American Political Regime

I found the works that Mr. Dry chooses for this course to be some of the most interesting books I've ever read. If you are interested in the real history of the United States, this is the course to take. The exams were easily the hardest I've ever taken, as you are expected to pull precise examples from dozens of sources (many of them hundreds of pages long). However, if you are willing to buy in, the experience will be very valuable. Mr. Dry is a true expert, and I came out this course with a far greater understanding of the foundation and the evolution of America.

I found the works that Mr. Dry chooses for this course to be some of the most interesting books I've ever read. If you are interested in the real history of the United States, this is the course to take. The exams were easily the hardest I've ever taken, as you are expected to pull precise examples from dozens of sources (many of the …Read more

Best course I have taken at Middlebury, the material is so good it can't be missed if you are interested in Government. Mr Dry is the best Professor here. I had been told not to take him because of false myths. He is not evil, he is actually very kind and cares about the students. It is true that he expects you to be direct and clear, he will cold call and it can be intimidating but only if you are used to be passive all the time, just get used to it. Breathe and speak slowly and clearly, if you don't know what to say, ask him to clarify, no shame, say what you think is relevant and he will guide you through, you'll notice he will help you. Do not lie because he knows everything and every type of student after teaching for 60 years. The environment will help you lots in life, especially if you want to become a lawyer. Do not get distracted, just a 15 second look at your messages or emails is enough for you to lose track of things, and since he constantly calls on people, you'll be left in a tough position. The only tough thing in class is the readings, but you are fine with summaries and the notes he emails. There is no homework which is awesome. Just a mid-term and a final exam, and a final paper. Just attend every class having done the readings (summaries fine), do not get distracted and be calm when he calls your name, words will just come naturally and you will love it.

Best course I have taken at Middlebury, the material is so good it can't be missed if you are interested in Government. Mr Dry is the best Professor here. I had been told not to take him because of false myths. He is not evil, he is actually very kind and cares about the students. It is true that he expects you to be direct and clear …Read more

Murray Dry is out of touch with the grading standards at today’s Middlebury College, but if you can ignore the inevitable low grade this course is the best I’ve taken at Midd. One of the most knowledgeable and passionate profs out there. Truly a world class constitutional scholar.

Great class. Best class I have had at Middlebury. There are a lot of readings but most of times that is all you have to do so it's not as bad as you think it is. Exams are hard and his grading is tough. But don't let that stop you from taking his class. Listening to his lectures is just such a pleasant experience

Prof. Dry is one professor everyone needs to take at Middlebury. Yes, this class is hardcore, and sometimes you will struggle, but the knowledge gained far outweighs those negatives. This course was the worst grade I have ever gotten at Middlebury, yet I still heavily enjoyed this class. Prof. Dry is old school, but at the same time, he is pretty fair. I would take this class again

Murray Dry is an institution, and one of the most brilliant professors at Middlebury. He had a commanding personality, and can be counted upon to keep you engaged. His very long career as a professor has given him an extraordinary grasp on his material, he will know what you are thinking before you've said it half of the time. He's undeniably intense, but if you do your work, and admit when you don't know something, you will be fine. I've taken 3 courses with him, and enjoyed each of them. He's much more controversial than he deserves to be, just roll with things and enjoy the course.

Murray Dry is an institution, and one of the most brilliant professors at Middlebury. He had a commanding personality, and can be counted upon to keep you engaged. His very long career as a professor has given him an extraordinary grasp on his material, he will know what you are thinking before you've said it half of the time. He's u …Read more

I think Dry has a mythos surrounding him that is pretty overblown. He's definitely not evil. He is a fabulous lecturer, but he assigns ridiculous amounts of readings. Overall, a pretty normal dude. Yes, he cold calls, but only if no one raises their hand, and if you just volunteer to answer one or two questions a class, even if you're wrong, he won't pick on you. Dry is definitely old-fashioned in certain respects, and I think it would be totally fair to avoid him because of that, but I really think he's well-intentioned, and he's very open to arguing with students. So if you do take this class and disagree with him, by all means, push back. He'll respect you for it. There are endless readings for this class, but they're really interesting. He'll send out some reading notes, and if you use those to guide your reading, it will make it more manageable. I will say, this class completely devoured my semester. Plan on it being your "hard" course. Don't take it if you're enrolled in other hard courses. But I also cannot overstate how much I learned in this class! I definitely don't regret taking it; it's just a ton of work!

I think Dry has a mythos surrounding him that is pretty overblown. He's definitely not evil. He is a fabulous lecturer, but he assigns ridiculous amounts of readings. Overall, a pretty normal dude. Yes, he cold calls, but only if no one raises their hand, and if you just volunteer to answer one or two questions a class, even if you'r …Read more

Professor Dry is someone that is an epic lecturer. I loved him as a professor and learned so much. It was quite difficult but very interesting to have a class with him. My only issue was his grading, I felt that his grading was something that was unfair, and many students more than the ones he gave high A's to deserved them. But he is worth taking a class with

A wonderful course that takes you from America's founding, through the most important events in its political development - the ratification, the civil war, the civil rights movement, etc. - and all the way to the present day. The material covered is very interesting, varied (includes debates, speeches, philosophy, supreme court decisions etc.), and deals with all the most important issues in American politics. Lectures and discussions on the material are very engaging and well-structured, and always helped me get so much more out of the material than if I had read it without attending class. There are a lot of readings, sometimes too many per class, but you don't need to do all of them for every class - Professor Dry will reliably run out of time and you'll be covering the back end of the day's assigned readings the following day. Make sure you do most of them in the end, though, because the exam at the end is challenging - it requires that you really understand all the issues and arguments. Professor Dry is demanding, he will cold-call, and he will not take kindly to people slacking - but he is a wonderful discussion guide and you can learn a lot from him if you put the effort in. Take this class if you want to understand American politics.

A wonderful course that takes you from America's founding, through the most important events in its political development - the ratification, the civil war, the civil rights movement, etc. - and all the way to the present day. The material covered is very interesting, varied (includes debates, speeches, philosophy, supreme court deci …Read more

Contrary to his reputation among the general student body, Professor Dry is incredibly kind. He genuinely cares about his students and their learning, and he is very accommodating in terms of people getting sick and needing attend on Zoom, etc. However, when choosing this course one should definitely consider the vast amount of reading you'll need to do. Like others said, this is a hard course so don't try to take quantum mechanics or a difficult language course on top of this.

Contrary to his reputation among the general student body, Professor Dry is incredibly kind. He genuinely cares about his students and their learning, and he is very accommodating in terms of people getting sick and needing attend on Zoom, etc. However, when choosing this course one should definitely consider the vast amount of read …Read more

Professor Dry is a challenging Professor, but if you can keep up with lectures and readings, then it is ultimately rewarding. He is certainly not for everyone, but I believe that he is one of the best professors at Middlebury.

Good class. Lots of reading, and you really need to do it, but the grading is fair, and I learned a lot. If you don't like cold calls then you won't like this class. I took this class on zoom, so it might be different now.