3.2
Quality3.4
Difficulty54%
Would Retake160
Reviews54%
Would Retake
160
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
45
4
36
3
35
2
20
1
24
What Students Say
“Benton-Short compensates for her inability to deliver engaging or insightful lectures by creating hyper specific test questions based on figures from random bullet points”
GEOG1001 - 1.0 rating“Worst professor in the geography department by a massive margin”
GEOG1001 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
89%
Textbook Required
47%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
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-1.26 avg changeRatings by Course
GEOG01
5.0
(1)GEOG001140
5.0
(1)GEOG143
5.0
(2)GEOG187
5.0
(1)GEOG140W
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
GEOG4195W
5.0
GEO001
4.4
GEOG187
4.0
GEOG101
4.0
GEOG3810
4.0
Reviews (160)
Awesome teacher - extremely helpful - fun enjoyable class - definately reccomend
ok teacher, but fun to look at!!
No Comments
Very nice. She knows her stuff too. And the classes are all the more interesting bc she really cares about the subject. One of the few intro courses not relevent to my major where I can say this IS stuff i should know.
Lecture notes are everything with her.
interesting course, brilliant woman. clear lectures. globalization briefs suck if you have a lousy group. TAs grade them, too. readings are unnecessary. but i recommend this course.
Very nice and clear lecturer, but tests are way too hard. Class average for this semester was a D according to blackboard! Interesting, buut a hardcore GPA dropper. She doesn't curve either.
Very intelligent woman, but needs to realize that this an intro course b/c tests are so hard. Too many things to remember for the test & u're screwed if u don't know them. I use the books for this class to write papers for other classes. So helpful!!!!!!!
I loved this class and I loved her. She's an amazing prof and a very intellegent woman. If you visit her for office hours she's fantastic. I've found her to be incredibly helpful and she seems to really love her work.
Very intelligent woman who knows her stuff. One of the best professors here. Globalization Briefs are a pain at first, but you get the hang of it. Tests aren't too bad as long as you understand the concepts, not only objective stuff
No Comments
If you're looking to hate a new person, take her class. She has a degree from Stanford and Syracuse, but she could have fooled me. She is overly strict and contains only superficial knowledge of the subject and is a fan of unnecessary busy work.
Fabulous professor. So enthusiastic and if you work hard it pays off big time.
She's a great teacher and it REALLY pays off if you go to her office hours. She loves to talk and is EXTREMELY passionate about geog. (Watch out, she'll want you to be a geog major!) But yeah, she's pretty clear about what she wants and if you do the work ahead and show her you know it, it's good
My favorite class @ GW. She is really passoniate about her field, it shows in her lectures. Some aspects can be difficult but she is extremly nice and helpful during office hours. If you know your material you'll be fine. An awesome energetic person, made me a Geog major, and is HIGHLY Recommended.
I heart LBS! Fascinating lectures-- she gave my my passion and opened up an entire realm of geography to me. She made me want to be a GEOG major. Definitely the BEST professor here. Great maps, slides, tests are challenging, but if you study, and take the class seriously-- it's amazing.
Her lectures are very clear. Books are boring but not that important for doing well on tests. Go to lecture or print off slides to do well. Two hours of studying is pleanty for tests. She's EXTREMELY interested in the subject and loves sharing it. (She'll try to convince you to be a major/minor)
Don't quite understand all of the hype about LBS. Her class requires very little work, but don't try asking her questions, she doesn't know anything other than what's on her slides, and she can be misleading and unclear with what she wants from her assignments, making an A not so easy to get.
i dont understand whats all the hype about her either. shes a nice lady, especially for those who work hard, and she curves alot, but her knowledge is a bit limited, and superficial. No need to use the book at all. just memorize notes, and study maps WELL.
you have to memorize her lecture notes to ace the tests. the essay projects are simple if you go to her with your drafts. it may change but we ignored the readings. easy for a senior or junior, but probably difficult for a freshman level class. can't miss the lectures.
Overhype's not doing her any favors.
Seriously, some of you kids need to relax! She isn't that great...very nice and interesting subject area, but her exams and quizes are the worst (fill in the blanks with nearly every country in the world as a possible answer!)Solid teacher, but not one of the better ones I have had at GW.
This class is interesting but has too many projects/papers and she expects you to do a lot of reading and be able to discuss it in class. She is a really good teacher, just be prepared to actually do work.
She is an engaging professor and lecturer, but for this class at least, be prepared to write. In this class I wrote the longest papers I've had to so far at GW. I would agree she is slightly overhyped, but still pretty intersting and has a great personality.
