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exams are sort of hard, but she is a wonderful teacher. also, very witty.

Witty, realistic and sensitive to the need of her students. No surprises here; take good notes and seek help. She may seem a little harsh, but I think it's only mild cynicism manifested in sarcastic bites. Teaches in fields you may THINK you know about but really opens them up.

Gurowitz makes her GSIs grade really hard. She has very high standards.

amazing orator, loved every lecture. GSIs for my semester were the best i've ever seen, so all in all it was one of the best classes i've taken.

very witty woman. she's a great orator and very down to earth. i recommend taking any class she teaches - whether in the PACS or Poli Sci dep.

Immigration and Citizenship class... she definitely knows what she is talking about and is interesting to listen to. NOTE: she is the fastest speaker in the world so I suggest sharing notes with friends because you will miss half her lecture. Grading is harsh.

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I understood her class. Her teaching style was great. The best book I read in college came from her class. The book was about the Ruwanda genocide. This book is not the most up-lifting book but it was real. I worked hard and did well. I was never bored unlike other political science classes at cal.

Great lady, intereting course, not too difficult, she clearly explains important keys in the course.

great professor

Very prepared lecturer, but the lack of visual aids and dense historical data makes the class a bit boring, though you'll never have a second to stare off into space because she talks a mile a minute. She's very nice, but isn't the type to tolerate students that fall behind. Take this class if you have a genuine interest and work hard.

Not only is she hot, but she is really entertaining I would recomend this class for people who are serious about political science.

great lecturer. very knowledgeable. The material is dense and she doesn't use many visual aids, but for those students interested in politics she gives a refreshing perspective and teaches an extremely interesting and engaging class. Sometimes she's a little hard to approach but she has a lot to offer and I'll be taking more of her classes.

s s s sexy is she intelligent and a fantastic lecturerer loved the class and like many before me I have a major crush on this teacher.

Very clear, very concise. Awesome. Definitely will take another class with her.

she's definitely a good lecturer, who knows how to keep a class engaged at 9am. Had 1 take home and 1 in class midterm, with an annotated bibliography assignment. One drawback is that she talks wayy too fast and its sometimes hard to keep up, but overall, she's good.

Interesting class and great teacher. Very clear lecture. I highly recommend this class.

Professor Gurowitz is very clear and concise - her lectures are extremely well organized. The course covers a lot of topics, and is well structured. She does speak quite fast, so many students find it easier to type rather than to write. The grades are quite difficult, but not too bad, depending on the GSI

I found this professor very fair. Yes, she goes over alot of material during lectures, but you will do alright if you are a fast typer and bring a laptop, very efficient at notetaking, or bring a recorder. Otherwise, not too much work, and guaranteed A if you put some work into the class

Professor Gurowitz is very knowledgable in her field so you should listen to what she says. Her lectures go quickly and are packed with material, but she doesnt go over readings very much, so go to section. The class is a bit tough, but I got a B+ and didnt do a single reading. thake this class! 1 paper and in class midterm and final.

Mrs. Gurowitz is very a great lecturer. She does not use power point and does talk fast, but she will not mind repeating herself. She is very approachable, I do not know what that guy was talking about. The reading is intense but very interesting and you learn a lot. I wish I could take it again.

Professor Gurowitz is an AWESOME professor. She does talk fast, but if you pay attention, you won't miss anything. Her lectures are very interesting, and her exams are practical. Also, I was lucky that I had a very good gsi (Ryan Phillips).

She doesn't use technologically enhanced methods for lecture, yet the class could not be more clear and structured. She commands attention and explicitly highlights important information. She is also kind of funny. She knows what she's doing. Reading is a little much, but your GSI should help you sort it out.

Very clear, organized, and helpful lectures. I always looked forward to attending this class. She does talk fast, so using a laptop to take notes is necessary. Tests are straightforward and not hard if you keep up with lecture. Readings at the beginning of the semester are a bit dense but are important for the first midterm.

