Jennifer Purrenhage
International Studies - University of New Hampshire (all campuses)
3.1
Quality3.2
Difficulty36%
Would Retake86
Reviews36%
Would Retake
86
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
21
4
16
3
20
2
15
1
14
What Students Say
“This was an awful class and the teacher was super boring”
NR435 - 1.0 rating“If you go to her office hours she does not like to help”
NR435 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
53%
Textbook Required
44%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.90 avg changeRatings by Course
ENVISCI400
5.0
(1)NR435H
4.4
(10)IA02
4.0
(1)IA401
3.9
(9)NR435
3.0
(60)Difficulty by Course
NR417
4.0
NR740
3.5
NR435
3.3
IA02
3.0
ENVISCI400
3.0
Reviews (86)
Most boring professor of IA 401. The science review brief is probably the worst part. She is not very understanding.
I did pretty well in this class. Jennifer is very friendly, knows her subject well and was always available for help and for answering questions. The online issue I had was with her slow return of our papers. She didn't return our largest assignment the Science Review Brief until 4 weeks after the module ended and 1 week before the final Policy
I think Jennifer is a great teacher. She presents things in a very interesting and clear way. She's super smart and you can tell she gets frustrated when students have stupid answers to her questions. I learned a lot about environmental issues in her class
If you go to class, you will have no problem getting an A. You have no textbook and she cancels your Thursday lectures. Instead of Thursday lectures, you have an online module to do every week. Just a lot of mindless work. All the exams are online.
She was so boring, showed a lot of "Ted Talks" really didn't teach original material, used videos to lecture. She was always late and ran over time, didn't return things or post grades in timely manner. She could be summed up as a hot mess.
Her section of IA 401 was pretty boring. You watched a lot of videos like Ted Talks and there were notes to be taken but not much homework outside of class except one paper.
Dr. Purrenhage's Contemporary Conservation Issues class (NR 435) was my favorite class this semester. There is a weekly assignment every week but she gives you plenty of time to do them. Her lectures are very interesting and open-minded as well as very specific and thorough. She's open to questions and suggestions. Great professor.
The IA module was terribly disorganized, unclear, boring, and just awful. She rushes through lectures, and does not explain the purpose of her assignments. Got my first feedback on a written assignment the last day of class, and her feedback was inconsistent with her grading rubric.
A tad bit disorganized but super enthusiastic about what she is teaching. Powerpoints are are engaging, making for interesting and accessible lectures. It's very easy to do well if you put in the necessary effort.
She is one of my favorites! Her course was so interesting - it was often the highlight of my day! I learned so much! I love her interactive teaching style, and her grading and workload is very fair. She's one of the best teachers I have ever had! :o)
Easy class, you don't even have to attend the one lecture a week because she posts the slideshows on blackboard. all 3 exams are online and she drops the lowest one. the class itself is a snooze, but it's an easy A.
Overall the class is very easy, my only complaint is professor Purrenhage, easily my least favorite professor at UNH. It might have just been me but she never had anything nice to say to me, she came across as, self righteous, pretentious, rude, and ignorant.
Honestly, the class was interesting but I didn't care of professor Purrenhage. She came off as pretentious and a little rude. She definitely takes her job very seriously but doesn't have much respect for her students. Not a hard class overall, but I definitely didn't enjoy it.
Awesome class as it is really easy and you only have to go to class one day a week, but I thought Purrenhage came off as stuck-up and very boastful. She also displayed disrespect towards students multiple times throughout the semester. Still a great class though.
The material is not interesting in the least, but this professor is honestly so so kind. Very sweet and understanding.
jen is so sweet. The class is scheduled for two times a week but you actually only meet once a week. The weekly assignments are very difficult. You should attend each scheduled class because things that she mentions in the lectures will be on the quizzes and it will not just be materials from the homework. Overall I recommend taking NR 435 with Jen
Jen was a great teacher during her module of IA 401. She has a clear focus on learning rather than assigning grades. However, if you are not a strong writer and need instant critique on your papers, she's not the professor for you. She handed back all of our papers in the last week of class. Overall, can't wait to take a class with her again.
Quiz's require A LOT of reading and require you to attend class. She will make you work to get the A.
This module was mostly opinion based which was a nice break. Lots of easy reflections and group work. She did have a family issue towards the end so she has yet to give back our work. Pretty laid back and no text book!
Good "hybrid" freshman level class. You can keep the module information open while you take the online module quizzes. CTRL + F is your friend. Took it as a senior and got an A-. ATTEND CLASS. It's not so bad. Lots of TED talks.
Very passionate professor!
