Michelle Smith

Must do the readings! As we spend most of class talking about them. But she approaches it by asking the class' thoughts and critiques. Light workload and every paper you write, her criticisms are usually points of engagement that push you further thinking about your topic. If you care about the work and discussions, you should do very well in this class.

several small writing assignments 10 pop quizzes required discussion section with randomly chosen people presenting each week (out of a hat that class, again with the "pop" theme of the class) final "research" paper -- repeat smith's opinions and you will get an A

I really enjoyed this class actually! It has a great syllabus of 19th century thinkers, and it's a great class if you want to expand your knowledge on different theories in Black political thought. I had never taken a political science course and I was totally fine in this class. I also really liked Professor Smith. She's incredibly kind and gets along really well with her students. She also gives a ton of extensions which is great. However, she didn't grade essays on time. I didn't get a single grade back until the day before the last class. It turned out fine, I don't think anyone gets less than a B+ on assignments, but it was annoying. However that being said, I appreciate that despite this class being an 8:40, I found myself actually looking forward to it.

One of the best classes I took at Barnard/Columbia. As an American Studies major, I voiced concerns that I might have already studied and read a lot of material on her syllabus, but thoroughly enjoyed her teaching style and enthusiasm. I was looking for a class that might offer a more global perspective. In response, she added something to the syllabus every single week.

Prof Smith may seem incredibly charismatic at your first class, but don't let this fool you! She has a wonderful personality, but this does not translate into her teaching abilities. She suffers from new professor syndrome of treating her students like middle schoolers. This class has high amounts of reading which she (despite what she says) incentivizes students into reading by giving 10 pop quizzes throughout the semester. Not exactly a fun way to start your Mondays and Wednesdays at 9 AM. But even worse than this are the writing assignments that attempt to "break down" the different elements of political theory writing into small assignments as if specific elements of writing could exist within a vacuum...what a dismal waste of time! The prompts are dry and uninspired, the lectures even more so! Somehow Smith was able to acquire excellent TAs, but unfortunately, this was not enough to make up for her inexperience and arrogance. If Smith had let the TAs show her how to teach the class it would have been unquestionably better. Aside from the pop quizzes, there is no need to go to class. Her lectures do not help with the writing assignments and there is no midterm or final. Do not feel the need to frantically record everything she says (which seems like the only option since she offers no powerpoint, notes etc) but only chalk board scribblings every once in a while. Despite he…

4 essays (varying in length from 2-6 pages) No final. Instead 2 drafts of a persuasive essay (6-8 pages) A lot of reading.

I had Michelle Smith for Great Political Thinkers in the Black Intellectual Tradition. It was a great class! And Michelle is a great teacher and very passionate about the subject matter. But she was pretty disorganized throughout the semester, i.e. didn't give us our final on time, didn't grade anything until the end of the semester which was frustrating. But overall very life-changing and gave me a new perspective on race.

Professor Smith's enthusiasm for political theory shows is contagious and I really enjoyed her teaching style. In addition to giving engaging lectures (she utilized Prezi rather than slide shows, included videos, and funny images), she facilitated discussions in the classroom which made what could have been a boring subject very interesting. She was also extremely understanding with regards to extensions if you come to class, participate, and do the work. Although there is a lot of reading assigned, the Prezis are extremely informative as to which sections of the readings you should focus on.