No Comments
HORRIBLE!!! Don't take this class if you don't read the footnotes and remember EVERY SINGLE DETAIL from lectures and books!!!
She's an OK prof. Sometimes I feel like she goes to the UN web site before class, downloads a bunch of graphs, and calls them a lecture. When asked questions during class, she often fumbles and doesn't seem to know what she's talking about. If you want to get something out of the class, read the Knox book, it's very interesting.
A very interesting class. There are three exams and you need to study a fair amount for each. Attendence not taken but recommended, tests are pretty straight forward. If you put effort into the class you will find it interesting and be motivated to do well.
She's a decent teacher, no general complaints. My largest disappointment was with the class itself, as it simply was not what I was expecting or wanted. For a geography class it really fails to realize that a world exists outside the US. It's pretty easy tho, I didn't do not one reading all semester long and still got a B with such minimal effort.
I've taken a couple of classes with her ... at first, she seems cool. But then you realize that she repeats the same stuff a lot and doesn't really know what she's talking about. And she loves to lowball you on grades. Plus, there are ALWAYS a band of weirdos in class who are obsessed with her.
This woman is on a crusade. Be prepared to get a lot of her agenda about life in the class. She repeats**** all the time and basically reads her lectures. However, she's really into what she's talking about, so if you like her agenda, you'll like her. It's pretty much about how the world sucks and you should feel guilty about it.
Really enjoyed this class. Definitely a challenge, but not at all impossible to succeed in. For the first five weeks, we had to write a 3-page or so paper, and then we split up into groups and re-built New Orleans (10-15 page paper w/ a PowerPoint presentation) and the National Mall (8-10 pages).
Don’t take her class. She is smart, hot, and initially interesting. She is also smug, condescending, extremely ridged, proud, and repetitive. I took this class knowing it would be difficult, but expected it to be fairly graded. It is not. Advice: write her opinion verbatim on all essays, and if the class includes a film review, drop the class.
Great class. She is a little unclear about what she expects from the mapping projects she assigns. However, the papers are very simple and straightforward. If you show up to lecture and are a decent writer you'll do fine. The readings are also very interesting, especially if you're interested in the subject.
Very interesting class, and solid as a teacher. However, I gave her low helpfulness and clarity scores because what she teaches does not reflect the high detail of her exams. Taking one of here exams is like trying to remember a dictionary of facts for every continent in the world. Also, you must write down HER OPINION for essays. Try to avoid.
incredibly intelligent and knows so much about the topic. an interesting and fun class, but be prepared to work and to remember the readings and her facts. the exams were harder than expected and she is a tough grader, but without a doubt you will leave the class with a lot more knowledge than most GWU classes.
interesting class, but the exams are actually impossible. a very hard B class.
This is the best class I have ever taken. I absolutely reccommend it, esp. for IAFF students. It gave me a much clearer understanding of a ton of global issues than IAFF05 did. She is pretty nitpicky about the housekeeping stuff, and the tests are pretty hard, but I have learned so much it's totally been worth it! Do the reading, know statistics.
This woman loves statistics, use them religiously in exam essays. 3 very tough exams with t/f questions, essays, and map questions and a semester-long "atlas project". There's no attendance but she goes over a lot each class. Advice: Stick to her arguments and memorize stats.
Very hard class, especially for a 6-week summer class. Not much clarity before the first essay what she really needed and what format.
Very obnoxious, teaches globalization to students like we are 7 years old. Exams come at you very fast and are suprisingly difficult. memorize stats
She is a good professor. I would reccomend her class. Although she may give hard tests with good preparation you can do well. Lectures are boring and you should memorize her viewpoints. Texts are somewhat useless...you can do well in this class you just need to study ALOT
VERY interesting topic, but difficult course. Tests are detail oriented and you must STUDY. You must remember a lot of stats exactly for it. Memorize country locations too. Don't be late or talk during class, she'll call you out on it and embarrass you. I usually skimmed through the readings and studied several hours for tests, ended up with a B
Her class is very easy, but not interesting at all. its for elementary school kids. if you want an easy A, take it. you just need to memorize stuff. thats all.
Excellent professor. Incredibly knowledgeable and clearly passionate about Urban Geography. Very reasonable expectations for a "writing intensive course" (no exams, short writing assignments, minimal readings), and a pretty lenient grader. Take her class if you want to satisfy a WID or GCR requirement, or if you're a GEOG major.
