I was pre-global studies major, and this class was one of my first classes taken in my freshmen yr. The material itself is really interesting. They are not boring at all. However, because there is no podcast or class note, I would recommend to take this class with a recorder and friends. There were papers, midterm, and final. Midterm and Final are ok. Although multiple choices are a bit tricky, short answers are those that Burgos emphasized. So you can prepare in advance. The only thing that bothered me was essay. You have to write 5page essay (which is not long considering the topic). TA grades the paper... So .. TA is going to be important. I didn't do so hot in my paper. So I ended up getting B+ in the end. For global studies major students and minors, take this class after taking some other requisites . This class deals with economy, culture, and political science. So, get some basic ideas from other teachers. For others who are looking for this class as a GE, I would not recommend it since it is not easy A class. It is easy B class. But again, the material will help you to know what is really going on these days.

Burgos had me so worried on the first day of lecture. As I listened to him speak, I was so confused -- everything he presented was so vague and abstract. I had no idea what was important to jot down, and he rambled on and on, making it much more difficult to keep up.

However, as you start attending more lectures and doing more of the reading assignments, you gradually grasp the concepts he lectures about. Burgos even said so himself: "On the last day of lecture, you will understand everything about this class."

His midterm exam wasn't too difficult. He emphasizes certain concepts that he really wants you to understand, so you kind of know what to expect on his tests. His final exam, however, was pretty difficult. The final is cumulative, and some of the multiple-choice questions were pretty tricky. In order to do well on the exams, you must take good lecture notes, and you must read the book thoroughly, since some of the concepts he covers in class aren't found in the book.

Overall, I thought this class was pretty challenging for an introductory course. Since the GS major is quite competitive, you need to work diligently and make sure you attend all his lectures and all your discussion sessions.

I don't usually evaluate professors but I thought this would be helpful to future GS1 students.

Burgos is a very good lecturer. The concepts he teaches are nothing you ever learned. They are abstract and sometimes vague. His opinions diverge from the author of the GS1 textbook and you have to keep track of who agrees with what. The toughest part of this class is taking notes. He puts up very broad headings on the slides and discusses each of them thoroughly. So I suggest you record lectures or write down most of what he says.

Ultimately though, your grade depends on your TA. As a Global Studies major, I took this class very seriously. I never missed section or discussion, always sat in the front, read the book, paid close attention, studied everything and left the final confidently. I ended up with a B. The point is that as smart as you are and as much as you study the tests are tricky. They're not hard, it's just you never know what is important to study most. And then when you're confident and expect at least an A-, you're surprised to find out you got a B. I advise you to become pals with your TA and go to office hours, because he or she will decide your grade.