Place And Society

Pete Nelson is the best professor the Geography department has. For majors, this class can be a slog because it's sometimes just an overview of topics you've already covered. That said, Pete keeps the class lively and interesting, never cold calling but encouraging students to participate frequently. There are pretty time-intensive labs, a take-home midterm, a final documentary project, and a take-home final exam. Pete's a fair grader and very approachable -- always willing to chat if you need extra help or have questions.

Pete Nelson is the best professor the Geography department has. For majors, this class can be a slog because it's sometimes just an overview of topics you've already covered. That said, Pete keeps the class lively and interesting, never cold calling but encouraging students to participate frequently. There are pretty time-intensive l …Read more

I loved taking a class with Guntram, he's super sweet and passionate about geography. I took Place and Society as I intend to major in geog but think this is a good starting point for people interested in geography as it discusses various topics within the subject.

Pete is incredible as always. However, this class is basically a survey of human geography topics so you don't go into depth on anything. As a sophomore major who's more interested in physical geography I was sometimes uninterested in the content, and there is a lot of busy work. Still, a solid class. The bulk of the work comes from the 4 labs, but these aren't too bad, and Pete is always available and understanding.

Pete is incredible as always. However, this class is basically a survey of human geography topics so you don't go into depth on anything. As a sophomore major who's more interested in physical geography I was sometimes uninterested in the content, and there is a lot of busy work. Still, a solid class. The bulk of the work comes from …Read more

This class is a great intro into the world of geography. It does a great job at covering all of the bases for different fields of geography with interesting projects that get you thinking about the possibilities of what geography has to offer. Pete is a great professor who is beyond passionate about his work and his students!

This is a great course for people interested in Geography, even if it only scratches the surface (but that's what intros are). Pete is a great lecturer, is super funny and engaging, and makes an effort to get to know each student. This class is very easy and you don't really have to do the readings to do well, just pay attention in lecture and you will get the material

I took this course pretty much just to have a fourth class in my schedule and it ended up being my favoirte class in this semester, other than the fact it was at 8:40 m,w,f. But professor Herb did a great job, was very understanding and was always willing to be open to what students said.

I decided to take this class to fill in my schedule, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the class. I have no lack of positive things to say about Professor Herb and he makes his class enjoyable for people of all levels of geography-interest.

Pete is one of the best profs at Middlebury, but this class in particular is eh (nothing to do with his teaching, he made it much more interesting than it would have been otherwise.) This course is great for freshmen trying to figure out what they want to do because it is a great survey course in geography but it is a LOT of busywork. If you're an upperclassmen who wants to try geog take Population, Urban, or Rural with Pete instead!

Pete is one of the best profs at Middlebury, but this class in particular is eh (nothing to do with his teaching, he made it much more interesting than it would have been otherwise.) This course is great for freshmen trying to figure out what they want to do because it is a great survey course in geography but it is a LOT of busywork …Read more

Guntram is a really really nice dude and it shows in his teaching. This class is pretty easy, and I think you will 100% get way more out of just going straight into a GIS class. That being said, he's a very enthusiastic professor and an effective teacher. You will learn things!

Decent class although can be a bit boring a times. Good intro to geography. Also, Pete is the best and he makes the course content as accessible as possible. Overall would recommend although there are geography courses that are way cooler.

This was a pretty intense course and the labs meant I spent a few nights of the semester up super late working, but that was also my own doing. It’s interesting to have a class that has so many different topics because you don’t get to go as in-depth but it also doesn’t get boring. Guntram likes to teach a lot of theory and geographic vocabulary which some people find annoying but I do appreciate having the class rooted in a list of concepts. He can seem tough but is open to supporting you when you need it. I had to ask for lots of extensions, sometimes even the night before it was due, and he was very understanding. This class inspired me to declare geography in my very first semester, although I was only in the class because I wanted to do ES but couldn’t get into any classes.

This was a pretty intense course and the labs meant I spent a few nights of the semester up super late working, but that was also my own doing. It’s interesting to have a class that has so many different topics because you don’t get to go as in-depth but it also doesn’t get boring. Guntram likes to teach a lot of theory and geographi …Read more

I am not interested in Geography whatsoever and only took this course to fill out my schedule, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Prof Nelson's teaching style was effective, interesting and valuable. He cares about and connects with students, is extremely accommodating, and is a charismatic lecturer. The one downside is the labs, which are pretty difficult but are graded fairly. Exams are also not as relevant to the class as they could be, but they aren't terrible. The readings are intensive, but only if you do them.

I am not interested in Geography whatsoever and only took this course to fill out my schedule, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Prof Nelson's teaching style was effective, interesting and valuable. He cares about and connects with students, is extremely accommodating, and is a charismatic lecturer. The one downside is the labs, w …Read more

Overall, this class was a pretty good intro to the geography department. Prof. Nelson was super engaging and truly cared about the content he taught us. There was a lot of content to cover in the lectures, however, it is structured in a way that makes it quite easy to follow. Additionally, there is a lab with this class that does generate most of the homework associated with this class. I would definitely consider taking this course if you're interested in anything tangentially related to social sciences and geography.

