[{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQzMjcwNzY1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2026-06-25 01:33:30 +0000 UTC","comment":"Loved him last semester and will be taking another one of his classes next year. Kapust makes political theory super accessible and clearly takes great joy in impersonating each philosopher; he also makes participation much less intimidating for students and takes breaks to answer questions. Take good notes and laugh at his jokes- he is funny!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQzMDQxNDc2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2026-05-06 03:22:35 +0000 UTC","comment":"Kapust makes lecture engaging and ties together reading material really well. My TA, Ikhyun, made discussions very helpful and was a greater grader. Class is based on three in-class exams (I scored 98-100% on all), a cumulative final, and discussion participation (including 2 roleplay debates). Class was great and I would recommend!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwNDYzMjQ1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2024-12-31 03:50:17 +0000 UTC","comment":"Professor Kapust is very passionate, well-spoken, and involved with his students. His lectures are engaging, and he is very easy to connect with outside of class. I learned a lot from him and appreciated his focus on essays, not tests. But--and this is more on my TA than him--most of my essays weren't graded by the time my final grade was due! ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwNDQxOTA4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2024-12-26 23:04:10 +0000 UTC","comment":"The number one thing to know about Kapust is that he's REALLY funny. His lectures are super engaging. However, the course material is incredibly difficult to read. The class is literally just writing, so if you don't like writing, don't take him. Overall, as somebody who vastly prefers papers to exams, PS160 was incredibly enjoyable to me.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMzcxMjk2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2024-12-18 23:19:28 +0000 UTC","comment":"100000/10 recommend Professor Kapust. So funny and charismatic.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMzcxMjU2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2024-12-18 23:17:36 +0000 UTC","comment":"1000000/10 recommend. So funny and charismatic!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMTM3NTUw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2024-12-06 17:54:51 +0000 UTC","comment":"Professor Kapust is an awesome professor and his lectures were very engaging. In lecture, Professor Kapust will \"role play\" as the political philosopher and answer questions from the perspective of the philosopher. Very funny and interesting guy. You write 3 papers throughout the semester which are challenging but are graded pretty lightly.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5OTk0NTk5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2024-11-20 19:56:52 +0000 UTC","comment":"Professor Kapust is awesome! He starts every lecture with good music that relates to the ideas we're discussing at the time. His sense of humor is much appreciated in my first class of the morning. He takes on the persona of whatever political thinker we're reading for the sake of answering questions from the perspective of the philosopher himself.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MzQ1MjA1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2023-01-17 19:55:39 +0000 UTC","comment":"Prof Kapust is passionate about his content and it really shows in his lectures. He picks great pieces for us to study (which are all available as free PDFs) and he spends all of class acting and speaking as the theorist we are studying to help conceptualize. His midterms are two papers (easy) and the final was two long essay questions.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MjYyMjQx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2022-12-30 02:43:36 +0000 UTC","comment":"Prof Kapust is an amazing lecturer, all lectures were very engaging. Texts are boring unless you are very interested in the content but lectures dissect the texts very well. We had weekly discussion posts, peer responses, as well as 2 main essays, and a final essay.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MTY1ODI5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2022-12-17 03:47:26 +0000 UTC","comment":"Took this class to fulfill a humanities requirement, but it is boring (unless you like to learn about philosophers). Professor himself is great and easy to approach. However, for papers that are a big part of your grade, directions were not clear. Lots of reading in order to get a good grade in discussion section. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MDk3MTMx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2022-12-13 17:57:59 +0000 UTC","comment":"Grading criteria for the essays was super unclear and they didn't really reflect our knowledge of the course content. Lectures weren't super helpful, but discussion sections were. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2ODc3NTgx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2022-11-22 00:55:05 +0000 UTC","comment":"Prof Kapust is incredibly engaging. His lectures were interesting and really helped me to understand the material. The TA is the one who grades the papers so if your TA is a tough grader the class is a little harder, but the professor is great!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1ODIzMTk0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2022-02-03 00:18:49 +0000 UTC","comment":"Kapust is a phenomenal teacher - his lectures consisted of him roleplaying as the different authors we read and debating with us to get us to better understand the reading. Most assignments/grading are handled by the TAs in this class though.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NTYzNTY5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2021-12-16 21:56:23 +0000 UTC","comment":"Prof Kapust is amazing. Don't be intimidated by all the books assigned, as Prof Kapust's lectures are basically summaries. I would still get the books to use for paper quotations, but I did not end up reading a lot. My TA held engaging discussions and also provide summary sheets of the readings. Try your best and be a good writer and you'll do fine","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NTI4MTI0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2021-12-15 00:59:49 +0000 UTC","comment":"AMAZING! so fun!!!