I think that the professor's lectures had little to do with the problem sets or the exams. All of the assignments in this course can be completed with the discussion content, and the lectures felt unnecessary. As a junior, this was my first time calculating anything since high school, and I would not have gotten an AB without my TA's office hours.

Not the worst class but I mostly found the lectures to be useless/boring. I don't think she does a great job at explaining stuff tbh. God Bless TA's. You'll get good grade if you just attend discussion and do the hw. Exams are online and not that difficult

I took this class last year, but Professor Martin's lectures made sense and in combination with the absolutely amazing TA I had, this class was really easy to do well in. Make sure to start working on the problem sets early so you can get help if you need it! There were three online exams, but they were generally easier than the problem sets.

Prof Martin's lectures are clear and straightforward. Go to discussion section if you want to do well, the TAs this year killed it. Textbook readings are not necessary to understand the content, and sometimes just confusing-- better to stick to course content and ask questions if you're stuck.

She just puts a bunch of material into one lecture, barely explaining concepts. She is lowkey boring and you will fall asleep. You have to be dependent on outside resources.

For poli sci 354, Prof Martin was great! The discussions were mandatory, but the lectures weren't. There are three midterms (no final) and a 5 page paper that make up most of your grade. If you find international relations interesting, definitely take her class. As long as you keep up with readings and go to lecture, easy A!

Going to be honest, rarely showed up for lecture or did any of the readings and just watched quick videos on youtube to explain the content and did just fine. Lectures were helpful but I wanted to sleep in instead

This class was awful. Take any other class for the Poli Sci analysis requirement. Lisa Martin moves extremely fast in lecture, jamming so much information into her lectures and even she gets confused. Take another class, the Lectures leave you confused and the TAs may or may not save you in discussion. Material is vague and hard to sift through.

This class is almost impossible to pass. Don't expect to come into this class and learn about the Analysis of Internation Relations. The TAs are rude and condescending this year. If you have no understanding or prior knowledge of Game Theory don't take this class!!!!!!

She is a terrible professor with no curve, clear grading, or even skills at teaching. Do not take this class at all - it is not worth it. You will gain nothing but constant frustration, inadequate teaching, and horrible TA's

The class is incredibly difficult, but the professor did a good job explaining everything. She was kind, helpful, and very receptive. I don't know how often there would be a world pandemic again, but I did learn that she isn't great with running the class online. There were quite a few mistakes made on the online exams and problem sets.

Prof Martin is a bit confusing during her lectures, but is knowledgeable on the topic. She is respected and clearly very smart, but isn't always the best at explaining new ideas to undergrad students who don't have extensive background in game theory and other analytical methods used in class. Overall very mediocre class - not what i expected.

Lectures were boring.

Very good course. I really enjoyed interacting with Lisa and the TA (Monica) was a lot of fun and down to earth.

I found her lectures to be very interesting and she relates the course topics to current events very well! She teaches the material in a fun way and without showing her own political opinions. If you go to lecture and discussion the tests are not too hard. I would definitely take another class with her!

Lisa's a good teacher. She's very fair and straightforward. The class is not difficult as it seems that most of his students get a A or AB.

Tests were a bit tough, but the TA made sure we were prepared. Prof. Martin is very kind. One of the best courses I took at Wisconsin.

Fantastic course. Learned a ton. Lisa is so knowledgable and kind! 3 exams, short paper, and a handful of in class quizzes.

Prof. Martin is great. The TA was great. Was the first time the class was taught at UW, which may account for a few hiccups in organization. Overall, was a great class that I would take again.

Grading criteria wasn't clear. Her class was fairly easy considering I didn't show up much late in the semester. She was clearly an expert in her field and it was decently clear what to expect on tests but despite what people say, reading the book alone is not enough to get a great grade. If you go to lecture though, you would probably get an A.

This is the worst class i've taken yet. You never need to go to class Lisa Martin is beyond boring and uses slides that she created in 2011 that are online anyways and she reads word for word from them. If you have no prior poll sci knowledge you're screwed it's really really hard idk why people are saying its easy and my friends felt the same way.

A joke for a 4 credit class. Don't bother buying the book and just go to class for the 3 hours a week. You will actually learn a lot, but Professor Martin doesn't even try to challenge you. I've gotten 100+% on both exams, and I'm expecting to do well on the 3rd -- no cumulative final. The tests are a cake walk, and discussion is helpful.

She knows her material very well although at times it seems like her lectures are formated directly from the textbook. Like many intro poli sci classes, the grading is handled by the TAs and not the professor, so the class has more to do with your relationship with the TA than the professor. The online portion can be very tedious at times.

