Natural Hazards

This was the best course ever. There is barley any work. You have a few pages of annotated reading a week that are graded super easily. You also have an in class writing each week based on the lecture material, but you get a note sheet and if you pay attention to what the professor is saying they are very easy. Professor Peters is super nice and clearly passionate about his work. It is clear that he is very smart but understands science is not everyones thing and just wants everyone to gain a basic understanding of the material.

This was the best course ever. There is barley any work. You have a few pages of annotated reading a week that are graded super easily. You also have an in class writing each week based on the lecture material, but you get a note sheet and if you pay attention to what the professor is saying they are very easy. Professor Peters is su …Read more

WITH SEAN PETERS. The professor is great! Makes classes very fun and interactive, and on a side note he is very funny as well so, will not have a boring time in the class. This class was designed to give students an A if you put in at least 3 hours of work per week. There is a quiz every week but you are given an A4 size notecard so there is no reason you won't receive full marks for it. There is no tests or final exams.

WITH SEAN PETERS. The professor is great! Makes classes very fun and interactive, and on a side note he is very funny as well so, will not have a boring time in the class. This class was designed to give students an A if you put in at least 3 hours of work per week. There is a quiz every week but you are given an A4 size notecard so …Read more

Professor Peters made this course very engaging. He ensured that students weren't stressed out about the course material and that we genuinely enjoyed the content we were learning about. He hosts weekly mandatory quizzes (called OEWs) based on the content presented in class, which he tends to grade slightly harsh. Professor Peters makes this class extremely enjoyable and focuses on contemporary natural disasters.

Professor Peters made this course very engaging. He ensured that students weren't stressed out about the course material and that we genuinely enjoyed the content we were learning about. He hosts weekly mandatory quizzes (called OEWs) based on the content presented in class, which he tends to grade slightly harsh. Professor Peters ma …Read more

*Sean Peters was the teacher* I thought this was a really cool class. We learned a lot of interesting and important information about natural hazards and the weather that we see talked about on the news all the time. It was in a lecture format with some small group discussions. I would take this class if you can get in.

Very relaxed class with minimal work. Lectures can get boring but it is an easy distribution requirement. There are occasional quizzes about lecture material and one journal due at the end of the semester. Professor Peters is very enthusiastic and knowledgeable.

** this was with sean peters** I'm currently taking the course right now as something easy to fill the schedule and its super easy. When he started the first day by saying "I designed this course to give you an A", I knew it was perfect for me. Would 100% take if you have the chance

I found this class to be engaging and also an extremely manageable workload. If you have a lot of hard class to take in a semester and are looking for an easier one, I would recommend this. Only grades are short annotated readings, a quiz once a week, and a final journal. No midterms or finals.

I had Sean Peters, not Ultee. But this class is super chill. All you have to do for the week is annotate like 10 page readings. Theres a writing quiz type thing once a week, but you can have a cheat sheet and all the stuff is on the slides. If you need an easy class I'd definetly take this one

Lizz definitely prioritized how we did journal entries over the course of the semester. These entries were essentially the most important parts of the semester, but other than that, it was a very light workload. Sometimes, it felt tedious to do readings and annotate, but it was not daunting at all. It should be a strongly recommended course for those who need a SCI distribution. The material is very engaging and there weren't exams either.

Lizz definitely prioritized how we did journal entries over the course of the semester. These entries were essentially the most important parts of the semester, but other than that, it was a very light workload. Sometimes, it felt tedious to do readings and annotate, but it was not daunting at all. It should be a strongly recommended …Read more

SO SO SO fun you have to take this course before you leave midd. its so fun and i wish i could take it again and again eassite class at Middlebury and made me relove to learn science and mad me want to pursue a minor in earth and climate sciences.

I took this class with Sean Peters, not Liz Ultee. It hasn't been very much work at all, only one open ended in class assignment every week and 5 journal entries due at the end of the semester. I would reccomend!

Natural hazards is an awesome class! The workload is pretty low, and the course material is interesting and pertinent. One article to read and one worksheet to complete outside of class each week. Most of our grade was the Natural Hazards journal, which takes a little time but is entirely manageable.

