LPPP 2200

This is a great class to take if you want to see if you actually enjoy learning about policy at UVA or not. It's a Batten prereq anyway, but even if you're just sort of interested, it's a solid introduction. Class is VERY structured, and the teaching team is competent and communicative. Readings are manageable and sometimes helpful but not critically necessary. I'd say start the semester completing the readings and see how you feel–I did and ended up reading less as the semester went on. I enjoyed the structure (different frameworks for approaching policy issues) and content, so I thought the lectures and assignments were enjoyable or at least engaging. Some of my friends who took the course didn't like the structure/content and found the course frustrating. It's totally possible to do well even if you don't like the class, but the course is very repetitive and tedious in its structure, so if you don't like it, it could be a drag. It's a Batten course, so overall class grades are normalized to a 3.5 GPA, which can be tough if you do poorly on some of the assignments. Johannessen is clearly excited about teaching policy, and he is clear with his expectations.

Prof. Johannessen is a great person and seems to genuinely care about his students. My TA was great, and he provided a lot of insight into Batten that I felt the lectures were missing. That being said, this course is so incredibly boring that not even his storytelling during lecture provided enough interest to make me want to attend. The lectures given during class often didn't get to the "frameworks" (actual tested content) until the last 5 minutes of class, forcing you to sit through a 45-minute example situation that ends up being relatively useless for your learning in the course. Additionally, all of the major frameworks of the class are made up by the professor, so the material being taught isn't actually relevant outside of UVA or even this class, further devaluing the time spent in lecture. Outside of class there are assigned readings, but I never read them and still kept up with the material being taught in class, and often did better on assignments than my peers who had done the readings. The policy memo is a major part of the class, and you're given 3 opportunities to revise it. The first draft's average is a C but it's only worth 2% of your final grade and the average goes up significantly after the second draft. There is a group project toward the end of the semester that requires a lot of work but is easy to get an A on. The exams in this class are open resource, and are easy to do well on with minimal studying. However, the final exam for this class is unnecessarily long considering half of it is almost identical to the final project you turn in a week before. Generally, this class is easy to get an A in, but feels like busy work and going to lecture often feels like a waste of time. It's a good GPA boost but made me not want to apply to Batten. Perhaps if you really enjoy policy you'd find the class interesting, but I just found it to be boring.