PLIR 1010

This is a great class to take if you're even the slightest bit interested in international relations. In lecture you learn more about theory but in discussion you get to talk a lot more about current events and what's happening in the news. Grades are based off clicker questions, a policy memo that you get lots of feedback on, an optional midterm (in class and take-home essay), and a final (same format). Super easy to get an A, and he even offers some pretty generous extra credit. Ended up getting below average on the midterm but for the final go through every single question on the study guide he gives you and you're guaranteed to ace it. The study guide only took about half a day to complete, but it's extremely thorough and you'll go into the exam feeling very confident.

Love this class! RECOMMEND to everyone regardless of intended majors. To be completely honest I enrolled in this class because I did not get off the wait list for my other classes and this 1000-level doable class was still open. However it turned out to be one of the best classes I took. I was not particularly into politics at all, just has some moderate curiosity about international relations. The class is a great intro. The topics are relevant and easy to comprehend, workload is minimal, and Professor Sechser is an awesome lecturer. He is very clear and knowledgeable, and his slides have all the information you need to know. I recommend doing the readings because they help reinforce concepts, and you need to read them for your discussion sections anyways, but the tests were really just based on his lectures. This class makes me want to major in Foreign Affairs.

So I kinda have mixed feelings about this course. To start with, the TAs and Professor Sechser were all good. No complaints about how discussion or lecture were held. My main issue was probably a personal one as I just did not find the content of the course that interesting. Maybe my own fault because I was just taking the course as an easy A and because it fit in my schedule very well. Regardless, you spend a ton of time talking about the theory of international relations instead of the current international relations which wasn't really what I was looking forward to. It is not a difficult class whatsoever. Go to lecture and listen to Secsher. I barely did any readings for the semester and got an A. My recommendation is to go to lecture and discussion for the points. Do good on the policy memo. Study lecture material for the midterm and final and really focus on Game theory + do the practice exercises he posts. If you do that and like theoretical politics, then you should have no problem with the course.

Definitely recommend this class if you are curious about IR or a Politics major. It's really straightforward and the exams are easy. Sechser is pretty interesting and a really friendly guy. Try to get Hsuan Yu (Shane) Lin as your TA!! He's really energetic and made discussions kinda fun. Great course for first semester first years or upperclassmen looking for a fairly easy class.

I took this class as a fourth year hoping that a 1000 level politics course would be an easier way to spend my second to last semester of college compared to other 3000 and 4000 level courses. I was disappointed to find that this was absolutely not the case. Todd enjoys talking about the subject of international relations and using examples from throughout history to clarify his statements/remarks. However, this course had a big economics focused as we spent a long time discussing prisoners dilemma, security dilemma, chicken game, CPFs, PPFs and so on. The midterm was optional, I would advise you to take it, but focused almost exclusively on readings (most of which were not even discussed in class or connected to lecture material). The semester long policy memo was extremely easy and took no time so do not let that discourage. However, I would not recommend this class to anyone as I have found that every single class that I have taken in the 3000-4000 department was MUCH easier compared to this one. Lectures were dry, slides unhelpful, and tests too difficult given the level and content of the course.

I thought this was a spectacular class, especially for a large intro lecture. Professor Sechser is really nice, very knowledgeable and totally approachable. He knows the topic very well, but more importantly, he actually makes lectures interesting. This was a 9 AM, even so time seemed to fly by and I almost never left a lecture feeling it wouldn't have been worth going. He uses lots of historical and contemporary examples to make the theories you discuss in class applicable, which makes the topic that much more relatable.

In terms of grading, Professor Sechser is fairly lenient. Almost every class has three clicker questions, cumulatively, these add up to about 10% of your grade, which means that you really should go to lecture if you want to do well (which is made easier because they are so enjoyable). Readings usually aren't too bad, that said, you don't really need to do them all, Professor Sechser will go through the most salient points in lectures and there are no "gotchas" on either exam. The only writing assignment is the policy memo, it does require a fair amount of work, but multiple rounds of reviews means that you should do fine.

In short, I thought this was a great class where it is relatively easy to do well if you show up and do the work, I'd absolutely recommend it to anyone with a interest in IR or to anyone who wishes to gain some basic knowledge of the topic.

