Earth Institute · Columbia University
Loved it, what a break from regular studies. The self-governance bit was kinda tedious, but I liked everything else!
If you're not a sustainable development major or minor (who are required to take this course) I really don't recommend it. It's not terrible, but it is pretty boring, only touches on surface level of all topics covered, and barely touches on issues of equity. For those majoring or minoring, this class shouldn't stop you from doing so: it's boring, but not terrible, and it is extremely easy. That being said, if you're not a major or minor, find yourself a more interesting easy class.
A really unique class situated at the bridge between two academic discourses. The professors are both experts in their respective fields and also a research team (who is doing really awesome, innovative work) outside of class — they know this space because they're pioneering it so there's tons to learn! 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Fall 2024 Course: HISTUN3712_001_2024_3-AfricanClimateandHistory : HISTUN3712_001_2024_3 - African Climate and History Instructor: Jason Smerdon
We had one paper -- they were understanding with April 2024.
This class is what it is: a basic introduction to the Sustainable Development Major/Concentration. Thus, it ultimately lacks substance and can be a waste of time; this was especially the case for my class, which was full of juniors and seniors who had obviously finished their other requirements for the major and had to get this requirement out of the way. At the same time, however, the class did what it was supposed to do: introduce the discipline and major of Sustainable Development and have the students think critically about the concepts that they entail. While the material is often dry, the class did a great job in achieving its purpose. Jason was a wonderful and comical lecturer, and you can tell that he is passionate about the subject even though he acknowledges that the course is a necessary evil. Rebecca, the TA, also made the class interesting with her personal anecdotes about her experience with the major. I also liked the guest lecturers such as Jeffrey Sachs and the professors from the department. Don't listen to the uncouth review below mine; the claims made about Jason and Rebecca are simply untrue. While the class could be redundant at times, it was an overall stress-free and relaxing experience. Jason even brought homemade food for us on the last day! Just go to class and do the work and you're guaranteed an A.
I learnt a lot about how varied African climate is and the extent to which it interacted with historical events
Intro to Sustainable Development was worthless. In hindsight, I should have watched a documentary on YouTube concerning global warming. The weekly lectures were spent gossiping about current event, not sustainable development. Do yourself a favor and skip this class. It was just one credit, but the course's demand mirrored a traditional, three credit course. And if you're not a SusDev major, Jason and the TA assumed you were beneath them. So, do not take this class unless you're required to do so. Worthless!
Learned (1) specific history case studies from different regions in Africa (2) climate science terms and processes (3) an interdisciplinary analysis that incorporates both perspectives to understand how the climate, society, and politics interacted to produce historical outcomes (and how they continue to interact — or not interact — in academic discourse).
Attendance, which is determined by iClicker surveys administered during class; just go to class. You don't have pay attention (even though you should, just because Jason is really friendly and cares for his students; class is only about an hour long!) or take notes. There are also weekly blog posts that must be done in conjunction with replying to the posts of 2-3 students. This wasn't difficult, though the annoyance factor came from forgetting to respond to the posts of other students since the class is obviously low-priority. There is also a final group video that has to be 2 minutes long. It was hard to coordinate between students since we were all busy and only had about a week or so to do it, but this class isn't based on effort anyways.
We had mandatory weekly participation projects, and four group projects. Coordinating the projects were awful; the class hosted forty of us, each with different schedules. In short, this course asked too much!