Very clear, organized lectures... lecture and discussion pretty much cover all readings so you don't have to do them (but you need the book for the first paper)

Professor Gurowitz is GREAT. Every lecture was very clear and helpful, and I felt like a learned a LOT about IR by the end of the course. She is excellent, and makes me want to take another course with her in the future. Take PS5 with Gurowitz.

Her lectures were great and she was very clear. Her class was very well run and she definitely knows what she is doing. HOWEVER, my GSI was the absolute worst and completely ruined the class for me. Try your hardest to switch sections if you get Paul. He is the worst GSI of all time. Snarky and condescending and the hardest grader. Don't do it

She's amazing, super engaging and funny. Very clear about her expectations of the class and about assignments. The grade breakdown was very fair. If you take this class, TRY YOUR BEST to take it with Paul the GSI, he is the best GSI I have ever had. Would absolutely recommend this class, I'm sad she's not teaching any other upper div classes

If you are willing and able to put in the reading it is a wonderful class in which I learned a lot, the professor is very insightful and knowledgeable and presents topics from both side. Would definitely recommend this class.

Amazing class! She is a great lecturer. She posts lecture outlines before class. There are 6 mini-quizzes(2 short answer questions) on readings, but she drops the lowest score. The 2 papers are pretty straightforward, and she makes a point to help students choose paper topics early. Course content is dense, but very interesting.

Gurowitz is an outstanding prof. Lectures are clearly organized (however she doesn't use powerpoint, which I struggled with). Reading and tests/papers were manageable with a full course load. Also, she explains a lot of IR concepts by telling us about interactions/fights she has with her kids, which I thought was really entertaining.

Professor Gurowitz is awesome; she is down to earth, funny, very intelligent, non-biased, and easy to approach. I went to her office hours a lot and she was always super helpful. The one thing to warn future students about is that she talks SO FAST. If you space out for 5 seconds, you're done. It can make her class unclear.

Not a bad class, a little easy to space out and get lost during lecture. Exams are very much lecture based, keeping up with readings is not ABSOLUTELY necessary.

Prof Gurowitz is to the point and gives good lectures. Take good notes in her lectures and you won't really need to do the readings, especially if you have a good GSI. She doesn't waste time and throws in a joke or two every once in a while. The beginning is tough, but if you ask questions and go to office hours you'll be solid for the course.

Professor Gurowitz, although she does talk very fast, makes an hour and a half class feel like very little time at all. Her wry humor and obvious interest in the subject shines through and demands attention. Concepts are difficult, but if you pay attention and put in a little work (and have a good GSI) you should be fine.

Gurowitz is amazingly organized. She doesn't play lecture slides, which is a bummer, but her lectures are clearly outlined and easy to understand. The readings weren't exactly necessary to get a B. Gurowitz is funny in her own way; she makes learning about political theory as entertaining as that can be. I would recommend the class.

The first month of this class is heavy political theory, which can get frustrating. After the take home midterm, the classes aren't necessary to attend and concepts get fun. Readings are necessary to pass the quizzes, but the questions are very straight forward. The research paper requires a lot of work, and a good GSI is needed.

Gurowitz is very organized and makes an effort to make sure her students understand the content of her lectures. She talks very quickly, so it is best to be prepared to write notes QUICKLY. Also, her head GSI Paul seems to have a bad rep on this site, but he was my GSI and I found him extremely helpful despite being a bit of a tough grader.

Love her

She is an awesome lecturer. She explains concepts very clearly with lots of examples. DO NOT get Fiona as a GSI as she was extremely rude to many of her students. This class requires that you do a little bit of the reading so you can get a better understanding. However, all readings are not required. Tests are semi hard but you can easily prepare.

I loved this class, the material was fascinating once you got through the theory section of the first month. Mingst textbook is definitely unnecessary, but Art and Jervis book really comes in handy when finding examples for midterm and final. Midterm paper and final are graded kind of harshly, especially w/GSI Claire, Joe, or David.

