EEPS 2020
Introduction to Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science
Introduction to the Earth, its environment, and its place in the solar system. This course is intended to be a starting point for majors in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, or as a standalone course for students from all interests and backgrounds. Themes for this course include Earth's history; the structure and composition of Earth and other planets; the evolution of Earth's surface; natural hazards; climate history; global biogeochemical cycles; and the solar system. Students who are interested in gaining more depth in lab or field techniques, or students who are planning to major in EEPS, should consider co-registering in EEPS 2021.
Instructors
Reviews
2 or less hrs/week
It's just a lot of memorization a step above your middle school earth science class. Not hard, just a lot of information that can be hard to keep straight. Otherwise great class and learn cool stuff. Plus Jen and Phil are darn near a power couple. And Jen will make you some nice sweet treats.
5/30/2024
4-6 hrs/week
Great introduction to the EEPS department. Strong geology and earth processes focus, but the coursework was engaging.
5/19/2024
Loved Dr. Smith! She was very knowledgable, funny, and always excited for lectures. Helpful and highly accessible outside of class. Baked cute, EEPS-themed treats for the entire class. The class/exams are challenging and content-heavy (not an easy A!) but the professors are truly excellent. Great intro to EEPS.
1/8/2024
Absolutely loved Dr. Skemer's lectures! Always very clear, organized, and engaging. Not a light courseload - lectures are dense, and midterms are content-heavy + a cummulative final - but the professors do everything they can to support students. Interesting and fun. Great intro to EEPS, but you do have to work pretty hard for an A.
1/8/2024
I went to office hours for Prof Smith's class almost every week just to do the homework assignment, and was always met with help. I took this class just as an NSM, as I don't have much interest in science at all. It was a good experience, although it is unnecessarily difficult for an intro level class.
11/28/2023
It's really sad, because the class is on an interesting subject, but it is just so unnecessarily hard. It's like the TAs try to find something wrong with every one of your answers on the tests. This is my major, yet the class makes me hate it. Worst grade I've ever gotten in college. This is why people hate STEM. Cool stuff, but horribly taught.
5/14/2023
Jen herself is great, but the class is horrible. You will have to fight for your life to get a good grade in this class. Maybe it's just the TAs grading super harshly, but damn, they turned a class for my major into something a dreaded. Jen is cute though. Milf hours. But damn what a super hard class. Avoid it if you calue GPA, or your time.
5/14/2023
Took this class as many other engineers have, to fulfil the upper level science requirement. For a topic that I have zero interest in, Phil and Jen are pretty entertaining, but that's about where it ends. They said that this course isn't a memorization course... It definitely is. Make sure you take good notes because the slides are very brief.
2/27/2023
Took this class as many other engineers have, to fulfil the upper level science requirement. For a topic that I have zero interest in, Phil and Jen are pretty entertaining, but that's about where it ends. They said that this course isn't a memorization course... It definitely is. Make sure you take good notes because the slides are very brief.
2/27/2023
Funny and kind person. Frequently baked science-themed treats for the 100+ person class. The lectures were boring because of the subject matter. It's difficult to do well on the exams, merely due to how much material is covered -- even if you study. Office hours aren't helpful, she speaks in parables rather than answering simple questions.
1/5/2023
Jen is an amazing person and teacher. She tries her best to make jokes and keep the lectures entertaining. However, the class is extremely boring and you have to do alot of work for it, its 14 billion years of rock history. If you aren't interested in rocks DON'T take this class, it is not intro level. As a freshman it was not the move.
12/19/2022
Jen is so kind! She really loves her job and is genuinely excited to teach. She's a great person to get to know, she is always learning more about her field and loves engaging with students. Love love love Dr. Smith!
10/7/2022
Prof Jen Smith is truly an amazing professor. She is on the docket to teach the updated version of Earth and the Environment renamed to EPSC202 Intro to Earth and Planetary again for the next few years. She is extremely knowledgeable and speaks about her personal experiences, brings in food, teaches creatively, and really cares for her students!
6/26/2022