POLS BC3411

Although it was nice that we didn't have to write a long research paper as in other colloquia, I would have preferred that to the ridiculous assignments we had to do instead. Our final presentation was capped at 10 minutes, and felt like a waste of time compared to the research we had to put into it and the arbitrary standards she gave for it. We had to come into class on a Friday, 10-5pm, for a role-play about the Congo that was such a waste of time and required so much preparation for again, arbitrary grading standards based on our performance. We had to do a teach-in about an AI tool that again, felt like a waste of time and had nothing to do with the content of the course. We honestly worked a lot with AI in a way that took time away from learning anything helpful about "building peace." Every assignment took a fair amount of time without helping me learn about the course content at all. Every week we had to read at LEAST one full book if not two, which is not only impossible for most of us with our other courses, but was unnecessary to require as we would discuss the readings on a very surface-level for MAYBE one hour of our two hour class, if not less. Overall, this course was way too much work and stress for how little I enjoyed it and got out of it. Grading breakdown: 1. In-class discussion of the readings (20% of the final grade) 2. A teach-in on Artificial Intelligen…

I honestly expected a lot going into this class, given that Professor Autesserre had such great reviews, is the chair of the Barnard Political Science department, and is a seemingly world-renowned expert in her field. I ended up incredibly disappointed not only in the course, but in her teaching style and availability to her students. Autesserre would not only make herself incredibly unavailable outside of office hours and rarely respond to emails, but was very often unhelpful when my peers and I would make it to her office hours. She had very high standards for coursework, and when we tried to clarify her standards she wouldn't make them clearer, often making them more confusing, and graded harshly based off of arbitrary standards. It felt impossible to improve in this course - almost as if she had set our grades at the beginning of the class and was unwilling to help us improve further. Prof. Autesserre should stick to doing her own research, as she seems uninterested in becoming a better professor or being helpful in any way to her students. I felt like I learned absolutely nothing in this course - other than "top-down" vs. "bottom-up" peacebuilding - a self-explanatory concept.

The readings were a LOT, and assignments were tough. Average reading was a book + an article or two a week, so prepare to read a lot. Assignments (research paper, crisis simulation) really required you to know the readings and course content, so be prepared. Professor Autesserre expects a lot from her students, but she is a very fair grader and provides pretty good feedback that I think has really helped me grow as a student.

INCREDIBLE class – really changed my perspective on the world of peacebuilding, especially regarding the UN and international orgs. Prof. Autesserre is a brilliant and passionate person, and that translates to her teaching. It is a seminar-style class, so she lets students do most of the talking/discussing and rarely interrupts except to give directions or advice, and this means you NEED to have been doing the readings for the week. She's always happy to clarify anything you didn't understand, though, and is really kind and understanding in general. Crisis simulation seemed scary, but ended up being SUPER fun and definitely helped us bond as a class.

15% participation (Eassyyyyyy) 20% reading review (Also pretty easy - clear requirements) 15% Memo for peace talks 10% research question 15% outline 25% Research paper

LOVED THIS CLASS!!! Was warned by other reviews not to take this as my first Colloquium, and I did anyway and have no regrets. Professor Autesserre is brilliant, compassionate, engaging, and supportive. The workload is a lot but expected for a polysci colloquium. It is very very very reading heavy and important to do the readings so that you can participate in class, but it is worth it. If a reading is boring, you can get away with skimming it or focusing on just one chapter. She was extremely helpful in helping me finetune my research question. I feel lucky to have the privilege of learning from Professor Autessere and her passion for humanitarian work is unmatched by any professor I have heard from. She is unbelievably intelligent and feels strongly about what she teaches, which contributes to the content of the course. Hard class but SO worth it!!!! ALSO the mock peace talks are so so soo so fun. And I learned so much!!!!

Heavy/moderate. - Weekly reading - One reading review (20%): 2 pages single-spaced, due by October 22. - One memo (15%): on your actor's position during mock peace talks (which take 2 classes), due October 29. - One research paper (50%) in 3 parts: (1) Research question (10%) due September 17. (2) Revised research question and 1-page outline (15%) due October 29. (3) Research paper (25%): 25-30 pages double-spaced, due December 3. All assignments are due on Courseworks and in paper copy by the beginning of class. (Double-sided strongly preferred.)

This course is fantastic, and very much worth taking. Professor Autesserre is highly knowledgeable and clearly in love with peacebuilding (as a topic and in practice). Hearing her discuss peacebuilding (especially those rare mentions of her own experiences) is absolutely delightful. I _adore_ the course, and sincerely wish she taught another in the same vein with new/more in-depth material. (Peacebuilding is such a thorny topic that if you've only one semester, it's difficult to both address all of the most important topics to understand, _and_ delve deeply into any one subject.) She prefers a clear, concise writing style, which is a relief (especially compared to those teachers impressed by obtuse and florid language). Her expectations are reasonable. I guess you could say they're a touch on the high side, but I've not noticed a real difference between hers and those of other colloquia teachers. Yeah, you're gonna have to put in real work for the class, but again, this is a colloquium; that's not unusual. Office hours: Mondays 5-7 pm, sometimes switched out for Tuesday 2-4pm. I do have a couple complaints. First, she could be a little faster to answer emails (wait time is 2-3 business days, varying somewhat depending on the time of the semester). She also (not really unreasonably) prefers to answer questions in person, rather than by email, so a better discussion can be had.…

Typical reading wise - 100-300 pagees per class 1 reading review 1 memo for Congo simulation 2 oral presentations 1 final 25-30 page paper

Professor Autesserre is obviously brilliant but I actively regret taking her colloquium. Her office hours were the worst I've ever been to -- she's made multiple students cry and offers very little guidance on the final paper. Unless you are singularly interested in peacekeeping I wouldn't say this class is worth taking.