Manu Vimalassery

readings, attendance, section, weekly discussion posts, 2 easy open ended question essay mid terms, final exam very open ended essay, final paper. if you do everything and show up to every lecture you get an A. If you miss one thing it will go down.

This class is damaging to the nature of an academic institution. The professor starts with a singular thesis: America is a terrible nation of a privileged class that has wreaked havoc on the world, and presents each case to support this idea. In class, he said the following: “I do not accept that America is a legitimate nation… I’ve looked at the documents… there is nothing there.” After Trump was elected he told the class, “Just so you know, the way I’m approaching this… is that I’m not going to accept anything this man says or does as legitimate.” To have this man at the front of a classroom undermines the value of reason, critical thinking, and sound argumentation. If the Right wanted the shining example to criticize how academic institutions have leaned towards a moral fascism and no longer represent liberal values, this would be it. Any dissenting opinion was shut down by cries of privilege. There was absolutely no critical thinking or marshaling of facts or evidence that went on. This class is popular because you legitimately do not have to think to get an A. If you repeat the thesis over and over again that America is not actually exceptional because it has harmed certain people and certain nations, you get an A. This is the type of class that silences anyone with a dissenting opinion or factual argument. This is the type of class that makes students scared to speak out…

I agree that Manu wants you to question and see the world differently, but I would also argue that he only wants you to do that if that different way of thinking is his way of thinking. I was frustrated with the idea of people taking the class and not taking it seriously because it is an easy A, but I found myself doing that. I ended up not doing most of the readings. I read a few in depth and skimmed a bunch, some were really interesting and educational and a lot were just weird and bull-shitty. Take my word on the readings with a grain of salt, because, as I said, I didn't do most of them. I did take the final project seriously, but I don't blame my group partners (who all took it seriously enough) for not caring so much about it because of the way he grades. It was really easy to say at the beginning of the semester that I would do all the readings despite it not affecting my grade at all because I would find enjoyment out of it, but when I was overwhelmed with everything else, the reading for this class ended up being far down on my list of priorities. Manu often times encouraged us to come to his office hours, which I appreciated, but I didn't feel comfortable going and expressing my differing opinions on subjects he taught. And I am pretty liberal, I just don't see things through tunnel vision thinking one way is the right way to think about things. I love his philosophi…

Lots of reading Open note midterm and final (essays for prompts you get attend of time) Final 8-10 pages paper

Attendance Weekly discussion question/post (like one or two sentences) 3 in class writing exams (graded only for feedback, but if you totally slack off you have to re-write it) Final group paper (40 pages which breaks down to 6-7 pages a person, not graded)

Manu wants you to develop your own ideas about what it means to be human. This class isn’t a lot of work. Manu is clearly really smart, but he doesn’t know how to give an engaging lecture so the class is pretty boring and everyone is on their computer. I felt bad not doing all the readings, but they are really long and he tends to try to summarize them in class. The class might be more interesting if you do them, but that’s up to you. Grading: you start at 93% and lose a small percentage every time you miss a class or a posting. There isn’t usually anyway you can make up what you missed. You will probably get an A- at best, unless you do everything perfectly. He doesn’t let you know your grade throughout the course of the semester so you need to keep track of it yourself.

I'll make it short: Take this class. Your grade is completely in your control. If you don't leave with a solid A you should be disappointed in yourself. If you show up to every class and discussion section and then simply complete every assignment you get an A. That. Is. It. The material is also very interesting. He calls out the sins of our country and touches on material that is "edgy" or "controversial". And since the grade is in your control, you feel free to focus on learning and asking question rather than remembering and regurgitating information. It is very easy to just slack off and do the bare minimum and get nothing out of this class but I found myself very engaged in the material. Some of the readings are also interesting and worthy of at least a skim. Not many gimmies at Columbia but this is one

Weekly posting to the discussion board on Courseworks - Super simple, nothing complex, 5-10 sentences is all you need. Plus it doesn't have to be about the reading that week or the class that week. You can discuss a current event and connect it to a recent lecture or reading. Midterm - Open note and the essay question is given to you early in the semester Final- Same as midterm. Depending on the class the major exams may be take home A couple articles a week - Articles are all from courseworks so you don't have to buy any textbooks or novels!

Manu is AMAZING. I honestly have never heard a major complaints from my classmates about him. He's the kind of professor that you love so much, you push yourself to do well because you don't want to let him down. He's kind, charming, and patient even when students ask dumb questions. He works hard to foster a community in his classes, even when they are on the larger side. Usually he starts the class asking if people have questions about the readings, hw, or upcoming assignments, and then he offers a space for students to make announcements about events on campus. He's an intellectual force who will drop knowledge bombs on you left and right. I think this is especially important since his classes often discus issues of race and American imperialism—topics that are not simple by any means. He always makes an effort to ground his statements with concrete examples, and asks us to stop him if we feel he is not being clear (which almost never happens). On days when I didn't feel like going to class I did anyway and was always glad I didn't skip. By far the greatest thing about him is that he wants to give you an A. As long as you don't skip too many classes, show up for the midterm and final, and do your weekly posting there is no way you can fail. He goes by a philosophy that everyone is in charge of their own education and that he is just a guide to help us better ourselves. So e…

60 page readings per week, short weekly discussion posts, midterm and final exams, and a final paper