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ERS 102At Home in the Universe

Units
0.50
Faculty
Environment
Subject
Environment, Resources and Sustainability

When it runs

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

Ran in 2 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

All human societies harbour stories about the origin of the universe and their place in it. These accounts include those of Indigenous Peoples, the world's religions, and natural science. To help students navigate these worldviews and clarify their own, this course surveys "Big History", the scientific story of the astounding 15-billion-year evolution of physical, living, and social systems. By deepening students' understanding of the "environment" and humanity's place in it, this survey course provides a grounding for further study pertaining to sustainability.

Prerequisites

None listed.

Antirequisites

None listed.

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 00153770 / 50T 14:30–16:20
LEC 701212638 / 9999Online or by arrangement
TUT 10153820 / 25Th 14:30–15:20
TUT 10253830 / 25Th 15:30–16:20

Reviewed on UW Flow

22% liked it64% easy23% useful

From 27 ratings and 14 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • What even is this class? How does this relate to sustainability? There is no coherent connection to environment, but rather, dozens of slides on irrelevant topics and connections to obscure sociologists and philosophers. This might make sense for a professor in this field, but all first year SERS students I've spoken to about this course are as lost as I am. Avoid at all costs!

    Mar 2023 · didn’t like it · 4 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • This is one of those course that will send you home with a headache. The course description is deceptive, very little is taught about sustainability, its more about listening to the professor yap for 2 hours about whatever they choose. Don't even think this this is an easy credit, because 35% of your mark is from showing up to lectures and tutorials: which are an extra hour on top of lecture. 20% of the mark is from readings, which were horribly organized, and through "Perusall" (soon to be the bane of your existence). The professor chose readings from at least 20 different books, from random chapters. There was a "free-writing" component of each class (worth 10% of your grade) where the…

    Apr 2024 · didn’t like it · 3 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Having this class at 8:30 AM in AL in a classroom with no dimmer settings and a light switch that indiscriminately turns off all the lights in the room means that I have never had a class nearly as suitable for sleeping through as this one. Bring a hoodie. If you're sleeping, you'll probably absorb enough of the crazy British man's ramblings to do well on the diary reflections.

    Mar 2023 · liked it · 3 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Useless. I don't understand why this is a MANDATORY course for ERS students. There is no connection to our degree.

    Jan 2023 · didn’t like it · 3 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Multiple times throughout the semester I wondered if I had accidentally signed up for the wrong course, regrettably this was the correct core course. Deceptive course description or just a terribly chosen professor, who knows. Not me. Not the rest of the class that slowly stopped showing up because there was nothing to learn. Imagine waking up for an 830 lecture where the prof just loudly rambles about nonsense you aren't even sure is related to the course, much less your program, for a few hours with next to no time for discussion or to even finish the lecture material. Sprinkle in a satiable amount of comments the prof makes that range from "eyebrow raising confusion" to "looking at your…

    Aug 2023 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

One post or comment in 1 thread mentions ERS 102, August 2023 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 2023

Course selection advice from any ENVS or AFM students with Sustainability Specialization 1 point, 1 comment

“Hi everyone, I'm a student in AFM and I'm hoping to graduate with the Sustainability Specialization. I was in ENBUS for my first year before switching over so I've already completed a handful of ENVS …”

u/Extra-Ad-7289: “I've heard that ENVS 205 is SUPER light. ENVS 200 and 220 are not super heavy and very fun (these and ERS 102 are my favourite courses I've taken in my entire undergrad). Taking INDEV 200 this term and really looking forward to it.”

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Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar