PLAP 1010

Sabato is a legend. Great professor and not too difficult of a class. While the material itself is very similar to that of AP Gov, Sabato brings in very cool and notable speakers that make the class extremely memorable

This class was a UVA institution. Larry Sabato is a legend. It was a privilege to be a part of Professor Sabato's last "Intro" class and it will definitely go down as one of my favorite experiences at UVA. The course was about as difficult as an AP Gov't class. Lectures were twice a week and consisted of Sabato cracking jokes about politicians and government (in a bipartisan way) and sharing his wealth of experience in American politics. At first, he comes across as arrogant and only talking about himself. However, once one realizes that he simply has a rich career with many incredible experiences and connections that he simply wants to share with his class, one discovers how great of a man Sabato is. Homework consisted of reading the textbook, as well as two fascinating and excellent books written by Sabato himself. There are midterm and final exams, as well as a totally manageable 6-page paper. Discussion is also once a week, and my discussion points were awarded according to participation. Emily was both the head TA and my section TA, and she was excellent. Every discussion was an exhilarating debate about specific aspects of American politics, and Emily both encouraged all viewpoints and was often better at articulating a view than the person raising it. These discussions really allowed us to think critically about the topic at hand, and remained very civil despite the fact that they were essentially political debates. Now for the real meat of the class: the guest speakers. Over the course of the semester, Sabato draws from his connections some of the most prominent and influential voices in American politics to teach us about their experiences and our government as a whole. This semester, we were visited by Senators Ted Cruz and Tim Kaine, Governor Lincoln Chafee of RI, the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Matt Olsen, Virginia Supreme Court Justice Bill Mims, and CBS correspondent Wyatt Andrews. And though Sabato was unable to bring us a surprise visit by President Obama while he was in C'ville, we did have a surprise visit by Governor Terry McAuliffe in honor of Professor Sabato's last class. Speaking of that last class, Sabato sure knows how to throw a political "party." In addition to the Governor, we were visited by one of the most world-renowned Thomas Jefferson impersonators. After class, Sabato proceeded to throw a party complete with pizza, cake, Center for Politics t-shirts and, of course, "Politics is a Good Thing" stickers. This class is an experience I will never forget, and I would absolutely recommend any courses taught by Professor Sabato in the future.

Not a particularly difficult class. Lectures are pretty irrelevant if you read the book, most of the explanation comes down to discussions. Great guest lectures from really powerful people. Lauren is a great TA

I agree with the guy above. This course is definitely not your traditional intro class that surveys all the basics. And while it might be very appealing to a certain type of people, it is not for someone who simply wanted have a taste of the subject. It is more like Sabato's Talk Show and the most substantial materials are shoved to the TAs. As a international student and politics major, I found the format kind of frustrating. Especially in discussion sessions, cuz lots of the topics require you to relate to your personal involvement in certain aspects of american politics. All in all, I this is a class is more like the professor selling you his opinion. If you want academics, you might want to try something else.

Sabato's class is not the typical introductory class like I had expected. He has many guest speakers, who are senators, gubernatorial candidates, etc. which can be very appealing to someone who already has a strong interest in politics. I did not already have this strong interest in politics aside from wanting to learn a bit more about the American political system. I found this class did not suit me well at all, as it catered more to people who wanted to listen to the guest speakers or hear about Sabato's opinions on the shortcomings of the current state of American politics. However, I did thoroughly enjoy my TA John York in discussion section, as he would teach the material I had come to learn about in a very engaging fashion. If you take the class, go with John.

This class was an experience. It's not a traditional introduction to American politics, in terms of theory and that level. It's more Sabato talking about politics, which is worthwhile. Nothing about the class is difficult, if you put in sufficient effort - which isn't a lot. The guest speakers alone make everything worth it, and they're always interesting. Matt Scroggs was a good TA, despite not being an American politics person. Overall, definitely worth taking with Sabato, even if you did AP US Government in high school.