There are modules due every monday at 12 that can be very tough and require hours of reading and ted talks. Her exams are very difficult because there is no textbook to reference and she goes everything once in class and expects you to remember it for an exam. This was an awful class and the teacher was super boring
She's a passionate professor. But expect a lot of reading, and she gave reading quizzes every day so you should show up to class.
My friend told me to take this class for an easy A since it was mostly all online. She changed up everything this past semester and make the tests so much harder. There is no book and she doesn't give study guides so you don't have any references. If you go to her office hours she does not like to help. I took AP Envi Sci in hs and this was harder
Jennifer was a very nice professor. Class only met once a week and went over what was just covered in the homework and weekly quiz. There is lots of reading online and weekly quizzes (online - yes, the final was online too). Wouldn't call it the easiest discovery course, but if you're lazy: don't take this class.
Lots of work for a discovery. Definitely interesting but lots of work. She does modules which are time consuming and you need to take quizzes that could have more than one right answer. It was frustrating. Cool person
A woman who is very passionate about her work but makes the class much harder than it needs to be for a discovery. There are quizzes each week which can be slightly confusing but arent too bad. The tests are online as well. and one of them gets dropped at the end of the semester. Kind of an annoying class but good nonetheless.
Cares A LOT about that she teaches, but the lectures can be pretty dry. If you're into the environment this is a great class with a great, knowledgeable professor.
Sometimes this class seemed pretty boring but Jen almost always lets you out early. As long as you take pretty good notes on things that are not on the power points and remember that you have to do the modules on Sundays this class is an easy A
While she is passionate, the lectures can be very boring if you aren't interested. If you took Wildlife Ecology, the introduction to the course will be almost IDENTICAL to lessons already learned. The readings are long but if you need to take the quiz quickly you can search the terms on your computer (her quizzes are word-for-word from readings).
Jen was a great teacher. I was not just in the regular class but also the honors section which was a great addition to the class. You really get to know her and it gives you some extra points in the class. Expect a lot of work in the class, not including the honors section which is not a lot of extra work. A quiz each week and a lot of reading.
Jenn was a really nice professor, and she really cares about what she teaches. The class was easy, at some times there was a lot of reading assigned for homework. You have to go to class because she gives pop quizzes throughout the semester, they're pretty much based on opinion so don't worry. Other than that, this class is an easy A.
She's a really nice teacher and is super passionate about what she teachers. Her lectures (and overall class) is very organized and easy to follow. There is a pretty decent amount of homework, not hard just time consuming. I would not recommend skipping class though, very lecture heavy.
Professor Purrenhage is so knowledgeable on the material she teaches. She is clearly passionate about conservation and the environment!
She words questions on exams and module quizzes in such a way that it is often almost impossible to tell what she is asking. I think this is because the material is so easy that she has to find a way to make it so everyone doesn't get an A. Beware of lots of double negatives and questions with 5 different answers.
Not a terrible class, but Prof. Purrenhage can make those lectures drag on and on. All quizzes and exams are online and the class is an easy A, but she gives 'pop quiz' type things throughout the semester that you have to be present for. Material was pretty interesting but the amount of reading we had to do outside of class was kind of excessive.
The class was okay overall, there were a lot of weekly readings for both the lecture portion of the course and the honors section. Material can be pretty dry at times and the professor came off as pretentious at some points. If you're very into the environment take this class, but if it's just to fill a requirement I do not recommend.
She is very passionate about the enivornment so if you are not that interested in this topic you should not take this class. Work was overall very easy but wayyyy too much reading.
In her words, about a quiz, "I didn't write this question to trick you, but, well, I wrote the question to trick you." Quizzes and exams do not appear to be written to reinforce readings (2 hours/week,) and online lecture, (2 hours/week, plus in-class time, 3 hours/week.) Exams are unclear and it's easy even to be wrong with the correct info.
Really passionate about the class & is super knowledgable. She is respectful of students, but wont tolerate people being rude. She is available outside of class & loves to talk to students. All exams & quizzes are online, if you do the work youll get a good grade. There are pop quiz type short questions in class, if you participate youll get points
This professor made me want to change my major so I could take more of her classes. Prof. Purrenhage is the most caring professor I've had, yes you have to work for an A but if you're looking for a class that's going to be applicable to your life and isn't a bore, choose hers. Great teacher, passionate about what she does. Highly recommended.
She is so passionate about environmental conservation and discusses the most interesting examples of contemporary issues regarding the environment. Class will be boring if you are not into the environment but course is easy. All quizzes/exams/powerpoints/lectures are posted online. Honors work is just extra reading and a few other assignments.
Very passionate about what she teaches. This class covers a lot of material but it is an easy A, as long as you take notes in class and do well on the exams. The exams and final are online so you can work in groups.
I enjoyed the subject matter of this class. It made me think about a lot of things I haven't before. Exams and quizzes are unnecessarily hard though. They are online and open note, but I usually get As on exams that aren't open note and I couldn't get any higher than a B on hers.
If you are not interested in Contemporary Conservation do not take this class. The teacher tries to cram in so much information in the lecture. Even though tests and quizzes are online they are still kind of tricky, homework readings are like 35 pages long and so so so boring. Overall find another discovery, this class sucks!
This was the worst class I have taken in my four years at UNH. She designs her exams for students to fail. Even if you know the material, completed the readings AND attended her lectures, the exam will be difficult. She doesn't want students to pass this course. She also lets you out of class late due to her poor time management skills. AVOID
This class is the worst class I have ever taken. Not only did I take this class as a discovery but was I somewhat interested in Contemporary Conservation Issues, and this class ruined it for me. I went to all the lectures, took notes, did ALL the homework readings and the exams and quizzes still KILLED me. Whatever you do, do not take this course.
She is very interesting and knows what she is talking about. She loves to get to know her students and will help if you go to her. Overall great teacher!
The single most ridiculous professor I have ever had. There can be up to 3 hours of readings and videos on a single quiz, each of which is only worth about 7%. Incredibly boring lecturer. Do not take this to fill out an ETS, complete and utter waste of time.
There are some days where she'll be in a bad mood, but overall her lectures are super fascinating and eye-opening. The module quizzes can be difficult so make sure you work hard on those as they are a big part of your grade. I really enjoyed the class overall and it isn't hard to pass!
Entire class is based on module quizzes which are very difficult and specific. LOTS of reading.
Prof P is amazing! This class is easy if you go to the lectures & take notes. Online quizzes every week, but she drops the 3 lowest grades & they are easy if you go to class & do the readings. She is very passionate about what she teaches & wants you to understand the material. Exams are online & open notes. Honor's section is interesting & easy!
Prof P. While passionate about her subjects is not a fantastic lecturer. It seems as if she will talk on and on about a subject making it hard to take notes on her classes. There feels to be a disconnect at times between module readings and lecture materials. Exams are very difficult, and there is a lot of reading. If I could avoid it, I would.
This is the worst discovery I've taken my 4 years here. She's a passionate professor, but the workload for this class is ridiculous. The weekly quizzes have hours of reading and lectures to go along with them. She rambles during lecture so it's impossible to take notes. Exam questions are so specific it makes studying useless. Unreasonably hard.
This was the worst teacher I have had in my 14 years of schooling. Her material was not organized, she would go off on tangents making it hard to take notes, lecture content did not relate to the content on quizzes and seemed useless, go over the scheduled class time. Lecture hard to follow and you suffer on the exams. DO NOT RECOMMEND
I believe this course was made unbelievable hard when it could be much easier. Lectures are confusing and run over time every class. They are unorganized, and go off topic a lot. Module quizzes every week contain hours of reading and videos. Test are difficult even with hours of studying. I would not recommend taking this class if you don't need to
She's passionate but confusing and long-winded in lecture. Weekly quizzes are very specific to the large amounts of module materials, but it was open-book. Disconnect between module and lecture as quizzes are on material we teach ourselves without reinforcement from lecture because it's given later that week. Cool material, not worth the work tho.
Prof P is very passionate about what she teaches but often goes on long tangents during lectures which makes it difficult to tell what to study for. There is a pop quiz every week that makes up a large portion of your grade. Didn't really make an effort to connect to individuals because of large class size.
This professor really cares what she teaches but she shows it in the wrong way. Goes on long tangents that take away from class time and frequently keeps us late. Exams and quizzes are really hard if you don't take really detailed and specific notes. If she ever mentions a number or statistic, write it down it will be tested! Honors is easy though.
Entry level course for ENV. Sci. students but it really was a great class. Interesting lectures and Prof P was very organized and clear on the expectations.
No matter how much time I spent studying and going over material I would still fail the tests. I have never had such a difficult time with a class. When I reach out to her she is very u helpful. Do not recommend at all
Jen is truly wonderful, she's so passionate about conservation and beyond knowledgeable. She is always open for office hours to speak and gain clarity. her lecture material and her modules that include quizzes are very dense, so be prepared to read and take a lot of notes. But overall a very easy course and definitely recommend it!
At first look, Purrenhage seems organized and responsible. But she consistently leaves out information on assignment guidelines, then grades us as if we're supposed to read her mind. She gives us the details of assignments, even large ones, a few days before they're due. It's maddening, and the passive-aggressive emojis in her emails don't help.
