Mr. Darby is a nice enough guy. However, he's not a naturally gifted teacher, and really puts the onus on students--and his TA, Jeonsik--to teach the material. Many TA sessions saw the entire class (65 people) showing up, because we had absolutely no idea how to apply the concepts from class. The book rambles, and the problems aren't analogous to what Darby's exam questions look like. Get the Schaum's "Managerial Economics" paperback book from a bookstore ($10) or local library, and things will start to make more sense (if you're not an econ major).

It's no surprise that Darby, being a Chicago PhD, is a hard-core free-markets kind of guy. Be prepared to hear the virtues of monopolies touted and the waste of government programs loathed. In keeping with this philosophy, he was a Bush I appointee to NBER.

Upside: the mini-cases he makes people present are a great way to apply economics to current-day situations.

Apparently, professor Darby had mostly taught macro, and hadn't taught micro in 20 years? Perhaps just a rumor. He gives interesting homework assignments and cases, but the poor guy seems lost in the classroom. His lectures are scattered, and he frequently goes off on tangents. He often pauses as if he wasn't quite sure what he was going to say. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I've heard he's much more effective in his particular area of expertise. He REALLY knows his material, and has held some very significant posts with the U.S. Government. His list of publications is a mile long. Fair grader, with exams very straightforward. He gives out sample exams which, if you do/study them, should give you an EXCELLENT shot at doing well on his real exams. Rambles a bit with his powerpoint slides, but sometimes so amusingly (unintentionally) that it's almost worth going to class just for yuks. I was almost in tears watching him during the first lecture. People were doing their Darby impressions after class. A kind, jolly uncle type. Makes fun of his mother's cooking.