[POLS BC1014] Political Theory II

Amdur is wonderful. He is one of those professors without a huge ego to protect or a potential hotshot academic career to shuttle along, and it shows in his classes: he focuses on teaching and enjoys his students. He is perhaps the clearest lecturer I've encountered, and he speaks at a manageable pace so that you can easily take down all the important points. He always leaves time at the end for questions, and genuinely welcomes them; it made me sad to see how disappointed he was on those days where there were none! He makes difficult texts seem easy. I truly hope that I will be able to take another class with him in my time left here. A shy but extensively kind man.

The texts in this class are good, and Dalton sometimes gives interesting lectures. However, sometimes he doesn't, so bring something to read to class. What he says in class is in no way relevant to what is on the midterm and final. To do well on those you don't even need to go to class. Just copy what he says in the course packet word for word and you will get an A.

I thought I had caught on to something special when I attended Dalton's first few lectures. By the end of the semester, I regretted taking his class. He's a passionate, extremely knowledgable professor, but spends more time railing against George Bush and the war in Iraq or extolling Mahatma Gandhi than actually teaching the course. He's also an extremely picky grader; the previous reviews are right in saying that he expects you to recite the packet to him. But not only that, you had better know every detail in the packet because he nickel-and-dimes you into much lower grades with small deductions for every missed minor detail on the exams. And if you're a preprofessional student, don't expect him to be sympathetic to your need for good grades when grading your exams. He grades everyone's exams extremely hard and spends signficant class time urging students to spend a few years working for Teach for America rather than attending medical or law school. The bottom line: Dalton is great if you're a political liberal who is against all wars and doesn't care too much about grades. If you don't have the aforementioned qualities, you probably should stay away from him.

I would have to disagree with the other reviewers who found Dalton's classes to be stifling. Maybe you will not agree with everything, (or even very little of) what he has to say, but it is still worth taking his classes. Rare is a professor who addresses and embraces their subject so passionately. Dalton delves into the material and brings it to life. I found him to be inspiring and I LOVED this class. And do not listen to the people who say this class is difficult. I only skimmed the readings, often slept late, and easily got an A both semesters.

I took both Political Theory I and Political Theory II. I agree with much of what has already been written in reviews about Dalton (to the extent I know much about his classes, despite having "taken" them). The points I disagree on are the complaints about his so-called unfair grading. This class is insanely easy if you just write out word-for-word (or as close as you can remember) what he puts in the packet. I went to THREE classes spring semester (the first one, the second one, and the final) and nearly as few in the fall. I didn't read any of the books either semester that I hadn't read already in CC. I didn't take the optional midterm. I read in other reviews that there was an optional paper, but I don't remember hearing about that, and I certainly didn't write it. The night before each final, I did study the packet he handed out on the first day of class. I showed up to the finals, took them, and for my hard work, I earned an A first semester and an A- second semester. If I can do it, you can do it. On the other hand, if you can handle waking up at 10:35 AM, I'd suggest going to the class. He sounds like a great lecturer from the CULPA reviews.

Take this class--either semester. Dalton is THE MOST passionate and eloquent professor at Columbia. He brings each author to life in a way no one else does. He can seem opinionated in lecture but if you disagree stay for discussion section and challenge him for a thoughtful debate, you'll be surprised at how open-minded he really is. I don't agree though that he is only conveying one view. He conveys the view of each author as if the author were there himself, and lets face it each one of them had something very specific to say--Dalton tells you what it is in such a powerful way you have to get it. In fact, if you forget what Marx, or Plato, or Freud's main points are after this class you are an idiot--the message is that clear, that repetitive and that strong.

Professor Dalton is AMAZING! And that's an understatement. I recommend this to every student - freshmen: if you're looking for inspiration and one class you can always look forward to, Dalton is your man. seniors: WHY HAVEN'T YOU TAKEN HIS CLASS YET?? don't regret not taking his class!

Although the class is relatively "easy", that is only the case if you don't take it for granted. Don't wait until a week before the midterm/exam to study. The course is extremely interesting - it is rare to have a class with interesting material (malcolm x, marx, gandhi, plato etc) and a wonderful teacher. I am saying this even after not doing so well in the class - I regret not putting more effort into a class I loved and could have aced. I will never forget all that he has taught me.

It's kind of pointless to add to the 30 other reviews, but seriously, this class is worthless. I have never taken another class in which I had to forget what I read in order to do well on the tests. He has a preachy 5 sentence take on every author, and he wants you to repeat it back to him verbatim. You have no idea how frustrating it is to read a 300 page book and then have to "unlearn" all but a sentimental summary of it. Dalton is a nice old man. Nobody denies that. But as a class, this is a horrible joke.

WASTE OF TIME. Take this class if you're that kid at Columbia that's just there to graduate, not learn anything and say ho-hum to your grades. I hated this class, I hated this professor.

Professor Dalton seems like the arsenal of passion and erudition. He is a good teacher who gets his point accross through blatant repetition. You will be required to memorize a LOT of information, and believe me it is NOT easy. That being said, I disagree with all the sychophantic reviews of professor Dalton. The man is THE most unfair grader ever to walk this planet. He demands direct regurgitation of his words on exams which is annoying for people with over two braincells. You have to submit to his egotistical desire to see his phrases, and only his phrases on hundreds of final exams. Couple that with a subtle air of self-importance and you have a professor that may well rub many the wrong way. The excellent subject matter of this class however, is probably worth overlooking the man for.

Professor Dalton uses his class to voice his views. Althoguh I agree with much of his political ideology, I found his ranting to be a waste of valuable class time. I was also disappointed that his expectations for exam answers were the regurgitation of what he said in class. Students are encouraged to write formulaic answers on the exam, which undermines the intellectual nature of the course.

