Alan Dye

Prof. Dye is incredibly understanding, a true sweetheart. The course surveys across regions: Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The course is 90% takehome, with the exception of a final in-person examination (3-4 short answer questions, which he provides two hours to conduct). 2 out of 4 short empirical essays (each 3-5 pages if done solo, 5-8 if done in pairs) on a variety of topics, which gives ample space for creativity. Instructions are clear and detailed. One midterm essay (2-3 pages) with about a week to complete from release. One final essay (2-3 pages) with similar time given. He provides discussion questions in advance of each session, and that's when he gives the most room for participation points (beware he does take note of each time someone participates, nonetheless, he stops doing so once you are a frequent participant). Grading may vary from TA to instructor, however, I felt it was generally fair. Can be a bit nit-picky, but makes you a stronger writer. I learned a lot and would highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this class. Take it for hands-on practice with Excel. The concepts are interesting and easy to grasp. Professor Dye is very kind in person, although do not ask for extensions or to miss class as he will say no.

He certainly isn't a bad person (anymore, I guess?) but he's definitely not the best lecturer. He does seem a bit nervous, and he definitely stumbles here and there, but he's pretty kind. I recommend going to lectures anyways, but you can also self-study the material (he uploads slides to Courseworks before every lecture). I knew people who only took notes to stay awake in class. We used a free online textbook—his slides are the EXACT same material, so if you need a more in-depth explanation, you can refer to it. I'd say the exams are more in-depth than the psets and what we cover in class. Take Prof. Dye's class if you have a foundation in Econ and can self study. Recitations were sort of helpful.

Okay so Alan Dye is the most obnoxious, chauvinistic, rude, arrogant professor on earth. I have a friend who was dealing with severe personal issues and the way in which he spoke to her was downright inappropriate not to mention he got pulled up by public safety. He needs serious help and I think he suffers from some kind of male gender complex whereby he hates all women. Female students avoid any interaction with him! Have heard he's got some major personal issues (spinster at this age, you know the drill) which he unfairly unloads onto all women. Pity he teaches at Barnard which is all about girl power With all the respect in the world, look in the mirror Alan Dye, before you speak. Lol. And its not just that he's an ass, he's also clearly a shit teacher going by the reviews on here. Have heard he falls asleep whilst lecturing and has severe body odour (not a nice touch when conducting office hours), I guess old age catches up with you if that bald head didn't give it away.

Oh Professor Dye. He insists on teaching this class at 9 AM, which basically means that about half the class shows up to lecture every week. The sad part is that lecture is REALLY important in this class. The readings are long, but they were usually pretty interesting, except for everything we had to read about agriculture during the industrial revolution. I don't know why anyone would take this class unless they really really had to (it's a requirement for majors). The course-load was pretty large for a 2000-level class and most of the people in the class didn't really know how to prepare for his exams, so there was a nice curve, which was kind of him. In general, Professor Dye is really nice and when he finally responds to your e-mails, he has no problem meeting with you to discuss any questions you might have from class. As long as you go to class most of the time and do the readings at some point before exams, you're good to go. The final paper is a huge pain in the butt, but it only counts towards 15% of your grade, so it's not so awful, as long as you do well on the midterm and the final, which are each worth A LOT.

Alan Dye definitely knows his stuff but has no idea how to communicate that to his students. This class was horribly boring and structured poorly. Most people rarely attended lecture. The grading was also pretty harsh and very subjective. The idea was the better you knew the professor, the better you did in the class. He ultimately turned a subject that is very simple and interesting into something very complex, difficult, and boring.

This class focused on Latin American history and was fascinating as an intro to the field of economics. If you are someone interested in the practical impact of economic theory on history, but turned off by formulas and theory divorced from history, this class is a great way to get it. Lectures could have been more interactive and/or dynamic, but I ultimately learned a great deal about history and economic theory... and didn't ever have to do any math! Professor Dye is knowledgeable if not exciting and is extremely helpful in one-on-one meetings. He also clearly cares about this class and enjoys the mix of econ. and non-econ. majors in his classroom. Both can do well in his class. I did, and the last time I took econ. was when I slept through it in 10th grade.

He's a nervous little guy, but a good teacher and super nice. His lecturing style isn't exactly riveting, but he knows his shit. He's really accessible too, so if you've got questions about the material, he'll be there to answer them for you. Personally, I recommend taking a class with him; in general, I'd say he's one of the better econ professors at Columbia.

First, this class was challenging for me academically. Second, while the professor clearly loves the subject, he is not the most understanding when personal hardships arise. My best friend passed away two days before the midterm paper was due. I was distraught and having a really hard time, and when I requested a modest two-day extension, his response was: no, but "Good luck with it!" That’s it. No acknowledgment, no sympathy—just a cold dismissal. Not the best experience after losing a friend I loved and shared life with since I was 3 yrs old.

Going into this class, I was frightened by the CULPA reviews, but Professor Dye was an absolute sweetheart of a professor. He grades reasonably, the content is interesting, and, above all, he is so kind. On Halloween, he brought candy for trick or treating. During our final presentations, he brought snacks and beverages. He really cares about his students Pretty much every person in the class agreed that he is so sweet.