I am not sure how this class has such good reviews! I have taken many environmental science courses before, and the class material during the lectures seemed straightforward enough. However, the exams were graded very harshly. It seemed like you could never give them enough information to get an A. These tests were taken as a group, too. The lifestyle change project guidelines were vague, and I had 2/4 partners contribute nothing to the project. When I brought this up to my TA and Professor, they told me my grade wouldn't be affected, yet I still received a C on the project. The lab assignments are unnecessarily difficult (and sometimes dangerous). If you're looking for a better environmental GE, I would recommend taking Geog 5.

Professor Lipman was really nice! She taught very engaging and interesting lectures and the class was quite enjoyable. However, my TA was a pretty inconsistent grader, and he also graded all my assignments super late so I was never able to use any of the feedback to improve. There are 4 labs (including participation and attendance points which count as much as one lab) and I averaged like a B/B+ in them because I never received any feedback until after finals week. Nonetheless, extensions were handed out like candy which was pretty awesome. Also, professor Lipman has a policy where if attendance in class is high throughout the quarter she holds a group midterm and final which is such a grade boost! Also make sure to do the Extra Credit! It's basically a two-page book report that can give you up to 4% more on your overall grade if you get full marks. I did it in an hour and didn't even read the book and I got full marks on it so I highly recommend doing it. It's most likely going to bump you up to the next letter grade.

Mixed feelings about this class, but overall I do recommend it. In terms of actually educating you on the state of our planet and climate change, this class is a must-take. Absolutely life-changing class, the course material is very very interesting and important, and VERY eye-opening. Prof. Lipman does a good job teaching, the textbook is optional but helpful, and the labs, while better in person, are still good. The major downside to this class is the tests, which are very harshly graded. A nice thing though, is Prof. Lipman usually allows a group option for either the midterm or final, which can help, if your group is good. But besides the harsh grading, this class is very important and good to take in terms of actually educating yourself. Oh and please do the extra credit opportunity, it comes in clutch.

Good things about this class:
- It definitely is an easy GE!
- You learn a lot of really important and relevant information in this class. I personally recommend taking it just to become more knowledgeable about climate change. It was really eye-opening.
- The professor is really nice.
- There's no homework.
- Tests are fairly straight forward.

Bad things:
- This class has a lottt of lab projects, and they are all group work. If you really dislike group work, I wouldn't recommend taking this class.
- The TA's grade surprisingly harsher than one would expect, so make sure you check your work with them beforehand.

Tips:
- I really 100% recommend that you go to lecture. She makes her midterms and final a group exam, but ONLY IF everyone consistently comes to lectures. Half of our class stopped coming eventually, so only half of our exam was group work. Turned out, everyone scored much, much higher on the group part, so the big takeaway from this is that if you want the best grade possible, seriously, go to lecture.
- She posts study guides for her midterm and final, you just have to look for it on CCLE
- Watch all the videos/movies she assigns; I didn't watch any of the media for the first midterm, and I almost bombed it.
- Take advantage of the extra credit!! It bumps your grade up to 2%, and it really helped me out a lot in the end.

Overall:
I definitely recommend this course. It is an easy GE.

Professor Lipman was super accommodating during covid. The class consisted of group lab reports, a midterm, and a final. She was very clear in her lectures (and even uploaded them for asynchronous viewing). There is a lot of group work (hence, the group lab reports) which was difficult during covid because you had to do it mostly outside of class hours so it was hard to coordinate. I wouldn't recommend this class if you don't like group work. However, she offered an extra credit opportunity which was to read a book and write a short review. Overall, the content of the class was really interesting (it made me turn permanently vegetarian). I think everyone should take this class!

If you got lipman you’re in for some not so fun times. My complaints are her tricky exams, for example she likes to talk about multiple things as posible answers but in the exam there’s only one answer kinda thing.-. Also make sure to pay attention to specific details of articles assigned, and specifically what she says about them. Apparently the authors words matter less than what she says bc there was an exam question with both options and only hers was right. Wouldn’t take again

Overall the class was very easy and eye opening. She has a lot of cool personal stories that relate to the concepts and it kinda just makes the class more enjoyable, feels kinda like a conversation. A bog majority of homework and lecture are just watching youtube video(I am not complaining). The labs and lab reports are easy for the most part but they are time consuming; luckily I had a good group and everyone worked. Tests are kinda weird but if you pay attention in class and understanding the basic concepts, you'll get an A or B on them. Overall, this class really showed me how much an average human affects the earth in a very easy way. I would take one of her classes again. P.S. I was 3 points away from an A but I didnt do the extra credit(5 points) so i kinda screwed myself over.

I loved the class and professor Lipman so much. It's a perfect science GE for those who are not pursuing a major in STEM, but who are interested in current events going on within the realm of the environment or science. I thought the material discussed in the course was relevant, engaging, and very important. Prof Lipman is very well versed within this field and she's laid-back and funny.This class honestly changed the way I think and act. Due to COVID, the midterm and final were 24 hour open-book and were pretty easy as long as you watched lectures and maybe lightly skimmed the course readings and films. There is quite a bit of extra material, I found it interesting so I didn't mind watching it. I don't think its completely necessary if you'd rather skip it. There are a few group projects in the lab which were kind of difficult online. Overall, TAKE THIS CLASS! It's seriously awesome.

Professor Lipman was very passionate about the subject and she kept the class engaged. Due to the reviews on Bruinwalk, she did make the class a little harder than expected. For the group projects on labs and the lifestyle change, make sure you hold everyone accountable because lab grades were low at the beginning of the quarter. Overall, a great class and I would take it again.

Professor Lipman is an AMAZING professor. She is truly passionate about the topic she teaches, which is why she makes class so interesting. This class is not difficult to excel in, as long you attend lectures and do well on your labs, you'll be fine. There is a ton of group work on labs and also on exams (if students attend lectures). This is a great GE I STRONGLY recommend to take.