Although the workload was not terrible, the content itself was very difficult to grasp as an intro level course. Took this class reccomended as a social science major to get gen ed credit and hated it. Too much information for students, final exam was incredibly difficult.

Great lecturer, but there was WAY too much content for a 100s level course. Covers European history, astronomy, biochemistry, biology, and the history of geology. Exam/quiz questions were often unclear and it wasn't uncommon to get a question with multiple somewhat correct answers. Super interesting class though.

Very nice and knows his stuff.

Amazing professor, every lecture is interesting and attention grabbing. If you are interested in computer science, he also includes a good number of cool simulations/models he created to demonstrate class material. One of my favorite classes at Madison.

Shanan's lectures are solid. My only complaint is that some lectures barely require notetaking and others require it for the entire period, so the pacing is a bit odd. Nevertheless, the course is interesting and not overly challenging if you show up and review the slides before quizzes.

One of the best prof. I've had! Genuinely such a great lecturer and I've learned so much more than I thought I would. Lectures are well organized and even more well-delivered; prof. Peters is very articulate and hilarious and makes the class both informative and interesting. Covers a LOT of topics but keep up with weekly quizzes and you'll be fine.

Dr. Peters is quite the showman, but he conveys information perfectly through lectures. He isn't the most receptive to questions mid-lecture, so be sure to talk to him before or after if you have a question. Just keep up with your quizzes and it'll be an absolute breeze.

I felt like I learned so much from his class. He definitely can move quickly through concepts and lectures can feel like a race to the end but I felt like I learned so much from his class. The quizzes and tests are also not that bad and there are plenty of opportunities to raise your grade.

Prof. Peters provides one of the best lectures I have ever had during the campus. The lecture is super organized, inspirational, informational, and funny. It is nonetheless hard to understand everything in the lecture. This course is a wonderful introduction to science works. Overall, a wonderful GE courses for everyone interested in how lifes work

Dr. Peters is a great lecturer and all-around good teacher. Attendance via tophat but you can get extra credit for getting tophat questions right which can afford absences. Weekly quizzes and midterms/finals are essentially all of the grade. I was also in the honors section, so my discussion was with Dr. Peters and I really enjoyed that.

Professor Peters kept lectures interesting and engaging most of the time. The material is quite easy to understand. There are weekly quizzes and two exams but everything is online. The Top-Hat questions in lecture are quite a big part of your final grade which is why it's very important to attend lecture! Loved this class though.

Shanan is a very animated & fun lecturer who makes the subject matter interesting & entertaining. Class was easy, but never boring.

Professor Peters has very organized lectures and is very clear about expectations. All readings and lecture slides are accessible via Canvas, but lecture and discussion attendance are taken for a grade. The homework and class activities prepare you for the multiple-choice exams.

Peters is an amazing professor as well as a great guy. The syllabus makes grading expectations clear from the beginning, and the readings aren't too long. Some of the content is difficult, but he uses TopHat to help anyone who shows up get participation credit, plus bonus points for correct answers.

Although this class does not have anything to do with my major (it just fulfilled my science credit), I actually found it very interesting. There was one 20(ish) page reading a week with a quiz and a quiz based off the 3 lectures. 2 exams, both online and multiple choice. I would say go to lecture though, you get graded on tophat questions.

Shanan is a super sweet guy, and it shines through in his lectures even when the material could otherwise be considered droll. Plus he plays funky tunes before class starts. Exams are online and multiple-choice, not too hard. Prepare to also have two short online quizzes due each week. Attend discussions for useful review on said quizzes.

The professor is amazing and caring. Attend lectures because attendance is graded. There are weekly quizzes. The lecture quizzes aren't difficult if you go to lecture and take notes. The discussion quizzes are sometimes difficult. However, he drops a few of them. Midterm isn't the worst (final is harder because there is so much info).

