GVPT241 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Alyssa Lang GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/08/2024	Alyssa is profound and deliberate when presenting in discussion class. She also grades fair, where it is not har to get an A as long as you submit things on time. Overall, she's cool.
Maximilian Baitman GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 10/03/2024	Maximilian (Max) Baitman is genuinely the BEST TA I've ever had. He makes discussion engaging and informative while still keeping a friendly, easygoing demeanor. Definitely recommend!
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/23/2024	I enjoyed the class and his teaching, however, his slides always had minimal information. If you miss class, it is hard to understand what is going on due of depth posted on ELMS. I also had a 89.2 and he refused to raise up my grade--which I believe was unfair.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/09/2024	Prof is very chill. no group projects but two essays instead. Ta is ok.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Anonymous 05/01/2024	Nice profesor and pretty easy class. Strict grading though
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/13/2023	Dr. Kumar is a genuinely nice person and interesting lecturer. He posts lecture slides ahead of class for the most part. They are brief so it is very important to to come to lecture. I recommend taking notes of the slides before class and just copying down what he writes in lecture. There are 5 multiple choice quizzes all 10 questions each that are open note. They are often mostly based on lecture material. There are lengthy readings (45-60 pgs) a week but not necessarily needed if you pay attention in lecture. Discussions are helpful to understand the content and review for the quizzes. He is very knowledgeable about the subject. There are two papers, one midterm individual assignment and one group final paper. These were graded very harshly by the graduate TA (Isaiah Espinosa). Not Kumar's fault, however tanked many grades and did not provide constructive criticism.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 08/07/2023	Dr. Kumar is a genuinely nice guy and he does a pretty good job at applying old concepts to situations in today’s world. All slides are posted, making your life easier if you are unable to make it to class. Lecture is not mandatory but discussion is. Expect 5 multiple choice quizzes (your lowest score gets dropped), 300 word/week discussion posts and 150+ word replies, a midterm paper, and final group project (working well with your group is important). No exams in this class. If you try your best, succeeding in this class is definitely attainable; Dr. Kumar is very reasonable and so are his TAs.
Seo Chung GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 07/13/2023	I loved having her! I took her during the summer and her assignments were straightforward, just a little hard if you don't like reading old documents like me haha. She even read my paper and gave me feedback. Overall, loved her class and I definitely had different viewpoints about philosophers than what I did before I learned more.
Seo Chung GVPT241 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 07/10/2023	Took GVPT241 with her over summer and she was great! She kept her videos short and interesting, which I really appreciated. This class consisted of a weekly discussion post, a midterm paper, and a final paper, which were both 5 pages long, but not difficult. Overall, she’s very nice and an easy grader, so if you can I’d definitely take this class with her!
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/18/2023	Good lecturer, and Dr. Kumar seems very nice and approachable. Always willing to answer questions. The number of homework assignments in this class is kind of annoying. Every week, you have to write a 300 word discussion post with citations from the week's reading, and you have to reply to another student's post. There are also 5 quizzes and a final project. I didn't mind the quizzes at all. The project was okay, but the professor and the TAs could have done a much better job explaining the instructions clearly. The discussion posts can be very tedious though, and sometimes I feel like I spend more time formulating my posts to get them over with than actually just taking some time to think and absorb the content. I think this course would benefit from a discussion post once every two or three weeks.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/08/2023	I am surprised by his mediocre ratings because he is a great professor and incredibly knowledgeable. He gives 10-question quizzes every two weeks which are not that bad but are crucial to your grade, so do well. Additionally, there are weekly discussion posts that I would advise doing the textbook reading for these. It may not be 100% necessary, but it helps because you have to find quotes from the readings. Get the online textbook if you are going to get it. He is very nice to talk to and he is more than willing to explain concepts for a second after class. Doesnt give unit tests, but the midterm and the final paper are graded on the hard side, so meet with the TA so you know what he wants. Overall, Kumar is a great professor and definitional knows what he's talking about. Take him if you can.