3.1
Quality3.0
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake103
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
103
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
27
4
23
3
22
2
18
1
13
What Students Say
“Overall, hes a nice guy”
POL140 - 2.0 rating“Just know its always America's fault”
POL140 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.22 avg changeRatings by Course
POLSC102
5.0
(1)POL255
5.0
(1)POL185
5.0
(1)POL141
5.0
(1)101
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
POL185
5.0
POLSC
5.0
POL1
4.0
POL141
4.0
POL101
3.1
Reviews (103)
He has a "fasten your seatbelt sign." He is kind of hard to understand and follow along. He seems to move kinda fast and not be clear.
No Comments
He is so nice and easy to work with he will explain everything and he doesnt give you questions youve never seen. he writes where they came from on every exam and he will drop problems. Great Teacher!
everybody did bad on the first test. averages were probably around a 55 or so. and he doesnt curve. hes seems smart and willing to change his tests, but still a hard class for a lecture. find another professor.
worst class ever. You think he's nice becuase he curves the first test but then he screws you over with the last ones. Not helpful when it comes to giving you a "study guide" He gives a 5 point extra credit which doesn't do anything for you in the end.
horrible horrible teacher, do not take this class unless you ABSOLUTLY have to
He seems nice enough to begin with, but his tests are way to hard! I don't understand the material, and whenever I try to go and see him there are at least 2 people waiting ahead of me and he always talks with people for 20 minutes each! Yeah, find another teacher for this class...
This is a boring ass class, but Amentahru makes the class worth it. The disciple that he got from martial arts has really translated over into his teacher. I love me some Wahlrab
worst class ever! try studying for hours and still getting a 74 on the test!! ugh!!
this class sucks. unless you're interested in the material this class is so boring. you really dont need to go since he puts the notes online and gives you a syllabus. the tests are very hard though. i recommend skipping lectures and teaching yourself the material...just show up on test days.
Worst class I've ever taken. He thinks that we're all poly-sci majors, like we know what the hell he's talking about half the time. Refuses to help us out on tests- won't even make a study guide or anything. I HATE THIS CLASS.
Yes he sucks definetly! This is a gen ed class! We are not polical science majors, and he treats us like we are! When you go in for help he doesnt help he just starts talking, not helpful at all. dont take him if you dont have to.....
Discovered after the first test (which was ridiculously hard) that I shouldn't even go. Just read his little book he wrote and the syllabus and you'll do just as well as the people that go EVERY day. His tests though destroy you..even if you study for hours on end. So, I would NOT recommend taking him. He sucks.
His lectrues are ridiculously boring and confusing. He makes this gen-ed class dificult to pass and does not make sense when explaining topics. He is also not lenient with broderline grades and is stubborn about extra credit. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH HIM!!
He is passionate about the material, which translates to high expectations. It may seem like too much for non poli sci majors, but trust me, I took his class a couple of years ago...The material comes up in a lot of different non politics classes. He can be a little hard on you one on one, but he'll soften up, just show him you mean to learn.
this is the worst teacher at ISU. He talks down to students even when you try and go in for help. You might think hes nice when he curves your first test but in the end it means nothing. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS W/HIM. your wasting your time and killing your gpa.
Well this was one of the hardest classes ever. Granted i never attended class, my friends that did go to class got the same grade as me. Stay away from this guy his tests are impossible and hes a loser.
Those ppl are stupid he is nice and you will learn a ton. His passion for politics is great and his teaching gives u a great overview of everything, tests are a little difficult but he goes over all of it.
I would have to say he did love the subject of poltics and gov. however, i feel he assumed we knew alot about it already. I found it very hard to understand concepts because I was not taught them by previous teachers, It could be due to the poor lack of teaching in HS i was unware of this knowledge, but WahIrab should not assume we know about pol
Easy class if you go and pay attention, he pretty much tells you whats on the test in the lectures. Go to class and pay attention and you will get an A or B in the class.
Amentahru is the man. The class is really easy if you show up. The exams are very simple and can be finished in about 15 or 20 minutes if you study. He knew the subject matter and did a nice job of keeping students interested for the most part. Take the class and get an easy A or B
very well spoken and fluent in political science department
easy notes, tests were quick and painless..he tells you everthing that will be on the test
A lot of people find the sbuject matter dull, but I think he's a really great professor with a passion for what he teaches!
he was an amazing if you show intrest at all in lectures and participate you are going t do awesome. the class is pretty easy but not an easy A. if you have any intrest at all in Pollitics take his class... also POL 140 with Nassar is a good class if you liked Amentarhu!!! take his class!