She teaches an uninteresting topic, but still tries to make it interesting. If you put in a moderate amount of work, you can get a good grade, but you do have to work hard if you want an A. Other then that, Benton is really nice and I plan on taking her again for a geography elective.
Prof. Benton-Short really knows what she is talking about. Do not expect an easy A as you have to put in a lot of study time for the 3 big exams, which are all short answers/maps/region questions. I really recommend the class if you are interested and are willing to put in lots of study hours before the exam.
love this class. really interesting.. shes interesting... you can go (recommended) her classes are mandatory but since its a large class she wont know... projects are super easy and her grading is even better... long tests but very east
She is very detial oriented and grades everything extremely hard. This is not a good class to take if you want to get good grades. Even if you work/study very hard you will often still recieve C's. She is also not a very nice person.
As short tempered as her name suggests. Extremely immature in her teaching style, even threatened to "ban laptops" because she saw someone surfing the web during one of her many simplistic lectures. More questions on than time on the tests. Luckily there isn't much work and if you like a shallow briefing of the world since 1980, this is for you
She is an incredible professor who simply excels at organization and clarity. She's very clear on what she expects and despite the amount of work she assigns it is always thought-provoking and helpful. She's also very professional and returns graded work in a very timely fashion. One of my best classes ever had in GW.
Prof. Benton-Short really knows what she is talking about - she is witty and very intelligent. One of the most informative classes I have ever had. The readings, films and lectures really help you understand the geography behind human actions. Easy exams if you know LOTS OF STATS!!! I highly recommend!
This introductory class is a decent GCR choice for Elliott students. The subject matter is a good complement to that taught in the IAFF 005 class. LBS uses a straight-forward teaching method that makes a large introductory class about as interesting as possible. She is competent and a fair but stringent grader.
A good GCR class. well presented informative and i imagine useful especially for Elliott School students. The grading can be strict so study hard and go see her during office hours, before tests and projects preferably
This class is absolutely absurd. BS is a harsh grader who pays close attention to minute statistical details and is immature both professionally and in teaching style. Laptops are banned and she doesn't put full lecture slides on blackboard. I would not recommend this class and would never take another class with this professor. A lot of work.
This class was the most interesting GCR I've taken at GW. It is also the most difficult one. Everything she talks about in lecture is extremely relevant, in addition to the readings she assigns. Even though I'm only getting a B, the information I learned was kinda worth it. I wish she wasn't such a harsh grader.
Benton-short is great! She is a very good lecturer, and she flat-out tells you what she expects from you on tests and quizzes. For you students out there who are motivated and lack a quality course (especially for GCRs), I strongly recommend the course. I learned the most from this course in freshman year. Picky on stats, but you'll live.
An interesting class with interesting lectures, but that's about it. Exams are hard and you MUST study and memorize statistics. Class isn't mandatory but if you don't go you will miss all of the notes, which she doesn't post on Bb and aren't from a textbook. Long readings. I would say don't take this class but I guess it wasn't horrible.
super hard class. impossible exams. tough grader. must do all the readings. however, learned a lot. dont take it because its impossible to get a good grade in this class. but take it if you're wiling to take the risks and learn.
This class teaches you the basic ideas in human geography, ranging from maps to geopolitics. Lectures in this class are those you should primarily focus on. Readings are overwhelming, but sometimes all you need to do is to skim. Learning objectives are great guidelines for tests. Some of the topics in this class overlap with PSC 1001.
This class is hard for an intro. Make sure you go to class and take good notes. Half the exam points are essays, which she almost never gives full points for. This makes it impossible to get an A, which is so frustrating if you do well on the rest of the exam. Put in a lot of effort on the atlas project and that will help pull your final grade up.
amazing but hard
LBS is simply the best; I'm really not sure what else to say.
Benton Short is known to be a tough grader. But she is very fair. This class was my favorite the entire semester because she made it so interesting. It is a service learning class so expect to do like 30+ hours on that project. 2 projects overall +4 quizzes. Books were used in discussion, so just skim over it. Go to lectures! Otherwise your lost!
She really doesn't like men; this much was clear by the way she treated us in her class. Her grading was extremely difficult, especially for an introductory course. Don't miss class or you may never catch up, and if you go try not to fall asleep because although it is very boring, you WILL be tested on lecture material.
She didn't round me from an 89.67 and gave extra credit to everyone else.
Class was annoying. 1/3 of the material was on econ, which she seemed to know nothing about. Exams were mildly difficult, but you have to write exactly her opinion or you're out of luck.
