PLIR 1010

This class is awesome. Professor Bakich is very knowledgable about everything that he talks about in class, and class time often ends up becoming a discussion. The reading is in big chunks, but not difficult to get through. You should have a little bit of knowledge about history when you take this course, as the basic details of the wars you discuss are often glossed over in favor of more deep topics. Great class overall, really enjoyable. Very few grades, 3 exams and some participation. It isn't hard to participate though--the class will make you want to participate. Professor is hilarious and can answer almost any question about anything. Manageable to get a B, harder to get an A.

He is an amazing lecturer, he makes the content extremely approachable and interesting. He strives for absolute understanding of the subject by everyone and encourages participation. However, this does create a problem as a result of his personality. He is hilarious and talkative, but it does get him into a lot of trouble when students ask question because when they do, he gets excited and wants to answer the question and then some. This often creates a problem when the classes only 50 mins and there's more material to cover. Other than that, he sets the week like 2 days of lecture and 1 day of discussion over the readings. I HIGHLY recommend taking this class with Bakich.

Professor Bakich is great. He has such a passion for the subject and loves interacting with students in class. He will really take the time to explore avenues of thought in discussions. Favorite professor. The readings are pretty necessary in my opinion, but the ones in the Arts and Jervis textbook can be easily skimmed.

Professor Bakich is absolutely astounding. He really knows the material that he is teaching and is extremely passionate about the work that he is doing. Most of the homework is in reading, and he is more than willing to discuss, rather than merely lecture, the material that he is going through. He cares about what we have to say, because he recognizes that we could potentially be doing the very work that he is teaching to us. There are three exams - all written and based on the three big chunks that the course is broken into, and they are reasonably straightforward as long as you pay attention in class and do the readings as necessary. You really need to work for the A though, but a B should be more than manageable. Definitely worth taking this course.

This is a great introductory course! Lots of reading, but in comparison to other politics courses not really that much. Reading is necessary, but you can pretty much focus on the areas you want to write about on the test. Bakich is very engaging. Just make sure you are very detailed on the tests, because his grading can be hard. Getting an A will require a lot of effort.

By far the best intro class I've taken at UVA! I definitely recommend taking the course with Professor Bakich. Bakich is great at incorporating current events in his lectures and encourages students to interrupt for clarification. This course made me want to be a foreign affairs major.