PLAP 1010

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.

Good class. Not too hard at all

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.

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.

overrated, but gives you a good foundation

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

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.

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.

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.

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