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NDYwNzUz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2021-12-10 19:54:18 +0000 UTC","comment":"The lectures are nice because it's very obvious that he knows what he's talking about, but you really have to pay attention. The readings are super long, and hard to understand. He never responds to emails, which is irritating because if you miss a lecture, there's no way to make it up.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NDU5ODYx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2021-12-10 19:09:35 +0000 UTC","comment":"Professor Kapust was an amazing lecturer and honestly a great person overall. There are a lot of assigned readings but if you attend lecture he explains each one extremely well. I got away without reading a lot of the books and still felt like I had a solid grasp on the material. Grading is also very fair.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NDQ5NjIz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2021-12-10 02:06:23 +0000 UTC","comment":"I liked DJK, however he was a little intimidating outside of class, as his demeanor indicated that he didn't really want to talk to you. In class, however, he is very clear and concise about the specific theorists views are. Class is based off of 2 papers and a final, but I would take this class again. My TA was really good, as well.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NDQxMTIx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2021-12-09 18:47:13 +0000 UTC","comment":"I highly doubt I will come across many professors as phenomenal as Kapust again. He managed to make even the most dry topics so insanely engaging that I'd honestly attend some of his lectures just for fun. If you have a chance, take a class with him. You will not regret it.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NDM3NjIz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2021-12-09 16:12:57 +0000 UTC","comment":"Fantastic Prof. and class, amazing lectures and fair assignments. Truly one of my best experiences in education, wish he could teach every course at UW. Great guy.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMzMTU5ODM0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2020-04-29 21:26:03 +0000 UTC","comment":"Kapust is arguably one of the most engaging lecturers I have had at Madison and really boils down the concepts you need to grasp from the readings. For some of the major texts I would advise reading but the smaller ones you really don't need to. I don't think I would gave enjoyed the class if he weren't the professor.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMxMTE5NTI4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2018-12-20 20:34:17 +0000 UTC","comment":"Prof. Kapust is incredibly engaging, funny, & knowledgeable. Wasn't expecting to enjoy political theory, but his teaching methods & personality really made the class my favorite to go to. Never read any of the books in their entirety, but you will need to use direct text evidence in papers. 2 papers, 1 midterm, discussion homework, and final exam.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMwOTkyNTcy","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2018-12-12 17:12:41 +0000 UTC","comment":"Professor Kapust is a phenomenal professor and you can tell he not only is passionate about what he teaches, but cares about his students as well. He cares about how much his students learn as well as that they're interested in the material. Hilarious, great guy. Would recommend.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:46:07.843889+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMwOTU3Nzk0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1724937","instructor_name":"Daniel Kapust","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2018-12-11 00:13:44 +0000 UTC","comment":"Professor Kapust lives up to his reviews. His lectures are funny and engaging. I would disagree with reviews that say you don't need to do the reading, you need to do some of it for the papers/discussion/exams. As long as you take notes, you can lean heavily on those. Poli sci kids know how great Kapust is, I think other majors would enjoy him too","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1724937","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:36:27.987655+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3ODIwOTkx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:464204","instructor_name":"Howard Schweber","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2023-05-04 16:46:17 +0000 UTC","comment":"I will cherish these lectures for the rest of my life! They were absolutely fantastic and inspiring. The content was dense but exams were not difficult, and open not, so I never felt pressured. He is hilarious and caring. Sad to see him go! :)","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/464204","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:36:27.987655+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3NjYxMTMy","source_instructor_id":"rmp:464204","instructor_name":"Howard Schweber","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2023-04-19 04:14:29 +0000 UTC","comment":"He is extremely knowledgeable. Lectures are pretty dense, as he just talks for the whole 75 minutes, but they are recorded. He also provides note outlines for each lecture which helps to understand the sources being talked about during lecture and are easy to take notes on. Quizzes are also very reasonable. Overall a very good professor. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/464204","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:36:27.987655+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0MjQzMzk0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:464204","instructor_name":"Howard Schweber","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2021-01-06 07:22:35 +0000 UTC","comment":"Lectures are rapid fire info, of which all is important. I don't know how you could jot down all the information in a regular non- online semester... so maybe a recorder? The lectures require full concentration & the quizzes will make your brain hurt. He is approachable and wanting to help you. My fav part was guest appearances from his cats","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/464204","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:36:27.987655+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0MjQyMDcw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:464204","instructor_name":"Howard Schweber","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2021-01-06 01:48:08 +0000 UTC","comment":"I don't know how his in person classes differed, but I found Prof Schweber to be very intelligent, however, he forgets that us college students are not on the same intelligence level when explaining concepts. He also talks very fast and its hard to keep up. A 20 minute lecture will turn into 1.5 hours. The only grades you have are 6 hard quizzes.