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Cynthia Lebow
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Based on 73 Users
I am not impressed with Professor Lebow. It is tough to make a course on the Supreme Court uninteresting or meaningless to me but she does so with ease and arrogance. A student could learn everything in the course simply by reading the textbook, an extensive and detailed chronicle of the Court and its history, but she recounts the material in monotonous recitation.
Yeah she does demolish GPAs, but in my case she deducted my grade for her own complacency and error: a typo in the midterm directions she neglected to properly correct. Wow - hm a professor that feels content unreasonably penalizing a student - who would have otherwise received an A - for her own mistake, while simultaneously stressing attention to detail in exams. Don't take this class unless you would like to listen to an idiotic lady drone on about high school level material in robotic fashion.
Definitely one of the toughest classes I have taken in my entire life. We had two giant readers for the quarter; by the end we have had read at least 900 pages. As said below, this is not a Poli Sci class, everything discussed in class is law and court case- related. Not very impressed by Professor Lebow, although she does know a lot regarding each case. If you are planning to attend law school, and you like challenges, the take her. Otherwise, I would not recommend taking a class with her. The class consists of one in- class midterm, and a take-home essay.
Professor Lebow is by far the best professor I have ever taken. Her class is tough, work intensive, but ultimately rewarding. She is almost always accessible for office hours and genuinely cares about the success of her students. Attending class is however a must. Not because she takes attendance, but because missing a lecture is extremely detrimental to your success.
With regards to the people who wrote poor reviews, they most likely didn't show up to class and as a result did very poorly. This class is extremely well structured with every lecture building upon itself. Do not take this class with the expectation of an easy A. However, if you do the work (expect 100-200 pages of dense reading per week), show up to class on time, and actively participate, achieving an A is doable.
Lastly, Professor Lebow’s class is a breath of fresh air from the typical liberally biased political science classes at UCLA. She does her best to leave her personal opinions out of the class room. To an independent, like myself, who is still formulating his own political opinion I greatly appreciate that in a class room.
Community College students:
This was the perfect class to take for me. It was a lot of work, difficult, and at times frustrating. However, it improved my study methods, my reading comprehension, my writing abilities, and my time management skills. I received a B in her PS 140C, an A- in her, and in the last two courses available to me I earned two As. This class will prepare you for any class at UCLA. If you can learn to read a Supreme Court case and understand the subtle nuances detailed in the Justices’ opinions, you will be able to read anything for any class.
I highly encourage anyone planning on going to Law School to take this class.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS unless you like spending $200, being overwhelmed by readings, and wasting 4 hrs/wk of your life. Lebow is a nice lady, but she does not make students feel welcome in seeking help. In one instance, she moved the day of our class and—since a lot of students couldn’t therefore attend—as a result, many students went to her office hours for help. The following class, she yelled at the students because she didn’t “have the time.” She asked for students to get the notes from their group partners, but no one in my group was able to attend the class. In addition, Lebow is biased to the point of blindness. I felt as though she was trying to indoctrinate the class, rather than actually educate her students. One student brought it up in office hours—that she was very biased—and her response was that ‘that is how [she] teaches and only addresses another side if it is raised by a student.’ Even her readings were blatantly biased. I felt very uncomfortable raising my hand in class in fear that my views would conflict with her personal beliefs that she constantly promoted in class. Personally, I didn’t put myself through thousands of dollars of debt to be indoctrinated; I could have gone to a church for that. As an educator, she was supposed to educate us rather than preach to us. She should have given us the pro/cons (better yet, she could have asked students for the pros/cons) of the different judicial ideologies and let students use their own brains to figure out what is best. The readings are beyond unnecessary and excessive, almost compensating for her lack of actual teaching. I would rather have a professor who just lectured off of the slides than listen to professor Lebow talk for two hours. It would have been more productive for us to have 1.25 hours of lecture twice a week & and actual 50 minute discussion class. The discussion would have been more beneficial for students and would give us the ability to actually speak and discuss the material. Most weeks, we had between 300-400 pages of reading. Many of the assigned materials were redundant. For example, we had to read the entire oral argument for Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstadt AND read a summary of it by Lyle Denison. If I was going to read the entire oral argument for this case, why would it be necessary to read the summary of it too. It seems as though Lebow did not take care in choosing the assigned materials we were required to read—as if she took articles and threw them into the course reader without giving a thought to what was actually important for us to read. Most of the readings were completely unnecessary and did not add any clarification or additional information in regards to the subject. For example, the Bush v. Al Gore reading did not provide me with any important infor and barely discussed the USSC at all. We were required to purchase 3 books, totaling over $200 (and I looked everywhere—ebay, thriftbooks, halfbooks, etc.—to find cheaper versions but were unavailable). It was completely superfluous. She did not explain what she wanted in terms of the midterm, so I spent 15 hours studying 1,000 pages of text for no reason rather, than just studying the court cases. She should have given students a better idea rather than them going in blindly. I shouldn’t have had to go in to office hours just to be told what to expect. Only the people who constantly went to office hours got an A. During the second half of the class, the professor forgot to put up the handouts we were required to read for weeks, putting each student even more behind than he/she was already likely to be. I only missed 2 classes, so it wasn’t for lack of attendance. I love constitutional law so this should have been the class I loved the most... But I hated it because of the lack of actual teaching.