So far my best class at GW. Her lectures are amazing but the grading is very tough. On the first exam the whole class average was a 78, and she does not curve or anything. But overall a great class. If you want an A, have to go to every lecture and study super hard before exams.
Great secures and interesting class, but a very hard grader and hard exams. Bring her drafts of your paper because she'll blame every mistake you mske on that. Good in class but very unpleasant in person
Her exams are difficult, but I learned a lot in the class. And although she's a tough grader, she tells you exactly what she expects from you before the exam so it's fair, but still hard. Also, go to her office hours or get to know your TA, she rounded up my 89.8 to an A-.
Prof. Benton-Short is a demanding instructor, and the course requires serious effort and involvement. However, I found GEOG 2140 to be one of the most inspiring classes of my academic career. Benton-Short is a brilliant lecturer, and she brings into light important problems facing modern society that everyone should learn about.
Hardest grading professor I have ever had at GW. I took her for an online class, and it was literally impossible to get an A on anything.
Good lecturer. Clearly knows and loves her subject. Easily accessible and will help you if you ask for it. Its the questions that are hard, not her grading. Very obscure. Makes you memorize specific statistics. Unrealistic time commitments. More work than all my other classes combined. Ultimately interesting, but I don't think its worth the effort
Grades incredibly hard on essay questions. Expect to read severely outdated material. Provides articles written with a heavily politically influenced hand. Do your own research when she speaks about politics or globalization and form your own opinions. If you don't go to class, she does not post lecture material on BB. I'd avoid if you can.
Benton-Short is an engaging lecturer. Intro to Sustainability is a required course for sustainability minors. Don't take this course if you've already taken Society and Environment... pretty much the same thing. Lectures are long, since they are only once a week, but interesting. She is passionate about sustainability and you will be too.
She is the worst professor I have ever had at GW. Though passionate about the topic, she is completely unreasonable when it comes to grading. If you go to her office hours, prepare yourself for some serious sass. No room for creativity, its her way or the highway.
Sass is a serious understatement. This woman grades and acts like a tyrant. I would seriously avoid unless this is the only class you plan on taking so you can devote your soul to her expectations for an INTRO class. One of the worst professors ive had at GW. The sustainability minor will fail if she continues to be its leader.
Agree. Unreasonable in terms of grading policy. She's a great professor who is obviously passionate about the subject, but disappointed in her lack of flexibility and unwillingness to listen to students. Quizzes weighted too heavily (30%) as opposed to final (20%), especially since she takes no excuses for missing quiz.
Completely unreasonable professor. For an intro level class, she expected way too much and the readings were incredibly dense. Quizzes were way too important, and she refuses to change grades. Your grade will come down to your TA. Unless you already plan on minoring in sustainability, don't take this class.
LBS, I think your assignment style is too methodical at times (I'm thinking of quizzes). That being said, you're an effective lecturer, and behind what students might see as a stern adherence to rules is a fair advocate on students' behalf, and a quirky persona. I'm happy you're here at GW.
You must attend class! She intentionally deletes information from bb slides, so if you don't go, she will not give you the info. Class is more based in sociology and not geography. Exams are difficult. Readings are severely outdated, as is some of her knowledge of current events. Engaging lectures, and well-prepared material.
I echo the sentiments of others. She is not flexible and has no compassion for students with legitimate reasons for needing extensions. The course was interesting, but it was like drinking water from a fire hose. Very reading heavy. I did not think the exams were too hard, but they do require a great deal of memorization.
This woman did not find any work worthy of a grade higher than a C. Additionally when she was asked for extra time to complete the project she declined it even though the situation was out of the control of the student and documentation was provided ahead of time as proof. She made it seem like bad something to proof.
Best professor I've had. You will always know exactly what's expected of you, and be given what you need to achieve it. GO TO CLASS, do at least some of the readings, look at the rubrics, and don't put things off; you'll be fine. She's inflexible in her expectations, but only because they're spelled out from the first day. Not unreasonable IMO.
Prof is very inconsiderate, did not respect students or fellow professors/panelists. Has a no bathroom policy (for a 2 hour class) because "its distracting" Assignments are long and require too much effort, readings are dense, grading is harsh but depends on your TA, too many quizzes, and exams are very detailed. AVOID THIS PROF/CLASS.
