Great Class

I hated this class. I really like IR and I'm a politics freak but I hated this class and therefore didn't show up most of the time. the professor is boring, his lectures not really engaging and the material is difficult. Unless you're into a lot of reading and studying, especially about how cultures translate to politics, then don't take this class.

My TA was actually very good. He explained things in a much better way and I was never bored in discussion sections. He was a fair grader also.

The class is okay, it just depends on your TA's grading.

This class was really hard! The TAs grading was pretty arbitrary and it was hard to tell how you were doing in the class. I wouldn't recommend it unless you realllllllllly are passionate about politics

This class is very challenging and can be kind of overwhelming at first, but when you get into the groove it's really interesting stuff. Schoppa is a very enthusiastic (and kind of goofy) lecturer and knows how to keep a crowd awake most of the time. His lectures about the countries in which he has the most experience are pretty awesome too. This class made me consider a foreign affairs major.

Great class if you love politics. Reading every week and a essay or two as well but as long as you have a passion for the subject you will be ok.

Very dry course. Schoppa's lectures were largely useless because he had powerpoints that he put on collab. The midterm and final were based around terms from class but the definitions for these are generally easy to compile. Did almost all the reading in the days leading up to the exam and got an A-

This is quite possibly the worst teacher i have incurred at UVa. He is genuinely unconcerned with respect for his students and did not give them the time of day. I strongly encourage you to not take this course.

Professor Schoppa is an excellent lecturer. I found them all highly intuitive and interesting. The TA's grading was frustrating. They follow the bell curve model too strictly and give people lower grades to adhere to it.

Excellent professor, absolutely excellent. Material that may have otherwise been boring was made very interesting due to his lecture style. He is very engaging and asks several questions during class that anyone can answer. He also pauses several times a class to see if anyone has questions, and is willing to answer them all (very rare for a class with several hundred students). His lectures are an absolute joy to attend, and dare I say it... captivate you. I can't say enough good things about Schoppa.

As for the class and material, it's what you'd expect for an intro class. The material is very broad, but compensated by the fact that its also very interesting. One textbook with a section for each country (5 countries are studied, and from what I've heard he likes to change a few every semester). Weekly readings for discussion aren't great, but he does hand pick them (you have to buy a special spiral bound collection of articles from the "Copy Shop" on the Corner, containing an article for each week's discussion).

Boudens is a great TA - she knows her stuff and is very approachable in or out of class. I've even passed her on campus (a semester after taking her section, and she's said hi and remembered my name each time).