FGSM355 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Michael Coyne FGSM355 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/12/2025	Do NOT NOT NOT take this course if you care about your grades or about learning real skills. Mike and Amanda are nothing but kind and extremely intelligent. As much as they had amazing relationships with their students and were very supportive, being a "teacher" is unfamiliar to them. I am a 4.0 student who also attended roughly 8 office hours and I'm expecting to get my first B. They grade incredibly harshly--in a course typically for sophomores--and do not provide specific instructions to help you perform these assignments to their level of satisfactory. They only provide feedback/comments on assignments and expect you to learn IC writing skills solely based on that feedback. They also never provided examples of what they're looking for. Just because this course is a "seminar," that should not forego the teaching. IC-style writing is a very valuable skill-especially if you intent to pursue a career in intelligence and security, but this class did not teach my that skill. If the instructors TAUGHT you how to, it would have. Again, Mike and Amanda are incredible, experienced, and intelligence people, "teaching" is just something unfamiliar to them. Proceed for caution.
William Usher FGSM355 Expecting a B- Anonymous 12/10/2024	Chip and Bruce were really great professors who made a 2 1/2 hour class go quickly. They brought in very engaging guest speakers and actually talked about the readings. But that being said the readings are crazy. They are expecting students to read 100-200 pages a week but I would have AI summarize them and I was able to keep up in class. Attendance is mandatory and you need to participate. We had 4 papers and one oral presentation and they are definitely difficult. I am usually a straight A student and these papers were the most challenging things I have done. The writing style is very different but they take time to teach you how to write the way they want. I recommend going to office hours with your TA and that will really help. Overall, the class is awesome so if you are willing to end with a B I would absolutely recommend taking it.
Paul Maykish FGSM355 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 11/17/2023	Dr. Maykish is a true educator. Not only does he come with an amazing background in national security & the intelligence community, but he is as engaging a professor as I've ever seen. He genuinely cares about everyone's learning & will spend time with each student to develop them as writers & thinkers. His class is such a positive vibe - cannot recommend enough. Be ready to work & be challenged. Give yourself time ahead of assignment deadlines - they can be hefty, but are so worthwhile. This year, our class time was Thursday night 7-10pm, but I never needed coffee or felt the desire to skip his class because of how he ran this seminar.

Michael Coyne
FGSM355

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/12/2025

Do NOT NOT NOT take this course if you care about your grades or about learning real skills. Mike and Amanda are nothing but kind and extremely intelligent. As much as they had amazing relationships with their students and were very supportive, being a "teacher" is unfamiliar to them. I am a 4.0 student who also attended roughly 8 office hours and I'm expecting to get my first B. They grade incredibly harshly--in a course typically for sophomores--and do not provide specific instructions to help you perform these assignments to their level of satisfactory. They only provide feedback/comments on assignments and expect you to learn IC writing skills solely based on that feedback. They also never provided examples of what they're looking for. Just because this course is a "seminar," that should not forego the teaching. IC-style writing is a very valuable skill-especially if you intent to pursue a career in intelligence and security, but this class did not teach my that skill. If the instructors TAUGHT you how to, it would have. Again, Mike and Amanda are incredible, experienced, and intelligence people, "teaching" is just something unfamiliar to them. Proceed for caution.

William Usher
FGSM355

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
12/10/2024

Chip and Bruce were really great professors who made a 2 1/2 hour class go quickly. They brought in very engaging guest speakers and actually talked about the readings. But that being said the readings are crazy. They are expecting students to read 100-200 pages a week but I would have AI summarize them and I was able to keep up in class. Attendance is mandatory and you need to participate. We had 4 papers and one oral presentation and they are definitely difficult. I am usually a straight A student and these papers were the most challenging things I have done. The writing style is very different but they take time to teach you how to write the way they want. I recommend going to office hours with your TA and that will really help. Overall, the class is awesome so if you are willing to end with a B I would absolutely recommend taking it.

Paul Maykish
FGSM355

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
11/17/2023

Dr. Maykish is a true educator. Not only does he come with an amazing background in national security & the intelligence community, but he is as engaging a professor as I've ever seen. He genuinely cares about everyone's learning & will spend time with each student to develop them as writers & thinkers. His class is such a positive vibe - cannot recommend enough. Be ready to work & be challenged. Give yourself time ahead of assignment deadlines - they can be hefty, but are so worthwhile. This year, our class time was Thursday night 7-10pm, but I never needed coffee or felt the desire to skip his class because of how he ran this seminar.

Reviews for FGSM355