The workload for an introductory course was far too heavy and unnecessary for covering the topics in the class. She could easily trim this course down to make it much less work without taking away from the value of it. The quizzes aren't all that bad if you read the readings, but be prepared to spend a lot of time reading. She can be unreasonable
This woman is the sassiest professor I have ever encountered. The workload for an INTRO class is completely unreasonable and she has announced she will no longer allow laptops in this class. This will make it extremely difficult to take notes considering the speed of lectures. AVOID this class unless you want to be a sustainability minor.
The structure of the course is the problem. Much like the rest of America's public ed. system, too much information is thrown at you about a myriad of topics rather than selecting key issues and covering them deeply. Everyone knows about climate change (esp. when its '80s data). Alas, you will learn little and work a lot. Work is a bit punitive.
The class was really interesting. But she graded so harshly, and didnt really give any slack at all. We were not allowed to eat or go to the bathroom, which is really annoying for an evening/ 2 hour class. She also gave a lot of work for a 3 credit intro class.
DO NOT TAKE ANY CLASS WITH THIS WOMAN. This is one of those clear cases of 'avoid at all costs'. You have been warned.
Although I was excited at first for the panel of professors, it was soon apparent the course format was inefficient. Each professor had a totally different teaching style, making it difficult to prep for the weekly quizexams. In addition, the amount of unnecessary busy-work this class had made me feel like I was back in high school.
Lectures will put you to sleep. WAY TOO MUCH BUSY WORK. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WHATEVER YOU DO.
The sustainability class is a LOT of work, but it's not too hard. Lots of reading, quizzes almost every week. That said, it's a really interesting class. It's taught by a bunch of teachers, but Benton-Short's lectures are the clearest and most interesting. Grades the midterm and final pretty harshly, though.
Great topic, but so much busy work it's ridiculous. Had to take it for my minor, otherwise would not recommend.
She has earned a reputation as being harsh and inflexible, and admittedly the Sustainability 1001 class is a surprising amount of busy work for an intro course. However, if you are deciding whether or not to take the course, take it. The course itself is incredibly interesting and no matter your field, it is important to understand sustainability.
The worst class I've ever taken. I'm currently a junior and have had more busy work in this class than any other class I've had to take since high school. The main professor grades incredibly harshly. There is tons of reading, papers assigned almost weekly, quizzes weekly, and a ten page paper (single spaced) due at the end of the class.
When I entered this class, I was excited about sustainability. However, Professor Benton-Short changed that. She was difficult to deal with and often unreasonable. The majority of the work for the course was busy work and it was unevenly weighted. The Chesapeake Bay Project was a nightmare. She ruled the class with an iron fist and it was harmful.
Professor Benton-Short can certainly be challenging in the introductory course, but I learned much more than I would have otherwise. Having her as a sustainability minor advisor, and for the culminating experience proved that she is invested in her students and will certainly help in any way that is needed.
SUST 1001 was interesting but it had an unnecessary amount of work. I had more writing in this class than I did for my WID classes. So many extra writing assignments. Discussion section has a quiz almost every meeting and they're not very easy and count for a big part of your grade. Class requires a ton of effort and work.
The class was very interesting overall. It is taught differently that most. Benton-Short was the main professor, but there are other professors from different fields guest lecturing. There is a ton of busy work, but it isn't very difficult. Don't be overwhelmed by the reading assignments because you don't need any it, just pay attention to lecture.
Benton-Short is extremely unhelpful and this class is very poorly taught. She makes no effort to be teaching the newest available information in the field of sustainability and carries herself as if she is all-knowing on this ever growing subject. There is way too much work for an intro course and much of it is simply busy work. I do not recommend.
Lots of work (maybe too much for a lecture class) and exams are tough, but super interesting content and she really tries to incorporate all the different fields of sustainability.
This class is an intro course but ridiculously difficult for that level. Avoid if you can. Some of the material is interesting and the globalization project-report on a country is great. Tests are hard, lectures 2 hours long and the study guides for each exam are 120 questions or so. The questions are confusing and you don't know what to expect.
The reason I suggest avoiding her at all cost is she goes tough on students yet she really needs some study herself. She mixed up the order of Warsaw Pact and Marshall Plan, used outdated data and readings that are inaccurate, if not outright biased. Crippling attribute for a professor who teaches intro and tries to include lot of different fields.
This was one of the worst classes I've ever taken in my whole life. No laptops allowed in a two hour lecture where she gets angry if anyone tries to go to the bathroom. I didn't learn much in this class. The readings weren't necessary. The project is graded unfairly. The TAs were awful. Don't take this class if you have no interest in minoring.