Reading other comments seems like people read the book and skip lecture. I did the opposite and never bought the book and went to all of her lectures. They are dry, but decent notes will net you an easy A without studying. Relatively good with omitting personal political views which is nice considering Madison's reputation for overzealous liberals

Very boring lectures. Luckily you don't need to go to them to get an A in the class. Professor seems disinterested during lecture and repeats everything 10 times. Discussion is mandatory, but helpful. Pretty easy course.

EXTREMELY BORING LECTURES. Most boring I've ever had. Easy class though. If you take this class, I would highly recommend not going to lectures and just reading the book before the tests. If you have any sort of intellect, you'll get an A this way, guaranteed.

Extremely boring lectures. Reads word for word from the powerpoints she posts online. Definitely skipped many lectures. Discussion is mandatory, but pretty useful for clearing things up. I used the book only because lectures were pointless. The online material and quizzes were just annoying. Exams could be a little hard.Take a different professor.

Everything that you hear about this class is true. It's really nice having extra time in your day to relax and not having to show up to class, while still getting a good grade. Discussion sections really help and explain anything that could have been somewhat confusing in lecture.

Martin rarely answered my e-mails and seemed really bored with teaching the class. Her assigned readings weren't always pertinent to the course and her mandatory online quiz program was expensive and TOTALLY USELESS. My TA Derek Pankretz was great and made material really easy. Class was pretty simple overall.

been to lecture 3 times total this semester. very boring lectures. i just stayed in and read the book. discussions are mandatory. online quizzes are easy if you read the book. tests are decent.

The lectures go over the readings in the book, but if you are interested in the material then the class is very enjoyable. She is a very good lecturer and the material is explained well. Very good teacher.

Do not take this class with her. She may be smart but she is very boring. Take the class with Peevehouse!

Ungodly boring. Class is easy if you read the book. All notes are online so dont go to lecture, its her reading word for word from the powerpoints.

Very boring lectures which are read from powerpoints taken directly from the book. Save yourself some time and sleep in in the morning and read the book and download the powerpoints. Very little work for a 4 credit class

I took this class based off of previous reviews on this site and they were pretty much spot on. Professor Martin reads from the lecture notes and for the most part only tests you on that material. The class requires very little work, especially considering it is 4 credits. If it fills a requirement I would recommend taking this class with Martin

Not the most exciting professor, but her powerpoints were very clear and she definitely knows what she's talking about. Her lectures follow the book, so it's best to do the reading as well.

Lectures are very dry and not engaging. Writes important information on Powerpoint slides and uses same examples as textbook. Section is graded but not overly useful. Three exams with MC and short answers are fairly easy if you attend and pay attention.

Her powerpoints basically are her tests. Just memorize them and you will at least get a B. Her lectures are interesting at first, but by the end of the semester, time goes by so slow. She is boring and has no interaction with students during lecture. Interesting class though.

Pretty boring lecturer, but she puts all the relevant info from lecture online. Attendance isn't really necessary, but if you skip a lot the in-class review before exams is pretty helpful. I think this class could've been interesting if I'd had a good TA, but at least it's an easy course with easy tests.

This class was easy. I honestly spent 3 night studying for it the entire semester (1 night for each midterm). Her lectures are dry because she reads right off the power point, but this means you don't have to go to lecture. The MC questions aren't as hard as other rankings would imply. They are about as (or slightly less) difficult than AP tests.

The tests are very easy and taken straight from lecture. To do well on exams you have to memorize the slides and don't have to read. It's so easy I got a 100% without reading the book. The lectures, however, are extremely boring. She reads straight off the power point.

multiple choice questions are ridiculously difficult, 3 exams make up your whole grade, boring lectures

Probably the least remarkable staff member of all the great IR professors in the Poli Sci department. Sure its a frosh class but she taught straight from the book and the exams were ridiculously hard, even the TA was confused by some of her questions. If you read well and happen to have a knowledgeable TA, don't bother to show up for lecture.

Reads every word on powerpoints that are already online so power lectures drag. Finals are fair, most answers said during lecture. Boring class and teacher

I really enjoyed the class. That being said, she is a ridiculously boring lecturer. However, the material is very clear, so I guess she does her job. I found the content to be very intriguing and look forward to taking more international relations classes!

The class is the least engaging class I have ever been in. 3 exams make up entire grade. Lectures and discussion are optional. If you are interested in the subject matter, the class is easy. Just memorize lecture slides/read the book. I found it boring and tedious. Martin more reads to you from the book than gives any type of engaging lecture.

The class is straighforward, and nothing is very in-depth. Lisa's lectures can sometimes be a repeat of the textbook, but her test questions come from both lecture and the book, so I'd say go to lecture and read. She's really nice and helpful with questions. Overall, the class is easy and straightforward, but still interesting. I'd recommend it!

