Dennis Dalton

I have to admit that at first I did absorb much of what Dalton said like the pathetic sponge I was. As the semester wore on, though, I started to see a sick sort of Dalton-worshiping in the halls of Barnard. No one saw the hypocrisy in that they were unquestioningly following the words of a man who preaches questioning our sole existence. If nothing else, this class made me embarrassed by my swooning Barnard peers and the mindlessness with which they took in his words. He blatantly discouraged students from following their dreams by handing out papers and advice pitted against certain professions. His closemindedness towards professions in law, business and government make it all the more obvious that he himself could use a little truth- pursued indoctrination.

Dennis Dalton is single-handedly the most inspiring and beautiful person that I have ever met. How can I possibly do justice to him in a review? Dalton treats his students with utmost respect and is willing to chat with them for hours on end (through emails, after class or during office hours). I only regret that I cannot adopt him as my grandfather. Sitting next to him simultaneously gave me a sense of calm and purpose. I felt revitalized knowing that "making the world a better place" is not merely a whimsical fantasy but a palpable possibility already actualized by peace activists in other communities. In a world ripping at the seams with exploitation and degradation, this course was nothing short of a beacon of hope. Through engaging class discussions and fascinating student presentations, you will learn that another type of world is indeed possible and harmonious coexistence is achievable. Honestly, I was practically moved to tears when this course was over. I am frustrated that a course that teaches people to find inner and outer peace is not part of ColumbiaÂ’s Core. I recommend, without reservation, any course taught by Dalton. You will find yourself wanting to hug him and everyone around you.

I thought I had caught on to something special when I attended Dalton's first few lectures. By the end of the semester, I regretted taking his class. He's a passionate, extremely knowledgable professor, but spends more time railing against George Bush and the war in Iraq or extolling Mahatma Gandhi than actually teaching the course. He's also an extremely picky grader; the previous reviews are right in saying that he expects you to recite the packet to him. But not only that, you had better know every detail in the packet because he nickel-and-dimes you into much lower grades with small deductions for every missed minor detail on the exams. And if you're a preprofessional student, don't expect him to be sympathetic to your need for good grades when grading your exams. He grades everyone's exams extremely hard and spends signficant class time urging students to spend a few years working for Teach for America rather than attending medical or law school. The bottom line: Dalton is great if you're a political liberal who is against all wars and doesn't care too much about grades. If you don't have the aforementioned qualities, you probably should stay away from him.

Not so great. Dalton has a large following of girls who hang onto his every word and think he is a God. There is always a line after class of students that want to hug him for such an inspiring lecture. It gets to be a little much. Especially for a man, who although he is very kind and intelligent, only expresses the most biased perspective on any issue. He stifles creative thought. I did gain a general understanding of Plato, Aristotle, etc…which I believe is very important, especially for Barnard students who don’t take Columbia’s core. His lectures are enjoyable enough but they are all the same and I often found myself looking at the clock. I wouldn’t tell you not to take the class, but I would not necessarily recommend it. Maybe I have a bitter taste in my mouth because I did exceptionally well on the midterm, but not as well on the final. He removes points for unspecific reasons. I found that my friends who memorized the 8 pages of answers they prepared before the test that simply regurgitates his thoughts did better than those who went into the test prepared, although not memorized. So if you can memorize I would do it…he wants to hear his words of wisdom mindlessly repeated back to him.

This course provided the same stuff as Dalton's Political Theory, but with class discussion, more on Gandhi and MLK Jr. Professor Dalton really has a spark in his lecture, but the readings for Non-Violence were great too, and it was really interesting to hear what other students had to say. The course alternated one day of lecture with one day of discussion (sometimes with a TA). You probably can't take this without being a junior or senior. If you can't take these classes, at least make an effort to meet Professor Dalton before you graduate, he holds "pizza and protest" sometimes. But you better take these before you graduate, or you are really missing out!

It's kind of pointless to add to the 30 other reviews, but seriously, this class is worthless. I have never taken another class in which I had to forget what I read in order to do well on the tests. He has a preachy 5 sentence take on every author, and he wants you to repeat it back to him verbatim. You have no idea how frustrating it is to read a 300 page book and then have to "unlearn" all but a sentimental summary of it. Dalton is a nice old man. Nobody denies that. But as a class, this is a horrible joke.

I agree with some of the reviews below- while he's a great guy, I'm not a huge fan of the class. The first few classes were very interesting and inspiring, but it became very repetitive and I stopped going after the midterm. The class is centered around the theme of idealism vs. realism, which I found to be too simplistic (and he is also heavily biased towards the idealists). He is a wonderful and inspiring person, but I'm not taking the second semester. By the way, don't believe what people said about difficult midterms and finals- go to the review session, he tells you what he wants in his answer word for word.

WASTE OF TIME. Take this class if you're that kid at Columbia that's just there to graduate, not learn anything and say ho-hum to your grades. I hated this class, I hated this professor.

Throughout my years here, i have never found ONE professor as passionate as Prof. Dalton. Accessibility and his 'do no harm' principle are his most powerful attributes. Some people have to realize that college is not about memorizing facts, historical events etc. College is about making you a better person, in order to be able to legitimately BECOME PART of history in a unique, admirable Way. Thankfully, Dalton has realized that, and helps us in the most efficient and virtuous way. There was not even one lecture when i left without experiencing a 'catharsis'. This person has the unique ability to wash away all your malevolence by instiling benevolence and the 'do no harm' rule in your minds and souls. If there is anyone who realizes the value of all the above, just take his class. Its too bad this 'agent of benevolence' is leaving us next year. I know this sounds cliche, but i love him.

A few hundred pages of reading a week, but the reading only lasted half the semester, leaving the rest of the time for reflection and final paper writing. The main assignment was a 25 page research paper, on whatever you're interested in that relates to Non-Violence. There were no tests.