I took her geog 1001 online, and i'm quite I'm glad i opted for the 6 weeks summer format and not full term. Her online lectures are LONG and there are MANY. And her tests are hard in the sense that you really dont have much time for HOW long they are; lots of essays. If you dont read EVERYTHING and listen to every lecture you wont do well...
You will be tested on things you haven't learned. Does not want her students to do well. Class is taught by 7+ professors. It is unorganized, unprofessional, and the reason this whole program gets a bad rap.
I chose to minor in sustainability so taking SUST 1001 was required. Her lectures are informative, build off the weekly readings and in general are interesting to a minor or non-minor. She lets students use laptops as of fall 2016. She's accessible and helpful outside of class. iClickers track attendence so show up!
Probably the worst professor at the university. A quiz every week which is supposed to be based on the readings, but rarely ever is. She is absolutely useless to talk to and rude at times. Midterm and Final are ridiculous and there are literally 7 people teaching the course with her. DO NOT take this class as it is too difficult for an intro class.
The most demanding course I've taken. MAKE SURE TO DO THE EDITS ON YOUR ROUGH DRAFT! Go to office hours to refine the scope of your papers to how she wants it. She looks for very specific things, so make sure they're all there by the final draft and you will do fine. Participation absolutely necessary (self-graded). Get on her good side quickly.
She's okay. Not brilliant, not the worst. However, I felt like her grading criteria was a little vague and what she demanded was pretty specific, yet she never told us what those specifics were. I took the SUST class for the requirements and the material was interesting, I guess.
just don't take any of her classes. if she is not in the mood, she can be rude for no reason.. office hours are disorganised... I would recommend you to go and talk to her the first day, she needs to recognise you even though is a large lecture.
I loved this class! If you took APES in high school, it will be a breeze content-wise, and if you're interested in the environment, it's a chance to learn more from cool professors. The team-taught style is cool and works for this class. Benton-Short is nice and a fair grader. Just do the work (especially Chesapeake Bay) and don't miss discussion.
This course actually turned me off of sustainability. Though I care deeply about the subject matter, the method in which LBS delivered it and the way in which she interacted with students was extremely disappointing. You must go to lecture and discussion (though the latter is pointless), and most of the class is busy work.
Benton-Short compensates for her inability to deliver engaging or insightful lectures by creating hyper specific test questions based on figures from random bullet points. She grades based on how well students are able to overcome her bureaucratic hurdles, not the quality of the work and expects students to parrot back her unoriginal ideas.
Worst professor in the geography department by a massive margin. I've had been unfortunate position of having to take three different classes with her.(She teaches classes which fulfill requirements and are usually empty) LBS brings the worst parts of high school to life in boring, busy work heavy, and substance less classes. Spare your sanity.
She makes saving the planet seem boring. Attendance at every lecture is mandatory and verified through a series of clicker quizzes. If your clicker malfunctions, she'll mark you absent even if you talk to her. This is just one example of the many ways that she's needlessly arbitrary and rude to students
Don't buy the textbook, you don't need it because LBS regurgitates the entire thing for you. Her lectures are long and boring, & compensates for her poor teaching style by requiring attendance and writing obscure and random test questions that aren't relevant to the course. She's just an extremely unpleasant person to be around, overall.
This is the second class I have had the misfortune of taking with this professor. Lisa Benton-Short attempts the "tough, but respected" status but instead is just rude and petty. She reads of her slides and makes test harder by making basic memorization the cornerstone of this class. The only teacher I have had zero respect for at GW.
Best professor at GW. Hands down.
Lisa Benton-Short is the greatest counter-example to the idea of meritocracy I have yet encountered in my life. Her attempts at playing toughnosed professor are laughably see through, and while needlessly rude and shockingly uninformed, at the very least a I learned from her the value of networking. Class content was also utterly banal.
Attending lecture is extremely important as most of the test questions come directly from them. But she will also post them online so you can listen to them before the tests. Reading the textbook is not important for the course if you attend every lecture. Attendance in mandatory but not heavily weighted. Very engaging class.
I found her lectures to be incredibly well organized + very interesting. She definitely cares about her students learning, but not lenient on extra cred. will give points back on tests in office hours. 3 exams, 25% of grade EACH (second exam is very specific + difficult) do the final project throughout the semester so it doesn't catch up to u
Be there for attendance - you fill out attendance sheets that end up being questions on the test. Class is super straightforward and she uploads the lecture notes at the end of each unit. She's always happy to answer your questions during office hours!