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/08/2023	Lectures were entertaining, but all of your work is graded by TA's and a graduate assistant. There are no midterms, but there are five quizzes spaced throughout the semester that make up 25% of your grade total and a paper, plus weekly discussion posts that are graded by TAs. There is also no final exam, but there is a final project that is a group essay which is graded by the graduate assistant and you receive a grade for the rough draft and the final draft. This class is fine, but would not recommend if you don't have to take this class or don't care about 1700s-modern european/american philosophy because that makes the class insufferable and incredibly boring. MAKE NO MISTAKE THIS IS A PHILOSOPHY CLASS, NOT A GOVERNMENT CLASS AND THAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/08/2023	Kumar is a good lecturer and you will get a good grasp of the concepts if you attend and take good notes. Class was enjoyable until the end where we had to do a group project worth 30% of our grade. Got placed with a horrible group for the final project, ended up having to do the entire paper myself. When I brought forward the group contract well in advance to the professor, I was practically blown off. Wish there had been accountability enforced.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/16/2022	You need to show up to lectures because what he says is more helpful than what is on the slides. Also, he reads off a paper so he isn't always fluid in lecture delivery, but overall explains the content. He makes quizzes open note and some answers are directly from slides, which is good.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/13/2022	This course is very engaging and thought-provoking, especially If you like philosophy and politics. Profesor Kumar is also very knowledgable and a good lecturer. The work is fairly simple and easy, except for the group essay which was frustrating for me because it required a high level or coordination which was hard for my group. I think it would have been a lot easier to make it a personal essay instead.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/12/2022	Interesting class and Dr. Kumar is a good lecturer. Make sure to do your discussion boards. The only thing about this class is the Quizzes are rather hard, even though they are open notes.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/09/2022	Dr. Kumar's class is pretty interesting but all you really need to pass the class are the slides. The lectures make you think and are engaging, but if they weren't mandatory you wouldn't need to show up. Make sure to do the discussions though they are a huge part of your grade!
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Anonymous 11/21/2022	Dr. Kumar is a good lecturer, and the classes can be pretty interesting. The quizzes can be kind of tricky sometimes, but they aren't too difficult. The worst part about this class is the group project, where everybody in the group gets the same grade so if you get stuck with bad group members, you either have to do the project yourself, or get a bad grade.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/26/2022	Really good lecturer, but like other people say, the quizzes are really weird. There are 5 ten question MC quizzes scattered throughout the semester. Kind of hard to do them, but at least he posts recordings of his lectures online. Essays aren't that bad, as long as you do what the rubric tells you, you're good.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/21/2021	Late a lot to lecture but he was an extremely good lecturer. The quizzes were confusing which messed up my grade but I loved how he worded and elaborated on the topics approached in this course. The only real annoying thing is he barely gave us any time to do our lengthy discussion posts weekly, usually he would put them out the day before. If he was more organized I would give him a 5/5.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Anonymous 12/16/2021	Though he is a very chill guy he is very opinionated and likes to hint his views through the lectures. Also, his feedback on papers is not clear at all and makes it even more a pain to fix up. Claims he's a professor when he's just a senior lecturer
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/16/2021	He is a good lecturer who makes boring material interesting. His assignments are fairly graded and everything is very manageable. He's always happy to discuss concepts and ideas with students after lectures and is committed to engaging the students with the course material.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/12/2021	Not the most interesting class but Dr. Kumar is interesting in lectures. Quizzes are hard but all the information is posted on the posted powerpoints and they are open note so definitely workable. Wish he would take fewer questions in lectures and tell people to save them for discussion because it is often a waste of everyone's time but other than that a nice guy.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/07/2021	Fairly easy course as long as you understand the material. Quizzes make up a bulk of your grade so study for those. Kumar's pretty chill and receptive to student's concerns. Not bad at all.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/04/2021	He is a pretty likeable guy, but the quizzes I struggled with a lot until I figured out how to study for them. The class is not bad at all, minus the quizzes. If you are a GVPT major, study up heavily for them, but the papers are really easy, so you are fine there.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A- julia128 06/16/2021	Dr. Kumar is very interested in this topic and it shows! However every lecture felt like he was just reiterating the already confusing textbook which wasn't helpful considering 4 quizzes made up the bulk of the grade in this class.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/25/2021	I actually really liked this course. Kumar's lectures were kind of strange but still made sense. Our TA Joel made the discussions much clearer and helped us easily understand the content. But the essay prompts were SO unnecessarily confusing when they didn't need to be. We had one group project, no tests or reading quizzes, and two essays. Overall not bad but if you don't like Government and philosophy that much I wouldn't take it.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting a B kinquist 12/27/2020	hes just ok. his lectures dont make sense at all but hes a nice person.