He was genuinely one of my favorite parts of the semester; such a caring, loveable man who is extremely knowledgeable about anything he talks about. If you're taking this class for honors, you have to do a research paper, but he's a pretty easy grader. You HAVE to go to lecture (or at least not miss the TopHats) because your attendance is graded.

Not too much work outside of class, although attending lectures is very important because of how much information this class covers. I think the online quiz and exam format made it a pretty easy class overall, but it is very important to pay attention during lecture.

Professor Peters is an awesome guy. Lectures are super engaging, especially if you are interested in natural sciences. Weekly lecture quizzes are sometimes tough, but not bad if you take notes during lectures. Prof. Peters has a genuine passion for geology/surrounding matters, knows EVERYTHING he teaches, and seems to care for his students.

He is a delightful man. I am not a science person at all, but he was just the sweetest. His love for the topics were honestly motivating. He would seriously gush over rocks in front of us and take us on mini field trips for his honors discussion section. It does help to have some biology and chemistry background for the class, but he was a joy.

Prof Peters is SO smart and an amazing guy. He knows literally everything he teaches. Geosci 110 is exceptionally difficult if you don't have a passion for geology/science. Lectures are 3x a week, so it's important to go to them. Very fast paced. Not much hw, but quizzes on reading every week. Tests are MC but not hard if you do reviews.

I really like prof peters. Its clear that hes passionate about geoscience and teaching. He has a lot of experience in the field which makes the class more engaging. Lectures move fast and sometimes its hard to keep up but if you put in some work outside of class youll be fine. this is a class for underclassmen who need to fulfill a science credit.

I feel like lectures were terribly organized and incredibly hard to follow. I really feel like the professor cares for this course but he wasn't able to show that through lectures. Exams are ok. As long as you do weekly quizzes you'll be fine. Overall it's not a bad course but I wouldn't recommend taking it

His lectures were incredible and extremely engaging. It's clear that he's interested in geology and the diverse amount of topics that were taught in this course. I don't think this course is "easy" but having a friend to do the quizzes with will make a huge difference IMO.

I took this class for honors credit, so he was my discussion instructor as well. He's very knowledgeable and actually cares about the students and how we're doing. There were weekly readings, discussion quizzes, lecture quizzes, and two exams. If you do the readings and go to office hours if you need help, you'll be fine.

Shanan is one of the best profs I've ever had--super engaging and interesting lectures. However, this class is not an easy science A and it did ruin my 4.0 :( but that's on me because I am very mentally ill lol. Only 2 exams total and 2 quizzes every week which was nice. The class is VERY content heavy though!

This is THE class I'd recommend to any incoming freshman or any upper classmen looking for an easy yet also interesting biological science req. Two exams total that you're prepared for by fair weekly lecture quizzes. Shanan is a goat and as long as you take notes on his lectures you'll get an A. Lectures are online for when you miss btw.

If you're looking for a fun biological science credit, take this class with Shanan. His lectures are great and the class isn't too much work. There are two short quizzes due each week (one for discussion and one for lecture) and two MC exams. Just attend the lectures each week and take notes and you'll get an A.

Shanan is a pretty good professor. It's very obvious how much he loves geology and teaching as well. There is no official textbook for the class. He usually provides you with any reading material that's free. There isn't really any homework, but there are weekly quizzes that can be a little difficult. There's also only 2 exams in the class.

lectures are super interesting, great guy

Shanon is an absolute real one in the geosci department, he cares about the field so much and wants to teach you the coolest things about history. Take good notes, remember to take the weekly quizzes, and it's an easy science A

Truly one of the best profs I've had at UW. Hilarious guy who is so easy to talk to. If you do lecture quizzes well you'll be fine; most questions are recycled on the midterm and final.

He is a great professor and gives entertaining lectures. Lots of short quizzes online, but overall not a difficult class.

One of the best lecturers I have ever had. Not a difficult class but engaging and hard to not pay attention in lecture. Take notes, do the quizzes, and you'll be fine.