Very good teacher. Interested and passionate about what he's teaching, so it actually makes the lectures interesting.. sometimes. Slides are online. Tests are pretty hard. Mostly from readings.
The class to be honest was boring. He was pretty passionate about what he was saying, and if you do the reading, study his slides (that he puts online) you can easily get an A. I came into the class not knowing and caring about the subject, but he makes it easy to follow, everyone SHOULD get an A.
I didnt like Politics but he made it very interesting.... Study his notes from internet, read the books, and u should be fine..
you really need to go to class, read and study. not easy. and class is really boring
easiest class ive ever taken, just go to class and print out the power points and you wont need the text book. test were all multi choice
Politics is boring! But the class is easy and hes a cool guy.
This class was at 9am. I went three times during the entire semester and pulled off a low B because he has all his lecture notes online. This class wasn't hard if you have a very BASIC understanding of politics.
awesome teacher with a great sense of humor....i would definately recommend everyone to take his class...
Easy to understand, but very dry at most times. Study the notes, go to the classes where you review test material especially, and you'll be good to go. Note that one test requires you to read a book Globalization. Read it for the test. Also, sometimes he shows videos in class and he WILL use those on tests as well.
He's helpful, witty, and great to have conversations with.
Most intellectually stimulating professor I've ever had. Requires a lot of reading, but the subject matter is relatively interesting. Some what of a tough grader, but if you do the reading and actively listen to the lectures you'll do fine. Wahlrab was no doubt the best professor i've ever had, he knows his stuff.
Amentahru Wahlrab is a very interesting professor...Definitely knows his stuff.
great teacher, hard material
At first i thought the class was sooo boring but once you get into it it's erally interesting. I guess it depends if you actually care about whats going on in the world.. some people don't but if your open-minded its a good class. Alot of reading, go to the lecture if you dont plan on reading!
great teacher you learn alot about the world around you can be boring but on the whole a very interesting class defiantly recommend it
Great proffessor never worries about getting behing and extremely open minded. Awsome class and very interesting.
Amentahru is deeply interested in his subject, but can at times be very smug and not helpful to students that don't spend every waking moment in his office chatting about global policies. dont take him too seriously, but study for exams.
Probably the most boring class I've ever taken. The material was over my head, and even if I studied a lot I still got constant C's on the test. Somehow I got an 80 in the class, but I have no idea how. Go to class the day before test and you should have an idea of what to study, even though a lot of untalked about material is added.
He babbles alot.
I think he doesn't read the books he assigns.
No clue what the man is talking about. And when you ask him for help he tells you to read the book and when you tell him you don't understand it he laughs at you...yeah real nice guy!
Lectures are super boring and hard to pay attention too but his test are really easy!! Just print out the notes and go to the review day before each test and you'll do fine!
I skipped a lot of classes and still got a B in the class. The tests were so easy and I would just study the night before. If you take a lot of notes on the review dates you'll be fine!
He is wonderful. The only problem is sometimes he goes on a tangent and never reaches the point of what he was saying in the first place. He's very passionate about what he does. Don't ever pack up early, he gets mad and ends lecture without finishing. His tests are easy, and there's no final. Just a two page paper.
If you don't know politics your in luck. I'm not that big of fan so i didn't go to class and just went to the reviews and tests. Got a solid B
Couldn't stand listening to him anyone so I stopped going to class. He is very arrogant and feels as if he knows all. It's not hard to pull a B in the class, even without going or not reading the assigned books. Just read ALL of his notes from slides the night before the test.
If you have even the slightest interest in politics, take it with him. Very insightful and knows his stuff. Lectures can get a little boring sometimes when he goes on tangents. Does has favorites in lectures but doesn't grade with a bias. Easy class if you just study a little bit and write the final paper.
I really liked this class.. it's not mandatory to go, but I couldn't help looking forward to going.. he's very interesting and insightful.. try to participate in class discusions because he loves that and you will get a better grade.. I don't like politics, but I liked this class a lot! (and he is white and speaks perfect english)
Boring lectures, don't need to go notes are online. Gives a review with almost all answers the day before. Don't buy the book unless you really want to learn a lot and read. Three tests including the final and a 20 point book review. So don't mess up on any of the tests.
great teacher!! he really knows his stuff and shows it in the lecture. tests are easy if you spend a little bit of time studying. class can be boring, but it's worth going. you'll get a better grade.
the guy is a poser. i am quite positive he doesn't understand his own material and is very limited in the comprehension of political theory.
