PLAP 4841

Very kind man, and he has a fantastic resumé, but he's getting along in years and won't be fully present in class. Worthwhile content, but the professor didn't do a good enough job of making the content interesting/fostering discussion. Very easy grading (long paper; get it done in time or face the repercussions).

I LOVED this class so much. O'Brien is absolutely hilarious and is such a good lecturer. He's absolutely brilliant too. I was the only second year in my class, but I honestly felt just as prepared and just as smart as everyone else in the class. There was way too much reading assigned each class but you can easily get away with not doing it. There's one preliminary paper (4-6 pages) on a specific case or constitutional issue of your choice (he gives you a list to choose from the first day). You will present your paper to the class and will essentially kick start the seminar's discussion on that particular issue for that class period. This paper isn't formally graded, it basically just counts as part of your participation grade. Then there's a 20-25 page paper of your choosing that you turn in at the end of the semester which is worth 70% of your final grade. It sounds daunting, but I'm pretty sure he gave almost the entire class an A. You'll walk away from the class having learned a lot about civil liberties in America, and will have an almost guaranteed shot at an A in a 4000 level class IF you do the work and contribute at least once each class. Take this class, you won't regret it!