Richard Wortman

This man is fiercely intelligent and very attentive about helping his students understand the material. Yes, he did read his lectures, but they were always insightful and articulate, and he led discussions very well, encouraging participation but also deflecting stupid comments. If he just spoke up a little more, his classes would be a little more gripping, but, as it stands, he did a great job teaching this course. I hope the retirement rumors aren't true.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this course. Yes, Wortman's lecutures are dry and the facts come fast and furiously. This did not bother me at all because I found the material interesting. Wortman reads his lectures off the page, which is unfortunate, because when he steps away from his notes to answer a question, or to elaborate a point - he suddenly becomes an engaging speaker - the transformation is uncanny. This was my favorite course of the semester. I took it to fulfill a requirement and was surprised at how interesting the material was to me. The readings were interesting, and complemented the lecutures really well. This may not be for everyone - Wortman's old school style may be a bit dry for some. But he is extremely approachable, he does have a sense of humor and a genuine interest in teaching.

I thought it was going to be impossible for anyone to top the first semester of CC, but Professor Wortman did it with ease. Finally, in the spring of my sophomore year, I had a "real" Core class---a class that actually worked in the way that Columbia tries to convince us that all Core classes should work. Professor Wortman's knowledge of the great majority of philosophical history is staggering, and you'll frequently get swept away just listening to him tie together books and ideas from first semester CC, LitHum, European History, Biology, popular literature, and cultural trends with what you're reading in class. The two hour sessions flew by and felt as though they were about ten minutes long. While the reading seemed to come in droves at times (sometimes a book accompanied by several articles for one session), it never really bothered me because I knew I would get something out of it. Wortman makes a good effort to rework the CC curriculum so that it actually makes sense, which is more than what can be said for most teachers. His cuts and additions were all completely logical (why not read Booker T. Washington before reading WEB DuBois' criticism of him?) and I felt as though the syllabus flowed more smoothly than I've ever experienced. Wortman also allows for ample discussion time. The procedure is basically identical each session: about 15 minutes of background on the auth…

Great class, great instructor. Professor Wortman is engaging, insightful, and very knowledgeable. However, you'll only do well if you put in the effort.

Prof. Wortman was born to be a history professor--I can't imagine him in any other job. He's a pretty good professor; he's been teaching since the 60's, and sometimes it shows in a bad way. Sometimes his lectures seem to be read right out of a book that he's written or writing; that said, his lectures are very well organized and full of interesting notes and ideas. His specialty is institutional reform and the concepts and representations of power, so obviously that makes up most of the course. Even though he makes good notes about these topics, sometimes I felt like we were skipping the really interesting parts of history like foreign policy, wars, etc. The workload isn't bad. I'm a real Russophile, so I enjoyed the course, and I'd recommend it.

Professor Wortman was great -- a fair grader, knowledgable far beyond what is necessary for such an expalnsive and varied syallbus, and generally good natured. He kept discussion flowing freely in class, encouraging people to speak, yet making sure that their comments fit in with the important messages we needed to take from the readings. He also was reasonable in the amount of readin he assigned, and was very aware of constraints from scheduling and other classes that his students might have. A gem who will make you enjoy and appreciate the long class on political philosophy.

This course may not be the most exciting in the world, but it is like having a long bedtime story about Tsars and wars read out to you. I loved his old school formal lecture style and he is just about the fairest professor ever. He is incredibly approachable and cares about his students.

This was a great CC section. The class discussion--not lecture--was interesting and never boring. Wortman was funny and knowledgeable. The 110 mins went by quickly every class session.

An academic superstar that loves to teach. He gives special attention for students who want to excel in his class. Although his lecturing class is rather formalistic and frightening, Wortman's "public seriousness" is only matched by his "serious friendliness." There's a ton of reading to do, but don't despair, he makes sure to cover all the points needed in his lectures.

I really likes Prof. Wortman's CC class. He only taught 2nd semester. The class went by fast and was mostly discussion, with the Prof. providing some basic background info in a short lecture. I left each class session without having been bored at all and with a complete udnerstanding of the aspects of each reading that we needed to know.