Katherine Michels

I took this class as a freshman because I am interested in potentially majoring in environmental studies. Both professors were extremely knowledgeable and effective in their teaching. I also thought that Jesse and Katie are just amazing people, and it was refreshing to have relatively young professors. The reading was very light, and our homework consisted of short daily reflections after every class and longer weekly assignments. We had lots of interesting and relevant guest speakers; one of my only criticisms of the class is a lack of diversity among these speakers. However, Katie and Jesse did acknowledge this and tried to account for it by presenting readings and other sources from black and indigenous points of view. The course was a balance of ecology with social and political discussions, which I personally liked because it wasn't too science-heavy. The discussions we had as a class were some of the most interesting and engaging conversations I have had at Middlebury so far. Many of the topics we approached were difficult to take a stand on and made me confront/rethink my own biases and predispositions. In all, I would recommend this course for anyone looking for a relatively easy J-term who is interested in environmental policy and thought.

I took this class as a freshman because I am interested in potentially majoring in environmental studies. Both professors were extremely knowledgeable and effective in their teaching. I also thought that Jesse and Katie are just amazing people, and it was refreshing to have relatively young professors. The reading was very light, and …Read more

Loved this class! Had no previous knowledge relating to the class but nonetheless felt that i learnt tons. Katie and Jesse (and blue) were amazing as teachers but also just as people. Not my first choice when i registered but in retrospect I'm very happy it went the way it did. Couldn't have had a better J-term class. It occasionally brought us outside for field-trips, we had loads of interesting guest speakers and the low work load allowed for tons outside class free time. At the same time the low work load didn't make the class any less engaging as every day of class brought up new thoughts and reflections to think about. All around great!

Loved this class! Had no previous knowledge relating to the class but nonetheless felt that i learnt tons. Katie and Jesse (and blue) were amazing as teachers but also just as people. Not my first choice when i registered but in retrospect I'm very happy it went the way it did. Couldn't have had a better J-term class. It occasionally …Read more