Natural Hazards with Sean Peters was a perfect introduction to ECSC. He is very passionate about his work and very kind. There were quizzes every Monday that were simple if you did the readings and took good notes during class (he allows 1 note sheet for each quiz). He bridges the gap between science and our local communities, making the subject matter relevant to our own personal lives and hometowns. There is not much emphasis on the geologic/atmospheric processes (although that is taught and very important to the class), and more on the different kinds of natural hazards and the impact that they have. Essentially, this class is what you would expect of an introductory geology/climate science class.

Natural Hazards with Sean Peters was a perfect introduction to ECSC. He is very passionate about his work and very kind. There were quizzes every Monday that were simple if you did the readings and took good notes during class (he allows 1 note sheet for each quiz). He bridges the gap between science and our local communities, making …Read more

Natural Hazards is easy because there is a very light workload. However, it is fast-paced and very lecture-heavy. Expect about one reading assignment per week, as well as one graded in-class writing prompt based on the previous week's lectures. The professor is enthusiastic, but the content is sometimes repetitive and disorganized.

This is the perfect class if you need a SCI dis. req. It's easy, no exams, and minimal homework. We have a weekly reading but you only have to annotate it twice for each reading. The only thing that's a little annoying is theres a lot of busy work that isn't really explained but it's basically graded on completion. Work hard on your journal entries though, Ultee can be a little nit picky with those.

This is the perfect class if you need a SCI dis. req. It's easy, no exams, and minimal homework. We have a weekly reading but you only have to annotate it twice for each reading. The only thing that's a little annoying is theres a lot of busy work that isn't really explained but it's basically graded on completion. Work hard on your …Read more

This is a good course for anyone with a couple other difficult classes. Not a lot of homework and the homework you do get is usually short readings with a couple annotations. In addition, there were 5 journal entries which were basically short review essays on a particular natural hazard event.

This class is easy and interesting even if you have little interest in the topic. One or two homework assignments a week, max 30 minutes a week. One major assignment is the journal with 4 entries, but you have all semester to complete it and have many opportunities to have the TAs look at it.

This class is definitely fun and perfect for filling a distribution requirement. There is not a lot of work outside of class, just a journal due at the end of the semester. This class is best for someone trying to fill their schedule or meet a requirement not someone majoring in Environmental Science since it is hard to actually retain the information you learn in class.

This class was extremely easy with minimal work required outside of lectures. Sean Peters is extremely passionate and engaging and worked to make the material relevant to our lives. There are readings assigned each week but you don't really need to do them.

Professor Peters is an incredibly passionate and upbeat teacher that makes a class that has potential to be a drag into an enjoyable and valuable experience. The weekly quizzes are designed to be easy as long as you are doing the readings and at least concious in class. I will certainly try to take another class with prof. Peters in the future.

Sean Peters is a great professor and very passionate and fun. If you need a lighter class in your schedule I would definitely recommend taking natural hazards with Sean Peters. If you pay attention in class you can actually learn a lot about natural disasters, how they are formed and how they affect communities. The readings are straightforward and there is a simple quiz every Monday but it is chill because we get one page of notes to use.

Sean Peters is a great professor and very passionate and fun. If you need a lighter class in your schedule I would definitely recommend taking natural hazards with Sean Peters. If you pay attention in class you can actually learn a lot about natural disasters, how they are formed and how they affect communities. The readings are stra …Read more

Professor Ultee did not use the slides effectively. She read off of them and did not post them on Canvas which made it required to take notes of the slides in class. This made it more difficult to actually listen to her lecturing and understand the material. The readings were assigned a full week before we discussed them so it was easy to forget the material.

The easiest class I have taken at Midd so far. Basically no homework, just a few things such as a journal you need to keep track of. Quizzes every Monday but we were allowed to use a sheet of notes. I think the information in this class is valuable just as a citizen of the world, and it is a good class to fulfill you're requirements. However if you're a STEM student you would probably be pretty bored.

The easiest class I have taken at Midd so far. Basically no homework, just a few things such as a journal you need to keep track of. Quizzes every Monday but we were allowed to use a sheet of notes. I think the information in this class is valuable just as a citizen of the world, and it is a good class to fulfill you're requirements. …Read more

this course was very very easy. we had weekly quizzes, but you could have a note sheet, which you could easily fit the entire lecture & textbook readings onto. professor peters was very enthusiastic about the material and definitely made the class enjoyable. for all people who need to fill a SCI requirement, I would highly recommend.

