PLPT 3030

I looved this course. While I was hesitant about taking a PLPT, this course changed my perception of it. This was perhaps my politics class that most applied real world examples to what we were learning and made theory come to life. Professor Rubenstein was engaging and super energetic, which always helped. #tCFspring22

Rubenstein is the best! She's engaging, excited about her material, and crazy smart. I think she's the right balance between a great scholar and instructor, and I'd put this near the top of your list for intro theory classes. TAs are definitely hit-or-miss, so ask around before you register for sections.

Reading gets a lot heavier over the sem, and the final and midterm and harder and fast-paced. Do your best to read after the midterm, and make sure you ask her for a syllabus before you go since the attendance policy is funky. Overall, love Rubenstein, her teaching style, and enthusiasm; lectures can be long, and sections are slightly dreadful since participation is graded so harshly.

Professor Rubenstein is amazing! She is so dedicated, enthusiastic, and responsive. I had never taken a political theory class before, and though the readings got heavy (particularly after the midterm), her teaching style made the class very manageable and exciting. She holds frequent and regular office hours and responds to student feedback. Her attendance policy is very strict and worth a good amount of points as well. I didn't find section very helpful, but again, the attendance policy made it so I had to go often. I HIGHLY recommend taking this course. If you haven't taken theory before but want to push yourself and are up for a significant, fast-paced schedule, take PLPT 3030 with Rubenstein (just make sure you go to class!). #tCFS24

This class kinda sucked, and most of the people I talked to in my class agreed. Professor Rubenstein is actually a really nice and dedicated teacher, but she is extremely disorganized and not an effective teacher at all. The course was also extremely fast paced, as a different author and reading was assigned for each class, except the professor never actually explained any of the readings. For example, rather than explain a thinker's idea, she just put up quotes from the assigned reading and then simply read them aloud rather than explain them. I learned much more from section and frankly, online, than I did actually in the class. The course is also not easy; while I ended up getting an A, it required learning from online sources rather than from lecture. The only grades in the class are the midterm and final as well as participation, and so you also really have to study. I actually feel like I came out of the course with even less interest in the topic and less knowledge than when I entered. Overall, I don't recommend this course because I wasn't really taught anything, even though Professor Rubenstein is actually a super sweet person.