Prof. Gurowitz was great. She conveyed the material clearly, and was very open to questions to make sure everyone was on top of it. She has a great sense of humour with occasional witty remarks during lecture. No technology and no slides, so showing up is important.

Great lecturer, one of the best professors I've had at Cal! She really knows her material and is often quite hilarious and witty. Doesn't allow laptops in class and lectures quite fast without powerpoint, so be prepared to write. Also lots of reading with reading quizzes, but the quizzes aren't hard and she drops your lowest score.

This class is graded on section participation, reading quizzes, a take home midterm (based on theories learned) and a 13-15 pg research paper (topic of your choosing, very little limitations). The paper is tough, you need a good GSI to help you with this and you should start early (which I didn't and let's be honest, you won't either).

Dr. Gurowitz is a great lecturer and is consistently good about addressing questions and comments from the class. She doesn't use powerpoint or allow laptops during lecture so be efficient with your handwritten notes. Definitely make sure to get to know your GSI and their expectations as they will ultimately grade all of your assignments.

Prof. Gurowitz is very enthusiastic and presents the material in an interesting and organized manner. Very interesting class.

The first part of the class is dense because it goes over theory, but you use these theories to evaluate later topics. Gurowitz is a dope professor who knows what she's talking about, and the outlines for lectures are followed pretty clearly. Lectures are super helpful, and you MUST attend bc no slides are posted online. No laptops allowed.

Lectures were a very dense 1.5 hours of Amy talking really fast, but she's a really good and entertaining lecturer so I didn't mind. No notes or slides or anything posted, so missing lecture is a really bad idea. Essay on theory wasn't too bad, and the exams were pretty easy as well. Do the reading, and get Deirdre for your GSI, and you'll do well.

Amy is an amazing professor but I do not recommend any first year students to take this class as it is paper heavy and it is difficult to write on this information as a freshman. But I recommend the class to anyone interested in IR.

Hands down the best lecturer I have had so far. Given that I am only a 2nd year, it's a small sample but she is very engaging and the content is interesting! ATTEND LECTURES, the content is on the midterm and final. Understand the main points of the readings and take notes during the lecture! 1 essay, 1 midterm, and 1 final.

She is a great professor, one of the best I've had. She talks really fast and there are no power points but it's manageable. She is very knowledgeable and not boring. You need to attend lecture, tests (2) are mostly based on the lectures.

Attendance wasn't mandatory but it's necessary to pass the class. No power-points, talks fast but is a really good speaker. This class is not boring at all, she's a great professor.

Gurowitz is easily one of the best professors at Cal. Lectures are interesting, and all readings are online. There are several small quizzes about the readings (maybe every 2-3 weeks) and one final research essay that she gives the prompt on the first day of class. Very knowledgable, kind, and totally easy to talk to in office hours! 10/10

Gurowitz is super sharp and presents material very well. Certain subjects can be dry at times but she does a good job of keeping the class engaged. For 124C specifically, it's very theory-heavy so keep that in mind. Toughest part of the class for me were the reading quizzes, which had very specific questions and were worth 25% of the class grade.

Reading quizzes and research paper make up the bulk of the work in this class, if you stay engaged you should do fine. Heavy theory section in the beginning, but you'll digest it throughout the course. Gurowitz has amazing insight and knowledge of topics, very approachable, and lectures are dense but rewarding. Ask questions, you won't regret it.

Amazing professor. Interesting and kind, especially in OH. Not one of those Professors who tries to make PS classes meaninglessly difficult for the sake of it. Truly there to help students learn.

Excellent lectures and great sense of humor! I learned so much taking her class and I recommend any student who wants to major in Poli Sci at Berkeley to take her classes.

Very interesting and I like her sense of humor. The 3 midterms were just 3 take-home essays.

