PPOL 3200

This class was challenging but ultimately very fulfilling. The content forms a strong basis for future coursework. I found the lectures to be interesting and thought provoking. Volden was very smart and informed although at times he was hard to follow. Alexa Iadarola was my TA, I'd highly recommend her. Her grading fair, and it seems to be on the same level as the other TAs. She's approachable and gave helpful comments on memos. Would recommend this course.

I have never take a Batten class nor am I considering applying to Batten but I still very much enjoyed this class. While the content may be slightly superficial, I found the various frameworks you learn (the bulk of the class’s substance) to be quite interesting. It definitely provides you a decent foundation to policy analysis. However, the breadth of the course is a problem because youll likely leave the class with only a surface-level understanding of policy topics and frameworks. If you’re seeking a more in-depth look at public policy, this is definitely not the class for you. Grading-wise, the class is graded on a curve so don’t worry about your grades on individual assignments seeming low. As long as you’re consistently doing better than the average, you’ll be fine.

I am not applying to Batten, but if you are interested in policy/politics, I would recommend this class. As other reviews have stated, this course is dry at times, but I enjoyed it. You will most likely do terribly on your first memo, but you have 2 chances to revise it, so do not fret! I think the quality of this class really depends on your TA, as they grade all of you assignments, and break down the policy "frameworks" in discussion (which is imperative as Volden can be very vague sometimes). My TA, Amanda Pickens, was by far THE BEST TA I've had at UVA thus far (15/10 would recommend her). The class consists of Top Hat participation (basically clicker questions, minus the clicker), 3 memos (you're just revising your previous memo... so essentially it's 3 memo drafts), a discussion-group project which is presented to the lecture (it's kind of annoying but not that bad as you do it with your whole discussion, and you may get lucky and not have to present to lecture!), a midterm (open note) and final take home exam (open note). Although the exams are open note, they are not easy. I highly recommend taking notes on your laptop as Volden moves pretty fast, and it's impossible to write all of the information down from the slides. That being said, he uploads all of the power points to Collab which is very helpful!

If you decide to take this course- be forewarned it is dry as a bone. Volden is a good professor but everything he says in lecture is read directly off the slides so there's not much motivation to actually show up to class unless you absolutely love policy, and in that case my prayers go out to you. Now buckle up boys, because this is the part I CANNOT stress enough: if Alexa Ladarola is still TA'ing, for the love of all that is good and holy in this world do not take her discussion. I don't care if the alternative is a Friday 8am, just trust me on this one. Absolutely the most infuriating experience of my life. Most of the points that she'll dock you on your memos come from things that she personally just doesn't like, not anything wrong with your memo. She will also withhold commenting on everything wrong with the memo just to have something to dock you on for the next draft. Need help with the actual class material ? Too bad, buckaroo. I honestly contemplated driving my car off of the nearest bridge every time it was time to attend her discussion section. Seriously just don't do it.

If you aren't definitely planning on Batten, don't bother with this course. It's super easy which is refreshing, but the entire class is just common sense applied to basic modern day issues. Lecture has top hat points (like clicker points) but there is no reason to go because you can answer the questions online and the TA's spend the entire discussion telling you what you actually need to know from lecture. Don't worry about the memo, it isn't actually hard, and if you get a bad grade you can rewrite it TWICE. It brings in important concepts from poly sci, econ, philosophy, etc, but you would be way better off taking classes in those departments if you want to be challenged. With that being said, Professor Volden himself is actually really interesting and smart! The TA's are also great, so if you don't mind a somewhat watered down course then you should enjoy this class if only for the people teaching it!

Volden was great. He was really sweet and had a great sense of humor. I was just a little disappointed in this class. I had high expectations and they were not totally met. The grading was super weird. Midterm grades were awful and the memos were graded super harshly, only for there to be a massive curve at the end of the course. So I was very discouraged in this course throughout the entire semester, only to be totally fine in the end. Why not just grade normally instead of super harshly throughout the semester and not have to worry about curving everyone up at the end?? I don't get it. But I will say, don't let the poor grades that you will likely get throughout the semester discourage you to the point that you lose interest in the course. There is some interesting and valuable information that is covered in this course, but it can get tedious and boring at times. Also, a good TA can make a huge difference. Mine was pretty ho-hum, and it further added to my dissatisfaction with the course. I've heard that, overall, most Batten classes are different from this one. So maybe take a different course if you are trying to decide whether or not to apply to the major. I feel like this class is almost a weed-out class, which is helpful for Batten admissions but not for prospective students trying to decide whether or not to apply. This class was just alright. Take it if you are already in Batten but not before.

Where does one start? First, I'll admit that I'm not in Batten so maybe that could explain some of my dislike for the course. However, I think I mainly disliked this class because it was extremely arbitrary. I learned nothing. I did well above-average on the midterm and my memo grade (without actual editing) improved throughout the semester.With this said, I did not learn anything. The final was, like the class, super arbitrary. Do not take this course if you want your grade to reflect learning. The group project is the dumbest assignment I've ever done. Lectures are boring and the TAs (at least mine) was not able to clarify Volden's lectures. Do not take.

Volden is a good lecturer for the most part, sometimes a little boring. The content of the class for the first half is interesting and applicable, after that it gets too theoretical and Volden's examples become more and more tenuous. The readings get less and less important as the semester progresses. The midterm is fair but toughly graded. The problem with the class is the policy memo and how it's graded. For the first draft, you get a useless rubric and little to no information about the content or format from your TA and Volden. The average for the first draft of the memo is around a 70. For the second draft, you get a much more specific rubric, your TA actually tells you what it should look like, and the average grade goes up to an 80. For the final memo, you just make the edits your TA suggests from the second draft, and the average is a 90. Volden and the TA's claim that this grade increase is the result of the students getting better at writing memos, which is not the case. My memo from draft one to final product barely changed in content, mostly in visual appearance, but my grade went from a 68 to a 95. You just have to hope that you beat the predetermined average for each draft if you want a good grade. If you like classes where you are provided with the tools to succeed, or that your grade is a reflection of how hard you worked, this class is not for you.

