I'm a bit conflicted over how to rate Zeitlin. Clearly, most students were pretty bitter over the class because when the average in the midterm is a C or D, and there's no curve in the class, you can be pretty worried for your grade. That's prolly why so many students dropped the class. Overall, you have two take-home midterms (together worth 35%), one take-home final (50%), and 10% for discussion. It's really not that difficult, but you have to be very careful with your answers. The professor gives ALL the answers in lecture. Therefore, do yourself a favor, and listen to the lecture podcast when doing the midterms. They help a lot! And also, make sure to read the questions carefully on the midterm, cause often times you put down answers you think the professor wants to see when the question is asking something totally different!

The trouble is, I'm providing a review based on hindsight. Most of the class doesn't do well in the take-home midterms. For our quarter, though, the take-home final was EXACTLY what the two previous midterms were about, which can be a great grade boost considering how much the final is worth.

Zeitlin is pretty considerate, though. He's pretty nice in his office hours, and he reads over your midterm so he can help you understand your mistakes. So I do recommend office hours. Also, the TA is SUPER AWESOME. She's really clear in teaching the material and very understanding. Her pop quizzes are not difficult.

As for lecture, the professor does call on students, and he asks those questions that he's gonna put on the midterm, so pay attention to them! The lectures are always based on the reading, but you can't get by the reading alone. You must go to lecture!

My biggest peeve in the class is hooow slooooow lecture would move. The professor would be on the same subject for an entire hour, just because the class has trouble understanding the simplest concepts. I was annoyed sitting in lecture, wondering why the class is having so much trouble answering simple questions. And Zeitlin doesn't like to move on until SOMEBODY gets it right. Fortunately, he gives two breaks in his long 3-hour class.

Zeitlin definitely prepares a unique class. But I loved it. He calls on students in class and he really forces you to think. Make sure you do your readings because he will call you out. This is something which I really like. People were so scared to simply talk in class and I'm glad he forces people out of their shells. How can you function later in life if you can't voice what you've learned? Make sure to pay attention to processes, methods, and ideas he lays out in lecture and you will have the tools to handle the tests. You have to go to lecture, have to. Readings alone will not get you through this class if you're aiming to do well. Its all about analysis, method, and explanation. Explain you conclusions well and you will do great in this class.

I feel like I should clear some things up about this professor. First of all, it is true that he loves to interact with his students in class. He calls on people just like in high school and somehow NO ONE ever has the answer that he is looking for. Additionally, if he realizes that you did not know the answer a few times, he remembers you and makes it a goal to harass and embarrass you for the rest of the quarter in front of the class.
I hate talking in class, and I hated him, but I ended up with a B+. How? Here's the good part: he SAYS that there is no curve but there is. I got a B- on the first very tedious exam, a D (!!) on the second one, and I would think that by the kind of work I submitted, I probably got around a B or C on the final. Now, if the class wasn't curved, I should have ended up with a C but instead I got a B+. You don't even really have to go to his awful 3-hr classes: just make sure he knows your face by going to office hours or catching him after class for a chat as he gets his coffee. That's what I did and I got the full participation points.