Raymond Smith

Took this class as an american politics elective. Really glad I did. In all honesty I was not all that interested in the topic, but rather it was the 3 take-home exam/essay format that sparked my interest. That said, I actually ended up enjoying the course (and not only because of the light, light workload), and do feel that I did gain a good amount of insight into the role that race and ethnicity play in american politics. Professor Smith is definitely old school, and opts for projecting his printed out slides rather than using the computer. Kind of quirky, but it works. Lectures really were not necessary at all since everything that was needed for the papers were in the books, but do beware that he begins taking attendance after the second take-home. Additionally, Professor Smith started each lecture with current-eventish type things that sometimes went on for half the class. Paper topics were kinda weird, and based on the discussion sections I was in I feel that the general consensus was that what was being asked for/how to craft your paper and answer the questions was a bit unclear. That being said, even though I did not feel all that confident in any of the papers I wrote, I received A's on the first two, and an A as my final grade (don't know about the third as those were due on the last day of class and were not returned). The readings for the course were not bad at all…

Professor Smith is funny and has a lot of anecdotes to make people laugh in class. The subjects are interesting too. Still, I don't recommend this class. He's distant and not very helpful when it comes to the final paper. You already have to have the idea for the final paper at the very beginning of the semester, before you even realize what the class is about. Then he makes you do all these strange assignments with your 'question' and 'thesis' and how to incorporate the question into the thesis without giving the answer away. It's unnecessary. He's a hard grader on top of that, so it's not as though you get an easy A out of it.

Average at best. As someone interested in politics, I was really excited to take this class. However, I agree with some of the other reviewers insofar that it feels like a high school civics class and that Smith can be rather boring. He spends a lot of time on the structure of government, which is really mundane and rudimentary, but he does mention some theories that can be pretty interesting (if you can stay awake). I generally liked the readings, which were never overwhelming, and sometimes it's nice when he brings in relevant topics. I found the paper to be graded rather subjectively because he is very ambiguous on what he wants. However, the essay tests aren't that hard to study for (just read over notes), and he is a nice guy. And he certainly knows what he's talking about, but he doesn't bring in his superior knowledge enough to make this a must-take class. If you don't mind boring lectures and are looking for a relatively easy politics class, or have never taken American history in your life, this is for you. If you want genius and don't mind temperament, wait until Pious teaches Dynamics.

This class is meant for international students visiting the United States for the first time. The material covered in this class is material that all students should know before being admitted into Columbia University- I was embaressed to be in this class- we covered topics such as "what are the three branches of government" and "what is the difference between the House of Representatives and the Sentate". However, if you want an easy A without having to go to class, this class is for you.

I did not enjoy this class and found Prof Smith to be uninspiring. He was inept at articulating research criticisms and methods along the way and so was not very helpful in the research process. Some of the readings were interesting but he did not have a very good method of leading discussions

I took this class despite the mediocre reviews on CULPA and I was so pleasantly surprised! The class gets off to a slow start and feels like a very broad intro level course, but it is interesting and gives a basic understanding of race in America. Professor Smith is a funny and engaging lecturer. He doesn't use slides, but rather a document projector so get ready to take good notes. That being said, it's okay to miss a few classes as long as you do the readings. Keep in mind that you don't always have to agree with the course material he assigns and that you're meant to engage with it. The paper topics are engaging and creative. Professor Smith makes an effort to get to know the students in the big lecture class as best he can and is super friendly. He also includes current events in the class and leaves them up for discussion. I think his sense of humor can be hard to catch and seem pretty harsh, but if you get used to it you can see he's a really caring softy.

You have to write 1-2 pages for every class, so you have to do the reading you're assigned.

save yourself. hes boring. plus, even if he wasn't, nothing gets graded till the last few weeks of the semester (if your taking it a barnard- since the course doesnt have a TA). Hes a really harsh grader, which sucks since your entire grade is based off of essays. He grades essays extremely nitpicky, especially for an intro class. I have taken upper level poli sci courses and gotten A's from professors of much higher intelligence, but yet somehow I got a B in Raymonds. i would say stay away.

This class was good and bad. It was bad because, basically, it was a repeat of my 8th grade civics course, with more advanced concepts introduced. That being said, if you remember nothing from your civics class, or never took one, this is a good, simple introduction. Also, the workload is light--readings that are hit or miss in terms of being interesting, and are fairly unnecessary if you can bullsh-t well, and two papers.

one long research paper and weekly responses to readings