This was my most stressful class this semester. While the readings were very interesting, they were unreasonably long. I do think, however, that after getting our comments at the end of the semester, Professor Rubenstein will start marking important passages or pages in the readings. This should be helpful for future students.

Class discussions were very lively because most of us were enthusiastic about the readings, but I imagine reciting would be difficult if you are introverted, if this is your first politics class, or if you are generally uninterested in the discussion topics. Often, I felt like we were going around in circles and at times, people just rephrased what others had already said. That said, if you are a public policy, PST, or philosophy major, this is class is probably your cup of tea.

Overall, while Professor Rubenstein is a lovely person, I would not recommend this class due to its heavy workload.

Class participation: ~25%
Weekly reading responses: ~25%
Midterm letter: ~20%
Final paper: ~30%