James Glass GVPT241 Anonymous 06/13/2020	This is my second class with him and he has a theme, no tests or exams but he will issue 3 essays throughout the course with vague prompts. Outside of that there have ben no assignments. He's chill, but TA's run the show.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/18/2019	Dr. Kumar actually tag-teamed GVPT241 with Dr. Glass (I don’t think they’ve done it before, and I don’t know if they’ll be doing it again). Personally, I enjoyed having Kumar because his lectures were more coherent and slightly more engaging. We had 3 essays total, and his essay prompt (the third and last one, used as our final essay) was clear in its expectations.
James Glass GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/18/2019	This was probably my largest lecture, and I guess, as a result, there was a lot of “disconnect” between Glass and students. I know that there are a lot of large lecture classes in uni, but perhaps it was his style of lecturing that made it feel impersonal, and at times, really boring. Occasionally he’d digress into a side topic, but catch himself. But his style of lecturing is sometimes scattered to the point where you’re mentally thinking “????” while you’re writing notes. But he knew what he was talking about, which is why I gave him 3 stars. His essay prompts were okay—sometimes they were so ambiguous or long that I’d have to talk to my TA about what he wanted. Granted, this class isn’t for everyone. If you’re not required to take it, don’t (unless you find political philosophy interesting)—I’m a gov’t major, so it’s required for me.
James Glass GVPT241 kassidysj 12/17/2019	Dr. Glass has so much life experience and knowledge, and it’s so visible through his lectures. I was always fascinated by his ability to talk extemporaneously about dense political theory. He made great connections between older texts and their modern applications. I know that some people don’t like his rambling or slightly slower speech, but he is definitely someone you can learn a lot from. He always challenged my thoughts about the books that we read, and gave me a new perspective. I admired this professor and I hope to take him again in the future! As far as terms of grading goes, the TAs grade the 3 papers. Your experience can be varied depending on the strictness and expectations of the TA. Grades aside, I enjoyed Dr. Glass’ lectures very much.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Anonymous 12/08/2019	I have seen a lot of bad reviews of him. He is not the best teacher, but he was really nice and very passionate about the subject. He also helps students to understand complex readings.
James Glass GVPT241 Anonymous 05/01/2019	Easy A, but my god. This man can't keep a train of thought tot save his life. His TA's taught the class and even they were clueless on what was next. Very unorganized and confusing, but easy A nonetheless.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/10/2018	Terrible lecturer, terrible quizzes, terrible exams. Avoid at all costs.
Sujith Kumar GVPT241 Expecting a B- Anonymous 11/01/2018	Worst prof ever. Gives out a plethora of reading quizzes, comprised of five poorly written questions, that are worth more than exam grades, percentage-wise. Every Monday and Wednesday. This class made me do the most for a 200-level class.
Ian Ward GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 10/02/2014	I am a GVPT major, and not a huge fan of Political Philosophy. However, I think Dr. Ward did an effective job of teaching this class well. It may seem a little boring or dry at times, since he walks back and forth in front of the class lecturing about the readings, but if you pay attention, you will realize that he's providing very insightful thoughts on the assigned works, and it will be super useful when writing your essays. For the final essay, I went to his office hours a few times since I knew everyone would be going to see our TA (since he was the one grading it, not Dr. Ward), and Dr. Ward helped me out a lot with thinking of new ideas and analysis to put into my paper. My TA commented on my final paper that I had incorporated a lot of ideas he had not seen in any other papers, so lesson learned: go to your professor's office hours! Dr. Ward was a solid teacher, and if I had more interest in political philosophy, I would take another of his classes.
Ian Ward GVPT241 Expecting a B Anonymous 04/24/2014	Ward is one of the most boring professors ive ever had. No strike that he is the most boring professor ive ever had. Every lecture is sitting in the class with the lights off while he rambles aimlessly about the book you're trying to read. His powerpoints do not add up to what he is saying at all and attending lectures is almost more harmful than beneficial to your knowledge of the reading. If it wasnt for my awesome TA I would be absolutely lost
Charles Alford GVPT241 w_l 11/19/2013	Professor Alford is a cute, grandfatherly type. He is clearly passionate and extremely knowledgeable about the subject.I thought this class sounded absolutely horrible because I'm not a fan of the subject. However, Alford presents the information in a clear and concise manner and makes it interesting. There are no exams, instead there are three approx 5 page papers. There is a good amount of reading. Doing the reading is especially important if you want to get an A. He will quiz you on random things from the reading that are not discussed in class. Doing poorly on the quizzes will definitely hurt your grade. Getting a good TA will make or break how you do in the class. Some grade much harder than others.
Ian Ward GVPT241 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 08/26/2012	Extremely boring and dry. Each lecture was like an essay being read to us. Nice guy, smart guy, not a good teacher...would avoid taking this course with him.