Rude, unhelpful professor. Her classes are dreadful. The material was extremely interesting, but she truly is a bad professor. Harsh grading, a midterm in which you had to know EVERYTHING and had to write 10 essays in 2 hours (like, for real???). I am a good student but GOODNESS THIS CLASS WAS HARD. Also, she makes preferences, so be prepared to go to every OH and be THAT type of student that would do anything to get in her graces.
There is so much reading. I read the reviews before taking Lebow thinking that people just like to complain but I am telling you, as a Political Science major, you HAVE to do the reading. She assigns a course reader, a big casebook and a smaller book. These books are incredibly useful and explain court cases, judge opinions etc in a very helpful way. Lebow goes pretty fast and expects that you have done the reading prior to coming to class. She didn't let us use computers so writing everything down without reading prior was a struggle. I know a lot of students went to her office hours and liked her but I personally felt she was unapproachable. All this aside this class is incredibly valuable and Lebow knows her stuff. She likes to focus on Supreme Court judges because that's where her experience is. Also in class DO NOT ask a question unless it is on the material she is currently covering, there is too much to get through and she (and everyone else) will resent you.
I rarely write Bruinwalk reviews, but I feel compelled to advise potential students on 145B. Professor Lebow is one of the best professors I've had for political science. She's witty, organized, at times funny, very accessible, and best of all, has an in-depth knowledge of ConLaw and is great at explaining concepts. I was really impressed with her willingness to meet with students outside of class; she set up a couple "ConLaw in the Park" sessions in which she invited students to discuss various ConLaw issues they were curious or excited about in the Sculpture Garden (cheetos encouraged!).
With this class, however, comes an overwhelming amount of reading. Two large books, a course reader and a textbook, along with two other small books, are all required reading. Your grade in this class is EARNED. Some of the readings are easier, like small speeches or interesting chapters from Justice Breyer's book, but most are dense and difficult to get through. If you don't stay on top of readings, be prepared to fall behind quickly.
Overall, I would cautiously recommend this class to any polisci major. It's not easy, but it's thought-provoking, and one of the few classes I've taken thus far at UCLA in which I felt like I was taking in knowledge I'll retain for a long while.
If you're Pre-Law, I cannot recommend this class highly enough-- skip it and risk missing out on one of the most valuable classes of your college career.
Honestly, I see some really bad reviews of Professor Lebow on here. So I want to start with saying, this is definitely a hard class, probably one of the hardest I have ever taken. There is a ton of reading, and the midterm is memorizing astronomical amounts of (important) information and answering 10 short answer (more like essay) questions in a very short amount of time. Your hand will hurt.
I personally loved this class and feel a lot smarter for taking it. I went into office hours, I stayed engaged in class, and I read everything there is to read. If you work hard, you'll do well. If you show her you care and are interested, you will do well. She's a really nice professor, just go into office hours and talk to her, she will give you advice and make the material a lot easier to grasp.
This class isn't for someone who wants an easy A, or even an easy B though. So if you're looking for that, don't take it. But if you want to come out of a class feeling like the crazy amount of money you are paying to go to college here is worth it, then take her class.
Professor Lebow often gets reviews where students complain about her toughness, and even believe her to be mean at times. Without a doubt, Prof. Lebow is tough, but she is the best professor I've had at UCLA so far. Her lectures are incredibly engaging, and really make you question constitutional law and how it has been applied throughout the U.S's history. She's honest, incredibly smart, inspirational (she became a lawyer in a time when women weren't very accepted in the field), and very helpful. Oftentimes, her straightforwardness can come across as mean, but I found it to be incredibly refreshing. She's open to having political discussions with her students, and throws in the occasional joke during lecture. I will be taking another class with her in the fall and I'm looking forward to it very much.
Most interesting and challenging class I’ve ever had. There is A TON of material: 3 novels, a large textbook, and two 300 page course readers. Scoring is based off a midterm, pop quiz, and two final papers. The midterm is 10 short answer questions where you regurgitate facts provided in her very dull lectures. To understand her lectures you have to do the readings. Her final grade is based off whether you go to her office hours and participate in class.
There is a lot of shit, and she is a very tough teacher, but if you are seriously considering law school, the class is very rewarding. Go to her office hours, she is really understanding. This class is basically how you respond to tough love.
