EVSC 2030

If you are interested in environmental policy, the class is very interesting. However, there is a ridiculous amount of reading. Most of the reading is interesting but completing it all is nearly impossible.

This is a great class. Only take it if you have a genuine desire to learn about environmental policy. This is not an easy A. I had a hard time keeping up with the reading for sure but I learned so much and the course has left me with a great desire to continue learning about the subject matter.

I really did not like professor Thomson. She was not a very good lecturer and relied upon very weird presentations.

While experienced and knowledgeable about the subject matter, Professor Thompson does not make this an enjoyable class. She regularly gives off a feeling of "I'm better than you, let me tell you why."
The class has a quantity of reading comparable to a upper level history or politics course, so be wary. Tests try to trip you up with true/false and multiple choice as you second guess yourself.
If you decide to take this, be ready to put aside a good chunk of your week for this class.

Expect a lot of reading each week. The reading though is very interesting. I absolutely loved this course, but I also really love environmental policy. It is a very fun class and the material is very pertinent to the daily politics and business actions. Take this course if you have some desire in environmental policy.

Test wise, it is largely based on a few terms out of a lot of possibilities. As long as you study the few days before the test, you should be fine. Take the course, highly interesting, recommend it.

Grade System: two exams, one midterm and one final, and a final five page paper
Lecture: Professor Thompson was awesome, she is very experienced in environmental policy so she knows her stuff. Her voice can be monotone but if you can get over that, her lectures can be very interesting, and she plays videos often. She is also very engaging and even tries to remember names in a 90 person class.
Discussion: My TA was Abby Lunstrum, she was very helpful, the discussion section was beneficial every time I went
Readings: Pretty hefty readings depending on the week, they were either extremely boring or extremely interesting, never really a middle ground, usually online but we had to buy like 6 different books
Tests/Exams: Tests questions are usually very fair, she clearly emphasized during lecture the things you should know for the test, sometimes random facts had to be memorized, very fair tests though
Overrall: Although the class was difficult, I would definitely recommend it because it was so interesting. Sometimes having to memorize seemingly unimportant facts and data translated to bad test grades, but overall there were many interesting readings and lecture was always very interesting.
For reference: I got a C+ taking it first semester first year

Professor Thomson assigns upwards of 100 pages of reading a week. The readings vary in their level of interest, usually erring on the side of dull. Lectures are interesting, but be prepared to be furiously scribbling notes the entire time. The environmental issues and policies covered in the course are relevant. However Professor Thomson is very liberal, so you only learn one side of the debate. She grew on me over the semester, but she is still the most pretentious professor I've had at UVA.

Definitely an interesting topic! Professor Thomson assigns a lot of reading each week, but as long as you skim closely enough to get the major concepts you will not be particularly hindered in Discussion or on the tests. She has a lot of experience in this area, so she definitely knows what she's talking about, even if she gets rather biased in what she discusses. Basically, if you go to lecture you will probably be fine. Make sure to write down the numbers she repeats over and over again; those will be the ones you'll have to know for your test.

This class was not the easiest in the world but is one of the best classes I have taken at UVa. It is not impossible to get an A, but you have to be willing to go to every lecture and do most of the reading.

There is a lot of reading, but it is incredibly interesting for the most part. She assigns a few really good books. I even continued reading them outside of class.

As far as Professor Thompson goes, you'll either like her a lot or you thing she is annoying, but you'll respect her knowledge either way. She is a bit pretentious, but she is such an expert in the topic that she sort of deserves be.

Lectures are 2 hours, once a week. She shows an hour long film about every other class so the 2 hours doesn't feel that long. Thompson also gives you a 10 minute break after the first hour. You have to take a good amount of notes, because test questions can reference seemingly small details.

Overall, I would recommend this class to everyone. Professor Thompson is a great professor who takes a lot of pride in her work and her class. You'll learn a ton from her.

Great Class! Professor Thomson is a great lecturer and I never regretted attending a lecture. However, there is a lot of reading to do per week and if you don't space it out it hits you in the face on Sunday. Not too much writing except for the final paper which is only 5 pages. Discussion is a bit boring but what do you expect, it's discussion. The tests are incredibly fair and if you study you'll do well, if you don't you won't. Also, don't stress too much about studying the reading, she won't ask for details about them in the 2 midterms and only expects a broad understanding of them. For the midterms, just study her prezis, which are essential!
100% recommend, unless you can't hand-write notes because she doesn't allow technology