Honestly, Professor Mason really grew on me. His long lectures initially bored me--and class content wasnt quite what I expected--but he has SO MUCH passion for his research, and it really shows. I learned a lot and got an A with minimal effort/stress. Although I'm unsure if I would take a class with him again, I enjoyed this one!

Professor Mason is a super nice guy, very approachable. However, lectures were a somewhat dry and the stuff he talks the most about will not necessarily be what appears most on the tests so remember the little things. Lab attendance is mandatory, lecture is not, but I recommend going. Shows a lot of pictures that he took himself, which is cool

Super nice guy!! He's super passionate about what he's teaching, and he explains everything in a digestable way. I have no background or experience in geography and took this as a science credit. While this class was difficult for me because I didn't know much previously, I still did well & learned a lot!

My experience was so different from previous ratings. Joe was impossible. Office hours are a waste. Lectures were horrendously dry; slides weren't helpful. In-class exams were the designed to trip you up and often pulled from info he covered for maybe two minutes total. I took this class because I love the west but I would run the other way now.

Good professor, you can tell he likes lecturing on the topics. Fair grader and gives good feedback on things you did wrong on assignments. Field trip for class was a bit annoying, but fun if you have someone to hang out with. Half of labs you don't even have to go in, never stayed the 3 hours.

Very dull and monotone lectures. Exams of average difficulty, no final. Study lecture notes to do fine. Lecture is not mandatory, skipped most lectures, but lab is mandatory attendance.

Professor Mason is great, I learned so much in this course! The activities/assignments are simple to complete and, while there are a fair amount of papers/writing assignments to do, he's a very kind grader and doesn't expect you to be writing journal worthy papers. I found the class very low-stress and very interesting. Fun and easy A!

Joseph mason is a terrible instructor, don't listen to the other reviews, they're biased. He gives way too many technical papers that are irrelevant and large readings that require you to write long papers. He asks you to grade other students work because he doesn't feel like grading. Avoid this class if you can.

I enjoyed Professor Mason's Geog 344 class! He's clearly very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject matter, and also makes himself available to answer questions outside of class. A fairly easy grader; none of the content is insanely difficult but a scientific background may be helpful for some of the technical scientific papers we read.

Class is super interesting, Professor Mason cares a lot about what he teaches, too. He is very responsive when it comes to answering emails and gives feedback on papers/projects which are really nice. Having good writing skills will help you in this class as most of the grades are from take home exams, projects, or weekly activities.

Professor Mason truly cares about the topic and has interesting lectures. He grades really fairly and gives good feedback, but won't take off points for little mistakes or writing quality(it's a geography class anyways). The exams and projects really just focus on main ideas an applying the course knowledge. Fun class with no stress!

Joe is clearly very knowledgable in the topic and it translates to his lectures. Although they can be a bit dense, he makes every topic very straight forward and clear. There was no busy work or unnecessary assignments. Overall very nice professor and very passionate!

Absolutely LOVE this guy. I can see how some people can think that he is boring but I found it lectures (lots ofinteresting pictures) very engaging and interesting. The test can be semi difficult but if you study lecture notes you will be fine. Does not take attendance but that is where a lot of the info comes from. Would love to get drunk with him

He's very passionate about what he does. It's tough to do well in this course though without attending lecture. All tests are mostly lecture stuff and the readings help make the lecture material easier.

Professor Mason is such a sweet guy and is clearly very passionate and nerdy about environmental studies. You def need to study for his exams, but if you study well enough it's reflected by your test score. Lectures tend to get pretty boring as they are really dry, but if you have a genuine interest in the subject the class is pretty interesting.

Solid choice for an online class. Lots of smaller assignments that give you a decent opportunity to raise your grade if you slip on a few. There is a decent amount of reading requirement but obviously, everything is open book. Quizzes are timed though. I'm not interested in geography but found a surprising amount of material to be interesting.

He's very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about what he does which I respect greatly. That having been said, I found his lectures to be very dull. The exams were thorough but reasonable and all the material came right from lecture so there were no surprises. Not a bad class but not a great class.

JOSEPH IS THE LORAX!!!!!!! no but for real he rocks and obviously cares so much and its awesome.

Great guy who's obviously interested in the material, extremely dull lecturer. I found it difficult to retain info in his class. The class is doable, just difficult to be engaged in, particularly for non-science majors like myself.

