Professor
Janet O'Shea
1 of 4
AD
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2024 - This quarter of the food cluster was a real drag. That's not to say it's difficult, because it isn't. It's actually mind-numbingly easy. Like, imagine a class where you learn all the content in the first five weeks then spend 15 more weeks reiterating the same points in a progressively more boring fashion. To be fair, Dr. O'Shea only taught the first five weeks of this quarter; Professor Jay was in charge for the latter half, touching on some novel concepts (if you never took AP Environmental Science, which I did) but only for a few minutes at a time before she moved to the next thing. While Professor Jay's lectures were very fast-paced and covered way more material than you could be expected to remember, Dr. O'Shea's were as close to brain rot as college lectures can get. She would use a maximum of 10 slides (usually more like five) and reiterate the same points every lecture with a slightly different overarching theme related to problems in the food system (we had already learned about these in the first quarter!). Oh, and every other lecture had us split into groups and do a discussion or activity, so it's advised that you attend lectures. Honestly, though, you could probably still do the activities before they're due by not going to class. The grading is almost identical to the first quarter, save for a slightly modified final project that has a portion in which you address someone involved in food policy about your food policy solution. Additionally, half of the online, open-note, multiple-choice quizzes are replaced with a couple of paragraphs that discuss what you learned from readings and lectures (these are for Dr. O'Shea's weeks). Don't stress about the grades. Just do the work with some semblance of quality and you're essentially guaranteed an A. Okay, I would end here, but I have to mention the "labs" from this quarter. They still make up 16% of the grade. One lab literally was just going to the library and taking pictures of books. I'm serious. If you liked the first quarter of this cluster, you may like this one. But if you were getting bored in any way, be warned: you don't even have to think in this second quarter. Take it if you need science GEs that are an easy A, but if you genuinely want to explore interesting scientific topics, you could do better than this book-picture-taking class.
Winter 2024 - This quarter of the food cluster was a real drag. That's not to say it's difficult, because it isn't. It's actually mind-numbingly easy. Like, imagine a class where you learn all the content in the first five weeks then spend 15 more weeks reiterating the same points in a progressively more boring fashion. To be fair, Dr. O'Shea only taught the first five weeks of this quarter; Professor Jay was in charge for the latter half, touching on some novel concepts (if you never took AP Environmental Science, which I did) but only for a few minutes at a time before she moved to the next thing. While Professor Jay's lectures were very fast-paced and covered way more material than you could be expected to remember, Dr. O'Shea's were as close to brain rot as college lectures can get. She would use a maximum of 10 slides (usually more like five) and reiterate the same points every lecture with a slightly different overarching theme related to problems in the food system (we had already learned about these in the first quarter!). Oh, and every other lecture had us split into groups and do a discussion or activity, so it's advised that you attend lectures. Honestly, though, you could probably still do the activities before they're due by not going to class. The grading is almost identical to the first quarter, save for a slightly modified final project that has a portion in which you address someone involved in food policy about your food policy solution. Additionally, half of the online, open-note, multiple-choice quizzes are replaced with a couple of paragraphs that discuss what you learned from readings and lectures (these are for Dr. O'Shea's weeks). Don't stress about the grades. Just do the work with some semblance of quality and you're essentially guaranteed an A. Okay, I would end here, but I have to mention the "labs" from this quarter. They still make up 16% of the grade. One lab literally was just going to the library and taking pictures of books. I'm serious. If you liked the first quarter of this cluster, you may like this one. But if you were getting bored in any way, be warned: you don't even have to think in this second quarter. Take it if you need science GEs that are an easy A, but if you genuinely want to explore interesting scientific topics, you could do better than this book-picture-taking class.
AD
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2022 - I can't recommend this class enough! Coming from a non-dance background, I took this as a "fun" class (that didn't count for any credits), and I am glad I did. I came out feeling more confident in my ability to defend myself, set boundaries, and navigate unfamiliar situations. The professor is super engaging, funny, and makes Empowerment Self Defense digestible and accessible for everyone. There are also lots of cool guest lecturers, and for the "midterm" and "final" you're able to simulate a padded fight (both verbal and physical) with a trained instructor. It's graded on participation, so as long as you show up and stay engaged, this class shouldn't be stressful at all. I always looked forward to attending this class each week, and would encourage anyone to take it even if you aren't a Dance major!
Spring 2022 - I can't recommend this class enough! Coming from a non-dance background, I took this as a "fun" class (that didn't count for any credits), and I am glad I did. I came out feeling more confident in my ability to defend myself, set boundaries, and navigate unfamiliar situations. The professor is super engaging, funny, and makes Empowerment Self Defense digestible and accessible for everyone. There are also lots of cool guest lecturers, and for the "midterm" and "final" you're able to simulate a padded fight (both verbal and physical) with a trained instructor. It's graded on participation, so as long as you show up and stay engaged, this class shouldn't be stressful at all. I always looked forward to attending this class each week, and would encourage anyone to take it even if you aren't a Dance major!
1 of 4
