Lisa Dale

There are weekly reflections based on the week's readings graded by the TA's, and these are actually harshly graded. It's near impossible to get a 100 (I got 1 the whole semester). Even if you apply the feedback you received from previous weeks to your next reflection, they always manage to find some error in your responses. And to be clear, this is not because you lack a fundamental understanding of the topic, you can lose points simply by phrasing something differently than they wanted (seriously, take my word for it, it's pretty ridiculous how they take points off). There is a midterm and a final (cumulative), and nothing in this class is curved, making it very difficult to achieve a good grade. With the midterm and final, same as the reflections, points are taken off for absurd things such as phrasing or not providing the exact example they wanted. The TA's split the free response grading for the midterm and final, and Professor Dale grades the case study question, which is where people typically lose the most points from what I've heard. I think many people expect to take this class and have it be a chill fun elective, but you actually have to put a considerable amount of effort in to do well. Just to provide context so people don't think I'm an upset student who did poorly, I got an A in this class, but I definitely had to work hard for it and the class wasn't what I exp…

I learned much about the world of environmental policy and how it is applied in several forms in our country.

Professor Dale is an engaging lecturer who clearly defines expectations for each class and the overall semester. She provides detailed and timely feedback on assignments and is always happy to chat during office hours about classwork as well as her own research! 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Fall 2022 Course: SDEVGU4101_001_2022_3-QUALRESEARCHMETHODSSDEV : SDEVGU4101_001_2022_3 - QUAL RESEARCH METHODS SDEV Instructor: Lisa Dale

This class was a disappointment, and I don't think I would recommend it to anyone unless they are very passionate about the philosophy of sustainable development. Don't get me wrong, Professor Dale is an amazing lecturer, probably one of the best I've had, but that's where the good ends in this class. There is so much material covered, you are assigned two textbook chapters (in addition to other readings) every week, which you can't really fall behind in because there are graded weekly reflections that have to do with the reading. The amount of content we are expected to know is a little bizarre, and by the end of the class, I felt that I hadn't actually learned that much because we just briefly touched every concept. I guess this is an intro class and that's sort of the point, but I expected to feel like I could have a solid conversation about at least some areas of sustainable development after taking the class, and I don't feel like I could do this at all. Also, her lecture slides aren't that great if you didn't attend the actual lecture. Oftentimes there are just words or short phrases on a slide that she explains as she talks, so if you miss a lecture, it's a little confusing to go through the slides and try to take make up notes.

Skills to study material and to write essays weekly, on time.

This course is helpful for people interested in non-STEM research, especially if you have not done qualitative research before. It is a lot of work, with two ongoing timelines (learning methods and actually putting them in practice as your project), 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Fall 2021 Course: SDEVGU4101_001_2021_3-QUALRESEARCHMETHODSSDEV : SDEVGU4101_001_2021_3 - QUAL RESEARCH METHODS SDEV Instructor: Lisa Dale

11 homeworks with lowest 2 dropped worth 40%, participation via PollEverywhere 5%, Midterm 20%, Final 35%. You can study for hours for the midterm and final, but even if you know all of the material completely, the only way to do well is to telepathically figure out what the TAs are looking for when they grade your responses because prompts are incredibly vague. Homeworks are similarly vague but graded much nicer.

Lots about policies and governance, and their processes, relating to environmental issues in the United States, with some expansion internationally.

I enjoyed parts of this class because I'm an SDEV major, but the class as a whole focused far too much on changes that need to happen in the Global South despite SDEV being a framework for both the Global North and Global South.

A good overview of the US environmental system. History and present.