Reviews for URSP250

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Kevin Nelson URSP250 Expecting a B Anonymous 01/02/2024	Class is easy but he is HORRIBLE at communicating and very boring. The syllabus grade weights do not align with final grades. Should be an easy A if you do everything.
Kevin Nelson URSP250 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/30/2023	The grade weights provided on canvas do not match with the grades that they posted. All semester I was going off of what was provided on the syllabus as the grade book on canvas had no weights. But I ended up with a B in the class when I should've ended with an A-. When I emailed Kevin he said he can't do anything because "Everyone had access to the grades in real time as work was graded. "
Kevin Nelson URSP250 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/19/2023	This was Professor Nelson's first semester teaching this course and overall it was fine. There are 12-13 assigned weekly readings and you are only required to turn in 10. You could get away with not attending the lectures because he mainly goes over the readings. However, I wouldn't suggest this because he tends to give extra information and resources that may appear on the midterm/final exam. TAs grade all of the assignments except for the final paper. My only qualm with Nelson is the fact that he doesn't respond to emails promptly (I emailed him in the middle of October about an assignment and he did not respond until the end of November). His directions tend to be unclear and he often doesn't provide a rubric to help guide you. Overall, I think Professor Nelson did a great job in teaching his class and you can see his passion in the subject.
Kevin Nelson URSP250 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/02/2023	Professor Nelson is a relaxed professor and super knowledgeable on issues of sustainable development. During his first semester at UMD this year (Fall 2023), he was very chill regarding his expectations for students and how the course was taught. I think he and his TAs knew not to take the class as seriously, which was a plus for the people taking it as a gen ed requirement. The exams and quizzes were super simple. Most assignments are graded by the TA, except for the final group paper. So it depends on your TA based on how harshly they'll grade your assignments for your end grade (My TA didn't GAF, lol). It's a book-heavy course with 10 reading summaries, so it's a little busy work but not too bad. You don't need to show up to lecture to get an A (IMO).
Kevin Nelson URSP250 Expecting an A+ isabellef3 11/29/2023	Each week there is are readings assigned with a summary/reflection due the day of class, Tuesday. These aren't harshly graded but the readings can be lengthy. Required to do ten of the reflections so you can skip about 3. There are a few individual projects but plenty of time given and they are graded by TAs. Also, a final group paper and presentation which is also done in discussion groups so not harshly graded. This course was not very interesting because it is taught out of a textbook but it was a relatively easy gened.
Marccus Hendricks URSP250 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/16/2021	I would totally recommend Dr. Hendricks. This class is the opposite of busywork and the weekly homework is an incredibly useful study tool to get a good grade. Guidelines for everything are clearly outlined and TA's were helpful. Definitely my favorite class I've taken for my sustainability minor yet. Dr. Hendricks is also very knowledgeable and eager to see his students succeed.
Marccus Hendricks URSP250 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/06/2021	Professor Hendricks is super knowledgeable and a really great professor. There are a lot of readings, but if you spread them out, they are easy to manage. The required reading summaries also help to understand the topics better. The lectures are really heavy, and mostly repeat what the readings say. However the professor often brings his own take and more modern examples to the lectures that make them more interesting. I think most importantly, professor Hendricks was able to acknowledge the social issues that align with urban planning which gave the class a more interesting take on how to look at climate change and urban planning. He took us on a field trip, brought in guest speakers, and let us watch documentaries, so there are a variety of learning opportunities for students. There is an even amount of group and individual work which also keeps the class interesting. There was a required textbook, and attendance was not required. Overall the TA's were really easy graders and super accessible. Definitely would recommend Prof. Hendricks as he has many connections on the architecture, urban planning, sustainability, and politics side of the topic.
Marccus Hendricks URSP250 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/11/2019	Professor Hendricks often receives critical reviews that I find to be much too harsh based on my class experience. He is extremely knowledgeable on Urban Planning and environmental justice, but yeah the class has a lot of reading so be prepared for that.
Marccus Hendricks URSP250 Expecting an A- Anonymous 01/02/2018	This was the professor's first semester teaching, and it showed. Over the course of fifteen weeks, there were about two classes dedicated to actual lecture material. His concept of group learning (where students learn from each other) is interesting and, at times, implemented effectively. He is a soft-spoken individual who was clearly knowledgeable and interesting, but rarely went into detail on the interesting subject matter.