This course was a great addition to my schedule. Super chill and easy. Few papers but they were all due at the end of the semester so very self paced. Class time was pretty boring since there was no incentive to pay attention. Overall a great class to get your SCI requirement without a lab.

This class is really a gem, and Sean Peters makes it extremely easy. I chose this class to get the Science distribution out of the way and it is perfect for this. There are quizzes every week but they are extremely easy. If you have at least two brain cells, you should be able to get an A.

Very chill class that covered all the bases for intro ECSC class. Prof. Ultee was passionate about the material, graded easily, and workload was minimal, as long as you stay on top of your final project throughout the semester.

This course had very little homework! We only annotations of weekly readings and 5 journal entries about natural disasters. Prof Ultee loves her job and is very organized and passionate. We made smart goals throughout the semester and checked in on them throughout. I would take again!

This class was very easy, but with that quite boring. The content was of that which could be found in a middle school science class and did not bring enlightening ideas forth. I was hoping for more engagement in the course.

Very little homework, mostly reading annotations and 5 journal entries about natural disasters, all of the grading is very chill, I feel like I learned a lot and really enjoyed the class. Definitely an easy A if you put in the effort.

Lizz Ultee is knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and genuinely cares about the classes she teaches. Natural Hazards, however, is as easy as everyone says it is despite this. One significant issue with her teaching style, however, is that she fails to communicate expectations. For instance, I had points taken off of my final journal entry because of "bad citations" when in reality she had told the class she didn't care what type of citations were used. Ultimately, it's an easy class, but go over exactly, word for word what she is looking for because she simply does not communicate with the class.

Lizz Ultee is knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and genuinely cares about the classes she teaches. Natural Hazards, however, is as easy as everyone says it is despite this. One significant issue with her teaching style, however, is that she fails to communicate expectations. For instance, I had points taken off of my final journal entry b …Read more

This course is a really quick run-through of a ton of the natural hazards present in the environment, and as a result is very fast paced. Professor Lizz Ultee ran through a lot of the material in her lectures, and there was so much content that I didn't have enough time to take notes for each slide and really take it in. The focus of the class is loosely understand the mechanisms of natural disasters, and is equally focused on the science and societal impacts. I thought this class would be much more science driven and in-depth in each topic, but because there are so many different natural hazards and mechanisms, it's hard to cover everything. Professor Lizz Ultee is very passionate, and her activities were fun sometimes, but often included math and calculating that felt random and unrelated to the science. The final is a five part paper, with each part being a different natural disaster that happened over the class that is due at the end of the semester. I spent a lot of time writing that thoroughly, but I feel like I over-worked it, the requirements were very minimal. This class didn't reward my studying with the knowledge I thought I would learn from it. Overall, I would not take this course again.

This course is a really quick run-through of a ton of the natural hazards present in the environment, and as a result is very fast paced. Professor Lizz Ultee ran through a lot of the material in her lectures, and there was so much content that I didn't have enough time to take notes for each slide and really take it in. The focus of …Read more

Nat Haz was the perfect class to take to fulfill the science requirement as someone who is not interested in science. Ultee was super understanding and had super chill lectures with limited readings and not too many homeworks.

This course was extremely easy, there are no exams and there is hardly any reading. The content is interesting if you like the subject. There is a fair amount of group work in class analyzing maps and readings, but none of it is very difficult.

There are very few assignments which is nice, but readings are due at weird times which can be annoying and the lack of assignments mean if you miss a few homeworks it can really hurt your grade. Otherwise very easy.

This class was very engaging and I thought that the homework was very relevant. There was a very light workload in this course but I still felt like I learned a lot. If you have any interest in basic geology, I would highly recommend taking this course.

This is a very easy class with little to no work required. While the material is useful to have a better understanding of the effects of climate change, it was not incredibly in depth. The weekly quizzes are very easy and we were allowed a notes sheet.

The course is a great way to fulfill distribution requirements and is targeted towards students who do not have lots of background knowledge on the subject. Homework is mostly annotating readings and journal entries on recent natural hazards. Lots of group work and definitely a more relaxed science class.

This class was very manageable the only major assignment was a journal. Every week you had reading which you only had to do leave two comments on and a couple worksheets here and there, but besides this the class was really laid back.