LOTS of busy work. Class overall is very organized which I like, but really picky grading. Sometimes questions are there to trick you
I loved this class and it became my favorite class of the semester. Prof Purrenhage knows her stuff and is so interesting to listen to. The class is well organized and easy to follow. As long as you look over the study guides before exams and do the quizzes, you'll pass the class. It can be a lot of work, but i loved it.
Class was all online. Content from quizzes and exams were so specific to a point where it was ridiculous. Look elsewhere for a discovery class.
She is really passional about her class. it was really hard. I think discovery should easier than this
Professor Purrenhage is pretty boring and I honestly dreading going to class every week. The work is easy, but there is just so much homework and reading for a discovery course. The exams are also pretty difficult. This class is required for a lot of COLSA majors, and to you I say good luck! This class is truly awful, in my opinion.
Very passionate about the subject and very kind & accessible, but tends to get into a lot of tangents. If you pay attention in class and take good notes, you'll do fine because all quizzes are open note and online. It's just hard to pay attention sometimes. Also, LOTS of homework, with weekly readings/quizzes.
Everything is a boring tangent. Her slides, notes, assignments, and tests are all super disorganized. There is a weekly quiz that requires you to take notes on lengthy readings and videos beforehand. She makes test/exam questions on obscure material we talk about. THIS WAS ALSO A ZOOM...IN 2022...WHY??? We came to college for in-person education.
supperrrrrr lecture heavy, even on tests every question is super super specific to the lectures. dont take this class unless ur super interested in the topics and plan to major in it.
She definitely cares a lot about what she does, however she expects everyone else to care just as much. She expects students work to be as perfect as hers and grades as such. Grading criteria seems to change each assignment and there is always something wrong. Would not recommend her as a professor at all.
Lots and lots of reading. Good topic not too hard. Listen to lecture.
I took NR 508 with her. Her mood swings affected how the class ran for the day. She had arguments with students in front of the class and held grudges. She was inconsistent with grading. Her assignments were confusing and did not show up on Canvas with weird dates. She does not follow her syllabus. The final project was assigned and no prep or help
The class was quite a bit of work with weekly quizzes that are on readings and videos that take hours to complete. The lectures were long and put me to sleep. She's nice, but I didn't enjoy this class
Exams were unrealistically difficult even though they were open notes. I felt like they were so specific just out of spite or something.
I really enjoyed the content of this class, but the quizzes and exams were extremely challenging. I went to just about every lecture and take very good notes, yet a lot of the exam material was not talked about or was minor details of what Professor said.
Everything was open note, but you have to take really good notes on the module materials and lecture, which can be pretty disorganized at times. I would recommend typing your notes online because she can talk very fast and the material is more accessible that way when you're taking the exams. Overall a good class though. Lots of reading.
She gives a ton of material in lecture, so make sure to write out your notes on a Google Doc. Assessments can be incredibly specific, but as long as you take detailed notes, you should be okay, because they're all open-note.
Tests/Quizzes open notes, and heavily based off of lectures. Important to go to them and take notes because the answers to exams are often given; Dr. P is kind but her content can drag on at times. She has a grading system where you can do bad on a few quizzes yet end with a great grade.
She was a very easy teacher. Tests and quizzes were open notes and were online and could be taken anywhere due to them not being taken in class. Every week there was a module quiz that you had to read papers and watch videos and then take a quiz on them on your own time, does get tedious often but there are Quizlet's made for the quizzes to help.
Super sweet and understanding woman. She is very detailed in her syllabus and will follow it strictly throughout the semester, so if you have a time/SAS issues make sure to reach out early in the semester or else she'll refer you to the syllabus. Class is graded off 13 open-note, online quizzes (1 per week) and 3 exams. Super easy class.
Material isn't bad but there's just SO MUCH READING/WATCHING VIDEOS. For each week you'll likely spend at least 2-3 hours taking notes on readings just for a small quiz. The material is interesting, but too much busy work. Professor is nice, but I would not take this class again. Useful for getting the credit tho. Exams are online/open note
She's ok. Lots of readings, weekly quizzes and 3 exams. All open note, but make sure you pay attention to all the readings. Sometimes there is an in class assignment but not often.
Amazing Professor who really cares about her students and the subject matter. Open notes were helpful because you only needed to attend lectures and take good notes to succeed. Quite a bit of reading but nothing crazy. Overall, I highly recommend this course and professor!
I will never forget her BPD breakdown during sophomore seminar
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
53%
Textbook Required
44%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.90 avg changeRatings by Course
ENVISCI400
5.0
(1)NR435H
4.4
(10)IA02
4.0
(1)IA401
3.9
(9)NR435
3.0
(60)Difficulty by Course
NR417
4.0
NR740
3.5
NR435
3.3
IA02
3.0
ENVISCI400
3.0