Charles Alford GVPT241 Expecting an A ledz713 05/15/2012	Professor Alford is a bastard. That's really the only way to describe him. He has a podium from which he can speak, and he will be damned if anyone will challenge his authority. He'll spend the whole class lecturing on his opinions on the world, which any rational person is guaranteed to disagree with, and then twist each question into further proof that he is right. Thankfully, none of this has anything to do with the grades. There are 2 essays, each based ENTIRELY on the reading (he actually says in the assignment not to quote class notes, he prefers independent ideas). After your essays are returned, you have a week to revise them for a better grade. Those are each worth 25 points. There is also a final exam, the question given 2 weeks ahead of time, based, again, entirely on the reading. No notes allowed, but you can pretty much write your essay at home and memorize it. This is also worth 25 points. The final 25 points come from 6 pop quizzes. These are based on the reading assigned for the day, and are split 3-3 between lecture and discussion. As long as you did the reading, you should be able to get a 4-5 on each one. Each one is 5 points, and you can drop the lowest one. Basically, do the reading, sit through lecture (bring a crossword or something), take the quizzes when they come, write good essays (or good enough that you can do well the second time around), and study for the final. Easy A.
Charles Alford GVPT241 Expecting an A Sehowie 04/18/2012	Two 5-7 page papers, 6 short pop quizes (although you usually know when they're coming), and a final. Gotta buy 7 books and read most of them completely, they're about 200 pages. Professor Alford is totally fair and gives you plenty of time on the papers. There is no homework in discussion, and if you do the reading, they are actually interesting.
Ian Ward GVPT241 Expecting a B Anonymous 11/29/2011	He's a nice guy who obviously knows his material well, despite the excessive notes that he reads off of during lecture. Bring a recorder and go through notes and lecture again afterwards- he is flowery in his explanations and you have to really listen to get at the core of what he's saying. He cancelled several lectures due to illness but covered the material well despite the many setbacks. Get Stephen Arves as a TA if you can
James Glass GVPT241 Expecting a B I<3Testudo 10/27/2011	Truly brilliant. He kind of reminds me of a real-life Dumbledore. His lectures weren't incredibly easy to follow because he tended to go off on tangents, but I really enjoyed just going to class and listening to him. I did none of the readings and managed an A-, but I am also incredibly gifted in the art of BS. If you go to lecture and do the readings, an A is expected, if you don't do the readings a high B or low A are possible.
James Glass GVPT241 Expecting an A Anonymous 07/27/2011	Professor Glass is a trip. He is a very liberal guy who went to Berkeley in the 1960s and sometimes offers up funny little anecdotes about his time there. His lectures can sometimes be hard to follow but this could be due to many factors. 1)He is prone to going off topic and rambling. Even though he tangents are sometimes funny/insightful they are often random. So watch out for that. 2)Even though I am a government major, philosophy is not my forte so I often found the reading boring. But really I don't blame Glass for that. It's a requirement to learn about the past so we can study the future. And Glass tries his best to make it interesting. More than anything, this class was entertaining. I learned a lot and even though some people think he is a crazy old coot, you have to appreciate him for who he is: a brilliant (if kooky) man who knows a lot about government, history, and philosophy. Grades consisted of three written exams (two midterms and a final). Even if you don't read, attending lectures and discussions should get you at least a B. Make sure you attend discussion (TAs are extremely helpful at clarifying confusing topics) and you will do well.
James Glass GVPT241 Expecting an A- thejaybird2013 06/01/2011	Professor Glass will take you on a journey with his lectures and please be assured that you will probably get lost somewhere in the midst of it all. Hopefully your TA will be good so be sure to attend ALL discussion sections so they cn explain things to you better and tell you what to include in your exams. The exams are 2 in-class timed essays. They are a bit stressful to write in only 50 minutes but do your best. Be sure that you know each philosophers' personal views, experiences, and theories so that you can support things you say and compare their views. Your TA grades your exams so try to understand their style and want they look for in a good response. Know your stuff!
Charles Alford GVPT241 Expecting an A paulc 03/03/2011	I really liked this class. Instead of arranging the material chronologically (i.e. Socrates. . . Hobbes. . . Kant), he arranged it thematically, making it more relevant to the students.
Charles Alford GVPT241 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/20/2010	Professor Alfords class was really challenging, and I really enjoyed it. I had difficulty understanding some of the readings, but he definitely clarified the them for me. I enjoyed this class immensely, and I suggest Alford for anyone taking this class. Taking his class taught me to question everything, and has helped me redefine a lot of things, education wise and life wise.
Charles Alford GVPT241 Expecting an A- Student_ourumd 07/20/2008	Professor Alford is quite a character. Although I can't say I was always very thrilled to come to class, he went great lengths to engage his students in the material. The whole class is essay based (there are rewrites thank God), with the exception of 5 pop quizzes that makeup 25% of one's grade (you have to go to class/discussion). The TA's basically determine whether you get an A or B. I will be taking upper-level courses from Professor Alford :)
James Glass GVPT241 Expecting a B efitz86 02/26/2008	This man really is a genius. His lectures at first may seem to ramble, but he always ends each one making some profound point about the text.