He's very arrogant and needlessly rude to students. He refers to the textbook often and expects everyone to read it, but it's really not necessary. If you print out his notes and go to class, you'll do fine. Go to the review session before every test, he practically gives you the answers. Don't screw up on the tests, or else you'll do poorly.
One of the best professors in the institution. Insightful, dedicated to his students as individuals, and has a great sense of humor. Expects a lot out of you but gives back even more if you show you're really trying. He makes complex world-politics issues sensible and show how they are part of our everyday lives. A++
print off the notes online and skim the readings. go to review and keep up with current events because some stuff on the tests is obvious if you keep up with some international politics...not bad at all. dont need to go every day either.
Enjoys what he teaches. I have 0 interest in this stuff so I thought it was extremely boreing. Print off the powerpoints and skim the reading and you should be fine.
Overall, hes a nice guy. He IS a little smug and thinks he knows it all, and if you don't do well on the tests, you won't do well in the class. He is very passionate about what he teaches. If you are really interested in the subject and know a ton about Politics, you should take it, but if not, you're going to be lost.
This class can go one way or the other-pretty good or terrible. its SO boring, but just go to class so you know whats going on, i dont pay attention AT ALL, just print the power points and study them, youll be fine. youll find he goes off on tangents A LOT, so when youre feeling confused when he does it, you dont even need to listen. still go tho
Not a good teacher. Goes over 1 powerpoint per day, and leaves the rest up to you. No point in going to class. Read powerpoints on own. Better off taking it online. Not helpful at all!! Do NOT recommend!
I would not recommend this class to anyone. The class in general is very boring and hard to listen to. The tests cover a wide range of material and unless you take the time to read the 100 pages a week that he assigns to read, you probably won't pull of an A for the course. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this class!
fascinating and informative course
Amentahru is extremely intelligent. He is one of the most interesting and engaging individuals I have ever met. He is very worldly and intellectual. He is quite entertaining. He is the best thing about Illinois State University. This is the most interesting course I have taken.
Not that great of a class. Your grade is based off 3 100 pt tests and a 20 pt paper. Hes very boring and the subject really isnt interesting at all. Make sure you do the review questions that he gives on his powerpoints and if you go to class he gives a lot of the stuff that will be on the test. I would recommend taking a different class if you can
He's a black belt and he's not afraid to use it.
i have been to 3 lectures all semester and i havent read any of the books yet i am hopfully going to end up with an A in the class. all you have to do is memorize the power points he posts on the website. dont buy the books.
He is such a great teacher! He really cares and is interested in the subject and if you listen at all during lectures, it's very easy to become interested as well. I walked into the course knowing nothing about politics and I felt like I got so much out of it. He is extremely helpful and gives easy extra credit.
DO NOT take this class!!!
Really great professor and knows the information well. I never read the book material and managed to write the one short essay without it. He goes over the material you need to know before each test. Just make sure you review your notes and it'll be easy!
Horrible, horrible class. Honestly, this is the class I dread most this semester. It is SO boring and just drags on and on and on. He stumbles a lot during lecture and doesn't make any sense and just goes on wild, random tangents. Class is very hard to follow. I find myself not paying attention in class. Exams are a little difficult.
Professor Wahlrab is a very smart man and loves to share his knowledge with his students. At times the lectures could seem a bit boring if you don't pay attention, but if you listen and get involved you will love this class. Professor Wahlrab is one of the most educated men I have ever listened to and brings alot of knowledge into the classroom!
Good profesor, very smart, not too hard to understand. The readings he assigns are ridiculous, luckily you can do just fine on the tests if you go over the power points a bunch of times.
His class is easy, sometimes it's even interesting. I think he's a good guy, and he is very approachable. He goes out of his way to help, and his goal is seems to be to boost everyone's GPA as high as possible.
Obviously was bullied as a youth because he favors certain students. And he's a black belt.
Very hard to please and favors certain students.
Lectures were very boring. I stopped attending after first test. DONT buy the book, all his test questions come from the powerpoints. Read the footnotes for the powerpoints, that is where he gets most of his information for the tests. After I figured this out I did much better on the tests.
Professor Wahlrab is an extremely wonderful professor with very interesting views. While he may be a raging liberal, he still is smart enough to at least try and be neutral. Politics is not for everyone, but for those it is, Wahlrab does an engaging and thrilling journey from the beginning of the semester, expanding the minds of students.
Ru-Ru is a great man. He's extremely smart and it definitely shows. I rarely attend class, so it's difficult to do well on the tests, but I imagine if one went, it would be alot easier. Overall, I'd highly recommend him. You learn and insane amount about the world after you take this class. I highly recommend POL 140 and him.