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/464204","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:30:56.032068+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTI5NTQxNTEx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1282510","instructor_name":"John Zumbrunnen","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2018-02-06 16:18:20 +0000 UTC","comment":"Zumbrunnen is interesting and engaging, tries to connect with students. Tends to get sidetracked by students. Class was very elementary, first half of lecture was spent reviewing material from the previous lecture. Weekly online quizzes and three short papers due throughout semester, no final exam.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1282510","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:30:56.032068+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTI4OTExNjU4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1282510","instructor_name":"John Zumbrunnen","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2017-11-15 23:36:54 +0000 UTC","comment":"He opens the class up to waaay too much discussion. What ended up happening in my class was that the same few kids took this time for their own personal philosophy or just to show off and it was really annoying. And he encourages it. We ended up talking about stuff totally irrelevant to the class and kids always left early. Not what I paid for.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1282510","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyOTg1NDQy","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2026-04-30 18:57:28 +0000 UTC","comment":"She's knowledgeable about the content and explains it well. The readings are dense, but the exams are easy. Grades are based on two in-class essays and two exams. You can revise the essays, making them easy. And the exams are mostly multiple choice with extra credit. Easy, but be prepared for dense readings.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyNDYyNTYy","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2026-01-08 18:57:11 +0000 UTC","comment":"shes amazing and very knowledgeable but the course is difficult. having a good ta is very important for the class. lots of studying required to do well.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyMjg1NDMw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2025-12-16 17:06:35 +0000 UTC","comment":"Not many chances to bring up grade because it is all based off of 2 in class essays, 1 midterm, and the final. No homework, no extra credit. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyMjc4NTA3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2025-12-16 04:57:03 +0000 UTC","comment":"Professor Schwarze was a phenomenal lecturer! She was knowledgeable and engaging and she utilized in class discussion, along with TopHat for attendance. Despite the mandatory attendance, I looked forward to lecture every week. In-Class Essays were easy and fairly graded, re-writes were offered, and the midterm was also super easy. LOVE SCHWARZE!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyMTg2Mzcw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2025-12-11 20:52:46 +0000 UTC","comment":"Professor Schwarze is phenomenal.  She is very knowledgeable about the subject matter and facilitates very engaging discussions. All assignments were laid out very clearly and she provided lots of reminders. I am not someone who is very vocal, but I sat in the front row, and she was able to learn my name, along with many others in the class. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQxOTk4Nzkx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2025-12-02 20:34:09 +0000 UTC","comment":"Professor treats lecture like a middle/high school class rather than college course. TopHat questions did to ensure attendance, and mandatory times in class when students must discuss/be called on to share. No curves are given, even when class averages are low (in 70s), and study materials are slim both for essays, tests, and general readings. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQxOTk2ODQy","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2025-12-02 19:17:48 +0000 UTC","comment":"Very knowledgable in what she is talking about, well structured class, amazing personality and gets to know students. Very reading heavy and few tests but it is not hard to do well in them, and she covers the readings/ everything you need to know about them in lectures.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQxODc0MTI5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2025-11-15 19:00:59 +0000 UTC","comment":"Her lecture slides are good, but if you want a good grade you have to read. The TA's are not helpful because they have been instructed to not give too specific of feedback on essay rewrites and discussion sections are mostly just going in a circle and saying a sentence about a question. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQxMzIyODE0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2025-05-19 18:20:05 +0000 UTC","comment":"Definitely a lot of reading but that is expected. Readings generally fully covered in lectures, info on slides very useful for exams. Midterm and a final that were both short and not too hard. Two in class essays that were harder to prepare for and depending on your TA could be graded harshly. She learns people's names in a large lecture. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQxMTg2MDE5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2025-05-06 23:57:23 +0000 UTC","comment":"Complaints about readings are from lazy sudents. It's a political theory class, ofc there's going to be lots of reading. She covers all you need to know in class and posts full slides. Essays get rewrites to boost your grades and the study guides are very similar to the tests. Effort pays off in this class, you just need a good work ethic.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQxMDk1MDgx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2025-04-30 02:06:06 +0000 UTC","comment":"So much reading, but everything you need to know is covered in lectures anyway so reading feels pointless... Great study guides and if you get a TA you are definitely set. Lectures can be dry but grading is kind and focused on developing your own ideas. Will sometimes cold call. Not my favorite class, but definitely some people's.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwNDcyMTg5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2025-01-02 19:48:57 +0000 UTC","comment":"Prof. Schwarze assigns a fair amount of reading, some of which can be pretty dense but she goes over it in class and clarifies key concepts. Overall, I enjoyed the class and found it interesting and engaging. Biggest tip if i took it again would be to memorize the terms she goes over in lectures, as she will want to see them in your essays. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5NDc5NDM0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2024-05-16 20:16:18 +0000 UTC","comment":"I really liked Professor Schwarze, despite her having shockingly low ratings on here. While this class is a lot of dense readings, her lectures made them all easy to understand. High grade boundary for an A, but it's relatively easy to do well on the graded assignments (rewrites on in class essays and easy tests).","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5MzExMzMz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2024-04-30 14:34:32 +0000 UTC","comment":"This class is extremely heavy on the reading. Two readings a week that each range from 20-30 pages. The end of the semester felt rushed as she had a lot of material during the last three weeks, which made it difficult to keep up with late midterms and final exams. She also makes lectures similar to discussions, which I think was a waste of time.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2MzUxOTY0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2022-05-16 20:37:17 +0000 UTC","comment":"Professor Schwarze is an amazing, caring professor. She was very passionate in her teachings, and explained the course material very well throughout the semester. To show how caring she was for the students, she remembered every student's name that participated in a 200 student class, and encouraged group discussions, which i enjoyed alot.\n\n","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2MTMzNjQy","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2022-04-22 23:11:54 +0000 UTC","comment":"Poli. Sci. 160 with Professor Schwarze was amazing! I originally did not have high hopes, and I will warn people that this course has dense and difficult readings. But, if you attend lecture Prof. Schwarze does an amazing job of helping you make sense of the readings, she genuinely cares about her students and is one of the best lecturers at UW.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0NzcyNTgw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2021-05-12 06:37:16 +0000 UTC","comment":"Does not give you the opportunity to think independently about the text. Worse online experience yet. Very tough grader.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0NzY0MTQy","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2021-05-11 16:40:16 +0000 UTC","comment":"My TA described this class as the "salt shaker" approach to political theory. Every week we read 3-4 excerpts on a big political idea like truth, democracy, freedom, etc. The downside to this structure is you never go very in-depth on a single author and often feel overwhelmed with the amount of difficult and out-of-larger-context readings.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0NzQ3Mzg1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2021-05-09 20:26:16 +0000 UTC","comment":"She may be decent for in-person, but as an online prof, she was the worst I've ever had. We were lucky to get 20 minutes worth of lecture a week. Used content from other professors. Clearly put no work into the little content provided and instructions were always unclear. I nearly had a mental breakdown. She is absolutely the worst professor. AWFUL","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0NTc1Mzgx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2021-04-19 18:52:30 +0000 UTC","comment":"I had Schwarze online so I mainly heard her podcasts and lectures, which were pretty general so I had to seek out other explanations online. This class was hard, but the group discussions (online) were pretty fun. You can get away with not reading if you do in depth research yourself. This class introduces important concepts for the PS major.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMzMjA3NzIx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2020-05-05 17:16:54 +0000 UTC","comment":"I hated going to lecture for this class because she really makes you participate by having group discussions and doing group activities in lectures, which is weird, so if you're like me and just want to sit & listen to someone speaking in lectures, you're not gonna like it. SUPER easy A though, I never even read any of the texts. Lots of busy work.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":1.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMxODI2MjAw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2019-05-09 18:06:39 +0000 UTC","comment":"Schwarze is a great professor. She clearly lays out every reading so that if you do not understand the content while reading yourself, you will after lecture. One comment is that during lecture she sometimes speaks too quickly. Great class for a 100 level and I would recommend making sure that you complete the study guides she hands out!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMxNjAwMzU5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2019-04-16 01:59:00 +0000 UTC","comment":"Prof. Schwarze is clearly passionate about the material and is clear in her expectations. She genuinely cares about her students' success, and tbh, you don't have to thoroughly read all of the material outside of class because she goes so in depth in what you need to know in her lectures. Great woman, great prof - I would definitely recommend!!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMxNTg3OTQ4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2019-04-13 23:21:37 +0000 UTC","comment":"Political theory. You don't have to read literally any of the books because she covers them so well in lecture. Show up to lecture and you'll get an A. Personally, I loved the class and can't see how anybody could give her a bad rating. She made me realize I wasn't making a huge mistake by majoring in political science.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:17:07.660192+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTI5NjUzNTg3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1853160","instructor_name":"Michelle Schwarze","course_label":"POLISCI160","course_id":"POLISCI 160","course_uid":"course_f316b1c0bcfe1eba601b7ab6","review_date":"2018-03-14 17:23:55 +0000 UTC","comment":"Overall a pretty average professor. She knows what she's talking about and adequately conveys ideas and class material in lecture. The class itself is pretty uninspiring. There's a lot of reading that's not remotely interesting, specifically once you get to Hobbes. The main topic is injustice, and if that seems vague, that's because it is.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1853160","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0}]