GEOG 1001 with LBS is the way to go as soon as you can. Definitely a great class that is applicable to every other social science subject you'll be taking alongside this. Lectures are mandatory but she puts slides online and her tests reflect them almost entirely. Really great prof for the high school to college transition. Would recommend!!
Professor Benton-Short's class was the most pointless class I've ever taken. She makes her lectures mandatory but spends the whole class explaining a single basic concept over and over again. Her tests are long and graded awfully- knowing all the material doesn't guarantee you a good grade, she will take points off whenever and wherever she can.
Every single detail that she mentions in class could be a question on the test so it's important to show up (it's mandatory anyway) and take comprehensive notes. If you do miss class she posts lectures online. Her tests always have a few very specific questions on them so don't expect an 100. Global Project is time consuming and graded harshly.
Hardest teacher for an INTRO course- do NOT take thought I learned a lot of this course and genuinely enjoyed the material- she made the tests unnecessarily difficult with many opportunities to LOSE points as her tests were SO insanely specific. A shame because I actually did enjoy class material and studied very hard.
An easy class that covered interesting material, however, this professor is openly disrespectful and hostile to students. It's a little shocking. Her grading is often inaccurate, so check to make sure that it is corrected, and save email correspondence with her, she may send you some surprisingly rude emails.
Hands down the most disrespectful, rude, incompetent, and openly hostile person I have ever met in my life. Her quizzes are based on memorizing obscure "facts" and "definitions" from her lectures that are often inconsistent with reality and based on her shockingly naive perception of the world. She does not deserve to be a professor.
Hands down the worst professor ever. Avoid at all costs if you have to take this class for a requirement. If you're taking her class voluntarily you must be a masochist. She teaches material that can be found on the first paragraph of a wikipedia article and structures assignments so that you lose points on technicalities and minutia.
Not the best professor but class is easy enough if you pay attention. The exams (3) literally cover EVERYTHING but are not cumulative so that's a big win. Attendance is mainly mandatory as she hands out attendance sheets and in-class assignments. Big global change project is research-heavy but not awful.
Professor really isn't that bad at all. She's just not fantastic, but she'll still teach you something. The material itself is basic but really interesting. Her lectures are pretty straight forward. The exams are super specific but not impossible as long as you do the readings, which also aren't that bad. Project is easy. Class is doable.
Is knowledgeable about the subject. Is often rude in email correspondence and will make you go to office hours to answer simple question. Test definitions are literally based word for word on her slides and a single incorrect word causes her to grade the whole question wrong. Informative but not worth the intro credit and suffering by this course.
Honestly the worst professor I could ever take. It was a traumatic experience as a freshman. She is so disrespectful and a really tough grader. She forms the exams in a way that she can easily cut points, even because you didn't write a word that was in her ppt. I don't know why that kind of people continue to teach in universities. GOOD LUCK!!!
Benton Short's classroom can be a lot for freshmen, but as a senior who took her class, I say confidently that her difficulty and demeanor is about on par for most GW classes this size. She cares about details, but pay close attention to her lectures and you'll be fine. Don't be scared if she's blunt in an email; one on one she's a kind individual
I loved Professor Benton-Short. So understanding, so helpful, and really willing to work with you for you to perform your best. Managed to make a subject that I had absolutely no interest in bearable. Take her if you can.
Solid choice for intro human geog -- this was entirely asynchronous over the summer but she is very helpful over email despite being blunt. Tests are difficult and you're not going to ace all of them, but if you put in the work you'll do well overall. She's a whiz -- would recommend
I personally enjoyed the class, the Geojournals and assignments weren't too difficult but the tests and the professor herself was the problem. Forced us to take our midterm the Friday of election week even though everyone begged her not to, we all got lower grades. Tests are graded way too hard and can ruin your grade easily. Study for the tests!!!
All in all, the content was very basic and the professor reflected that. Less than half of your grade is tests (45%) and they are noncumulative. However, the tests can be nitpicky and overly specific. Class is easy, professor is definitely interesting.
This professor makes an easy class filled with easy material more difficult than it should with the exams. My main criticism is that she doesn't round up. I scored a 92.93 in the class and she gave me an A- and her argument is that you don't round with GPA- a dumb argument to make imo. She is nice and understanding however.
Very basic and easy class, but also pretty boring. The 3 exams are non-cumulative. The readings are important and she & TAs will basically point out in class what the exam questions will be. There are 6-mini papers where she basically walks you through them, the lowest one is dropped. Also there's extra credit on the exams and mini-papers.
