ENTOM/ENVIRST 205 introduces global health principles, disease disparities, and the impact of human-mediated global change on human health and ecosystem services.
“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Raw average: 3.50/5 from 2 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.
RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.
Jonathan Patz is described as friendly, engaging, and entertaining, with a focus on Global Health and current news articles. Reviewers note he keeps students engaged but may ramble and does not cover material in deep detail.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2022: 3.79 GPA, 88.4% A/AB (n=398 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.95 GPA, 97.2% A/AB (n=388 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.88 GPA, 94.5% A/AB (n=418 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2024: 3.95 GPA, 97.2% A/AB (n=388 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.88 GPA, 94.5% A/AB (n=418 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.87 GPA, 94.3% A/AB (n=209 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
Historical reviews of Susan Paskewitz: Susan Paskewitz is described as an engaging and passionate lecturer who makes the course easy, though some find the content boring or biased. Reviewers note clear expectations and helpful guest speakers, but criticize strict deadlines and occasional delegation of lectures.
JONATHAN PATZ is recorded teaching in Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
LINDA OFORKA is recorded teaching in Fall 2024, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
SUSAN PASKEWITZ is recorded teaching in Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
VALERIE STULL is recorded teaching in Fall 2021. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future
schedule.
Calendar & sections
Fall 2026
Schedule loads here as you scroll.
Section
Mode
Enrolled / capacity
Waitlist
LEC 001
Online (some classroom)
385 / 475
19
LEC 001
Online (some classroom)
76 / 475
10
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.
Jonathan Patz delivers engaging, entertaining lectures that keep students interested, though one reviewer notes he can ramble.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2024: 3.95 GPA, 97.2% A/AB (n=388 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.88 GPA, 94.5% A/AB (n=418 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.87 GPA, 94.3% A/AB (n=209 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
The course is considered very easy with minimal difficulty, relying almost solely on Canvas discussions rather than in-depth material coverage.
Students find Patz friendly and caring about the subject, appreciating his engaging style despite occasional rambling or lack of depth.
Topics
Global disease burden and disparities
Ecosystem stability and planetary boundaries
Infectious disease, sanitation, and mental health
Human-mediated global change impacts
Sustainability science and planetary health
The Anthropocene and resilience
Skills
Critical assessment of global health and environmental trends
Foundational global health scholarship
Grades
Latest available · Spring 2026— not enough history to project Fall 2026.
average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
A87.1%87.1%
AB7.2%7.2%
B3.3%3.3%
BC1.0%1.0%
C0.5%0.5%
D0.5%0.5%
F0.5%0.5%
Grades over time
Through Spring 2026
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Where this course fits relative to
Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · all course levels
3.873.87GPA
Higher than 7575% of other courses
in this group.
Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range
209209letter grades
More recorded grades than 8888% of other courses in this group.
Typical course in this group: 66.066.0 letter grades.
About this comparison
1283 courses over the same term, each with at least 30
recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure
of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded
grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.
Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.
Sources & history
UW–Madison
Catalog & offerings
Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.
Catalog observation history
Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.