He's gives great engaging lectures and the quizzes are generally super easy. However, I made the mistake of taking terrible notes and then not knowing what to do around the time of the exam, so taking good notes is super important!

Peters is a good guy, and if you go to his lectures (which are actually pretty easy to pay attention to) you'll do really well. Quizzes aren't hard, and lots of extra credit opportunities. Midterm and final are easy, and discussions are pretty much only for attendance. Good for anyone in need of easy science credit.

The presentations that Professor Peters gives in class are by far the best Ive ever encountered in college. You can tell he takes a lot of time making them, and he goes beyond just putting boring text on slides. He also offers many EASY extra credit opportunities. Definitely not a biology class - a lot of geology and societal context stuff.

Really great, funny, and kind teacher! There's a lot of content in his lectures but they're relatively easy to understand if you take notes and review the lecture quizzes. Lots of extra credit opportunities that raised my grade by about 1.5%. I would highly recommend this class, especially if you need biological science credits.

Shanan teaches his class very well. He is always available outside class hours and gives his students good feedback. The quizzes are weekly and fairly difficult but if you do the readings, they aren't half bad.

I had Shanan for one of my first semesters at UW-Madison and he made the content easy to understand in a fun way! True, you do have to come to class and pay attention otherwise the weekly quizzes will be torture, but if you can get past that youll enjoy his witty humor and have a great semester.

What should be a semester-long class with lecture three times a week is crammed into an 8-week modular course with only one lecture a week. Shanan puts in very little time and effort into teaching this class, and it shows.

Shanan is the best professor I've ever had. His lectures are intense and content heavy, but they are fascinating and engage the audience. He doesn't add content that doesn't matter for quizzes and exams. There are opportunities for extra credit. Honestly, what a guy.

I thought the class was pretty interesting for a class I was just taking for science credits. Weekly timed discussion and lecture quizzes can be tough sometimes, but if you find a friend and do them together you'll have a better chance of doing well. Professor can sometimes be tricky on the test wording of test questions. Good amount of EC given

I liked Shanan as a person, he's hilarious! His class took some work, but I would definitely suggest it to anyone who needs bio credits. His class was interesting and as long as you take the time to go through the lecture slides before you take the quiz at the end of the week you'll do fine. Plus no lab and lots of EC opportunities!

Great class. Probably one of the best I had at UW. If you're looking for a biology credit, this it it. Just come to class.

My favorite class at UW! Lectures are fast and cover a lot, but they are so interesting and he keeps them fun. Slides are posted and weekly quizzes help keep you on track. Discussion is a good chance to review lecture quizzes, and that's the best thing about them. Uses TopHat for participation points.

Professor Peters gives really interesting lectures but goes VERY fast, making it hard to take good notes. However, he does post lecture slides online, which is helpful. There are two weekly quizzes for lecture and discussion which can be difficult. Attendance was taken with TopHat, midterm was fairly easy while the final was moderately difficult.

Positives- Lectures are interesting and well thought out, clear grading criteria, he seems generally interested and knowledgable in the topics he teaches Negatives- Some quiz questions are phrased oddly and it makes them difficult to answer, discussions are pointless but still required

Awesome teacher, really knows what he is talking about and makes it fun to come to class. Lecture and discussion quizzes every week but are not hard if you take good notes in class. Go to discussion as it helps clear the quizzes and any other info up. Really interesting class overall, definitely recommend taking it.

(Fall 2016-17) Weekly quizzes on topics that were covered in the week are simple if you attend class and read the articles (if any were assigned). The weekly quizzes replaces midterms which makes certain times of the semester less stressful. Attendance not mandatory, though TOPHAT was used to record attendance/participation during lectures.

He has been my favorite professor so far at Madison. He makes sure to have some kind of joke or interesting tidbit in almost every lecture especially the Thanksgiving and Halloween lectures! (If you have him in the Fall). I can't recommend this class or this professor enough!

He's a great professor overall, but he is not accessible outside of class and isn't good about answering questions. He also goes over material very quickly. I loved the class and found it very interesting.