Sechser is a pretty chill guy. He tries to make his lectures interesting and usually they are. 30% of the grade is based on participation and you often have activities and pop quizzes in class so you should definitely come to lecture. The quizzes aren't hard if you glance over your notes from last time. The midterm and final are SUPER easy if you study - you don't really need to know the reading closely, he covers most of it in lecture. The only other grade is a policy memo - you will work on it periodically throughout the semester, which makes it much more manageable. Basically come to class, pay attention, and study and you will succeed in this class. One of the better intro classes I've taken at UVa

Sechser is a great guy, decent lecturer. The lectures are sometimes repetitive, but overall you learn a decent bit if it's your first politics course. The readings aren't necessary because you go over them in discussion, but they will help you if you really understand them. No computers in class and there are pop quizzes occasionally, so you should go.

This course is a wonderful introduction to learning about the decisions of and interactions between nations. Professor Sechser is a great lecturer, and does a good job bringing a variety of theorems and authors. The class is not very difficult, although you have to write a 1500-word policy memo for the semester, but you get extensive help from the TAs on this.

If you're considering majoring in politics this is a great class to test the waters with. Sescher is a great lecturer, assigns interesting readings most of the time (I did them because I was interested, but his exams are mostly on lecture material so you don't need them to do well), and although people complain it's too much theory and a lack of current events, I think it's fine for an intro class. Easy A, definitely recommend it!

Professor Sechser is a pretty cool dude. He presents the material in a very straightforward manner that is incredibly easy to understand. He spends a ton of time on theories (especially game, prospect, & security). Class consists of an optional (take it) midterm, a final, discussion section, and a light policy memo (four pages). Although he gives great examples of his theories, Sechser doesn't apply them to current events, which can be a bit frustrating. Definitely take this class if you want a very easy introduction to international relations.

I would highly recommend this class to anyone interested in politics, and especially potential majors in politics. Sechser is a pretty chill guy but a little boring. A lot of reading was assigned, but like most politics classes it was not necessary to do. I didn't read at all and pulled out an A minus. Due to a weird policy of his, if you ace the midterm, you don't have to take the final (I got a 92 so I opted not to take the final). There is a substantial "policy memo" project, but there are multiple checkpoints you have to turn in throughout the semester, so it is pretty easy to complete and actually interesting. Just go to lecture and take good notes and participate in discussion, and you should be able to get an A with minimal effort outside of class

Like a lot of classes you will find at UVa, this one is definitely over-rated. Sechser was just so boring. He came across quite well, young guy, always able to answer questions etc but his lecturing was just so dull. I didn't go half the time, it just wasn't worth getting up for when the slides were put online.

I had Mike Poznansky as TA. Cool guy but condescending at times and wasn't the easiest grader.

I probably have myself to blame but Sechser just didn't inspire me to put a lot of work into this course so I came out with a B. However his exam policy is great, the final is optional and the essay question is one of 5 choices which he gives you before so just prepare all 5 well and it's easy to get at least a B

Professor Sechser was an amazing instructor and was very passionate about international relations. This is a good intro course without an excessive amount of reading. You can choose between taking the midterm or the final, OR take both an average your grade. A "study guide" with possible terms and essay topics is provided prior to the exams (there are only the two exams). The main project/homework/assignment of the semester is the Policy Memo where you get to research a topic of your choice. This assignment s spread out over the course of the semester, so it is never an excessive amount of work at once. Lectures are really interesting and overall I really recommend this course - even for non-majors.

This was a very solid intro course to International Relations. Todd Sechser can be a boring lecturer at times, but overall presents ideas in class in a very organized and interesting manner. The grade consists of a midterm, a final, and a 1500 word policy memo which is not too bad, all helped by the fact that the final is OPTIONAL (I got a 95 on the midterm so this just applied to the final as well) which is awesome! Readings are long but not necessary if you go to class. Overall a great intro to IR class, and pretty much made me want to major in Foreign Affairs!

This is a fantastic introductory course to the field of international relations. Professor Sechser is great and effectively communicates what he expects students to know. The readings can definitely be dense and hard to grasp, but discussion and lectures help to clear things up. Abby is a super awesome TA; I would definitely recommend her. Exams are fair and there is only one paper which you work on the entire semester. Overall it's a very fair and interesting class.

Professor Sechser is the man! He is brilliant and so enthusiastic about the subject. His composure during lecture is professional and gets the point across so effectively--I especially like the exerciser we had in class (2 times), they are a cool way to grasp the topic at hand. Reading is heavy at times, but you can get away by skimming most. Take the policy memo seriously, it's not difficult, but it requires work/time. I had Post as my TA and she was just as great as the Professor, she shows great interest into her students!

I'm surprised that I haven't found a review on him so far, his class is great--take it!