Alyssa Lang
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
11/08/2024

Alyssa is profound and deliberate when presenting in discussion class. She also grades fair, where it is not har to get an A as long as you submit things on time. Overall, she's cool.

Maximilian Baitman
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
10/03/2024

Maximilian (Max) Baitman is genuinely the BEST TA I've ever had. He makes discussion engaging and informative while still keeping a friendly, easygoing demeanor. Definitely recommend!

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/23/2024

I enjoyed the class and his teaching, however, his slides always had minimal information. If you miss class, it is hard to understand what is going on due of depth posted on ELMS. I also had a 89.2 and he refused to raise up my grade--which I believe was unfair.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/09/2024

Prof is very chill. no group projects but two essays instead. Ta is ok.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Anonymous
05/01/2024

Nice profesor and pretty easy class. Strict grading though

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/13/2023

Dr. Kumar is a genuinely nice person and interesting lecturer. He posts lecture slides ahead of class for the most part. They are brief so it is very important to to come to lecture. I recommend taking notes of the slides before class and just copying down what he writes in lecture. There are 5 multiple choice quizzes all 10 questions each that are open note. They are often mostly based on lecture material. There are lengthy readings (45-60 pgs) a week but not necessarily needed if you pay attention in lecture. Discussions are helpful to understand the content and review for the quizzes. He is very knowledgeable about the subject. There are two papers, one midterm individual assignment and one group final paper. These were graded very harshly by the graduate TA (Isaiah Espinosa). Not Kumar's fault, however tanked many grades and did not provide constructive criticism.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
08/07/2023

Dr. Kumar is a genuinely nice guy and he does a pretty good job at applying old concepts to situations in today’s world. All slides are posted, making your life easier if you are unable to make it to class. Lecture is not mandatory but discussion is. Expect 5 multiple choice quizzes (your lowest score gets dropped), 300 word/week discussion posts and 150+ word replies, a midterm paper, and final group project (working well with your group is important). No exams in this class. If you try your best, succeeding in this class is definitely attainable; Dr. Kumar is very reasonable and so are his TAs.

Seo Chung
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
07/13/2023

I loved having her! I took her during the summer and her assignments were straightforward, just a little hard if you don't like reading old documents like me haha. She even read my paper and gave me feedback. Overall, loved her class and I definitely had different viewpoints about philosophers than what I did before I learned more.

Seo Chung
GVPT241

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
07/10/2023

Took GVPT241 with her over summer and she was great! She kept her videos short and interesting, which I really appreciated. This class consisted of a weekly discussion post, a midterm paper, and a final paper, which were both 5 pages long, but not difficult. Overall, she’s very nice and an easy grader, so if you can I’d definitely take this class with her!

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/18/2023

Good lecturer, and Dr. Kumar seems very nice and approachable. Always willing to answer questions. The number of homework assignments in this class is kind of annoying. Every week, you have to write a 300 word discussion post with citations from the week's reading, and you have to reply to another student's post. There are also 5 quizzes and a final project. I didn't mind the quizzes at all. The project was okay, but the professor and the TAs could have done a much better job explaining the instructions clearly. The discussion posts can be very tedious though, and sometimes I feel like I spend more time formulating my posts to get them over with than actually just taking some time to think and absorb the content. I think this course would benefit from a discussion post once every two or three weeks.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/08/2023

I am surprised by his mediocre ratings because he is a great professor and incredibly knowledgeable. He gives 10-question quizzes every two weeks which are not that bad but are crucial to your grade, so do well. Additionally, there are weekly discussion posts that I would advise doing the textbook reading for these. It may not be 100% necessary, but it helps because you have to find quotes from the readings. Get the online textbook if you are going to get it. He is very nice to talk to and he is more than willing to explain concepts for a second after class. Doesnt give unit tests, but the midterm and the final paper are graded on the hard side, so meet with the TA so you know what he wants. Overall, Kumar is a great professor and definitional knows what he's talking about. Take him if you can.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/08/2023

Lectures were entertaining, but all of your work is graded by TA's and a graduate assistant. There are no midterms, but there are five quizzes spaced throughout the semester that make up 25% of your grade total and a paper, plus weekly discussion posts that are graded by TAs. There is also no final exam, but there is a final project that is a group essay which is graded by the graduate assistant and you receive a grade for the rough draft and the final draft. This class is fine, but would not recommend if you don't have to take this class or don't care about 1700s-modern european/american philosophy because that makes the class insufferable and incredibly boring. MAKE NO MISTAKE THIS IS A PHILOSOPHY CLASS, NOT A GOVERNMENT CLASS AND THAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/08/2023