The most deceptive class at this school. I knew about 50 kids in this class, and each one was dissatisfied with their grade. The lectures are over-crowded, and, although Dalton is indeed a great speaker, full of his own liberal agenda. Most students did not attend because there was a lack of seating, and the alternative was to watch a videotape of the lecture in the library. Very little of what the man talks about are on the exam, which are the trickiest tests you'll take here. With an optional midterm, many student opted to take the final, which was graded extremely unfairly, with point being extracted for missed concept and not added for new ones. Instead of expecting an essay, Dalton would like you to list everything he has told you, word for word. I would advise memorizing the packet, but then again I knew it back and forth and wound up pissed off. Be prepared to really know your stuff and get a C or lower.

This is the best class that I have ever taken at Columbia. Dalton inspires you to higher levels and is an absolutely fantastic speaker. He is probably one of the nicest people I have ever met. And yes, maybe the class doesn't requre much creativity on the tests, but atleast this is one of the classes that you will remember what the prof said a couple of years down the line. I wish I could say the same about some of the other Columbia classes!

Dennis Dalton does care about his students and is very liberal, but the bitter reviews of him on CULPA have a point - this class oversimplifies everything. You are not encouraged to look at other views on Plato, Aristotle, etc. because he grades based on keywords. I wish it had been more challenging, but I suppose you can't expect much from an Intro class. You'll either love his teaching style or be put off - he reads from the lecture summaries in the packet word for word and will then veer off topic to rant on realists or Bush or something of that nature. It's an easy A and you learn the basics of political theory, but you don't feel proud of the A - it feels too easy and not like a college course at all.

Do not believe any thing negative you hear about this man. The fact is that Dalton is an angel. He is unbelievably intelligent, caring, and kind. He is the only reason that this school can claim the high standing that it does.

I can not say enough good things about Professor Dalton so I'll just add to the list. Dalton is the most amazing speaker I have ever heard and his lectures the most life-changing I have ever experienced. He gives you an incredibly thorough overview of theorists such as Marx, Freud, etc. and emphasizes truth possessed versus truth pursued. He teaches you to thin in an entirely new way, to seek your own truth. He manages to infuse every lecture with such a great amount of passion (warning you can actually see the spit if you sit close enough) and knowledge that it is overwhelming. You will emerge from this class a new person, for which reason it should be a requirement for graduation, I can't imagine graduating without having taken it!!!!

Dalton comes off as very inspirational because he eschews a lot of utopian, leftist values. I think he does a fine job extrapolating from the texts to create an overall bigger message. However, midway into the semester, I got the creeping suspicion that he wasn't as nearly open-minded and deep as he appeared in the beginning. Student questions are far and few between, and he usually dismisses them with comments like "sure, it's important to consider all issues, but the message I want this class to present is ..." He constantly emphasizes the "pursuit of truth," which is exemplified nicely in the readings and his anecdotes, but I'm not so sure the students have that opportunity to pursue truth given the manner the texts are taught with one interpretation in mind and how exams are graded for using certain buzzwords. I acknowledge these are the inherent shortcomings of any lecture class, but you should be aware of them regardless.

Professor Dalton seems to genuinely know what he is talking about and care a great deal about the material that he teaches. Unfortunately actual knowledge of this material is not needed to do well in his class, you can actually be penalized for going beyond recitation. The key to this class is to take it with friends, not that difficult because of the large size, and go to all of the classes. During class he will tell you which quotes in the work you are reading that day will be candidates for the ID based midterm and final. Write down whatever he says about these quotes and look at how he references the same quotes in the course packet that he distributes each term. He only puts quotes on the tests that were _both_ read aloud in class and mentioned in the course packet. Then just get together with your friends and create the ultimate formulated spitback description of each quote. Everyone can submit the same answer without worry; Prof. Dalton has no problem with this "studying" tactic. Lather, rinse, and repeat for the final and then sit back and rake in your A or A+.

Dalton's flagship course takes you through attaining happiness, to civil disobedience, via truth possesed and truth pursued. Along the way, you read Gandhi, Malcolm X, Hitler, Thoreau, Marx, Freud, GIlligan, and Goldman. Professor Dalton helped expand my mind and inspire me. He is very approachable - the nicest man I know. The course is a huge lecture hall, so it is good that Dalton has such a spark for oration. You watch some cool videos too. I would reccomend this course to anyone, but it's especially good for seniors who are disillusioned with entering the 'real world.'

This class was really excellent. All I can really add to the other reviews is that this is what CC should have been. Dalton is one of the big names in this department, and this is one of those 'must-take' classes that you hear everyone talking about. Like I said, a superb class.

Unless you're a complete moron is to skip the lectures and spend the time contemplating the readings on your own. I recommend only taking this course if you want to spend your time regurgitating what the prof says, if you dont want to think about political theory on your own, or if you just want an easy A.

I wish I could disagree with all the scary, I-am-madly-in-love-with-this-prof reviews just to be different, but I can't. He's amazing. I worship at the Dennis Dalton altar.

This man rocks, and I would worship him if I could, but he wouldn't like that. He is in Barnard's political science dept., and right now is their only 'political theory' professor. Basically, any class he teaches is worth taking, from his intro to political theory class to his seminars and colloquia. His main issue is nonviolence - he is a Gandhi scholar. He is also a vegetarian and lives in the neigborhood, which I personally think says a lot. He is pro-activism in the largest sense of the word, and is pro-anything else postive (pro-all civil rights things, whether woman, black, queer, or anything else, not just in the US, but elsewhere). He is also an extraordinarily knowledgable man, who is also a wonderful teacher and guide. He will talk to (and listen to) his students for hours on end. He even lends books. Sorry this is so long, but if i could've, i would've majored in the man.