I had Intro to Human Geo online this semester but it was the easiest thing ever. I currently have a solid A in the class and literally stopped attending class midway through the semester. Tests are VERY SPECIFIC, she did use respondus, basically, just make a study guide, and include literally every single detail. Tests are mostly free responses.
Don't bother buying the textbook, the readings are entirely supplemental. Prof Benton-Short has a fairly rigorous attendance policy, so prepare not to skip. Lectures are long winded, but the class is not hard.
Amazing Professor. All tests are online so not too difficult. Engaging and fun lectures. Not too much work and there is a textbook but its needed really.
This is honestly a pretty easy class if you are familiar with current events and keep up with the news. My only complaint would be that it tries to be both an economics and sociology class and it fails on both accounts. The professor really isn't bad and the material is all kind of introductory and basic.
Graded on quite a few things pretty fairly, so if you mess one thing up you're not doomed. But HW is due at 11pm saturdays. Attendance is mandatory, but great lectures and a lot of Friday classes were asynchronous which was great. You're told to buy a textbook but I opened it maybe once and am doing fine, rest of the readings provided.
The class is easy, but assignments are a pain and they often take more effort than the lecture would have. As long as you write down what the slides say you don't need to pay attention or read. Tests ask about the assignments though. Attendance policy is strict and didn't give me an excused absence for a medical emergency (with a doctor's note).
Professor Benton-Short is very knowledgeable in what she does and it makes for interesting lectures that arent verbatim off the slides. She gives biweekly assignments that are really easy if you pay attention and read the readings. Most Fridays were asynchronous and she doesn't stray far from assignment/lecture material in the questions on the exam
This class is almost entirely common sense. Lots of grades and feedback given on each, so it is hard not to pass. Just make sure on the assignments you are writing word for word what was said in lecture. Skipped because it was so mindless & that affected my grade more than any of the actual assignments.
Professor Short has great lecture material, but can get boring. Her homework and exams are graded very closely by her TAs, but the expectations are clear from the start. Student-led review sessions by the TAs were most helpful before tests. Got a B+ instead of an A- because "GW doesn't round your GPA, so I won't round your grades." Which... fair.
Taking GEOG 1001 s a sophomore who's already taken other intro classes was pretty boring, the material is repetitive if you've taken IAFF 1005 especially. Assignments are tedious and graded fairly harshly, and attendance is strict. Professor Benton Short seems to have done a lot of interesting research but does not talk about it in this class.
Not a fan of Professor Benton-Short. Outdated lectures and statistics and too surface level on some complicated and sensitive subjects. Pretty easy class if you put in the work but not fun to take.
Prof. Benton Short was okay. The assignments were tedious and not fun to do but overall the class isn't too hard if you put in effort. The lectures often got a little boring because of how long they were but having different professors each week was interesting. If the class was shorter it would be more enjoyable. Tests are take home which is nice.
This class was ok. Exams are a tricky but if you have good study guides you'll do fine. There's a lot of reading and they matter for exams. The post cards are annoying because you have to go beyond the criteria to get a good grade. Field trips were kind of tedious. She can be passive aggressive but other days she'll be nice so it's a toss up.
I loved this class and Prof! Assignments are tedious, but if you put in the work you'll be fine. Class is taught by multiple profs which is cool! Benton-Short is a great lecturer and she helps you understand the concepts. Super accommodating. Class has a textbook, but since she's the author, she posted all of the chapters so you don't have to pay!!
Prof. Benton-Short overcomplicates this course. You just cannot get 100. I got a 93 on a "very well done" case study due to excluding a graph, which was not included in the example piece. For postcards, you have to add footnotes to a presentation slide (so unnecessary), which can be done with exponents. Assignments are easy otherwise, tests online
I'm sure Lisa Benton-Short is a fine person, but I think she actually hates students. Idk why she would become a professor if she doesn't respect her students. The lectures were long and boring, the assignments were just busy work. This class could be so interesting, but it was not. I wish I knew she was retiring so I could take it after she left.
Unique class structure with multiple instructors, either made class more interesting or less. There is only a midterm, final, and 4 assignments (you have to do well on everything to get an A). I did very well on each assignment, and fairly well on both tests, but the final grade is not rounded up... no matter how close you are. My TA was great!
Professor Benton-Short's lectures are engaging, though can be dry at times. Homework and exams are graded strictly, but expectations are clear. unstuckstudy and review sessions were helpful for preparing. Overall, a solid class if you stay on top of the work.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
89%
Textbook Required
47%
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