Kumar is a good lecturer and you will get a good grasp of the concepts if you attend and take good notes. Class was enjoyable until the end where we had to do a group project worth 30% of our grade. Got placed with a horrible group for the final project, ended up having to do the entire paper myself. When I brought forward the group contract well in advance to the professor, I was practically blown off. Wish there had been accountability enforced.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/16/2022

You need to show up to lectures because what he says is more helpful than what is on the slides. Also, he reads off a paper so he isn't always fluid in lecture delivery, but overall explains the content. He makes quizzes open note and some answers are directly from slides, which is good.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/13/2022

This course is very engaging and thought-provoking, especially If you like philosophy and politics. Profesor Kumar is also very knowledgable and a good lecturer. The work is fairly simple and easy, except for the group essay which was frustrating for me because it required a high level or coordination which was hard for my group. I think it would have been a lot easier to make it a personal essay instead.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/12/2022

Interesting class and Dr. Kumar is a good lecturer. Make sure to do your discussion boards. The only thing about this class is the Quizzes are rather hard, even though they are open notes.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/09/2022

Dr. Kumar's class is pretty interesting but all you really need to pass the class are the slides. The lectures make you think and are engaging, but if they weren't mandatory you wouldn't need to show up. Make sure to do the discussions though they are a huge part of your grade!

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Anonymous
11/21/2022

Dr. Kumar is a good lecturer, and the classes can be pretty interesting. The quizzes can be kind of tricky sometimes, but they aren't too difficult. The worst part about this class is the group project, where everybody in the group gets the same grade so if you get stuck with bad group members, you either have to do the project yourself, or get a bad grade.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/26/2022

Really good lecturer, but like other people say, the quizzes are really weird. There are 5 ten question MC quizzes scattered throughout the semester. Kind of hard to do them, but at least he posts recordings of his lectures online. Essays aren't that bad, as long as you do what the rubric tells you, you're good.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/21/2021

Late a lot to lecture but he was an extremely good lecturer. The quizzes were confusing which messed up my grade but I loved how he worded and elaborated on the topics approached in this course. The only real annoying thing is he barely gave us any time to do our lengthy discussion posts weekly, usually he would put them out the day before. If he was more organized I would give him a 5/5.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Anonymous
12/16/2021

Though he is a very chill guy he is very opinionated and likes to hint his views through the lectures. Also, his feedback on papers is not clear at all and makes it even more a pain to fix up. Claims he's a professor when he's just a senior lecturer

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/16/2021

He is a good lecturer who makes boring material interesting. His assignments are fairly graded and everything is very manageable. He's always happy to discuss concepts and ideas with students after lectures and is committed to engaging the students with the course material.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/12/2021

Not the most interesting class but Dr. Kumar is interesting in lectures. Quizzes are hard but all the information is posted on the posted powerpoints and they are open note so definitely workable. Wish he would take fewer questions in lectures and tell people to save them for discussion because it is often a waste of everyone's time but other than that a nice guy.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/07/2021

Fairly easy course as long as you understand the material. Quizzes make up a bulk of your grade so study for those. Kumar's pretty chill and receptive to student's concerns. Not bad at all.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/04/2021

He is a pretty likeable guy, but the quizzes I struggled with a lot until I figured out how to study for them. The class is not bad at all, minus the quizzes. If you are a GVPT major, study up heavily for them, but the papers are really easy, so you are fine there.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A-
julia128
06/16/2021

Dr. Kumar is very interested in this topic and it shows! However every lecture felt like he was just reiterating the already confusing textbook which wasn't helpful considering 4 quizzes made up the bulk of the grade in this class.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/25/2021

I actually really liked this course. Kumar's lectures were kind of strange but still made sense. Our TA Joel made the discussions much clearer and helped us easily understand the content. But the essay prompts were SO unnecessarily confusing when they didn't need to be. We had one group project, no tests or reading quizzes, and two essays. Overall not bad but if you don't like Government and philosophy that much I wouldn't take it.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting a B
kinquist
12/27/2020

hes just ok. his lectures dont make sense at all but hes a nice person.

James Glass
GVPT241

Anonymous
06/13/2020

This is my second class with him and he has a theme, no tests or exams but he will issue 3 essays throughout the course with vague prompts. Outside of that there have ben no assignments. He's chill, but TA's run the show.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/18/2019

Dr. Kumar actually tag-teamed GVPT241 with Dr. Glass (I don’t think they’ve done it before, and I don’t know if they’ll be doing it again). Personally, I enjoyed having Kumar because his lectures were more coherent and slightly more engaging. We had 3 essays total, and his essay prompt (the third and last one, used as our final essay) was clear in its expectations.