Overall, this class was a pretty good intro to the geography department. Prof. Nelson was super engaging and truly cared about the content he taught us. There was a lot of content to cover in the lectures, however, it is structured in a way that makes it quite easy to follow. Additionally, there is a lab with this class that does gen …Read more

Peter Nelson is phenomenal - really smart, very passionate, so so nice and caring about his students. But Place and Society is the dumbest class if you're not a geography major, and the only people who take it are geography majors because they have to and it helps them decide what to focus their major on in the future.

This course wasn't life changing, but it covered a lot of interesting topics and got me excited about taking other courses in the geography department. Professor Nelson is a clear teacher, very knowledgable, and generally accommodating to needs/extensions. Most of the bigger assignments are the lab assignments, and most of the assigned readings were not super helpful, but the lectures were worthwhile.

This course wasn't life changing, but it covered a lot of interesting topics and got me excited about taking other courses in the geography department. Professor Nelson is a clear teacher, very knowledgable, and generally accommodating to needs/extensions. Most of the bigger assignments are the lab assignments, and most of the assign …Read more

As far as intro classes go, Place and Society with Professor Nelson was a pretty good one. He covered all the aspects of geography and spent just enough time on each one that we got a decent sense but were able to spend time on each area. The labs weren't always the most engaging, and were really more papers than lab reports.

This class skims the surface of a lot of material, which was great coming into the class with no knowledge of geography whatsoever, but might be a drag to people who already have some knowledge of the discipline. Pete is a fantastic lecturer and brings in lots of creative projects and labs. The readings might be difficult for humanities-minded folks, but they don't have a ton of bearing on the class. If you truly want an introduction to geography, this class is absolutely worth it.

This class skims the surface of a lot of material, which was great coming into the class with no knowledge of geography whatsoever, but might be a drag to people who already have some knowledge of the discipline. Pete is a fantastic lecturer and brings in lots of creative projects and labs. The readings might be difficult for humanit …Read more

Pete was a great professor for this course. The class itself is a bit boring at times as an intro class with busy work and survey topics. But Prof. Nelson brought a lot of enthusiasm and was able to connect the content in an engaging way. The labs were also interesting

The class was overall fairly interesting. Herb does a great job of being a fair grader who makes class and labs worthwhile, but he'll also make you work for it. Try and get a good group of friends or acquaintances for the final project, it will make to final presentation easier to work on.

This course has been fun. Peter Nelson has a great teaching style. While some of the content was a little boring I think that his lecture style made it better. Labs were probably the most difficult and usually required a good amount of time to complete.

Place and Society broadly overviews many geographical concepts and Professor Nelson is fantastic and interactive lecturer. There are typically reading for each class that students are seen skimming minutes prior to class and if you are willing to ask questions and share personal anecdotes participation is not a problem. It should be noted that the 4 labs comprising most of one's grade are exceedingly broad. While Prof. Nelson makes clear he wants students to go in their own directions, it makes the research and writing process far more difficult than it has to be. Overall, the class is a cool one if have extra time on your schedule, but it meets 4x a week and can be tricky if you don't ask for extensions or advice - both of which Prof. Nelson is great about.

Place and Society broadly overviews many geographical concepts and Professor Nelson is fantastic and interactive lecturer. There are typically reading for each class that students are seen skimming minutes prior to class and if you are willing to ask questions and share personal anecdotes participation is not a problem. It should be …Read more

Guntram Herb is one of the best professors I have ever had. He puts in a great effort to make every lecture engaging, and his grading I thought was very fair. Emphasis on group work though means you should choose your group wisely

Great class. The lecture is not boring as the contents are really intriguing. Fair-easy grading. Take home exam. No homework! But the lab has a lot of work to do. He usually gives 2 weeks to do the lab work, so it is okay too.

I had a great time with Professor Nelson. The class wasn't too difficult, but it was very enjoyable. He is a very fair grader and is always there to help when needed. The pace of the class is also really relaxed and it is very easy to catch up on work.

Cares a lot about what he teaches, and tries to make the lectures as interesting as possible. He grades easily, and the only difficult part of the class is some of the labs. Overall it is a very relaxed class.

Professor Nelson is an incredibly engaging and approachable professor. Course material is broad and digestible. Not much homework, plenty of time to do the labs you are assigned. Grading is fair, but don't expect and easy A.

Nelson is very available and wants his students to succeed! He makes an effort to know how you are doing in your life outside of this course. The classes and topics were engaging and relevant. Would take again!

I think Pete is a great teacher and I love his teaching style. His lecture is definitely interesting. However, I find the course material somewhat all over the place, and the lab could be really demanding.

I like Nelson a lot, the material can be kind of boring as intro. But there are some interesting topics, especially when we delved into cultural and social influences. I liked the project where you focus on one in issue in one certain place.

Herb was very accommodating when I had to miss class, but he made me do extra work to make up for missed class time. I found the lectures fairly boring. Some of the labs were interesting, but some were boring too - we had to do 3 lab reports. We also had a group final project that we spent 6 weeks on. Seemed like he was a tough grader for a 100 level class.