I went into this class with high expectations. I was not satisfied; the reviews on CourseForum were different from how I felt about this class. Volden was an extremely tough grader (his TAs, technically). His rubric for the memo is extremely specific. His midterm was unfair. I felt that the work I was putting into the class was not well reflected from my grades. This may be how people were motivated to push it out, but I found myself feeling more frustrated with each grade. This class also gets extremely dry as the semester went on. The frameworks become more broad and Volden does not thoroughly explain how they apply to policy. I wish that I enjoyed this class, but I am afraid that it just drives people away from Public Policy.

Prof Volden is a great lecturer. He's got a dry sense of humor and is engaging. There are 3 memos (1 actual memo, 2 response memos), a group presentation, a midterm, and a final. He is a tough grader on the tests and memos but the curves the class in the end so the average is about a 90. Would recommend this class if you are looking for a wide variety of policy samples and tools for examining and creating policy! This is a Public Policy class, but you don't have to be in Batten. If you're interested in public policy, go the first day and see what you think- it is a ~200 person class!

I really enjoyed this class. Volden is a great lecturer (albeit a bit dry) and concepts are easy enough to understand if you attend all the lectures and take notes. All the powerpoints are posted online, but they slides themselves won't help you very much. And honestly, you don't need to do the readings to do well here (I hardly did any of them and snuck away with an A-).

Make sure you know what you're getting with this class. It is NOT a politics class--it's a policy one. You'll learn how people interact with and create laws. This is a MUST if you think you'll apply to Batten.

Overall, I enjoyed this class. I don't know how accurate the grade distribution thing on course forum is because averages on most assignments were significantly lower than an A-, but overall pretty easy to get an A-/B+. To get an A you definitely need to put in the time on your memo and group project as well as study hard for the midterm (average was a 75%). I really enjoyed my discussion and if you take this class and he TA's again take it with Connor Maxwell as your TA he was great. For the memo grading it can be frustrating because you will lose points on things on the second and third drafts that were never mentioned on the preceding drafts as being a problem, but overall i think the average memo grade turned out to be an 85 or so. I also liked the subject matter although you hit a lot of different topics and only scratch the surface on each. Overall would recommend but you will often feel uncertain in your grade in most cases and not a ton of people get a straight up A.

Really not a good course. As an Econ and Politics major this class is honestly just dumb. Overly simplistic too the extent that it is often ridiculous and even worse the "frameworks" you learn are treated like some sort of holy-grail. Volden is knowledgeable and a good lecture but the class content is tedious and useless. I have never felt like I honestly learned less than in this class. Overall, the grading can be highly subjective just because most of the class is formed on fluid frameworks graded very rigidly by TA's whom I found unqualified. Hope to see Volden teach a different course as he is quite talented, but would never recommend this particular course.

The most frustrating part about this class was the lack of curve. While the content is not at all difficult to grasp, the TA's have to find ways to lower your grade in order to even out the grade distribution. Overall, I would not say this is the best class to discover whether or not public policy is the best field for you. I would go to an upper level course that delves deeper into course content.

Mike Bock is an awesome TA and Varon's a really interesting lecturer. There's quite a bit of outside group work with your discussion section but not a big deal. Kind of a lot of reading but both the midterm and final are open note so it's an overall easy, awesome class

Professor Volden is an amazing lecturer. If you have any interest in the world of policy/politics, I would definitely recommend this class. The workload isn't terrible. There are readings for every class but they mostly aren't directly incorporated into the exams, so it's definitely possible to skim through many of them. There is a policy memo to write, but there are multiple drafts and TA's can offer a lot of guidance. There is also a presentation for your entire discussion section to complete during a lecture together. There's a midterm and a final. Both are open-note and the final was take-home. Overall, this was a fun class, and if you make sure you understand how to use and apply each framework, and work hard on the memo, the grading shouldn't seem too bad. Volden is awesome so take this class!

Awesome class. Volden is a funny and nice guy, and his lectures are very informative and interesting. He is also very friendly and helpful in office hours. Lectures consist mainly of powerpoint presentations, in which Professor Volden breaks down critical political issues and analyzes potential policy solutions. He makes sure to stay non-partisan and focuses more on government policy and less on partisan politics. He can be a little monotone and sometimes the information can get dry, but I found the lectures fascinating as a whole. Homework consists of weekly readings, which deal largely with political philosophy and theory. Volden also has you read a book on the policy process, though I think the book is most useful to people seriously considering the Batten School or an MPP. (For reference, I did about half of the weekly reading and almost none of the policy book and I got an A-) I found the most interesting and informative reading by far to be the CQ Researcher, which specifically breaks down political issues and formulates solutions using facts and data. Grades consist of a policy memo (written in 3 drafts), an open-book midterm taken in class, a group presentation, 3 insight memos written about other groups' presentations, and an open-book, take-home final. The work is not that difficult, especially if you find the topics interesting. I found the group presentation work to be kind of fun, though it does take up a significant amount of time at the end of the semester. And by the way, he keeps attendance using a clicker system of sorts. Lastly, Caitlin was an excellent TA- she's very approachable and helpful, and her discussions were enjoyable. Bottom line: I would highly recommend this class to anyone interested in politics, policy, or government in general. This class is not limited to Batten students, though it is obviously a required course for their curriculum. I took it as a first year and found the work-load to be completely reasonable. Highly recommend the course, the professor (Volden) and my TA (Caitlin).