POL SCI 10
Introduction to Political Theory
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Exposition and analysis of selected political theorists and concepts from Plato to the present. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2023 - branstetter is the hardest professor to get, and that just says everything about him. political theory is hard to understand, but branstetter breaks it down in such a way that it feels like you are having such a fun conversation with him. he is so passionate about the readings, and the way he teaches makes you want to be so passionate about them as well. his class was only 2 papers, and they are fun prompts, too. i will say they feel fairly long (4-5 pages SINGLE SPACED), and because it is theory, it can be hard to get the ball rolling. once you do though, you just gotta yap over and over (hence it feeling a bit long). THE BEST PART: you get 100% on both as long as you show you really put thought in the papers. because the prompts are fun, you actually enjoy writing them a bit, so it is nearly impossible to NOT get an A. the point of this, as branstetter puts it, is that grades weigh down on us and so we often worry about writing what the grader wants to hear and not what we really think. so by removing the looming threat of a grade, we get our true thoughts out unrestrictred. it's the best philosophy ever for a prof to have. luv him, wish his classes would stop filling up so fast so i could have a chance to take him every quarter fr.
Fall 2023 - branstetter is the hardest professor to get, and that just says everything about him. political theory is hard to understand, but branstetter breaks it down in such a way that it feels like you are having such a fun conversation with him. he is so passionate about the readings, and the way he teaches makes you want to be so passionate about them as well. his class was only 2 papers, and they are fun prompts, too. i will say they feel fairly long (4-5 pages SINGLE SPACED), and because it is theory, it can be hard to get the ball rolling. once you do though, you just gotta yap over and over (hence it feeling a bit long). THE BEST PART: you get 100% on both as long as you show you really put thought in the papers. because the prompts are fun, you actually enjoy writing them a bit, so it is nearly impossible to NOT get an A. the point of this, as branstetter puts it, is that grades weigh down on us and so we often worry about writing what the grader wants to hear and not what we really think. so by removing the looming threat of a grade, we get our true thoughts out unrestrictred. it's the best philosophy ever for a prof to have. luv him, wish his classes would stop filling up so fast so i could have a chance to take him every quarter fr.
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2022 - The professor was okay, to be honest. Not the best professor and not the worst, I found the lectures and readings to be really boring. I found it easy to pass the class not by watching lectures but by watching youtube videos breaking down the readings and main concepts, with that I was able to get Bs or As on the weekly 500 word papers. I also want to give a shoutout to Naomi Ellis who was my TA as she was amazing and honestly one of the main reasons I even passed, she was very lenient grading, always open to asking questions about any subjects, and not super strict on tardiness or having to switch discussion times for the day. But the class and discussion did require you to have the physical copies of the books which can be pretty pricey, I got away using online formats in the discussion, but I can't speak for everyone. I found it ridiculous how for the final paper, the professor upped the word requirement from 500 to 2500 with no warning, it was hard writing 500 words already. But if you don't mind reading about philosophy from old white men, go for it.
Winter 2022 - The professor was okay, to be honest. Not the best professor and not the worst, I found the lectures and readings to be really boring. I found it easy to pass the class not by watching lectures but by watching youtube videos breaking down the readings and main concepts, with that I was able to get Bs or As on the weekly 500 word papers. I also want to give a shoutout to Naomi Ellis who was my TA as she was amazing and honestly one of the main reasons I even passed, she was very lenient grading, always open to asking questions about any subjects, and not super strict on tardiness or having to switch discussion times for the day. But the class and discussion did require you to have the physical copies of the books which can be pretty pricey, I got away using online formats in the discussion, but I can't speak for everyone. I found it ridiculous how for the final paper, the professor upped the word requirement from 500 to 2500 with no warning, it was hard writing 500 words already. But if you don't mind reading about philosophy from old white men, go for it.
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