Looking back, the class was not too bad, however during the quarter it felt difficult. The teacher would not really give clarity as to how he wanted the assignments to be submitted. Although he gave a sample format to answer the weekly question, I used that format and got relatively low scores on my reading assignments, while I used a completely different format and got high scores. Furthermore, for the exams, although he is upfront with the terms, there is also an essay portion that is somewhat vague. Once I finished both the midterm and final, I had no clear idea of whether I got a good score or not until my grades were returned. Furthermore, from what I learned, the TAs were looking for specific terms that had to do with the topic at hand, however if you wrote something a little different it could get marked down. The teacher himself is a very nice guy.

Great class! I think all STEM majors should take this course. Workload is light so it’s easy to pair with your major classes. Interesting subjects and 1 short writing assignment per week.

with my other major classes, this class was a breather for me. we would have discussions on our weekly readings and at the end of the course, we need to write a final research paper about a topic we pick. i am aware i didn't put much effort into the class because my other classes demanded more of my attention, so i could've gotten a better grade than what i got.

Professor Alexander is a great professor as he gives engaging lectures on the topic at hand. i just wish he would help us understand a bit more of the context rather than assume we understand it upfront even when we did the reading.

I quite enjoyed taking this class. The content is quite interesting and extremely manageable. Professor Alexander did a great job providing his students with all they needed to know during the lectures, with discussions often going into further detail to help iron out any misunderstandings. Between the final and midterm, I only had to dedicate about two hours to studying. Overall, this is a great GE on an interesting topic that is in my opinion, quite easy. The biggest apparent "con" is that attendance is graded, which in all fairness can either be a pro/con depending on how you look at it.

While this class isn't super engaging, it is not too difficult. The finals and midterms are graded pretty generously, and if you do the weekly reading assignments and paragraph reflections, show up to lecture and discussion, and have a good understanding on the material you should do well. Definitely a good choice for a GE.

Professor Alexander talks in a mellow tone so class was often boring for the majority of students. He has an attendance sheet that he passes around in class for students to sign, but I'm not entirely sure how much that ties into the final grade. The TAs and discussion section were definitely better in explaining the terms though. Standard grading was 93% (aka. 93% was full marks, so to get beyond that you would have to go beyond what is required).