I really like Joe, he's obviously interested in what he's talking about and though it was a power lecture I was rarely bored in class. Definitely go to lectures if you want to get an A, but most of the material covered are on the slides, which are very useful to study from. Exams are difficult, but doable. There are a lot of long answer questions.

I've never been a science person, but Professor Mason was excellent at teaching the basics, so the class wasn't hard at all. Lots of people don't go to lecture, but I found them helpful for understanding both the material. Also, he clearly loves what he's doing even if the lectures are boring... adorable how passionate he is about soil

Interesting class, challenging but not too difficult. The test material came straight from his lecture slides. Grading was straightforward and fair. I would recommend this class to anyone who needs credit for physical science.

Lectures consist of powerpoint material that he posts on Learn@UW weekly, so lecture attendance isn't necessary. Exams are extremely tough in regards to the material he goes through in class. Grade is 70% lecture and 30%, so even if you get an A in lab, you could do poorly in the class if the exams don't go well. Boring power lecture.

His lectures were pretty basic. But then his exams were kind of hard. 1st time I didn't get an A in an env. st. class.

Very dull man, actually mind numbing to listen to for an hour and twenty minutes. He gets his facts right off the power points and his tests are difficult. To say he's a terrible professor would be a little harsh, but he definitely doesn't care what grade any of his students receive.

Mason is extremely clear about the points he makes. His powerpoints are staightforward and lectures are supportive. His exams require that you synthesize rather than just absorb the material, though. Labs are a huge part of the grade. Mason is extremely approachable but not invasive. This course is great for a non-science major. It was fascinating.

Hard to get and A in the class. Usually you can only get 3 wrong on the exams of 45 questions. Post lectures if you miss class you won't get most of the answers from the slides. Nice guy and a pretty average class.

Mason is a pretty middle of the line sort of professor. He won't blow your mind with his teaching skills, but he's not terrible at it either. Material isn't too difficult but there is a lot of it. As long on you put in the time, exams aren't bad either.

Totally rad guy, great class. The slides were 50% pictures and the tests were pretty easy. I think people don't understand that you have to actually GO to the class to do well in it. The lab was awesome as well. He really likes what he does and its apparent.

I dont understand the below comments. Professor Mason is a really inteligent guy and he explains things well. So what if he goes off the powerpoint, it makes the class easier! Sections are a bit tedious and can make or break your grade. If you understand all the sides, you will get A's on the tests. Overall a pretty good class.

One of the WORST professors I have ever had! Doubt he can lecture w/out powerpoints as all he does is read off them. Knowledgeable but INCAPABLE of teaching. Takes very interesting topics and makes them VERY BORING. Some of the info presented is outdated or even incorrect. Definitely recommend AVOIDING HIM at all costs!

One of the worst professors I've ever had

this class was a lot harder than it should be. Went to talk to professor mason about my grade and he told me " he couldn't promise me anything" despite my hard work. I stopped attending lectures because he just reads off the powerpoints and actually did much better on the second exam!!

Loved Joe, loved the class. Powerpoints were super clear and he posted them online so you could study from them, very knowledgable about the subject matter and interested, and did a great job of "testing" students in multiple ways. (Exams, maps, essays.) Only needed the book for one essay, otherwise not really necessary. For sure take him.

Prof. Mason is a big nerd, he laughs at soil horizons and glaciers, but his class is easy. I'd definitely recommend it for non-science majors. There's not a lot of work, his tests are straightforward and easy and all of the TAs seem really helpful and nice. His part of the class was easier, but more boring than Prof. Williams'.

Joe is a great guy. Very clear, answers questions fairly well. The material often seems extremely self-expanitory, but the exams are surprisingly tricky. The power lectures get to be a bit much, but overall a good, simple class.

Clear teaching and research

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This guy is great! I enjoy lectures, and am surprised that power lectures never feel as long as they often do. I'm never looking at the clock. His presentations are interesting with helpful visuals he builds himself. He's got great pictures, and the text is awesome. Exams ARE sometimes difficult

I think Mason is kind of a neat guy, but is lectures tend to be pretty boring and his tests are needlessly difficult. We had a multiple choice exam once where he gave options A through G here and there -- then realized after he handed the exam out in class that scantron sheets only go to E. Why?!

He's kind of a funny guy and I prefer his PowerPoint presentations to the chalkboard notes of my previous geog prof. If you stay awake in class and take good notes the tests aren't horrible.

He is very boring and unentusiastic. his lectures consist of reading notes off of his powerpoint presentations. Exams are difficult, but straight out of notes for the most part. Not a horrible professor overall, but not the best.