This class was really great and Dr. Peters was amazing. Plays super good music before lecture, but when lecture starts get ready to take notes. Often went way too fast and each lecture had so much information, it was a bit of an overload. Biweekly quizzes and lecture participation (tophat) make up most of your grades, and there are no midterms.

I liked Dr. Peters, and he is very passionate about what he teaches and clearly knows what he is talking about. He plays music before class and his slide presentations are often entertaining. At times, I felt that he was subtly mocking religion and specifically, Christianity, as geosci110 is related to evolution. But overall, would have him again.

We had to take lots of hard online lecture quizzes. A lot of the questions on the quizzes weren't on lecture notes or anything. Didn't have any midterms, but one final at the end where you're tested on EVERYTHING. Good luck if you're taking this class.

Amazing teacher. Does many wacky things to get people interested (I won't spoil the surprises ;D). Plays some awesome tunes and animations before the lecture getting you in the mood for learning. Every class was almost like watching a play unfold as he would throw random jokes in his power points and entertain the class.

If I had the option to take a class with Professor Peters in the future, I would do so in an instant. He is extremely passionate about what he is teaching and very good at explaining the material. He made evolution and extinction come to life. I have considered a major in Geoscience after taking this class. E&E with Prof. Peters is a must.

I LOVED Professor Peters. He was animated and passionate about the subject. His perspective is inspiring and he is very funny!His lectures are very easy to understand, but you have to be present to get all the material. Outside homework is very easy, only short readings and weekly quizzes on them. Peters was THE BEST professor I've had at Madison.

He is a fantastic, personable professor. A textbook would have definitely been helpful as the course covers a ton of material. Discussions counted for credit but were ultimately a waste of time. Very interesting lectures but relatively difficult to take notes on which made studying for exams a nightmare.

It's a good class because of Shanan. He's highly accomplished, interesting and a decent lecturer. Do the quizzes with a friend and definitely study before the exams and it's possible to get an A. I would definitely recommend anything he teaches. He also has a really good taste in music which he plays before class so that's a nice bonus.

Super interesting class! However, tests are difficult, tons of material. Fun lectures, Shanan keeps things very interesting and he is super funny! Do not take for easy credit, you definitely need to work for it.

Keeps the lectures fun and interesting, definitely a class worth taking.

This class isn't easy, but its one of the most interesting I took at UW. Lectures were really good, clickers for attendance help grade. Discussion is just ok, but you read classic texts and there is a chance to ask questions. Don't put off studying for the two midterms.

The class was really interesting and you learn a lot. He goes through a lot of material every lecture though, so you will have to go back and look at the slides that he posts after lecture. Not really any homework besides some readings that are recommended for the test. The tests are hard because of all the material, but they are multiple choice

When he teaches Geology, he's a fine professor. But he liked to spend a lot of time going into random tangents about history that were completely inaccurate.

One of the best classes I've taken at UW. It's not super easy, but you'll learn a lot and the lectures are really engaging. I liked the side connections made during class to politics and education. Discussion is just ok.

The most interesting class at this school. Shanan is really smart so sometimes its really hard to follow along with what hes saying, and the class is VERY science heavy and I recommend coming in with previous coursework in biology and chemistry. The information is very confusing and the class is very hard.

He was a very poor lecturer, unorganized, unclear, and often rude to students. Avoid him if possible!

Great science class for non-science majors. Fairly easy and clear expectations. Not too much reading and no textbook!

Good class if you enjoy science. Not easy and A LOT of material to study. About 2,000 slides to study for the final exam and must really know the concepts. Says at the beginning of semester class average will likely be a BC. Tests average around 78% and no curve is added. Would not recommend for an "easy" bio class. Also read text from 1800's.

This is a great class to take if you need a bio credit. There is no textbook, which is nice. This also means you must attend lectures since the exams are only based on lecture material. There are weekly quizzes, so there is a bit of reading each week (articles and Darwin's original work). Shanan is also very easy to understand.