James Glass
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/18/2019

This was probably my largest lecture, and I guess, as a result, there was a lot of “disconnect” between Glass and students. I know that there are a lot of large lecture classes in uni, but perhaps it was his style of lecturing that made it feel impersonal, and at times, really boring. Occasionally he’d digress into a side topic, but catch himself. But his style of lecturing is sometimes scattered to the point where you’re mentally thinking “????” while you’re writing notes. But he knew what he was talking about, which is why I gave him 3 stars. His essay prompts were okay—sometimes they were so ambiguous or long that I’d have to talk to my TA about what he wanted. Granted, this class isn’t for everyone. If you’re not required to take it, don’t (unless you find political philosophy interesting)—I’m a gov’t major, so it’s required for me.

James Glass
GVPT241

kassidysj
12/17/2019

Dr. Glass has so much life experience and knowledge, and it’s so visible through his lectures. I was always fascinated by his ability to talk extemporaneously about dense political theory. He made great connections between older texts and their modern applications. I know that some people don’t like his rambling or slightly slower speech, but he is definitely someone you can learn a lot from. He always challenged my thoughts about the books that we read, and gave me a new perspective. I admired this professor and I hope to take him again in the future! As far as terms of grading goes, the TAs grade the 3 papers. Your experience can be varied depending on the strictness and expectations of the TA. Grades aside, I enjoyed Dr. Glass’ lectures very much.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Anonymous
12/08/2019

I have seen a lot of bad reviews of him. He is not the best teacher, but he was really nice and very passionate about the subject. He also helps students to understand complex readings.

James Glass
GVPT241

Anonymous
05/01/2019

Easy A, but my god. This man can't keep a train of thought tot save his life. His TA's taught the class and even they were clueless on what was next. Very unorganized and confusing, but easy A nonetheless.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/10/2018

Terrible lecturer, terrible quizzes, terrible exams. Avoid at all costs.

Sujith Kumar
GVPT241

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
11/01/2018

Worst prof ever. Gives out a plethora of reading quizzes, comprised of five poorly written questions, that are worth more than exam grades, percentage-wise. Every Monday and Wednesday. This class made me do the most for a 200-level class.

Ian Ward
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
10/02/2014

I am a GVPT major, and not a huge fan of Political Philosophy. However, I think Dr. Ward did an effective job of teaching this class well. It may seem a little boring or dry at times, since he walks back and forth in front of the class lecturing about the readings, but if you pay attention, you will realize that he's providing very insightful thoughts on the assigned works, and it will be super useful when writing your essays. For the final essay, I went to his office hours a few times since I knew everyone would be going to see our TA (since he was the one grading it, not Dr. Ward), and Dr. Ward helped me out a lot with thinking of new ideas and analysis to put into my paper. My TA commented on my final paper that I had incorporated a lot of ideas he had not seen in any other papers, so lesson learned: go to your professor's office hours! Dr. Ward was a solid teacher, and if I had more interest in political philosophy, I would take another of his classes.

Ian Ward
GVPT241

Expecting a B
Anonymous
04/24/2014

Ward is one of the most boring professors ive ever had. No strike that he is the most boring professor ive ever had. Every lecture is sitting in the class with the lights off while he rambles aimlessly about the book you're trying to read. His powerpoints do not add up to what he is saying at all and attending lectures is almost more harmful than beneficial to your knowledge of the reading. If it wasnt for my awesome TA I would be absolutely lost

Charles Alford
GVPT241

w_l
11/19/2013

Professor Alford is a cute, grandfatherly type. He is clearly passionate and extremely knowledgeable about the subject.I thought this class sounded absolutely horrible because I'm not a fan of the subject. However, Alford presents the information in a clear and concise manner and makes it interesting. There are no exams, instead there are three approx 5 page papers. There is a good amount of reading. Doing the reading is especially important if you want to get an A. He will quiz you on random things from the reading that are not discussed in class. Doing poorly on the quizzes will definitely hurt your grade. Getting a good TA will make or break how you do in the class. Some grade much harder than others.

Ian Ward
GVPT241

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
08/26/2012

Extremely boring and dry. Each lecture was like an essay being read to us. Nice guy, smart guy, not a good teacher...would avoid taking this course with him.