Wahlrab's a cool guy.He posts his powerpoints online and puts review questions at the end of each slideshow. Make sure you can answer these questions. Basically for the readings, highlight main points and you'll be fine. The powerpoints are where the money's at
AWFUL! I stopped going to class after the first week because it is impossible to understand him with his stuttering! He gets easily distracted with questions but never answers for the class's benefit aka repeating someone's question because they are too quiet. I take notes from online... don't even need to go to class... thank god!
Very intelligent man. Good class if you're passionate for politics. If you're not, you'll be fine. His power-points are all online. Just do the review questions at the end of each slide show, take good notes, and you'll do great.
Super Intelligent. The class I took was introductory so the limitations on what information was presented made it a little dry at some times. But his knowledge and passion inspired me to get way more into politics.
I wouldn't recommend this class unless you are willing to dedicate about 10 hours a week for a class & love pulling all-nighters before tests & still not acing them. He is not a terrible teacher by any means, but I think he would be better off teaching a 300 level class. A lot of info is covered, I just think it was a little extreme for a gen. ed.
Worst class I have ever taken. Don't bother emailing him, he will not respond. Don't bother asking him questions because he will act like its ridiculous. You need to buy so many books for the class, and they are all impossible to understand. Mandatory reading is extensive, and tests are impossible. I dont understand how he got such good reviews.
I'm not sure if all the negative comments came from ignorant students or just plain unenlightened, but this was a great class and the professor did an excellent job at teaching it. The 1st test was a little challenging, but once you knew what to expect it was much easier the 2nd and 3rd time around.
Went to this class about 5 times the whole semester because it was pointless. Got a solid B. All you have to do is read his powerpoints with the notes at the bottom.
It took me a little to buckle down in the professors class and that cost me my C. You will need to read ALOT in this class and go to lecture once in a while. The material is a bit vague but at the same time complicated and the professor is definitely one to talk you into the ground.
I did not care for this class. Going to class is really not necessary if you look over the presentations and make sure you understand them. But it wouldn't hurt to go. He gets off topic really easily and rarely gets through what he plans on teaching.
This is literally one of the most BORING classes I have ever taken in my life ....I hated it, the good part is the tests aren't that hard but as far as the professor goes.......I couldnt take it at all
Super hard class. The class was always empty and then full for exams. Had 5 books for one class and 2 were barely used. It seems like he tries to teach based on a specific author. Hated this class. Would not recomend taking it with him,especially if pol isn't your thing.
Read the review questions at the end of his powerpoint slides. If you can answer those, and you understand the topics he repeats 15 times in a lecture, then it's an easy A
So Great! You'll like him and his class if you have an opinion and you're not like most students at ISU. He's eloquent and has a lot to say.
Wahlrab is different then any professor I've had so far. His lectures are very confusing and hard to understand. Honestly, if you just read the book and all of the questions on the power points, you will ace the test. Lecture might just confuse you, but sometimes there are videos. Overall, it was a pretty easy class, just a lot of reading.
Don't let the name fool you! Amentahru is a bald german guy, his parents just happened to be hippies and gave him a strange name... Excellent professor, very knowledgeable
Here is the deal with this guy, he is a communist, a socialist, a radical, he is everything, he constantly changes his pt.of view. Just know its always America's fault. Easy class though just read the book, I got 99 in the class because i read the book dont listen to him he is only trying brain wash you. Sadly most people believe everything he says
Pretty decent professor. I barely went to class and managed to squeak a B. He is incredibly smart. You have to read 3 books in the semester, one is a comic book, and the other is for a term paper which is only worth 20 points in a 320 point semester. 3 Exams. If you study hard enough and do the review questions in the PP, you should get a B.
He is really cool. His lectures may confuse you a bit from the reading materials, but hes a great teacher. Extremely helpful.
he talks a LOT, go to class cause the powerpoints are what the tests are about. READ!!! hes super boring and i almost fell asleep in every class. Did NOT like him at all
Great Teacher! Very Helpful. Obviously need to study for the exams but if you just follow the power points and pay attention in class you'll be fine! Overall good course!
Horrible experience with this professor for many reasons. First, he treats students like a high school kid. Second, his lectures are completely outdated. Third: his classroom behavior is kind of trashy. He lacks respects for his students. I feel quite discouraged and disappointed with his class. Overall, I feel sorry took his class.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.22 avg changeRatings by Course
POLSC102
5.0
(1)POL255
5.0
(1)POL185
5.0
(1)POL141
5.0
(1)101
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
POL185
5.0
POLSC
5.0
POL1
4.0
POL141
4.0
POL101
3.1