Hands down worst teacher I've had here. Just reads off of a power point for 2 hours. Dont waste your time going to class if you read. Exams really arent that easy either and are your entire grade.

No, the material isn't overly in-depth and yes, Martin's lectures largely reflect book material, but I'm not really sure why everyone complains about her.. I always appreciate a straight-forward, easy class that you can miss without feeling bad about. I thought she was intelligent and pleasant, and the simplicity of her lectures made them bearable.

Boring, Boring, Boring...lectures are posted online and she reads word for word from them during class, going to class is pointless. The book covers everything well but is extremely dull as well. Exams are that bad if you read the lecture slides and study a bit, they're all multiple choice with a few short answer

The course is easy and the subject matter was fascinating, but her lectures are useless if you have done the reading. In other words, either do the reading OR attend the lectures - do NOT do both. It would be a waste of your time. Easy class, but lecture is a powerpoint that reiterates main points in the book. Good class, mediocre lectures.

Professor Martin seems pretty smart, but her lectures are very boring. There's no reason to ever attend class, and don't bother doing the readings that supplement the textbook. The tests were very easy. Overall, I'd suggest taking this class with a different prof, but if you're stuck with Martin it won't be that bad as long as you skip lecture.

Most boring professor I've ever had! Such a disappointment! All you need to succeed is her powerpoint (which is just a summary of the textbook, so don't waste your time reading it). You don't even have to go to class because all she does is read her ppt word for word. She doesn't elaborate on anything. Such a bore... take it with a different prof!

This was the most pointless class I've ever taken. Terrible instruction during lectures, just read off of the slides. Learned nothing and never went, but still managed to pass.

Her lecture is all powerpoint. She just reads them and its a summary of the chapters your assigned to read. Theres no point in going to class. I barely ever went and still managed an A. Easy but incredibly boring and useless lecture.

Boring, uninspiring prof. A merciless slide reader (they're not even her slides--she just lifts the material straight from the book). I expected more out of someone who was apparently some big wig at Harvard before coming to Madison.

Lectures are long and boring because she just reads off the slides, but she breaks things down so that they are simple and easy to understand. Doesn't really test on what isn't covered in lecture, so I never even read the book and still got an AB. Exams aren't too bad at all. Also a very friendly person.

Quantitative, all game theory, not the course description. But this is Martin's specialty, and she clearly is smart, but it doesn't come across through in her (dry) lectures. Go to lecture to see her work through problems, though. Repeat that on tests and you'll do great. No room for individual exploration or application.

BORING...DONT GO TO CLASS JUST READ THE BOOK

Her lectures are extremely boring! You could basically pass the class just by reading the powerpoint presentations online. I agree, have DAVID OHLS as your TA. He is excellent and seems to know a little more than the professor.. plus, he is a HOTTIE!

If you liked story time in kindergarten, then this is the class for you! During lecture, she reads directly from her slides which are take directly from the book. INCREDIBLY BOREING!!!!!! DRY,DRY,DRY!!!!

I was really looking forward to this class but it wasn't as good as I expected. She is a very dry lecturer and she follows the book really well with her slides. Going isn't even that important. Wasn't too hard just not very interesting.

HOW do you make international politics boring? Take this class, and you'll find out. HUGE letdown! Plus, info. is covered so slowly it'll make you want to stab your eyes out with a pencil. Lecture, section, and textbook are useless.. too bad you have to go to section... to succeed in this class, you just need to read the powerpoints on learn@UW

How do you make international politics boring? Take this class, and you'll find out. Plus, easy (all) information is covered at such a slow rate that you'll want to stab your eyes out with a pencil. Lecture and textbook are pointless- if you access the powerpoint presentation online and read through it before tests, you'll be fine.

This is the class I was most looking forward to... that is, until I actually went to class- very disappointing. Prof. READS the SENTENCES off her powerpoint slides, and the powerpoint presentations are just a summary of the textbook. The powerpoint can be accessed online, therefore, the textbook and lecture useless. Easy class but boring as hell.

Going to her lectures is totally pointless. She reads verbatim off powerpoint slides that she puts on the internet. most of it is straight out of the textbook. tests are easy, but this class is a total bore.

This class is a huge disappointment if you are interested in international relations. She literally takes everything from the book including examples, and posts pwrpoints online, so do not go to class. No outside information or guest lecturers, completely void of passion for the topic. Big let down, try to avoid Martin, but easy class if you cant.

The lectures are really boring and basically common sense. You can probably get most of the information from the online notes. I went to class and did all the readings which probably wasn't necessary but I did well in her class so....Get David Ohls as your TA if you can...he's really good

Boring.... blatantly obvious... this class is common sense. Don't go to the lectures, she reads straight out of the book.