Charles Alford
GVPT241

Expecting an A
ledz713
05/15/2012

Professor Alford is a bastard. That's really the only way to describe him. He has a podium from which he can speak, and he will be damned if anyone will challenge his authority. He'll spend the whole class lecturing on his opinions on the world, which any rational person is guaranteed to disagree with, and then twist each question into further proof that he is right. Thankfully, none of this has anything to do with the grades. There are 2 essays, each based ENTIRELY on the reading (he actually says in the assignment not to quote class notes, he prefers independent ideas). After your essays are returned, you have a week to revise them for a better grade. Those are each worth 25 points. There is also a final exam, the question given 2 weeks ahead of time, based, again, entirely on the reading. No notes allowed, but you can pretty much write your essay at home and memorize it. This is also worth 25 points. The final 25 points come from 6 pop quizzes. These are based on the reading assigned for the day, and are split 3-3 between lecture and discussion. As long as you did the reading, you should be able to get a 4-5 on each one. Each one is 5 points, and you can drop the lowest one. Basically, do the reading, sit through lecture (bring a crossword or something), take the quizzes when they come, write good essays (or good enough that you can do well the second time around), and study for the final. Easy A.

Charles Alford
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Sehowie
04/18/2012

Two 5-7 page papers, 6 short pop quizes (although you usually know when they're coming), and a final. Gotta buy 7 books and read most of them completely, they're about 200 pages. Professor Alford is totally fair and gives you plenty of time on the papers. There is no homework in discussion, and if you do the reading, they are actually interesting.

Ian Ward
GVPT241

Expecting a B
Anonymous
11/29/2011

He's a nice guy who obviously knows his material well, despite the excessive notes that he reads off of during lecture. Bring a recorder and go through notes and lecture again afterwards- he is flowery in his explanations and you have to really listen to get at the core of what he's saying. He cancelled several lectures due to illness but covered the material well despite the many setbacks. Get Stephen Arves as a TA if you can

James Glass
GVPT241

Expecting a B
I<3Testudo
10/27/2011

Truly brilliant. He kind of reminds me of a real-life Dumbledore. His lectures weren't incredibly easy to follow because he tended to go off on tangents, but I really enjoyed just going to class and listening to him. I did none of the readings and managed an A-, but I am also incredibly gifted in the art of BS. If you go to lecture and do the readings, an A is expected, if you don't do the readings a high B or low A are possible.

James Glass
GVPT241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
07/27/2011

Professor Glass is a trip. He is a very liberal guy who went to Berkeley in the 1960s and sometimes offers up funny little anecdotes about his time there. His lectures can sometimes be hard to follow but this could be due to many factors. 1)He is prone to going off topic and rambling. Even though he tangents are sometimes funny/insightful they are often random. So watch out for that. 2)Even though I am a government major, philosophy is not my forte so I often found the reading boring. But really I don't blame Glass for that. It's a requirement to learn about the past so we can study the future. And Glass tries his best to make it interesting. More than anything, this class was entertaining. I learned a lot and even though some people think he is a crazy old coot, you have to appreciate him for who he is: a brilliant (if kooky) man who knows a lot about government, history, and philosophy. Grades consisted of three written exams (two midterms and a final). Even if you don't read, attending lectures and discussions should get you at least a B. Make sure you attend discussion (TAs are extremely helpful at clarifying confusing topics) and you will do well.

James Glass
GVPT241

Expecting an A-
thejaybird2013
06/01/2011

Professor Glass will take you on a journey with his lectures and please be assured that you will probably get lost somewhere in the midst of it all. Hopefully your TA will be good so be sure to attend ALL discussion sections so they cn explain things to you better and tell you what to include in your exams. The exams are 2 in-class timed essays. They are a bit stressful to write in only 50 minutes but do your best. Be sure that you know each philosophers' personal views, experiences, and theories so that you can support things you say and compare their views. Your TA grades your exams so try to understand their style and want they look for in a good response. Know your stuff!

Charles Alford
GVPT241

Expecting an A
paulc
03/03/2011

I really liked this class. Instead of arranging the material chronologically (i.e. Socrates. . . Hobbes. . . Kant), he arranged it thematically, making it more relevant to the students.

Charles Alford
GVPT241

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/20/2010

Professor Alfords class was really challenging, and I really enjoyed it. I had difficulty understanding some of the readings, but he definitely clarified the them for me. I enjoyed this class immensely, and I suggest Alford for anyone taking this class. Taking his class taught me to question everything, and has helped me redefine a lot of things, education wise and life wise.

Charles Alford
GVPT241

Expecting an A-
Student_ourumd
07/20/2008

Professor Alford is quite a character. Although I can't say I was always very thrilled to come to class, he went great lengths to engage his students in the material. The whole class is essay based (there are rewrites thank God), with the exception of 5 pop quizzes that makeup 25% of one's grade (you have to go to class/discussion). The TA's basically determine whether you get an A or B. I will be taking upper-level courses from Professor Alford :)

James Glass
GVPT241

Expecting a B
efitz86
02/26/2008

This man really is a genius. His lectures at first may seem to ramble, but he always ends each one making some profound point about the text.

Reviews for GVPT241