PLCP 3120

Professor Schwartz is a great professor. His lectures are entertaining even on slightly boring topics, and his sense of humor is really dry which I found funny. The material is pretty straightforward most of the time if you take really detailed notes/pay attention in class. There are reading quizzes so you do have to at least skim all of the readings, but there aren't any exams so it makes up for it. I thought this class would be boring and ended up really liking it, so I'd recommend it. Also, Professor Schwartz is very personable and understanding in office hours, so do go if you need help, especially with the paper!

Schwartz is a freaking genius. I can't recommend this class enough, and I think it's a perfect first comparative politics class for someone looking to major in something in the social sciences.

Like previously said, Schwartz is a funny and engaging lecturer who combines economic history, current events, labor and development theory, and ideas of governance in digestible ways. Some more specific thoughts: for the papers (which make up more than half of your final grade), pick countries you're interested in, go to office hours, and try not to miss lecture before the quiz if you can swing it. Schwartz is personable and loves answering questions in class or in office hours, so don't get discouraged if you're initially intimidated. He's also great at picking TAs; I've had Mackenzie and Bea and both were fantastic. The fall will likely be his last semester, so take it!!

This class was very interesting, and I learned a lot of important information! Professor Schwartz was surely a character, but he was obviously very well-versed on the topic. He is retiring this year though. The information was a genuine tsunami of information, but big themes stand out and tie the content together. Standout topics for me were healthcare, housing, and childcare/women's employment. There's a lot of really useful life information, and I can confidently say I learned a lot in the class. The readings were either really dense or really digestible, but you've got to at least skim everything for the reading quizzes which were pretty reasonable. Discussion section was okay but not the most productive in understanding content. I loved having Andi as my TA though; she's super nice and gives good feedback on the essays. The essays weren't difficult as long as you started working on them early enough (like 1-2 weeks in advance). I would definitely recommend this class if you want to be better versed in welfare policy!