I am not a Global Sustainability major myself but I took this class as a way of deciding whether or not I would want to apply to the major, and honestly its making me seriously consider not doing it. I will say that the material of all the lectures was really interesting and i actually learned a lot on topics that i probably wouldn't have encountered otherwise (such as economics of environment, corporate resiliency, etc.). However, the class structure was so messy, irritating, and unfair that it wasn't worth it. First off, we were required for participation points toward our final grade to attend 'workshops' every Friday during class period where we would learn about the sustainable efforts around UVA to inspire our final project pitch due at the end of the semester (which is a pitch for a short-term sustainable action on grounds). The majority of the time, these workshops were halfway across grounds at random locations that are hard to get to (like Skipwith Hall or the Heating plant), and you learn no helpful material that couldn't be taught in a lecture setting. Not to mention the fact if you have classes before and after the class block it is nearly impossible to get to the workshops on time and also class on time without missing information on either end. Additionally, we were supposed to have 6 reading responses spread out through the course of the semester, but Crisman was so disorganized that she only gave us 2 in the middle of the semester, and then crammed 3 more in just before our final, so we only had 5 in total. These reading responses weren't awful, but if you couldn't remember specific details from the lectures or readings, even if you understood the concepts and could demonstrate that in your writing, odds are that you wouldn't get full marks. The final had a similar type structure as reading responses in that it was supposedly testing us on the 'big ideas' we learned throughout the semester; it consisted of short set of definitions, a short set of concepts and their importance, and then longer essay responses. However, I felt the definitions chosen were quite unfair and very specific, and were only things you'd remember if you happen to write down a definition that was focused on for 30 seconds out a 50 min lecture--not the 'big ideas' she said would be on the exam. All in all, it was not the worst class i've ever taken but i found myself very frustrated over the lack of organization and communication throughout the semester, and saddened that i couldn't enjoy the content of the class more.

Do the readings and pull good examples from them! The structure of the class is awesome, but grading (in my opinion) is pretty dependent on the TA. Would recommend if you want a good change in pace class wise...

In short: love the content of the course, hate the way it's graded.

In length: This class is full of interesting and useful information, presented in lecture format by guest experts from various fields. That part of the class is very interesting. The other part of the class is a group project, for which you are assigned a topic and required to develop a sort of proposal. Not the most fun thing in the world, but it's cool to see how the concepts you maybe touched on in a lecture or two can be applied to things going on around grounds.

Your grade in the class is 50% groupwork, 20% cumulative final exam (essay and short answer), 15% between 3 reading quizzes (short answer), and 15% attending sustainability events and doing a self reflection. Your TA is the one grading your work, which can be frustrating. My TA would take off points on reading quizzes without explaining why. Don't let that deter you from taking this class though, I still recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxed class.

This was an overall okay class. I really liked it at first, but the longer it went on, the more biased it seemed to me. I really liked all the guess speakers and the group project is a breeze, but I thought some of the ideas were a little too far fetched to actually become reality. Also the final is extremely difficult and if you have not been taking notes on the readings through the semester, you are in trouble. Professor Crimson is very enthusiastic about sustainability and I would recommend this class if you're very into environmental action.

Guest lectures are great, and fun. One of the most fun classes i have taken. Group project counts for most of the grade.

Interesting class organized as a series of guest lectures from professors and community members with diverse backgrounds relating to different aspects of sustainability. Topics included architecture, food, water, energy, business, etc. We ha reading and short assignments for lectures once a week, then the other day we split into smaller discussion groups and worked on sustainability-related group projects in the community.