Peace n blessins
I am not impressed with Professor Lebow. It is tough to make a course on the Supreme Court uninteresting or meaningless to me but she does so with ease and arrogance. A student could learn everything in the course simply by reading the textbook, an extensive and detailed chronicle of the Court and its history, but she recounts the material in monotonous recitation.
Yeah she does demolish GPAs, but in my case she deducted my grade for her own complacency and error: a typo in the midterm directions she neglected to properly correct. Wow - hm a professor that feels content unreasonably penalizing a student - who would have otherwise received an A - for her own mistake, while simultaneously stressing attention to detail in exams. Don't take this class unless you would like to listen to an idiotic lady drone on about high school level material in robotic fashion.
Definitely one of the toughest classes I have taken in my entire life. We had two giant readers for the quarter; by the end we have had read at least 900 pages. As said below, this is not a Poli Sci class, everything discussed in class is law and court case- related. Not very impressed by Professor Lebow, although she does know a lot regarding each case. If you are planning to attend law school, and you like challenges, the take her. Otherwise, I would not recommend taking a class with her. The class consists of one in- class midterm, and a take-home essay.
Professor Lebow is by far the best professor I have ever taken. Her class is tough, work intensive, but ultimately rewarding. She is almost always accessible for office hours and genuinely cares about the success of her students. Attending class is however a must. Not because she takes attendance, but because missing a lecture is extremely detrimental to your success.
With regards to the people who wrote poor reviews, they most likely didn't show up to class and as a result did very poorly. This class is extremely well structured with every lecture building upon itself. Do not take this class with the expectation of an easy A. However, if you do the work (expect 100-200 pages of dense reading per week), show up to class on time, and actively participate, achieving an A is doable.
Lastly, Professor Lebow’s class is a breath of fresh air from the typical liberally biased political science classes at UCLA. She does her best to leave her personal opinions out of the class room. To an independent, like myself, who is still formulating his own political opinion I greatly appreciate that in a class room.
Community College students:
This was the perfect class to take for me. It was a lot of work, difficult, and at times frustrating. However, it improved my study methods, my reading comprehension, my writing abilities, and my time management skills. I received a B in her PS 140C, an A- in her, and in the last two courses available to me I earned two As. This class will prepare you for any class at UCLA. If you can learn to read a Supreme Court case and understand the subtle nuances detailed in the Justices’ opinions, you will be able to read anything for any class.
I highly encourage anyone planning on going to Law School to take this class.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS unless you like spending $200, being overwhelmed by readings, and wasting 4 hrs/wk of your life. Lebow is a nice lady, but she does not make students feel welcome in seeking help. In one instance, she moved the day of our class and—since a lot of students couldn’t therefore attend—as a result, many students went to her office hours for help. The following class, she yelled at the students because she didn’t “have the time.” She asked for students to get the notes from their group partners, but no one in my group was able to attend the class. In addition, Lebow is biased to the point of blindness. I felt as though she was trying to indoctrinate the class, rather than actually educate her students. One student brought it up in office hours—that she was very biased—and her response was that ‘that is how [she] teaches and only addresses another side if it is raised by a student.’ Even her readings were blatantly biased. I felt very uncomfortable raising my hand in class in fear that my views would conflict with her personal beliefs that she constantly promoted in class. Personally, I didn’t put myself through thousands of dollars of debt to be indoctrinated; I could have gone to a church for that. As an educator, she was supposed to educate us rather than preach to us. She should have given us the pro/cons (better yet, she could have asked students for the pros/cons) of the different judicial ideologies and let students use their own brains to figure out what is best. The readings are beyond unnecessary and excessive, almost compensating for her lack of actual teaching. I would rather have a professor who just lectured off of the slides than listen to professor Lebow talk for two hours. It would have been more productive for us to have 1.25 hours of lecture twice a week & and actual 50 minute discussion class. The discussion would have been more beneficial for students and would give us the ability to actually speak and discuss the material. Most weeks, we had between 300-400 pages of reading. Many of the assigned materials were redundant. For example, we had to read the entire oral argument for Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstadt AND read a summary of it by Lyle Denison. If I was going to read the entire oral argument for this case, why would it be necessary to read the summary of it too. It seems as though Lebow did not take care in choosing the assigned materials we were required to read—as if she took articles and threw them into the course reader without giving a thought to what was actually important for us to read. Most of the readings were completely unnecessary and did not add any clarification or additional information in regards to the subject. For example, the Bush v. Al Gore reading did not provide me with any important infor and barely discussed the USSC at all. We were required to purchase 3 books, totaling over $200 (and I looked everywhere—ebay, thriftbooks, halfbooks, etc.—to find cheaper versions but were unavailable). It was completely superfluous. She did not explain what she wanted in terms of the midterm, so I spent 15 hours studying 1,000 pages of text for no reason rather, than just studying the court cases. She should have given students a better idea rather than them going in blindly. I shouldn’t have had to go in to office hours just to be told what to expect. Only the people who constantly went to office hours got an A. During the second half of the class, the professor forgot to put up the handouts we were required to read for weeks, putting each student even more behind than he/she was already likely to be. I only missed 2 classes, so it wasn’t for lack of attendance. I love constitutional law so this should have been the class I loved the most... But I hated it because of the lack of actual teaching.
