[Kathy2]

In this class, we discussed a variety of environmental issues. We talked about almost anything you can think of: problems caused by people like oil sands, loss of habitat, climate change, agriculture, mining, land management, etc.

The mark breakdown was:
Test 1 - 30%
Test 2 - 30%
Exam - 40%

Both tests and the exam were mulitple choice. Test 2 was much harder than test 1, and the class did much worse overall. So at the end of the term, the prof decided to change Test 2 to be worth 25% and the final exam to be worth 45%.

One thing I loved about the prof was, at the end of the term when everyone was studying and finishing up final assignments, he basically stopped doing lectures. We watched movies in class. We still needed to attend, because they were informational movies and it was all testable material - but it was so much easier than having 5 or 6 more lectures to study. The prof honestly seemed interested in the students and he wanted us to do well.

It wasn't a ridiculously hard class, but it wasn't a bird course. The information was interesting. The prof posted lecture notes on Avenue, but they weren't completely filled in - so you need to attend class to get the full notes. But his lecture setup is great and he presents the information very clearly. There was a lot to study for the tests and the exam, but it was easy to study because of the way the lectures were set up.

Overall, I really enjoyed this class - mainly because of the prof. If you're interested in environmental issues, I definately suggest taking this course!

I've really liked both courses I've taken with Dr. Bernier. I had this course as well as EARTH SC 2WW3 with him last term, and in both courses he gave us several case studies to practice from that were on the exam. I completely agree with what you said: he genuinely seems to want us to do well.

On a scale of 1/10 how useful is the textbook?

I took this course with Dr. Bernier in Fall of 2013. We had to do online quizzes and the questions were based on his lectures notes and the textbook. Although, you could easily get perfect by just googling the answers.

I am curious. When you say 'He wants us to do well' does that equate to him wanted to actually teach and have us learn something or that he wants us to get really good grades? Often profs give away good grades because it is easier than dealing with complaints.

Based on my experiences with Dr. Bernier, I think he just genuinely wants you to do well in the course. His assignments and exam questions are easy as long as you put the time and effort in. His final exams are straightforward and it's not difficult to get 10+ in the course.