James Douglas

I would definitely recommend this course if you want to learn more about Vermont's political history and the current landscape. If you want a chill J-term course, this isn't the class for you, though. The lectures are a few hours, 4 days a week, at 8:15 am in the dead of winter. The lectures can be pretty tangential sometimes, spending 20 minutes on a specific historical figure you don't need to know anything about for your essays. That said, the readings are very beneficial, and Governor Douglas is a very kind and interesting person to talk to. He also has a lot of connections in teh state, which allowed for several guest speakers such as Senator Welch, the Vermont Housing Commissioner, and the author of one of the books read in the class. This class also does have an essay due every week based on the readings you completed and material talked about in class, but you have a lot of freedom, and they're not too bad - Governor Douglas is a very fair grader! The trip to the State House at the end was also great! We got to meet with Governor Phil Scott and see how Vermont Government functions firsthand. Overall, I'd recommend this course if the topic is a particular interest of yours!

I would definitely recommend this course if you want to learn more about Vermont's political history and the current landscape. If you want a chill J-term course, this isn't the class for you, though. The lectures are a few hours, 4 days a week, at 8:15 am in the dead of winter. The lectures can be pretty tangential sometimes, spendi …Read more

This was a really engaging and worthwhile J-Term course. I learned a lot about Vermont politics, both past and present, and it was especially unique because it was taught by former Vermont Governor Jim Douglas. His perspective and experiences made the class both informative and memorable. The workload was very manageable: we wrote one medium-length paper per week, each on a topic of our own choosing related to the readings. This flexibility made the assignments more enjoyable, since you could dive deeper into areas that personally interested you. While the papers sometimes felt challenging, they were always rewarding because of that freedom of choice. Class sessions typically started with a discussion of current events, so it’s important to stay updated on the news in order to participate fully. We also discussed the readings, though much of the class time was spent listening to Governor Douglas’s lectures. His lectures were always interesting, though he occasionally drifted off-topic, so it’s worth coming prepared with questions from the readings to help guide the discussion and keep things focused. Overall, I would recommend this course to anyone interested in politics, government, or Vermont history. It’s not overly demanding, but you’ll get much more out of it if you stay on top of the readings, keep up with current events, and take the initiative to engage with Governor Douglas during class.

This was a really engaging and worthwhile J-Term course. I learned a lot about Vermont politics, both past and present, and it was especially unique because it was taught by former Vermont Governor Jim Douglas. His perspective and experiences made the class both informative and memorable. The workload was very manageable: we wrote o …Read more

There is no one better to take this course with! Jim Douglas is a legend and it is really enjoyable to take a course from someone who has played the game. You only have to write 4, 3 page papers and he's a pretty chill grader. You also get to meet with Phil Scott. Couldn't ask for a better experience, 10/10!