Rude, unhelpful professor. Her classes are dreadful. The material was extremely interesting, but she truly is a bad professor. Harsh grading, a midterm in which you had to know EVERYTHING and had to write 10 essays in 2 hours (like, for real???). I am a good student but GOODNESS THIS CLASS WAS HARD. Also, she makes preferences, so be prepared to go to every OH and be THAT type of student that would do anything to get in her graces.
There is so much reading. I read the reviews before taking Lebow thinking that people just like to complain but I am telling you, as a Political Science major, you HAVE to do the reading. She assigns a course reader, a big casebook and a smaller book. These books are incredibly useful and explain court cases, judge opinions etc in a very helpful way. Lebow goes pretty fast and expects that you have done the reading prior to coming to class. She didn't let us use computers so writing everything down without reading prior was a struggle. I know a lot of students went to her office hours and liked her but I personally felt she was unapproachable. All this aside this class is incredibly valuable and Lebow knows her stuff. She likes to focus on Supreme Court judges because that's where her experience is. Also in class DO NOT ask a question unless it is on the material she is currently covering, there is too much to get through and she (and everyone else) will resent you.
I rarely write Bruinwalk reviews, but I feel compelled to advise potential students on 145B. Professor Lebow is one of the best professors I've had for political science. She's witty, organized, at times funny, very accessible, and best of all, has an in-depth knowledge of ConLaw and is great at explaining concepts. I was really impressed with her willingness to meet with students outside of class; she set up a couple "ConLaw in the Park" sessions in which she invited students to discuss various ConLaw issues they were curious or excited about in the Sculpture Garden (cheetos encouraged!).
With this class, however, comes an overwhelming amount of reading. Two large books, a course reader and a textbook, along with two other small books, are all required reading. Your grade in this class is EARNED. Some of the readings are easier, like small speeches or interesting chapters from Justice Breyer's book, but most are dense and difficult to get through. If you don't stay on top of readings, be prepared to fall behind quickly.
Overall, I would cautiously recommend this class to any polisci major. It's not easy, but it's thought-provoking, and one of the few classes I've taken thus far at UCLA in which I felt like I was taking in knowledge I'll retain for a long while.
If you're Pre-Law, I cannot recommend this class highly enough-- skip it and risk missing out on one of the most valuable classes of your college career.
Honestly, I see some really bad reviews of Professor Lebow on here. So I want to start with saying, this is definitely a hard class, probably one of the hardest I have ever taken. There is a ton of reading, and the midterm is memorizing astronomical amounts of (important) information and answering 10 short answer (more like essay) questions in a very short amount of time. Your hand will hurt.
I personally loved this class and feel a lot smarter for taking it. I went into office hours, I stayed engaged in class, and I read everything there is to read. If you work hard, you'll do well. If you show her you care and are interested, you will do well. She's a really nice professor, just go into office hours and talk to her, she will give you advice and make the material a lot easier to grasp.
This class isn't for someone who wants an easy A, or even an easy B though. So if you're looking for that, don't take it. But if you want to come out of a class feeling like the crazy amount of money you are paying to go to college here is worth it, then take her class.
Professor Lebow often gets reviews where students complain about her toughness, and even believe her to be mean at times. Without a doubt, Prof. Lebow is tough, but she is the best professor I've had at UCLA so far. Her lectures are incredibly engaging, and really make you question constitutional law and how it has been applied throughout the U.S's history. She's honest, incredibly smart, inspirational (she became a lawyer in a time when women weren't very accepted in the field), and very helpful. Oftentimes, her straightforwardness can come across as mean, but I found it to be incredibly refreshing. She's open to having political discussions with her students, and throws in the occasional joke during lecture. I will be taking another class with her in the fall and I'm looking forward to it very much.
Most interesting and challenging class I’ve ever had. There is A TON of material: 3 novels, a large textbook, and two 300 page course readers. Scoring is based off a midterm, pop quiz, and two final papers. The midterm is 10 short answer questions where you regurgitate facts provided in her very dull lectures. To understand her lectures you have to do the readings. Her final grade is based off whether you go to her office hours and participate in class.
There is a lot of shit, and she is a very tough teacher, but if you are seriously considering law school, the class is very rewarding. Go to her office hours, she is really understanding. This class is basically how you respond to tough love.
Peace n blessins