Intro to Intl & Global Studies

While the class in itself is fast-paced Professor Prakash did a very good job of explaining course material. One thing to know is that this class requires you to read in the range of 40-80 pages of pretty dense reading a week. While this may seem like a lot Professor Prakash does a great job, especially in the discussions about breaking down those readings and explaining them in a more connected manner. As for Professor Prakash, he is extremely knowledgeable and also extremely passionate about the topics covered which makes for a much more enjoyable experience in the class.

While the class in itself is fast-paced Professor Prakash did a very good job of explaining course material. One thing to know is that this class requires you to read in the range of 40-80 pages of pretty dense reading a week. While this may seem like a lot Professor Prakash does a great job, especially in the discussions about break …Read more

I found that Prakash's teaching and discussion styles were extremely informative and did a great job of catering to the interests of all the students who would take the class. One potential issue with the course was that it had a ton of reading, but I feel like it was necessary to learn the course material.

I took this with both Professor Prakash and Fuentes-George. Both were excellent lecturers, and had very interesting insights into what they were teaching. Prakash was very easy to talk to, but Fuentes-George was difficult to get ahold of, and was generally unreliable when I went to office hours.

I took this class with Kemi Fuentes George and Prakash and they were great. I enjoyed the material and the class in general. They gave a large amount of feedback on my papers which was helpful for improving them!

Professor Prakash is one of the best professors I have had at Middlebury so far. He is so knowledgeable about what he teaches and is very passionate. He also often offers unique insights to various topics learned within this class. This class might be a little repetitive if you have taken other political science courses but overall is a great experience. I would just make sure to keep up with readings to participate in discussion and do well on essays. For essays it also helps to focus on making sure your writing is clear and concise to really demonstrate your understanding.

Professor Prakash is one of the best professors I have had at Middlebury so far. He is so knowledgeable about what he teaches and is very passionate. He also often offers unique insights to various topics learned within this class. This class might be a little repetitive if you have taken other political science courses but overall i …Read more

Amit Prakash gives the best lectures I've ever seen. Despite his academic vocabulary, he is incredibly down-to-earth and accommodating. The course met twice a week with a lecture involving the 25-60 pages of reading that were assigned. It helps to have done them before the lectures, but they are especially important for Friday's discussion. His three essays (one was just called a midterm) require an understanding of the material and precise writing. I grew as a learner by taking this course.

Amit Prakash gives the best lectures I've ever seen. Despite his academic vocabulary, he is incredibly down-to-earth and accommodating. The course met twice a week with a lecture involving the 25-60 pages of reading that were assigned. It helps to have done them before the lectures, but they are especially important for Friday's disc …Read more

I really enjoyed this course with professor Prakash. I definitely feel that I gained a lot from it and have a solid understanding of the fundamentals required for future IGS classes. I definitely recommend taking this class your first semester if you can though; it is extremely similar to other introductory political science courses (such as Comparative Politics) and can seem extremely repetitive if you've taken those types of classes though. This does not detract from the quality of the course though, and is more so a consideration for your own learning needs.

I really enjoyed this course with professor Prakash. I definitely feel that I gained a lot from it and have a solid understanding of the fundamentals required for future IGS classes. I definitely recommend taking this class your first semester if you can though; it is extremely similar to other introductory political science courses …Read more

I enjoyed this course and I felt that it gave a broad but simultaneously in depth overview of International studies, which would probably be useful for any class in History, Political Science, and other social sciences. Professor Prakash’s teaching is heavily based on his verbal lectures and he doesn’t put everything on the slide so attention is really needed during his lectures. It’s a lot of ideas about the world spanning different disciplines in a short amount of time, but I appreciated his historical approach in explaining where each ideology emerged from.

I enjoyed this course and I felt that it gave a broad but simultaneously in depth overview of International studies, which would probably be useful for any class in History, Political Science, and other social sciences. Professor Prakash’s teaching is heavily based on his verbal lectures and he doesn’t put everything on the slide so …Read more

Professor Prakash is a true veteran in his field and has a real passion for what he teaches. This is an intensive reading class, and you can expect up to 100 pages of dense material some weeks. This, combined with the fact that Prakash's lectures are fast-paced and highly centered around his oration and not slides, can make interpretation of the material very difficult at times. That being said, Prakash makes up for this with fair and lenient grading. I personally learned a lot from this course, but that knowledge came at the price of heavy effort and engagement to interpret course material. Overall would recommend it, but only if you don't mind reading...

Professor Prakash is a true veteran in his field and has a real passion for what he teaches. This is an intensive reading class, and you can expect up to 100 pages of dense material some weeks. This, combined with the fact that Prakash's lectures are fast-paced and highly centered around his oration and not slides, can make interpret …Read more

Amit Prakash is a very passionate in IGS and his teaching style is evident of that. His lectures were very interesting and gave me a new perspective on international relations and how countries interact with each other then and now. The class is heavy reading based so be prepared for that. So if you're interested in IR, take this class and you'll learn so much

Prakash is great. He knows what he's talking about and is eager to engage with his students. So much reading but honestly you can get away with skimming for a good chunk of it. He grades fair, as long as your writing is comprehensive and concise, you are set.

Intro to IGS is a very broad course that covers a lot of information in not very much depth. It can be hard to see where everything is connected at times and what its relevance is -- the class structure could be better organized. That being said, Prakash is a very kind and understanding professor who truly has passion about these topics. He makes the lectures and readings come to life.

