INTL DV 191
Variable Topics Research Seminars: International Development Studies -- Senior Seminar
Description: Seminar, three hours. Requisites: courses 110, M120, 130. Limited to senior International Development Studies majors. Organized on topics basis with readings, discussions, papers. May not be repeated for credit. Letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2018 - Do not take this class with Posner. You may be tempted to because of IDS 120, which he teaches very effectively. However, you will be severely disappointed with IDS 191. The subject matter may sound interesting, but it is far from it. You will have an average of 150 pages of reading a week from difficult sources. These include 30+ page studies from economics journals. You will then have to show up to a 3 hour class (only once a week) to talk about these boring readings. Posner is a really nice professor and he cares about his students, but the subject material will make the midterm and final take home essays difficult. The prompts are not straight forward or easy, they are more like puzzles you have to figure out. It would help if the subject matter was more interesting than it seemed, but as a senior, you will not enjoy this class.
Spring 2018 - Do not take this class with Posner. You may be tempted to because of IDS 120, which he teaches very effectively. However, you will be severely disappointed with IDS 191. The subject matter may sound interesting, but it is far from it. You will have an average of 150 pages of reading a week from difficult sources. These include 30+ page studies from economics journals. You will then have to show up to a 3 hour class (only once a week) to talk about these boring readings. Posner is a really nice professor and he cares about his students, but the subject material will make the midterm and final take home essays difficult. The prompts are not straight forward or easy, they are more like puzzles you have to figure out. It would help if the subject matter was more interesting than it seemed, but as a senior, you will not enjoy this class.
Most Helpful Review
To be fair, I was deeply interested in taking this course, so it was never interested because I was passionate; and this we should keep in mind when viewing evaluations. Hence I rated it as a 5. Objectively, he told you what you needed to do to get an A and didn't write tests with the aim to deceive as a few teachers I've had do. Assigned Text: The reading load was light, the book he assigned (Weatherbee, Donald E., “International Relations in Southeast Asia: The Struggle for Autonomy”, 2005) was not obscure, it was well written, provided a great overview, and was well organized. Being outdated was not an obstacle. The way the book was arranged it's quite easy to google sections and bring yourse;f up-to-date. Lectures: It was a seminar class. Dr. Kantathi tries his very best to engage all members in the class in a light hearted and patient way. He never put students on the stop to embarrass them and when students answered a question wrong he never said you had an incorrect answer, instead he paused and let you reflect on the silence while he reworded the question another way, trying to steer you to the right answer without giving it away. He was keenly aware of the cognitive process, which makes perfect sense since he is a diplomat/ex-Foreign Minister of Thailand. Personality: He was always punctual, has a great sense of humor, and you'd be ill advised to not take this class. Even if it's not required lol. You will learn a lot. He brings experience and stories from his career and life that you won't get from a book or be able to find in a book. Some other professors seem to avoid speaking of their professional experiences and you can elaborate why, not so with Dr. Kantathi. Grading & Exams: Mid-term, final, and class participation. Tests were predictable. He constantly reminds so as you read the book what information you should be reading for. You're never studying blindly. I hope this helps folks. Great class about Diplomacy and foreign relations of Thailand.
To be fair, I was deeply interested in taking this course, so it was never interested because I was passionate; and this we should keep in mind when viewing evaluations. Hence I rated it as a 5. Objectively, he told you what you needed to do to get an A and didn't write tests with the aim to deceive as a few teachers I've had do. Assigned Text: The reading load was light, the book he assigned (Weatherbee, Donald E., “International Relations in Southeast Asia: The Struggle for Autonomy”, 2005) was not obscure, it was well written, provided a great overview, and was well organized. Being outdated was not an obstacle. The way the book was arranged it's quite easy to google sections and bring yourse;f up-to-date. Lectures: It was a seminar class. Dr. Kantathi tries his very best to engage all members in the class in a light hearted and patient way. He never put students on the stop to embarrass them and when students answered a question wrong he never said you had an incorrect answer, instead he paused and let you reflect on the silence while he reworded the question another way, trying to steer you to the right answer without giving it away. He was keenly aware of the cognitive process, which makes perfect sense since he is a diplomat/ex-Foreign Minister of Thailand. Personality: He was always punctual, has a great sense of humor, and you'd be ill advised to not take this class. Even if it's not required lol. You will learn a lot. He brings experience and stories from his career and life that you won't get from a book or be able to find in a book. Some other professors seem to avoid speaking of their professional experiences and you can elaborate why, not so with Dr. Kantathi. Grading & Exams: Mid-term, final, and class participation. Tests were predictable. He constantly reminds so as you read the book what information you should be reading for. You're never studying blindly. I hope this helps folks. Great class about Diplomacy and foreign relations of Thailand.
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