Fall 2026

Physical Systems of the Environment

ENVIRST/GEOG 127 introduces physical environmental systems and their interconnections through case studies and field work.

offering recorded4 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Joseph Mason3.8/5

Summary

1 / 7

Exams are considered difficult and heavily weighted, requiring students to study lecture notes and readings rather than relying solely on posted slides or lab work.

Grade history

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average GPA
letter grades
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All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

Not open to students with credit forENVIR ST/​GEOG 120

ENVIRST/GEOG 127 used by

“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree

Professors

Fall 2026
/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.81/5 from 43 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.

For this course: 3.3/5 raw quality · 3.0/5 difficulty · 11 reviews

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Joseph Mason is criticized for reading PowerPoint slides and providing dry lectures that some find boring or outdated. Reviewers note he is knowledgeable but struggles to engage students, with exams often covering material not emphasized in class.

Other students praise Mason as passionate, approachable, and excellent at teaching basics. They find his use of personal photos engaging and believe attending lectures is helpful for understanding material and succeeding on tests.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2022: 3.13 GPA, 52.2% A/AB (n=23 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.67 GPA, 83.3% A/AB (n=12 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.48 GPA, 79.2% A/AB (n=24 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

JOSEPH ADLAND MASON is recorded teaching in Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2022, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. 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

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SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction17 / 400
LAB 302Classroom Instruction8 / 200
LAB 301Classroom Instruction9 / 200
LEC 001Classroom Instruction13 / 400
LAB 301Classroom Instruction8 / 200
LAB 302Classroom Instruction5 / 200

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
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Student experience

the class

Joseph Mason is a passionate instructor whose teaching style divides students; some find his reliance on PowerPoint and dry lectures boring, while others appreciate his approachability and clear explanations of basic concepts.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.23 GPA, 38.5% A/AB (n=13 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.67 GPA, 83.3% A/AB (n=12 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.48 GPA, 79.2% A/AB (n=24 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Exams are considered difficult and heavily weighted, requiring students to study lecture notes and readings rather than relying solely on posted slides or lab work.

Students value the engaging visual content in lectures and the mandatory lab component, though some find the lecture material dry and note that test content does not always align with the most emphasized topics.

Topics

  • Solid earth systems including minerals, rocks, and soils
  • The hydrosphere and water systems
  • The biosphere
  • The atmosphere
  • Specific environmental issues

Skills

  • Conducting field observations and collecting environmental samples
  • Completing laboratory projects analyzing environmental data
  • Connecting basic earth system concepts to specific environmental issues

Grades

Latest available · Fall 2025— not enough history to project Fall 2026.

average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor

Grade distribution · % of letter grades

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AB
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BC
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Grades over time

Through Fall 2025

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Not enough comparable courses for Fall 2026 in UW–Madison.

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.

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Selected offering source records
ENVIRST/GEOG 127 · Fall 2026

Physical Systems of the Environment

Recorded 2026-09-07
ENVIRST/GEOG 127 · Fall 2026

Physical Systems of the Environment

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
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    "offering_id": "1272:360:008198",
    "course_id": "ENVIRST/GEOG 127",
    "course_uid": "course_88e4355dc8fae17eb4b49f2b",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "008198",
    "source_subject_id": "360",
    "title": "Physical Systems of the Environment",
    "credits_min": 4,
    "credits_max": 4,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring"
  },
  {
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:416:008198",
    "course_id": "ENVIRST/GEOG 127",
    "course_uid": "course_88e4355dc8fae17eb4b49f2b",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "008198",
    "source_subject_id": "416",
    "title": "Physical Systems of the Environment",
    "credits_min": 4,
    "credits_max": 4,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring"
  }
]
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Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

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Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

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Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-09-07

Download the original dataset
Model outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

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Model & dataset provenance
{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "34b079f88fd75b69dca074a096898a1c750f9acc97cf1544868aceb9187fb444",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}