Amazing course, probably my favorite at UVA. I will say the reading was tedious and the due dates of the assignments are quite inconvenient, but that is my only, very minor, complaint about the class. Jenkins is an incredible lecturer and transitioned phenomenally to the online format. You do have to attend every class, but this was no issue as I never wanted to miss a lecture, and this issue was pretty much eliminated once we began online stuff because you had 24 hours to watch and complete the tophat assignments. It was so eye-opening and really honed my methods for discussing environmental issues, as he presents almost every perspective you can imagine, allowing you to gain a comprehensive understanding/view of the subject

This class was truly eye-opening and fantastic for anyone interested in the environment/philosophy/religion. Definitely my favorite class I have taken. Jenkins is a great lecturer and really loves what he is teaching. There is quite a bit of writing: two 150 word reading responses and one 250-300 word discussion post each week. But all are for completion so if you do it before the deadline you get full credit. The reading assignments can seem like a lot, but you do not need to read all of it, just pick what seems interesting. There are 3 papers 1400-1700 words that are very manageable and open-ended, and the TAs grade them pretty easily. Highly recommend this class!

This is an ASTOUNDING class that helps you understand how religion and ethics have huge impacts on the way people view their environments and vice versa. Takes an approach to environmental/sustainability topics that is less science-y and more "how do we think and feel about these issues in our own unique ways?" Covers a large range of topics including climate change, animal rights, connection to nature, and several of the major world religions, connecting all of these things to different ethical frameworks. It's a bit hard to wrap your head around at first but it all fits together by the end of the semester. This class challenged my previous ways of thinking about environmental issues, because they are so much more than just the scientific facts. Professor Jenkins is incredibly wise and kind, and also very humorous and #relatable, and has been studying these topics for like two decades. There is a lot of weekly writing for this class (blog posts and discussions), but you get used to it and it's not too much at one time. The three papers are somewhat open-ended and I did well on all of them, as long as you clearly explain where you're going with it you will succeed.

This was my favorite class this semester and probably my favorite class that I've taken at UVA. As some of the other reviews have said, it was a lot of reading that you don't necessarily have to do to complete the reading responses that are due each class, but I still did them because they were interesting and engaging. As a result, although the reading responses before each class and the weekly online discussion initially seemed a little daunting, I found myself having so much to say that I'd be done with each in about 15 minutes. Professor Jenkins discusses lots of different viewpoints in his lectures which have been incredibly thought-provoking and made me not only reconsider so many of my own beliefs, but also strive to understand those of others. There were also several moments where I realized how narrowly I had been looking at environmental issues- the connections made between the environment, religion, and ethics are very eye-opening. Besides the reading responses and discussions, there are participation points (tracked through TopHat) and three short essays. I took this class as a requirement for the Global Sustainability major and to fulfill my second writing requirement, but I would highly recommend it even if you don't need it to fulfill anything. Jenkins is an amazing professor!

Phenomenal class. The work is very doable. Everyone here says that the readings are a lot but you don't have to do all of them in order to complete the responses due before lecture. It also helps that all the readings are very relevant and interesting to read. The essays are all fairly easy too - there are three in total, and about 5-6 pages double-spaced. All the topics in this course are thought-provoking and have made me reconsider a lot of what I stand for. It is challenging in the best way possible. 10/10 Jenkins you deserve a medal

This class was a looot of work. With that being said, it was by far my favorite class I have taken at UVA. Although the readings often took me about 4 hours to do in preparation for each class, I found most of them extremely interesting and eye-opening, so I didn't even mind. The class introduced me to so many concepts and I had never thought of before and changed the way I perceive the world. Overall, I would highly recommend this class if you are interested in the material and willing to spend a lot of time reading and writing. Jenkins is also an amazing, engaging lecturer and definitely one of the best professors I have had. Additionally, 50% of the class is just turning in short reading responses and tophat answers by their given due dates.

AN AMAZING CLASS! Professor Jenkins is one of the best professors I've had at UVA; he is incredibly passionate about what he teaches and a very engaging lecturer. There is kind of a lot of reading but it's not necessary to do all of it. Even if you're not interested in religious studies I highly recommend it.

If you are looking for an easy A class to fulfill the second writing requirement I would recommend this class hands down. Your grade consists of 3 essays which are 1700-2000 words each and are graded fairly, class attendance tracked via tophat, and discussion posts. Combined the essays are 40% of your grade and the remaining 60% is all participation based meaning if you do it, you will get a 100% on everything. Although Jenkins assigns 50+ pages of reading a class, by this point in college you should realize you don't need to read all of it. I would typically pick the shortest article and skim it before writing my discussion posts which you will get 100% on as long as you submit them on time. Coming into the class, I certainly didn't expect to be interested in the subject but Jenkins is a compelling lecturer so I didn't mind having to go to class. Overall, this is an easy class that I would recommend to anyone wanting to complete their 2nd writing req.

Starting off with the positives, the course has interesting lectures from time to time and great guest lecturers. Professor Jenkins clearly knows what he is talking about, and it is definitely not a completely boring class.
Now for the negatives:
The discussion posts and reading responses are dreadful, especially since they are due at such awful times.
I cannot understand for the life of me why the reading responses are due at midnight before the class starts as it has no effect on the class. Many students are busy throughout the day and closing the responses on midnight is not a good deadline for them.
Furthermore, the deadline for the discussion posts is put awkwardly on Saturday at 11 A.M.
This would be fine if they did not post these discussions post prompts at awkward times and make them due shortly after.
They should make these due by the class meeting time not awkwardly at midnight and Saturday morning as they are not being graded for content but for completion.
Furthermore, the readings are pretty long but I tend to skim over them rather than read it all.
As long as you get the general gist, you should be good for the readings.
The essays are pretty fairly graded, and I do not have a lot of complaints for them.
Overall, do not take this course unless you are interested in the material and you have an alarm clock constantly reminding you when to turn things in.

With one month still left in the course, I have written nearly 12,000 words. I will hit 15,000 words (50+ pages double spaced) before the semester ends. The workload is entirely superfluous, even for someone interested in the material, as I am. I am very interested in environmental ethics, but this was a bear of a class for no reason. I would not recommend taking it unless you have to, as it is an incredible amount of work even for a second writing requirement. For each class, Jenkins assigns ~50 pages of reading, which students must write 150-300 words responding to. After this happens twice per week, there is a mandatory online discussion post of 400-500 words that must be done between Thursday night and Saturday Morning (the absolute worst timeframe for mandatory weekly work). Then 3 times per semester, a 1700-2000 word paper is due. Class attendance is mandatory, and students only get 1 unexcused absence. This is the entire course, so just know what you are getting into.