Jayme Schlesinger

20% Discussion Section Participation/Attendance 25% Essay 1 25% Essay 2 30% Essay 3

I learned a lot about security policy and its multi-faceted implications both domestically and internationally. I learned about how policy is influenced by regime type and leader and how these policy's interact with the public and other governments in other states. This course also taught me how to write a research paper.

I really like Professor Schlesinger's class! She seems so knowledgeable, and her lecturing style is so engaging. The content isn't very difficult to understand, and you're not being tested on it, but I still think she adds something special to the class. After having taken Intro to American Politics with David McGrath, I am so much happier being in this class. She explains the content very well and makes me want to go to her lectures. She goes through slides a little quickly sometimes, but she does post the lecture slides before every class. You don't have to go to the lecture because of that, but I would recommend it because she's such a fun and interesting professor. Your grade is based on the TA who grades your assignments, so ask around and find out which TAs are more forgiving. Overall, a solid intro course that seems like everyone's gonna score well in!

This course provided me with an understanding of the factors that shape security and foreign policy in democracies, particularly during times of war and peace. I gained insight into the challenges democracies face when balancing security measures with democratic principles, and how public opinion influences these decisions. The detailed weekly breakdown of internal, external, and systemic factors helped me develop a more nuanced perspective on how democracies maintain domestic security and engage in international conflict. The assignments, particularly the research paper broken down into stages, helped me develop analytical and reasoning skills by requiring me to critically examine policies and construct well-supported arguments. The feedback provided was constructive and instrumental in refining my research and writing abilities.

Three writing assignments of around 1500-2000 words each, marked very generously (I think most people got As), and a participation grade for discussion section

I signed up for this class because it's required for my major, and even though it's an introductory course, I did expect it to be more in-depth and engaging than it was. The lectures were incredibly boring, and the content was extremely surface-level. Each lecture presentation had about 40 slides, with one bullet point on each slide like "states go to war for economic gains." I stopped going after a while because I felt that I had gotten the gist in the first couple of weeks, and I could fill in the gaps with my other politics classes. It's definitely an easy A, and the discussion sections aren't intense, but I wouldn't recommend taking this class unless it's required for your major, because you'd be wasting your time

Three essays all semester - super light.

Professor Schlesinger is a great professor. She is well knowledgable and knows exactly what she's talking about. She is very passionate as well. She should talk a little slower and sometimes is a little repetitive, but overall great. Extremely kind and loves education + wants to see her students succeed. Lectures are very engaging too.

3 essays. No tests. Take this class for an easy A, not the professor.

As a class, I recommend this for a political science student looking for an easy A. However, don't assume that is because of Schlesinger herself. Toward the beginning of the semester, Professor Schlesinger implied multiple times that the European Union (not the Eurozone and at least in that lecture or on the slides there was no distinction made) had a shared currency. I learned the difference between the EU and the Eurozone in my first semester of high school economics, so hearing lectures that seemed to frame the EU as a monetary union in an Ivy League class was very frustrating. Maybe this is nitpicky of me since this is not a full-on economics course, but I was genuinely surprised to hear repeated mistakes about foundational economic concepts from a political science professor at Columbia. After that, I stopped attending lecture and will still finish with an A. Her lectures are confusing and practically useless, especially since there are no tests in the class. In reality, my TA handled nearly everything, including teaching and grading. I would definitely recommend taking this course if you want a low-stress class, especially if you can find a good TA. Mine was wonderful, and she really made the class for me. The content is very interesting, and I just wish it could have been taught more clearly and accurately.