A really fun class. Guest speakers are awesome. try to take it during a election year. John York is an awesome TA.

overrated, but gives you a good foundation

If you've taken AP Gov in high school this class shouldn't be too hard. Most will be review. However, the class is worthwhile because of the guest speakers and the solid review it provides if you’re interested in taking further courses in American Politics. I felt like there was a lot of reading for an intro level course. If you've taken AP Gov you can get away with skimming the textbook, but you have to read the other assigned books since they do show up on the Final and in the one six page paper. Overall, a decent class.

He never taught what was going to be on the midterm, it was annoying. Danny was never really prepared for anything.

Justin Peck is a good TA i had him for PLAP 3700 and he is good at initiating conversations and making the topics interesting.

Good class. Not too hard at all

Sabato just tells you his opinion the entire time. I definitely do not recommend his class. Justin Peck is a good TA though. He's really chill and made Sabato's class somewhat tolerable.

I took AP US Government in high school, so this course kind of felt like a big review for me. The high point are the guest speakers that come to visit. The low point the redundancy of the material from high school. Readings aren't too bad and yes the books are all written by him. Midterm and final are M/C id's and essay. You also write one paper with the prompt given later in the semester.

This class is harder than you may think! Read from the book to get points in discussion and do well on the test--his lectures are not as important, but you should still go; he doesn't like to think people are skipping class or goofing off.

Avoid Louis as your TA at all costs. His discussions are poorly run and don't prepare you for exams at all. He also grades harder than the other TA's. Other than that, pretty standard American Politics class, not much you haven't gotten before in previous government classes. Sabato's definitely entertaining at times though, but he can also come off as really arrogant.

I took this class thinking Sabato would blow me out of the water, but then I realized it is basically AP Government with a famous professor. The class material wasn't hard if you have taken AP Government, but I sometimes let that get the best of me as I would be lazy and not keep up with the reading. The only books you really have to read if you have taken AP Government are the books by Sabato himself because he actually tests you on those and makes sure they appear on tests. The tests are terribly written and often have spelling errors. One of our tests had the correct answer bolded. The tests are more complicated that you would think based on lectures and they expect a lot of you from the essays. The good thing is they always give you 3-4 essays to pick from so you can write about what you know. Justin was an excellent TA and made it more about current events than about lecture (which is straight government facts). He was also a fair grader. Make sure you spend a lot of time on the take home essay and seek out help from your TA as that essay really decides a lot of peoples grades. The guest speakers were cool. It was always hard to find a seat, so make sure you get there early.

Subject material isn't that hard, but Sabato blows over it so quickly that you might want to read if you aren't confident in your knowledge. Secondary reading (Sabato's books) is semi-required really. TAs control your grade, so choose wisely. Guest speakers are usually very entertaining.

take it if you have not taken AP Government in high school or you want to know more about American politics besides what`s on textbooks. some people cant stand with his ego but I think it`s not that bad. it`s important to skim through the textbook before you take the midterm.

This class is okay, yet somewhat boring. Louis is a really unfair TA. his expectations for papers aren't even reasonable. It's not that it's difficult to write a paper for him, he just takes points off for not having written into your essay wacky and obscure points. He's really frustrating

Sabato is really a knowledgeable guy but he is a little full of himself. The class is great due to the guest lecturers that come and speak.

The class is pretty easy, but you should at least skim the textbook readings. You need to read the books that are written by Prof. Sabato as those are heavily used in the course. Prof. Sabato gets frustrated if class attendance is low, and upset if you are not there for the guest speakers.

Professor Sabato's lectures are very interesting and filled with information you probably wouldn't find in the standard textbook. The class itself is relatively easy as long as you read the assigned books he's written. The textbook is essentially pointless if you have a background in the subject. Carah Ong is a great TA.

Sure Sabato has an ego but anyone who has accomplished what he has is sure to. The lectures are good, largely based on A More Perfect Constitution but aren't included much in the exams so be sure to read the textbook. The guest speakers are the true benefit to taking this class. It's not hard if you work hard and an A is certainly attainable.

This class is a lot like AP Govt but the highlight is in hearing Sabato's thoughts on different situations in politics and in seeing his guests. The paper brought my grade down but the exams cover all the info from AP gov so reading the textbook was a lot easier since I had my notes from high school.

