Brigitte Nacos

Professor Nacos is a sweetheart. Her discussions are a little disorganized (she often will lecture at random points and we ended up 1 class behind mid-semester), but the topics are really interesting and she makes some savage comments that are simultaneously totally innocuous. Many people don't do the reading which meant we spent more time on current events than the slated material (although the material is very topical, so that worked out fairly well). As with many poli sci seminars, the quality of the discussion depends on the students in the class. Where Prof. Nacos really shines is her attention to your research. Each class she passes around a sign-up sheet for office hours. While going to office hours is not a stated expectation, I get the sense that if you go fairly regularly (every 2-3 weeks) it will seriously boost your grade. This is mostly because Prof. Nacos has very specific expectations for the paper which likely vary by paper topic and will not be expressed in class. I was initially frustrated because she vetoed my first paper topic and heavily tweaked the one that became my final topic. However, she was really helpful in making the paper work. She suggested articles to read (and even pages to check in our course readings), ways to organize and reference my results etc. At her suggestion, she reviewed a draft of my paper and gave extensive suggestions. This might…

This seminar is a solid pickup for anyone who has a mild interest in this stuff. It's easy to get away with not doing any of the readings and you only have to participate once or twice (like any other seminar) to get a good participation grade. The discussions are sometimes interesting because who doesn't love talking about hypotheticals that involve national security? Make sure you hand in a draft/outline/something written of your term paper early because just discussing your ideas with her does not mean you actually understand what she wants and could result in a shockingly bad grade. Trust me, I know.

This class is PERFECT for those who 1) know nothing (or very little) about the relationship between the media and the government and 2) are the "go to class and take notes" type (as described by another reviewer). If you go to class, sit near the front, and take notes, this class is truly enjoyable. Warning, however, Nacos does not put up with those who like to hear their own voices- she will shut you down quickly if she can tell you are an uninformed participant. She really knows her stuff (her book relating terrorism and the media is great...easy read and interesting). I know many students who worshiped her this past semester and loved going to class, myself included.

Professor Nacos is a very approachable and warm instructor. The seminar discusses the issues of terrorism in various locales. The class is a really easy seminar. Reading her book and a bit from the reserve can be enough if you know anything about current events. If you work hard on the paper you can get an A without doing much during the semester and its always fun to talk about current events with a terrorist specialist.

a truly awful class. nacos's lectures are plodding and rambly. ta's grade arbitrarily on both papers and the midterms. discussions are so crowded that they render the discussion pointless.

I learned about the philosophical debate surrounding what a terrorist is, the different terrorist groups that have existed throughout history, as well as counterterrorism efforts and how efficient (or not) they tend to be.

This is one of the best and most manageable Seminars in the department. Professor Nacos is absolutely great in sending e-mails about real-time situations and apply the concepts to them. Even if you have not done the readings through application of the concepts you can learn a lot about this whatever is being discussed. With that said, the readings are really interesting, specially if you are interested in the subject and are very much manageable compared to other classes. Professor Nacos is one of the nicest people you'll encounter in your academic career. She is caring and wants to help you better understand the material. She is willing to read over your paper before its due and gives you insightful comments that can help you write a better paper which will make your final grade better. Overall a great experience to have her as a professor. I would take whatever else class she teaches because she is just amazing.

This class was basically a giant waste of time. Admittedly part of my dislike was with the course time, late evening Thursday nights, but Nacos' rambling lectures didn't help either. She handed out lecture outlines during every class but often side tracked herself with useless trajectories, then upon realizing she hadn't finished her outline would just continue lecturing past the end of class, sometimes up to 10-15 minutes past. The material is mostly common sense stuff with obvious conclusions. Readings are unnecessary, most stuff is lecture based. But be careful, the TAs grade arbitrarily. If you are unhappy with your grade I would fight it. Overall, boring class with no new information if you follow the news, and random grading.

One long paper (25-30) and a related proposal of 6 pages. Reading thats not needed.

AWFUL! This woman's lectures are inpenetrable. She has a horrific accent, which coupled with her monotone and robotic delivery makes for snooze time.