LPPP 2200

Class is average. Prof is interesting and makes an effort to be unbiased. Would ask why all the TAs are grad students when they know they have a master thesis due. Should hire TAs who do not have extreme time conflicts. Grading and feedback is slow. Discussions are not helpful as just are repeats of lecture, could be just extra hw given. #tCFS24

Johannessen lectures in a very straight-forward way. Readings are so optional I literally did none of them and got an A. Getting a good TA matters for writing your memo. Prof is very kind and knowledgeable. Class can be a bit dry sometimes but not hard to get the A if you put in the work. All tests are open-note. Learned quite a lot from this class & I'm not a Batten kid - loved how Johannessen teaches.

Overall a solid course. This course is truly a great introduction to all aspects of public policy, but none of the material is earth shattering. Johannessen is super organized and always made expectations clear, which I appreciated. The course has a lot of components that make up your grade. The midterm sis tricky, but the final is way easier since you simply have more time. The hardest part is the policy memo. Over the course of the semester, you are given three attempts, each attempt counting more percentage wise towards your final grade. The readings are absolutely useless. I did them the first three weeks then stopped doing them. You will be fine without them. The discussion section sometimes felt useless, but my TA was awesome. All the TAs are always willing to provide support and feedback when revising your policy memo. I highly reccomend taking advantage of their office hours in order to be successful with your drafts. Overall if you are Pre Batten or want to see if you are interested in Batten, I recommend this course. The content is very straightforward and the course is not designed to be extremely challenging. Overall a good experience!

I absolutely LOVE this class. Time goes by extremely quickly as Professor Johannessen is an amazing lecturer. The readings are all extremely purposeful and interesting. This class has definitely made me interested in majoring in Public Policy. Aleah is a great TA and the discussions are super helpful as they always go over assignments. There is a lot of in-class discussions mixed with lecturing, which is super refreshing. Would 100% recommend taking this class!

This is an excellent blueprint for how lectures should be in college. Professor Johannessen is an engaging and dynamic lecturer than somehow manages to make a 200+ student class feel personal. These lectures include slideshows with detailed information and real-world examples. I think these real-world examples are probably the biggest strength of this lecture — the professor applies current events to the political frameworks we learn to help exemplify how we can apply the new vocabulary we learn. Oftentimes we will break into small groups discussions to come up with our own examples, then raising our hands and providing our own perspectives. For a politics class, Johannessen does an outstanding job engaging all different perspectives and not criticizing varying beliefs.

The actual course load for this class is very manageable. The readings are helpful; however, if you miss a few it is not the end of the world — the lecture is by far the most important part of the class. If you only listened to the lectures you could probably still earn a high grade on your exams if you are diligent in reviewing lecture material.

The only drawback of this class is the Batten curve — the class must have a 3.5 average. Not knowing what your grade will be is pretty nerve-racking, but that is just a program policy that cannot be avoided.