PLPT 1010

This was a very difficultly graded intro class. I liked Professor Bird, but he says the whole goal of the class is to confuse you politically, which it did. There were two essays and one extremely hard multiple-choice take-home exam, which didn't matter because the essays were taken more into account (despite the grade breakup on the rubric). There are nightly readings (You don't need to do them, he completely regurgitates the important parts in class) and the TA sections were not the most helpful. My TA, Diego, was very nice and a good grader, but the sections were slightly repetitive and not very engaging. There wasn't a ton of feedback on the essays (and they were only 1 month apart from each other along with the final right in the middle), which I would've appreciated, but they were graded pretty well. Bird says A's are rare in the class, but this is just to scare people. WHile the course was very entertaining (Bird is an amazing lecturer), the class could've been structured a lot differently to benefit the class.

This is a great course for getting the PLPT requirement out of the way. Prof. Bird is a great lecturer and very approachable. He did his best to add humour to class, but I found myself struggling to pay attention. I am not interested in political theory so it went a bit over my head, but class definitely helped explain the readings and concepts. I ended up never doing the readings after the first few lectures and did perfectly fine in the class and also feel like I have a good idea of different theories simply from attending lecture. Grades are determined on two papers worth 30% each and an open note take home final worth 40% that was curved quite generously. The syllabus can be daunting as it is noted that A's should not be expected, but I and others I talked to did very well on the papers and in the class. TA's determine grades for the two papers and my TA, Diego, was great. Diego was extremely responsive through email and office hours and would provide help preparing for the paper. He was also a very understanding and generous grader so if you can, definitely get him as a TA as they can make or break your grade. Overall this wasn't the most engaging but it wasn't the worst class you could take. As long as you have a good TA and put forth effort, you will do great.

Professor Bird gave interesting and engaging lectures that summarized the texts well. His slideshows were hard to keep up with when taking notes, and it's practically impossible to take paper notes (as he prefers) since there is so much to write. Both papers were fair and interesting but the exam was unnecessarily confusing and will bring down your grade. He can sometimes make thoughtless comments (especially on American politics) but he is pretty humorous most of the time. The consensus of my discussion group was that it was much harder than your average intro class, but it was interesting.

If you're looking for an easy class to fulfill the PLPT requirement, I wouldn't take this class. The class and the papers were relatively easy, but the final exam (open-book) was extremely tough. The final exam grade will definitely bring your grade down, and it's not easy to get better than a B+ in the class, even if you pay close attention in lecture. The readings were okay, but Professor Bird does discuss them in detail during lecture. Professor Bird also packs the slides with content, and you have to listen carefully for the main points. Professor Bird is a good lecturer and likes to tell jokes to keep people entertained. I will say though, that he has a sort of "that's your problem" energy to American politics whenever the subject is brought up (he is a British expat but tenured at UVA). Most professors make occasional comments that don't land well, but he made one remark that was pretty bad and came off pretty insensitive. Overall, I would only take the class if you have to.

The grading breakdown is 2 papers and a final exam, and I really appreciated that the prompts were given at the beginning of the semester for the papers on the syllabus. Bird’s a fantastic lecturer (even though it was virtual this semester) and always makes the information more simple to process. The final exam was tough since it was choose all of the following but the curve must have been generous considering my final class grade. The papers are intimidating but I highly recommend creating outlines and chatting with your TA for guidance (I had A. Teleb who I would highly recommend). Overall, it was a super interesting class that I’d recommend to anyone (I took it as a first year and ended up with an A. So if you put forth the effort it definitely pays off).

Class time was decent. Bird is a good lecturer. The readings are all over the place. Most are bad, some are decent, and few are enjoyable. Your grade is based on two papers and an insanely tough open note online final. The average for the final exam was 58% but the curve was generous, so no complaints. Papers are subjective to your TA. Overall, probably the best way to get the political theory requirement.

Two papers and an online, open book final. The first paper was harshly graded for an intro course but, although I never saw my second paper grade, I know it had to have been a good grade considering my final grade in the class. The final is extremely tough but the curve is pretty generous (a 20 was a C-). Bird is funny but you don't have to pay attention in lecture.

If you're a politics major this is probably the simplest way to get your Political Theory requirement. Two papers and an insanely tough open note final. Readings are pretty dense but they're not super necessary to do if you go to lecture since Bird will lay out what you need to take away from them. Brittany Leach was a great TA, her discussions were helpful and she gave good feedback on papers.

2 papers (harshly graded) and an open book, online final. Bird is a nice guy and very energetic about his class. Unfortunately, that does not transfer into the class/lecture vibes. While he is very into his material and excited about it, the lectures are very dry and boring. Hard to get above a B+.

Bird seems like he could be pretty funny and cool, but I took this course at 9am so I was never really in the mood to laugh or I just skipped. There are two papers and an in class final. The final is super easy though as you get to use your notes and readings. I never did the readings and ended up with a B.