the essays are 40% of your grade and the remaining 60% is all participation based meaning if you do it, you will get a 100% on everything. Although Jenkins assigns 50+ pages of reading a class, by this point in college you should realize you don't need to read all of it. I would typically pick the shortest article and skim it before writing my discussion posts which you will get 100% on as long as you submit them on time. Coming into the class, I certainly didn't expect to be interested in the subject but Jenkins is a compelling lecturer so I didn't mind having to go to class. Overall, this is an easy class that I would recommend to anyone wanting to complete their 2nd writing req.

AN AMAZING CLASS! Professor Jenkins is one of the best professors I've had at UVA; he is incredibly passionate about what he teaches and a very engaging lecturer. There is kind of a lot of reading but it's not necessary to do all of it. Even if you're not interested in religious studies I highly recommend it.

This class was a looot of work. With that being said, it was by far my favorite class I have taken at UVA. Although the readings often took me about 4 hours to do in preparation for each class, I found most of them extremely interesting and eye-opening, so I didn't even mind. The class introduced me to so many concepts and I had never thought of before and changed the way I perceive the world. Overall, I would highly recommend this class if you are interested in the material and willing to spend a lot of time reading and writing. Jenkins is also an amazing, engaging lecturer and definitely one of the best professors I have had. Additionally, 50% of the class is just turning in short reading responses and tophat answers by their given due dates.

Phenomenal class. The work is very doable. Everyone here says that the readings are a lot but you don't have to do all of them in order to complete the responses due before lecture. It also helps that all the readings are very relevant and interesting to read. The essays are all fairly easy too - there are three in total, and about 5-6 pages double-spaced. All the topics in this course are thought-provoking and have made me reconsider a lot of what I stand for. It is challenging in the best way possible. 10/10 Jenkins you deserve a medal

This was my favorite class this semester and probably my favorite class that I've taken at UVA. As some of the other reviews have said, it was a lot of reading that you don't necessarily have to do to complete the reading responses that are due each class, but I still did them because they were interesting and engaging. As a result, although the reading responses before each class and the weekly online discussion initially seemed a little daunting, I found myself having so much to say that I'd be done with each in about 15 minutes. Professor Jenkins discusses lots of different viewpoints in his lectures which have been incredibly thought-provoking and made me not only reconsider so many of my own beliefs, but also strive to understand those of others. There were also several moments where I realized how narrowly I had been looking at environmental issues- the connections made between the environment, religion, and ethics are very eye-opening. Besides the reading responses and discussions, there are participation points (tracked through TopHat) and three short essays. I took this class as a requirement for the Global Sustainability major and to fulfill my second writing requirement, but I would highly recommend it even if you don't need it to fulfill anything. Jenkins is an amazing professor!

This is an ASTOUNDING class that helps you understand how religion and ethics have huge impacts on the way people view their environments and vice versa. Takes an approach to environmental/sustainability topics that is less science-y and more "how do we think and feel about these issues in our own unique ways?" Covers a large range of topics including climate change, animal rights, connection to nature, and several of the major world religions, connecting all of these things to different ethical frameworks. It's a bit hard to wrap your head around at first but it all fits together by the end of the semester. This class challenged my previous ways of thinking about environmental issues, because they are so much more than just the scientific facts. Professor Jenkins is incredibly wise and kind, and also very humorous and #relatable, and has been studying these topics for like two decades. There is a lot of weekly writing for this class (blog posts and discussions), but you get used to it and it's not too much at one time. The three papers are somewhat open-ended and I did well on all of them, as long as you clearly explain where you're going with it you will succeed.

This class was truly eye-opening and fantastic for anyone interested in the environment/philosophy/religion. Definitely my favorite class I have taken. Jenkins is a great lecturer and really loves what he is teaching. There is quite a bit of writing: two 150 word reading responses and one 250-300 word discussion post each week. But all are for completion so if you do it before the deadline you get full credit. The reading assignments can seem like a lot, but you do not need to read all of it, just pick what seems interesting. There are 3 papers 1400-1700 words that are very manageable and open-ended, and the TAs grade them pretty easily. Highly recommend this class!

Amazing course, probably my favorite at UVA. I will say the reading was tedious and the due dates of the assignments are quite inconvenient, but that is my only, very minor, complaint about the class. Jenkins is an incredible lecturer and transitioned phenomenally to the online format. You do have to attend every class, but this was no issue as I never wanted to miss a lecture, and this issue was pretty much eliminated once we began online stuff because you had 24 hours to watch and complete the tophat assignments. It was so eye-opening and really honed my methods for discussing environmental issues, as he presents almost every perspective you can imagine, allowing you to gain a comprehensive understanding/view of the subject

Definitely not an easy A because of the writing portions, but the subjects are so interesting and Jenkins does such a great job at explaining them that if you want to put in the effort, you can 100% get a good grade. Jenkins is so knowledgeable about these topics that his lectures can be very quick at times which is annoying when writing notes, but subjects are very interesting. Good class for 2nd writing req. or for major/minors, or if youre just interested in this subject and dont mind writing some papers.

Professor Jenkins is an incredible lecturer that you can tell really knows his stuff. The papers in the class, which are the main graded assignment, are not too bad if you go and talk to the TAs about what they're looking for. Got a B+ on my first paper because I was off focus, but then got A+s on the others to end with an A in the class bc I went to talk about my outline w the TAs. Class is definitely worth taking if you have any interest in ways of thinking about the environment.