American Urban Politics · Political Science
Very easy grader. I have never heard of someone getting under a 93 on assignments. Extremely long midterm, 5 response papers (2-3 pages), and a 10 page final. Also, there are A LOT of readings, but honestly they were super interesting, only reason I didnt drop the class.
Not bad. If my memory serves, two essays or so, a longer book review, and an in-class final. Grading was generous. Ample extra credit opportunity. Not all the reading is necessary, and its easy to tell which ones are most essential by the lectures and discussions. They split the grading among TAs alphabetically.
the most reasonable. weekly readings, straightforward midterm and final (nothing unexpected). one memo assignment at the end of the semester. He got his PhD is 2011 so he understands the strug of being a student.
10-page paper, midterm, final. Nothing unusual. Lots of reading; just don't do it all.
Professor Vargas-Ramos is very nice, but this class is soo boring in my opinion. It is one of the later classes and he reads word for word off of his notes. Honestly, if participation wasnt forced, than you could get away with not going to class, only doing the readings, and still end up with a really good grade in this class.
Prof. Davidson is very nice, and her class was very bearable and pretty easy. There was definitely a little bit more fluff than I expected. The first half of the course ended up being a rundown of urban history--and while I do find that pretty interesting, it was nothing that I couldn't have acquired from reading a good book or even a series of thorough wikipedia articles. Sometimes her lectures felt like very good high school history lectures in that they largely presented a series of simple dates, names, and events, and I often found myself reverting to my high school note-taking method--passive listening that was largely sufficient to get all the information needed. The second half of the course was much more in depth and satisfying. It felt like a good survey of recent urban issues and concluded with an interesting and current note on contemporary cities and the future. Professor Davidson provides ample supplementary material to the syllabus, often from that day's issue of the Times, and is genuinely enthusiastic about students' feedback. That said, it still wasn't very challenging. I didn't strictly need this class for my poli sci major, but am very interested in everything urban. This class kind of met my expectations, mainly the second half. But sometimes I wonder if I could have better used that spot to explore another concentration or something. If you're looking for…
Unclear how Scotty Minkoff doesn't have a single review written? He deserves a golden nugget. Assignments are clear and straightforward. Grading is more than fair. Lectures are extremely interesting (machine politics, national urban policy, fragmentation, etc.). His is easily the best professor in Barnard's political science department. Don't be late to lectures! I wish upon no one the shame Scotty Minkoff inflicts on those who are late to class. Grade Distribution: 25%: In-Class Midterm Examination 30%: In-Class Final Examination 10%: Discussion Section Attendance and Participation 15%: Urban Issue Journal 20%: Urban Issue Policy Memo Definitely take this class!
If you're interested in urban affairs, this is a solid course. If you're not into it, you'll have difficulty staying awake. No matter; Professor Minnite has a great deal of expertise in the subject area, and brings in plenty of engaging guest speakers, particularly for a 9 am class. Her lectures vary from interesting to less so, but the guests make up for it, and she is singlehandedly the most approachable person on the entire campus.
20 page take home midterm, 10 page take home final. 5 2-3 page response papers that you have to do throughout the semester -- he doesn't tell u how many response papers you have left and begins assigning them half way through the semester.
Very standard for a humanity course. Mid-Term was fairly straight-forward as long as you start early and do your research. Book report can be tricky (as it is graded by Prof. Davidson and her TAs based on the book you picked). The final is nothing to stress over as long as you took decent lecture notes (I'd recommend using a laptop for note-taking).