COLA 1500

disclaimer that i did drop out of this course after attending two classes, but just wanted to share my experience in case anyone is in the same boat as me. this professor is really nice, but if you're like me and took a COLA mainly for the advising, this course isn't really the best as he's a research professor and not that informed about the academic requirements of the college. i also took this COLA because it had good reviews here, the topic seemed unique, and the other ones i wanted filled up quickly, so if you're actually really interested in this topic, you may still enjoy your time here. however, i mainly just felt that the work is a little excessive for a 1 credit course, as you have a ~30-page, dense, historical reading that's the basis of discussion for each week, and you write two 5-page papers during the semester. if this topic is something you really really care about, you may still like this class, but otherwise, i wouldn't really recommend it as a good COLA
#tCFfall2021

The Founding of the US as a Peace Project was divided into two parts: different interpretations of the American founding and different European peace proposals. It was fascinating to study the American founding through multiple different viewpoints. Each week had a medium-length reading and you submitted one discussion question. The first 30 minutes of class was an interesting albeit dry lecture, followed by 30 minutes of class discussion and 15 minutes of UVA advising. The course had two 5 page papers, which Professor Mattes gave appropriate time and resources for us to complete. Professor Mattes is a research professor so his advising wasn't the most useful. That being said, he is really knowledgeable on the subject and put in effort to be our advisor.

The Founding of the US as a Peace Project was an interesting COLA. If you are interested in American history or politics then this is an interesting class because it looks at the founding from a very unique point of view. The workload for this class was very manageable and two essays were pretty open-ended. Dr. Mattes is very kind and answers emails quickly. Overall a good COLA for an easy once a week class on an interesting topic. #tCF2020