Awesome class! if you're even remotely interested in the way our government works, I'd definitely reccommend it.

Going to class was kind of pointless unless there was a guest speaker, and those speakers are the only reason I would recommend the class. As long as you take like a hour a week to read what you should be and take notes on examples as you read for the final and midterm, it isn't too hard, as most questions come straight from the textbook.

It was so interesting to get to hear Sabato's political commentary, especially since I took it in the prime of the primary elections. The best part, obviously, was the guest speakers. Great class!

The lectures were pretty interesting and the speakers were great, but you have to suffer through tough grading and Sabato's overwhelming ego. This would be a good class to take pass/fail just to hear the speakers.

There are great and terrible aspects to this class, so it is kinda difficult to write a decent review.

There are only four grades in the class, so every grade really counts (Midterm (25%), Paper (30%), Discussion participation (10%), and final (35%)).

Sabato is a phenomenal lecturer and really knows his stuff, making lectures very interesting. The material from lectures, however, did not seem to really come up on the midterm or final. Test material ended up coming out of his books and the textbook (which he incidentally also wrote).

The guest speakers are incredible; this past semester he brought in Hilary Clinton, Senator Evan Bayh (IN), and Virginia's Governor Tim Kaine. All three were excellent speakers.

On the whole, I would recommend the class.

This is NOT an easy A course. That being said, Sabato is a superb lecturer, and his books are interesting. The exam material is not difficult, but be sure to be thorough when writing identifications and essays. I greatly enjoyed the course.

This class was disappointing. The guest speakers were great (Hillary Clinton came!) but as for the rest of it..terrible. The reading assignments are really long and tedious. The paper brings everyone's grades down. Discussions were boring. Skip this class!

Definitely not all that it was hyped up to be.

This course is best for people who want to learn something about politics, but didn't take US Government in high school, or people who want to brush up on their government knowledge. Also, if you want to get to know Mr. Sabato, he is very approachable after class. The lecture is usually fun and never boring.

Pointless to take this class if you took American Government in high school unless you just want a class with Sabato or to see the amazing guest speakers he has. Sabato is an excellent professor and gives pretty interesting lectures, but the reading is pretty much pointless and the paper is graded extremely hard. This class really should be calle Intro to Larry Sabato's Views on American Politics not Intro to American Politics.

OK, so Sabato's a pompous talking head, etc, etc. He's still an interesting lecturer who is funny (although really corny). Get Holly Hatcher as your T.A., because she rocks.

Am. Politics 101 is a fun introductory level course, so don't expect too much substance. Prof. Sabato is entertaining, a bit egotistic (all texts are written by him). Tests & papers are not difficult. Be prepared to contribute enthusiastically in discussion sessions.

Mr. Sabato is a great teacher. His lectures are very entertaining, and he is well spoken. Although Mr. Sabato might regard his own opinoin too highly, I still like him as a teacher. His lectures are also less boring than other classes I have taken. I only studied the day before the midterm and still got an A-. However, I had already read already read most of the chapters. It should also be noted that I am not a smart, nerd.

This is basically Larry Sabato's comedy hour.

Mr. Sabato's PLAP 101 is another must take at UVA. The basics of politics is an essential for all Americans and Mr. Sabato makes it fun and interesting.

I'd recommend sitting in on the lecture, but not taking the class, especially if you don't need to. It's kind of impossible to do really well in but Sabato's own commentary and personal experiences make the material a lot more interesting - he just doesn't even begin to cover the stuff you're expected to know for the exam....

This class did not live up to the hype for me. I attribute most of this to the quality of my TA, Zachary Courser. He was not good.

You really don't learn that much more than you probably already know from high school government classes since his lectures are mostly commentary, but I really enjoyed the class. However, there are a lotta people who really don't like Sabato, which I don't understand. I placed out of PLAP101 with AP credit, but I still took the class knowing there would be good speakers, etc. So if you're interested in politics, it's not a bad class to take.