Intro to American Politics

Bert Johnson is an amazing professor. It's so important to take a class from someone that is passionate about their work and Bert is your guy. Yes, there are a lot of readings, but they are totally doable. Additionally, his lectures are always engaging and his ability to be personable is admired by all of his students!!

The classes are always very interesting and Professor Johnson is extremely knowledgable in the topic. The readings can be a lot at times, but if you manage your time well that will not be a problem. The papers can be difficult.

Bert is a nice professor who is evidently passionate about the field of Political Science. There are only 2 major papers and grading is pretty okay. B is the standard for a 'good' paper but he leaves extensive feedback for improvement on the next paper. Readings are essentially only needed for discussion (Fridays) and as long as you space them out throughout the week you'll be fine.

Bert is a nice professor who is evidently passionate about the field of Political Science. There are only 2 major papers and grading is pretty okay. B is the standard for a 'good' paper but he leaves extensive feedback for improvement on the next paper. Readings are essentially only needed for discussion (Fridays) and as long as you …Read more

As my first poly sci course I was excited to take Berts class. While he was super enthusiastic and clear during his lectures, I found the material very broad and sometimes boring. You cover a lot of information but Bert organizes the class so it is easy to understand what part of American politics you are talking about. The two long papers and graded fairly and his comments are very helpful. Overall a good beginner level poly sci class.

As my first poly sci course I was excited to take Berts class. While he was super enthusiastic and clear during his lectures, I found the material very broad and sometimes boring. You cover a lot of information but Bert organizes the class so it is easy to understand what part of American politics you are talking about. The two long …Read more

Bert Johnson is an excellent professor! He is extremely enthusiastic about the course material and is very supportive. I initially took this class on a whim but it proved to be one of my favorite classes this semester. I will admit that it is quite content-heavy and skimming the readings isn't always feasible as specific questions are raised during discussions; however, the material itself is quite interesting and worthwhile as long as you pace yourself well. I would definitely take a class with Prof. Johnson again!

Bert Johnson is an excellent professor! He is extremely enthusiastic about the course material and is very supportive. I initially took this class on a whim but it proved to be one of my favorite classes this semester. I will admit that it is quite content-heavy and skimming the readings isn't always feasible as specific questions ar …Read more

I loved this class when I took it and I really liked professor Dickinsons teaching style and went on to take many classes with him. As a professor I think he could be a little divisive, you either like him or not, he will cold call and has a very dry sense of humor. You have to be prepared in discussion and do the readings but he makes it very accessible as he sends out discussion questions. As long as you answer the discussion questions you can do very well in the discussion sections. He grades fairly, honestly on the easier side for this intro course. It is a decent amount of work, lots of readings, response papers, papers and exams. The exams are good but do require a decent amount fo studying and not only remembering content from his lecture but also the readings. Overall I loved this class but its not for everyone.

I loved this class when I took it and I really liked professor Dickinsons teaching style and went on to take many classes with him. As a professor I think he could be a little divisive, you either like him or not, he will cold call and has a very dry sense of humor. You have to be prepared in discussion and do the readings but he mak …Read more

I took this course because it was required for my major and I wish I picked a different course. There is so much reading for this course it is impacting my other classes. The exam was not as horrible as I expected, but it was still very challenging. You really have to do all the readings to pass this class. The professor will cold call and ask lots of questions on the readings during discussion and the exam had fairly detailed questions aimed at seeing if you completed and understood all of the required reading material. The discussions are helpful to check that you understood what you read, but for me they also made me extremely anxious. Also, the professor does not use Canvas, and instead emails (sometimes grainy/hard to read) PDFs to read in addition to the assigned books. If you love American politics and are willing to read a ton, then take this class, the professor knows a lot and will teach you a lot, but if not, you are much better off choosing a different course.

I took this course because it was required for my major and I wish I picked a different course. There is so much reading for this course it is impacting my other classes. The exam was not as horrible as I expected, but it was still very challenging. You really have to do all the readings to pass this class. The professor will cold ca …Read more

Bert is a solid political science professor. He's very well-informed on government in the U.S. and keeps the class updated with current ongoing news. I would recommend this course for anyone interested in taking part in American democracy and I think anybody can learn something from this course. The class is straight forward and he isn't an intense grader and tries to keep the class relaxed.

Bert is a solid political science professor. He's very well-informed on government in the U.S. and keeps the class updated with current ongoing news. I would recommend this course for anyone interested in taking part in American democracy and I think anybody can learn something from this course. The class is straight forward and he i …Read more

American Politics with Dickinson was a challenging but rewarding course. Prepare to read endlessly if you want to do well on exams, as they are entirely predicated on reading thoroughly and memorizing the arguments of each author. He is also a tough grader but still "fair" if you put in the work.

I was quite fond of this course and Professor Dickinson. The class does require a lot of reading. However, what you are expected to take from the readings is outlined in discussion questions that are provided at the start of every week. Furthermore, Dickinson is a relatively easy grader.

American politics with Professor Dickinson is extremely difficult but it can be rewarding if you are able to keep up. The class is very fast-paced and it is easy to fall behind. Professor Dickinson relies heavily on readings for the course, with the amount of reading easily reaching a few hundred pages per week, but the readings are always relevant to the current material and bring in a lot of useful information. Professor Dickinson is very knowledgeable on the material and can answer a broad range of questions, his answers tend to be clear and concise. If you ever have questions he is easily accessible either during his designated office hours, or by email (he is not always great about responding, but most of the time he will). Exams tend to be difficult. They cover major topics of the course, but they are entirely essay-based and tend to require an intimate knowledge of the readings, which is why it is important to try to keep up with the readings. If you can, skim the readings, otherwise it will be impossible to keep up.

American politics with Professor Dickinson is extremely difficult but it can be rewarding if you are able to keep up. The class is very fast-paced and it is easy to fall behind. Professor Dickinson relies heavily on readings for the course, with the amount of reading easily reaching a few hundred pages per week, but the readings are …Read more

I absolutely loved this class. I always heard my peers talk about classes that really spoke to them and I had never experienced that until I took Intro to American Politics. I looked forward to the reading because, while it was often long, it was also relevant. Writing is not my strong suit so I found the essays to be somewhat challenging but despite that I never did poorly. It was important to participate in the discussions, sometimes he would cold call on people. Also if you study and pay attention the exam are not hard. High recommend if you are interested in politics, history, and law.

I absolutely loved this class. I always heard my peers talk about classes that really spoke to them and I had never experienced that until I took Intro to American Politics. I looked forward to the reading because, while it was often long, it was also relevant. Writing is not my strong suit so I found the essays to be somewhat challe …Read more

Bert is enthusiastic and his passion comes through in lecture. If you have any interest in American politics then you will find the class interesting. Often times the reading can be overwhelming, especially if you don't time manage well.

A must-take for knowing about how American Politics works, even for non-majors and people who think they know a lot already. Bert knows and is very passionate about what he is doing. His slides are rich in content and clear in presentation, with graphs, images, and even photos of him visiting every presidential candidate back in 2016. Weekly Canvas quizzes helped with understanding concepts. Help with papers was ample, and office hours were friendly and relaxing. You can write papers focusing on quoting readings or citing journals and news articles - accommodating for both felt very inclusive.

A must-take for knowing about how American Politics works, even for non-majors and people who think they know a lot already. Bert knows and is very passionate about what he is doing. His slides are rich in content and clear in presentation, with graphs, images, and even photos of him visiting every presidential candidate back in 2016 …Read more

Dickinson is a total character — he’s passionate about American politics, the presidency, and, above all, free speech. Lively class discussion, but make sure to do the readings in preparation for his seminars, as he has no problem with cold-calling.

Loved Dickinson. A very steep learning curve in regards to reading. Had an insane amount of paper to read per week. Learn how to skim. He was great at pointing out what he expected up to learn since he would emphasize it during his lectures. Take good notes discussion, they will literally save you. His class is basically identify the different supreme cases and their impact. Just know make sure to know the meaning and significance of every big idea he mentions. great prof, would live to take another class w/him

Loved Dickinson. A very steep learning curve in regards to reading. Had an insane amount of paper to read per week. Learn how to skim. He was great at pointing out what he expected up to learn since he would emphasize it during his lectures. Take good notes discussion, they will literally save you. His class is basically identify the …Read more

Bert is a nice guy but the lectures are extremely boring and uninteresting, almost no one paid attention to them. He also struggles to get through all of the lecture material and will often ramble about subjects without adding any value. The readings aren't bad as long as you break them up over the week and the discussions are easy as long as you read and are willing to participate. The readings and the lectures often had no correlation with each other too which I found odd. Overall it's not a work intensive class and the professor is nice, just extremely boring.

Bert is a nice guy but the lectures are extremely boring and uninteresting, almost no one paid attention to them. He also struggles to get through all of the lecture material and will often ramble about subjects without adding any value. The readings aren't bad as long as you break them up over the week and the discussions are easy a …Read more

bert is awesome. i would take this class just to have him, he has great charisma and really cares about the topic (also knows SO much). it’s overall a very pleasant class environment. for the course itself, definitely a solid baseline for understanding american politics i think this is essential for anyone in polisci or just anyone who wants to know how the govt works.

Professor Bert Johnson is nothing short of a great human, professor, and all around great guy. Although the course itself can be a bit bland, Bert's enthusiasm can be a game changer. He loves what he is teaching and definitely knows he's stuff. He also is very understanding in extensions and can be great source for literally anything politics. His office hours are fun to go to and very informative, you'll get your questions answered and more. In sum, this course by itself is alright but if you're looking for a schedule block to fill or just something relatively enjoyable and light, Intro to American w/ Bert is the way to go.

Professor Bert Johnson is nothing short of a great human, professor, and all around great guy. Although the course itself can be a bit bland, Bert's enthusiasm can be a game changer. He loves what he is teaching and definitely knows he's stuff. He also is very understanding in extensions and can be great source for literally anythin …Read more