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ENVS 195Introduction to Environmental Studies

Units
0.50
Faculty
Environment
Subject
Environment

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 7 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

This course introduces the field of environmental studies through an exploration of environmental issues that contribute to crises and challenges at the global, national and local levels. The course provides an overview of human ecological aspects of environmental studies from an inter-cultural and global perspective, and offers an integrative framework for understanding them.

Prerequisites

None listed.

Antirequisites

  • Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
    • EARTH122 - Introductory Environmental Sciences (0.50)

Leads to

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 0015601261 / 300MW 13:00–14:20
LEC 0025823224 / 300MW 14:30–15:50
TST 1017755485 / 600Oct 23 16:30–18:00

Reviewed on UW Flow

75% liked it80% easy72% useful

From 321 ratings and 72 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • Very interesting class covering a wide variety of topics.

    Sep 2017 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • i love erin o'connell. she is the best prof i had in planning 1A. her lectures are very interesting and she's a nice prof. the weekly reading quizzes are very easy but the big assignments can be hard to do well on if you don't do the readings. good class

    Nov 2025 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Fantastic course!! Open book midterm and final exams, with weekly writing responses on the lectures. The online course has most lectures split into 2-5 short videos with a couple of modules having lecture notes to read instead of a 10-minute lecture. It was much less science-focused than I had anticipated, and the 2-3 environmental science modules were focused on more general ideas rather than details. There were many case studies presented, both in Canada and internationally, which were super interesting and engaging. I learned so much from this course and have a more holistic understanding of our environment. 20/10 recommend this course to anyone who wants a light but interesting class!!

    Aug 2023 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Great class!! For as long as you attend classes regularly and do good note-taking, this class should be easy. Erin incentivizes attendance by doing participation activities for grades, which I honestly enjoyed. The class also has weekly open book quizzes, lecture reflections, a final assignment and an exam. All which are super easy if you do regular reading!

    Apr 2023 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Easy but lots of assignments and participation marks.

    Oct 2017 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

62 posts and comments in 47 threads mention ENVS 195, December 2011 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Spring 2024

PLAN102 if i suck at writing and public speaking? 8 points, 5 comments

“how difficult is it to get an 80+ average in PLAN102 if i suck at stylistic writing and public speaking? is PLAN102 more difficult than ENGL109? What should I expect in PLAN102? …”

u/markleestan: “Never took ENGL109 so not sure on that. There’s no design component to it? I think they just made it sound fancy- but meant it as creative, design thinking and interpretation writing. …”

u/markleestan: “… Like everyone seemed to do well in this course- where as for ENVS 195 I would overhear people in my PLAN 102 tutorial talking about how they dropped 195 and they were instead gonna take it in the spring term cause they were failing.”

u/Objective-Variety843: “… unrelated, but what’s so difficult about ENVS195?”

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Increase of Enrolment cap in EARTH 123 Online (350 to 425) 32 points, 4 comments

“Hi Everyone! I just wanted to spread the word on a new enrolment increase in our Earth and Environmental Sciences online course this Spring - EARTH 123: Introduction to Physical Hydrology. …”

u/lil_cats: “One of my favourite profs at UW! I got an override so I could take EARTH 122 instead of ENVS 195 to take another course of yours!”

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Winter 2024

Fall 2023

Clapping in ENVS-195 1 point, 1 comment

u/skrimpers: “I fucking LOVE the clapping after literally anything in Prof Nugents class. Ik a lot of people don't like this class because its long, but man, the clapping as soon as the lecture ends? Fucking theatrical.”

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Spring 2023

Winter 2023

Fall 2022

Easiest first year course at uw 2 points, 7 comments

“Basically I need to take an elective course to get a full course load since I dropped a math course. I will have already missed the first two weeks of whichever elective I go into so there is no way …”

u/DIYPANDA07: “geog 101 and envs 195”

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Winter 2022

Anyone in GEOG 219? 1 point, 2 comments

u/Wrong_Mongoose6829: “Bird course for geog will be geog101, geog207, envs195. However, there are also some interesting courses like geog306 which talks about natural disasters; envs200, which teach you how to id trees, birds, and wildflowers and test the water quality in the laurel creek”

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Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar