This class was minimal work but with long term readings that did show up on the final. A lot of people didn't do the readings and suffered during the final. The daily readings really had no effect on the class and can be skipped. The coursework was very little. The professor, however, grades a little harshly. I managed a good grade but it required a lot of memorization. For the tests, you essentially have to be able to regurgitate his lectures and he will take off points for missing small details that he finds important. With that being said, Todd said some very problematic things in class. He called Hillary Clinton a "weak woman" for not being able to stop Bill from having an affair and he said that it wouldn't be cruel and unusual to put gay people in jail without due process because "they would enjoy it in prison", referring to prison rape. These along with just incredibly awkward instances led to my friends keeping a tally of all the awkward things Todd says that makes the class uncomfortable. There were at least 5 a class. Another issue is that Todd has so much clout that kids will still kiss up to him even when he says horrible things. If you are able to sit through 20 min of current events recap, 10 min of awkward silence, and then 20 min of actual lecture then this class is for you.

Professor Todd is a must-have professor at UVa! He is so fun in class, and really knows his stuff. Sometimes he scares people into sharing their opinions, or makes students feel dumb when they answer his questions wrong, but he is a know-it-all in the best way possible! He is VERY liberal, but claims to have been conservative in the past. If you take this class, GO TO HIS OFFICE HOURS!!! If he knows you, he will take care of you. He is so fun to hangout with outside of class, and will keep up with the students who befriend him. He teaches this class once a semester and loves/cares about his students so much, which is refreshing at such a small school. This is a GREAT class for first-years!!

Look up GOAT in the dictionary and James Todd will appear next to it. Along with LeBron of course.

TAKE THIS CLASS! Professor Todd is the best professor I've had at UVA thus far. He is super knowledgeable about the content of the class and has done so much cool stuff in his life that he has experience and life examples. He has photos and talks about his time with his friends that were Supreme Court justices and he worked as a lawyer in DC. Every class, he does current events everyday so he is able to relate what we are learning to the current political environment, while also making it super engaging. He is such an interesting person so his class is captivating. He was also super available in office hours so I never felt like I couldn't have my questions answered. There is one required midterm, one optional midterm, a short research paper and a final. Go to office hours! If you study for tests they're not bad at all, just make sure you include the big points he wants. Overall, even if you're not a politics major, take this class. Everyone should be knowledgable about their government!

Best professor at UVA.

Awesome, awesome professor. Professor Todd is very knowledgeable about his subject and extremely passionate about politics, which makes class fun and interesting. Lectures tend to be short, as the professor spends a great deal of time discussing current events, but are always relevant to the text and he manages to keep class engaging even when lecturing on more "boring" topics. The class is very much historically based, good for history majors and politics majors alike. Readings can be a bit long but are for the most part fairly interesting. I would 100% recommend this class to anyone interested in U.S. history, politics, or the current state of American political affairs. Definitely a class worth taking.

Good class. Professor Todd knows the material incredibly well and it shows. The first section of the lecture involves a discussion of current events. This tends to take 10-20 minutes, and the lecture follows. Since the class is relatively small, Professor Todd makes a point to try to get to know students. Office hours are generally helpful. The class is restricted to first years, a life-saver considering how difficult it is to get into politics classes as a first year. Take this class!

This was such a great class to take. He's a very engaging professor. I knew nothing about US politics/American history when I came and am now majoring in politics because of this class! He's super knowledgable about everything he lectures on.

Overall, would recommend class with Professor Todd. His lectures are fun and short, especially since current events take up half the class. The readings are dry and long, but really only need to be skimmed. The only grades are a midterm and a final and a paper, and they all deal with big ideas, not specifics. However, he is a picky grader and it is therefore hard to get an A in his class. Most people got A- or B+. Maybe the best part of his class was the phenomenal guest speakers that he got to speak to the class. They were all engaging and extremely interesting. My one big problem with this class is how partisan and biased Professor Todd is--often times what comes out of his mouth is so unfair and one-sided that it makes you wonder how much you can really trust him.

Prof. Todd is a gem. He is quite old and makes good fun of it (makes good fun of everything - constantly joking around and having fun, poking at students, letting them poke back). He is my favorite professor I've ever had (only a first year though) due to his good demeanor, kind spirit, and he really, really knows his stuff. Class starts off with a fifteen minute discussion of current events (give or take 5) and then proceeds into lecture. Very knowledgable specifically about cases & James Madison. Bleeding heart liberal but he'll value your opinion. There's a little bit of homework, but nothing that you can't handle. Highly recommend