Intro to IGS is a very broad course that covers a lot of information in not very much depth. It can be hard to see where everything is connected at times and what its relevance is -- the class structure could be better organized. That being said, Prakash is a very kind and understanding professor who truly has passion about these top …Read more

This course is pretty theory-heavy and throws readings at you at a torrid pace. Exams questions tend to zone in on one or two of these readings at a time so understanding them is crucial. Kemi is a stellar and engaging lecturer who frames IR through some pretty intriguing topics while Amit's lectures are a little more traditional and tend to be more complicated. Both professors are fair graders and give good feedback and this course is valuable, especially if you don't have a strong background in IR or polisci.

This course is pretty theory-heavy and throws readings at you at a torrid pace. Exams questions tend to zone in on one or two of these readings at a time so understanding them is crucial. Kemi is a stellar and engaging lecturer who frames IR through some pretty intriguing topics while Amit's lectures are a little more traditional and …Read more

The course is taught by both Professor Fuentes-George and Professor Prakash. Both professors are very knowledgeable on the topic, but Kemi's lectures were far more engaging than Amit's. I thought the lectures were interesting, but the class had an unnecessary number of readings.

Professor Prakash was such a fantastic teacher, you can tell he truly cared about his students. Although the reading was dense, he helped you through any struggles! I loved his class and him as a teacher!

The course is taught by both Professor Fuentes-George and Professor Prakash. covers a broad range of topics about different international and global issues. Most of the topics are complex but the professors share the presentation slides which makes everything easier. The professors are also very kind and accommodating. The description the professors gave about the midterm makes it seem scary at first, but if you know the material from the the lectures and can supplement with evidence and analysis from the readings, you will do fine. The course material is useful if you want to study political science, IGS, IPE, or History.

The course is taught by both Professor Fuentes-George and Professor Prakash. covers a broad range of topics about different international and global issues. Most of the topics are complex but the professors share the presentation slides which makes everything easier. The professors are also very kind and accommodating. The descriptio …Read more

This course is thought in unison by both prof. Fuentes-George and prof. Amit Prakash (when i took it at least). I have to say that prof. Fuentes' teaching style was far more engaging and easier to follow, however, they are both highly knowledgeable in their fields, fair graders, approachable and willing to accommodate their student's needs and help you out with anything. Good foundational course for anyone interested in intl politics, but if you've had previous experience with this area it can be quite boring at times since the focus is very general, but at the same time they kind of fail to explain foundational knowledge & basic concepts to those who have no previous knowledge of intl political theory. Do NOT skimp on the readings for this lol

This course is thought in unison by both prof. Fuentes-George and prof. Amit Prakash (when i took it at least). I have to say that prof. Fuentes' teaching style was far more engaging and easier to follow, however, they are both highly knowledgeable in their fields, fair graders, approachable and willing to accommodate their student's …Read more

The course is taught by both Professor Fuentes and Professor Prakash and both are very well-informed about the content and enthusiastic to teach it. The material we cover is extremely broad and there is a lot to go over. Lectures cover a lot of information and things information sometimes get lost in the mix. I found most of the information interest, but I feel like we could have spent more time on foundational ideas and theories. There are so many readings for the class which you need to know for the assignments.

The course is taught by both Professor Fuentes and Professor Prakash and both are very well-informed about the content and enthusiastic to teach it. The material we cover is extremely broad and there is a lot to go over. Lectures cover a lot of information and things information sometimes get lost in the mix. I found most of the info …Read more

I took the course with Professor Prakash- he's a really nice guy and is super understanding if things ever come up. However, I didn't love his teaching style- his slides are pretty minimal, it's mostly based on what he's saying which can make it hard to follow. Also the readings he gives us are so dense and long they can be brutal. The discussions can also be painful because literally none of the class does the readings. If you have to take it you'll be fine but avoid if possible

I took the course with Professor Prakash- he's a really nice guy and is super understanding if things ever come up. However, I didn't love his teaching style- his slides are pretty minimal, it's mostly based on what he's saying which can make it hard to follow. Also the readings he gives us are so dense and long they can be brutal. T …Read more

The class covers a big variety of topics in such a short period of time. The lectures are sometimes too shallow, but I really enjoyed how multidisciplinary the contents are. Both Prof. Prakash and Prof. Fuentes express a clear and critical perspective of the topics. The content is fairly international and diverse. Get prepared for so many readings, they are really necessary for exams.

The class covers a big variety of topics in such a short period of time. The lectures are sometimes too shallow, but I really enjoyed how multidisciplinary the contents are. Both Prof. Prakash and Prof. Fuentes express a clear and critical perspective of the topics. The content is fairly international and diverse. Get prepared for so …Read more

Overall, the professors were good. They were very informed and educated on the topics. The reason why I did not enjoy the course is that it felt very broad. It felt like a mix of a lot of subjects at once. However, there really isn't a way to avoid it because it is an intro class

Prof. Prakash & Prof. Fuentes-George are equally enthusiastic about their subject material. Going to their office hours is highly recommended. Lots of readings that you don't NEED to read entirely each week, but definitely should in order to be prepared for the papers.

Very reading heavy, and papers and midterms often focus on specific authors from the weekly readings. As this is an intro course, the course content is very broad and that makes it difficult to narrow down during discussion sections, but generally takes a valuable lens of being critical of traditional IR theory. Depending on how familiar you are with certain polisci topics, some lectures may be unengaging as they have to go over the basics.

Very reading heavy, and papers and midterms often focus on specific authors from the weekly readings. As this is an intro course, the course content is very broad and that makes it difficult to narrow down during discussion sections, but generally takes a valuable lens of being critical of traditional IR theory. Depending on how fami …Read more