PLAP 3420

This is a fantastic class; Prof. Stroupe is a very engaging lecturer with lots of cool stories from his time in government. The exams and final project are not super difficult, and he is a kind grader. We went on a few field trips as a class, which isn't something I had experienced in college before. Getting an A is 100% doable.

Really an amazing class. Super interesting material, and Stroupe is a great lecturer and his knowledge of the material is so clearly evident which was quite reassuring. The course began with a brief history of Virginia government and a field trip to some important historical places, including Poplar Forest, TJ's old retreat, and Moton High School, a center of attention during the civil rights era. We then studied the modern Virginia government, with documentaries on several recent governors and discussions on the three branches of state government. The trip to Richmond for the State of the Commonwealth address was a very cool experience, and we got to speak to several lawmakers while we were there. There is a group project, where you need to propose a bill to the class, which was actually a very fun project to work on and is not as intimidating as it may sound. Meeting with lawmakers in Richmond and hearing their feedback on our work was very helpful as well. Grades for the class are participation, the project, and a midterm and final quiz, neither of which are too difficult if you study the PowerPoints. The readings are entirely optional, and while the books sounded interesting, I didn't read them and found the class very easy regardless.

I should say that I only recommend this class if you have a background in government/politics or have taken other classes in the department before. If you have, you'll be golden, and you absolutely should take this class because you'll love it, but some of the concepts might be a little difficult to grasp if you're unfamiliar with government or politics. All that said, this class was incredibly fun and very interesting. It's a shame it's only two weeks but this class is a perfect J-term.

This wonderful course is a crash-course in Virginia state government. It is very easy and very fun. You'll learn a lot more than you expected over the span of just 2 weeks. Stroupe is a great teacher and a great guy to know. He was the press secretary under former Governor Allen and is very well-connected in Virginia's political circles. The course is scheduled for a total of 10, 6-hour days. However, Stroupe almost never makes you stay the full 6 hours and three of those days are dedicated to field trips. On one trip, we visited historic Jamestown and Williamsburg. On another, we visited the State Capitol in Richmond and attended the governor's State of the Commonwealth address. We were supposed to take a third trip to Moton High School (associated with the Civil Rights Movement in Virginia), but it got snowed out. Instead, we had a former student of that school give us a guest lecture. We were also fortunate enough to have a guest lecture by a former Minority Leader of the House of Delegates. When we weren't on field trips or welcoming guest lecturers, Stroupe would lecture us on a series of topics related to Virginia state government. We also watched a series of documentaries on individual Virginia governors, put together by the Center for Politics. Aside from participation, grading consists of a mid-term quiz, a final quiz, and a group project. The quizzes were easy and drew mainly from the PowerPoints. The group project required more work, but was fun as we had to interview Virginia policymakers. Stroupe assigned two books for us to read, but he never tested us on them. As I understand, there is a similar course to this taught during a full semester by another professor. There are only three reasons I can think of to take that course instead of this one: 1) you don't want to take a J-Term, 2) you actually want the time to complete the assigned readings (both courses use the same books, which are actually pretty interesting), or 3) you want experience with the GIS mapping software. That being said, if you're willing to take a J-Term and the other reasons are not as compelling to you, I would definitely take this course over that one. The field trips are a lot of fun and Stroupe is a good connection to have in the world of Virginia politics. I firmly believe this course provides first-hand insight into Virginia state government that cannot be provided by the other course.

Fantastic class. Professor Stroupe is incredibly knowledgeable and has spent time working in Virginia Government. During this class we went on several field trips, one being to the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond where we met with the Governor and several other elected officials. Great class, highly recommend. Barely any homework and there are two quizzes and a group project.

This class is definitely worth taking, especially if you have any interest in Virginia history or politics on the state level. Professor Stroupe is extremely gifted and experienced lecturer, and while there's a significant amount of material you'll have to know for the two tests over the two weeks, it's very doable. Classes rarely, if ever last the full 10-4 as advertised which is nice. His stories as Press Secretary with the Allen administration are worth taking the class for alone.

This course was my favorite course that I have taken at UVA. If you are at all interested in American government or history take it. Not too hard; easily able to get an A. You will truly enjoy it.