Semmes, Stratton  

Stratton tells you what she expects, but really does not explain how to go about doing it. She is a hard-ass grader and will give you a low score just to motivate you to do better - not what you might actually deserve. It seems like she does not really want to teach this course; it met from 8am-12pm but usualy only went to about 9:30. If you have to take this course with Stratton (and I hope you don't) it would be much easier if you have had some other LA or CRP design courses and already know InDesign and Photoshop so you won't get overwhelmed with all the reports she'll make you turn in. The only good thing about this class is that she let us turn in anything again for a better grade. As far as the homework load goes, you will prepare an 11x17 report on hydrology, biotic systems, etc, about every week and a half. You have to work in a group, which means you are either doing nothing or doing nearly everything, unless you are a good communicator and can collaborate and help motivate the project. As far as grading policies go, I'm not sure she has a policy. Like I said above, she will give you a super low score just to prove a point. Instead of making it clear what you need to do the first time, she will give you a 60 and then say to do it over. If you don't need this class, don't take it. And avoid Stratton at all costs!

LA 213 is an interesting course. Understanding how to prepare and implement the methods for site analysis is a required tool for any future professional landscape architect or planner. Stratton did an excellent job in identifying how to conduct and report environmental conditions, and gave students the chance to correct, and even improve, their projects until the end of the quarter. The review below actually identifies that, as if it is a negative aspect - yet they felt it was not to their advantage. If anything, Stratton was there to make sure students that went to class to learn something actually got something from the course. She even emphasized the importance of good graphic design, and gave students a chance to work on their InDesign skills. Students that didn't go, didn't try, or didn't study got docked for a reason. This is college, after all.