For a 100 level class, this was challenging. Shanan, however, is fantastic. His slides are very well organized and he is very clear and interesting during lecture. He does go a bit fast, which he acknowledges. I would recommend Shanan to anyone, he is incredibly smart and interesting.

He's a great lecturer, very funny but don't kid yourself this class is hard.

iClicker attendance counts for small percent of grade. Not the easiest class I've ever taken, but possibly the most interesting. If you're willing to study (tests can be somewhat challenging) you should do fine in this class.

This guy is great. I am not at all a science person, but Peters is a wonderful lecturer. You can tell he loves what he does. Sometimes throws politics into his lectures, which I think is very appropriate for this class. Go to lecture and discussion to get a good grade. The class is not easy for people who don't study science, but not impossible.

Easily my favorite professor I've had at Madison. He's extremely engaging and makes the material really interesting. The tests aren't easy but they're not terribly hard either. And he plays AWESOME music before every lecture!!!

Shanan was easily my favorite professor I've had at the UW. Makes lecture engaging and interesting, I looked forward to his class!!! His exams are very fair and mostly straight out of his powerpoint slides and lecture. Discussion is easy points. Take a class with Shanan, he's a brilliant guy and you won't regret it.

Although evolution fascinates me I am not a science person and took this class because I needed bio credits. Still, professor Peters is absolutely one of the best professors I've had at UW-Madison. Tests are not easy, and he can go through the lecture slides fast but he is a brilliant, engaging professor who makes the course material so interesting

One of the best professors at Madison. His lectures are always entertaining and loaded with interesting information, but if you miss something it's posted online. Take a class from Prof. Peters; you won't be disappointed.

Class is harder than it should be -- involves a lot more biology than most would expect -- but Shanan is a really funny and upbeat guy who makes class a blast. Discussion is pointless, but it's easy and counts for a large chunk of the overall grade. Shanan goes really fast, but posts everything online and answers questions which helps a lot.

Shanan is the best lecturer I have had. He doesn't lecture, he tells a story. I learned something everyday in this class. His exam questions force you to think and can be challenging. Discussion is a joke.

Great lecturer, young and easy to follow. He uses clicker questions to take attendance but class is interesting and fun to go to. Discussion section seemed pointless but there wasn't a lot of homework. Overall a good class, definitely made me interested in taking geology again next semester. Highly recommended class and professor.

Awesome class. Amazing Professor. Exams are a little tricky and you definitely have to study for them, but the material you learn is extremely interesting. Prof Peters goes through slides pretty quickly but he posts all his lectures online (so you don't have to write everything down) DEFINITELY recommend taking this class when he teaches it.

I really liked this class. He covers a lot of different things about evolution, biology, and geology in a really fun way. He doesn't dumb it down either, which is actually kinda nice. He goes fast, so be ready for that. The exams are multiple choice but you need to study. It isn't a cake walk, but you'll learn something!

He goes extremely fast during lecture, and his exams are tricky and confusing. Much study recommended. Good lecturer, snobby with questions.

Makes it fun and interesting, he is young and more relatable than all my other profs.

This class was one of the most interesting classes I have taken. A word of advice, study a good week before each exam, he writes tricky, conceptual questions, but for the most part they are fair. He goes a bit quick in lecture, so make sure you are paying attention and take good notes. If you do those things, you should get a nice grade.

the class is very interesting. Does tend to be a little snobby when it comes to asking questions. The tests are hard because the majority of the multiple choice questions are conceptual and tricky. As a history major I got a C on both midterms and the final, not a good class to fulfill your science requirements

Shanan is probably the best lecturer that I've had in my 3 years at uw. His slides are ridiculously good, and NO he does not read from them, as one of the people in my class said. The text you need is in bullets for studying, but it's mostly great illustrations. He does go fast though, so be ready for that.

Awesome, I recommend him.