Very solid professor who handled the transition to online learning very well. Class is graded on 3 midterms which are just 5 page take home essays with super clear instructions, so its not a lot of work and very easy to do well if you base your essays on lecture/readings. The lectures themselves were fascinating too, shes very engaging!

Professor Gurowitz was one of my first professors and I didn't think too much of the class until I had some HORRIBLE lectures by other professors which made me realize that Professor Gurowitz is extremely organized, straight to the point, and an amazing lecturer. Her bCourses page is organized and I would take her class again.

Amazing class! Lectures were clear (not mandatory attendance) and she is super organized. She always held office hours and would respond to questions via email in a timely manner. Gurowitz is also very funny, and even though attendance wasn't required, I wanted to show up and stay engaged. Highly recommend as an upper division polisci class!

Lectures didn't allow laptops and Prof. Gurowitz hardly ever used slides or wrote on the board: it was just a lecture for 1.5 hours, but it was easily the most captivating class I've ever taken at Berkeley! Never fell asleep once. Lots of readings, but discussion sections make you think about them in a real world applicable and digestible way.

I overall enjoyed this class and the professor. Attendance isn't mandatory for lecture, but you need to come because there are no recordings, and the test content heavily relates to her lectures. Do the reading; you'll discuss in section! I wish I could've taken POL 5 in a smaller class setting to really soak up the material and ask questions.

She speaks very fast but her lecture slides are posted on her website, so you can always revisit them. She is understanding; I remember that she moved our first midterm because it was supposed to be the day after Halloween (she knows how college students are). Lots of the grading depends on your GSI and how they grade your midterms.

Attendance in discussion is mandatory. All you really need to do is attend the lecture and review lecture notes. Grade is based on participation, a take-home essay, an in-class midterm with short answer questions and an essay, and a final timed essay. Essays were straightforward and the GSIs were pretty lenient graders. Skip the reading.

Gurowitz has been my favorite PS professor so far. Her lectures are very practical and dense with informative. I strongly encourage students to take PS 5 regardless of their previous knowledge of international relations or history. I learned a lot and left her class with a lot of permanent knowledge. If you're considering taking her class, take it!

Lots of reading, but not necessary to read it all. Gurowitz is a great prof, engaging and interesting during lectures, and her office hours are always super helpful. Class is weighted on only a couple of midterms and the final, so study well and you can pass fine. All in all, will look forward to taking a class with her in the future.

Professor Amy Gurowitz is great, but her GSI's are random. The GSI is really what's important at CAL.

I really enjoyed PS124D! Her lectures pack a lot of information in, and she speaks quickly, so be ready to write. I thought her lectures were very organized, and she is very engaging; she lets you know exactly what she wants you to take away from her lectures. If you are interested in international relations, definitely take a class with her!

Very knowledgable and good professor. Loootsss of material so not a super easy class. Very reading heavy but don't stress if you don't do them all. Few assignments that are easy to do well on if you study lectures. Exams are in-person short answers and essays which can be challenging. But smart professor who really knows her stuff!

There are a lot of readings but it's not a big deal if you don't do some of them. Her lectures are great. There is a lotttt of course material. Exams are tough to study for since there's so many possible short answer and long essay prompts she could give you. Definitely attend lecture it will solidify the readings, plus she doesn't post recordings

I really liked PS5 with Gurowitz. Lectures were reasonably engaging and the exams are easy as long as you pay attention in lec and do most of the readings.

thoroughly enjoyed ps5 with gurowitz; she was especially engaging, and I genuinely looked forward to lecture. lots of reading, but as long as you understand the significance behind each module and its nuances, you should be fine skipping like an article here and there (however i 100% suggest you read the mingst textbook whenever it's assigned)

Professor Gurowitz is very accomodating to the needs of students, but dont use this to get out of the readings! There is a lot of reading. lectures can be boring at times but attendance is not mandatory. you HAVE to read for the quizzes but she drops the lowest one. bulk of the grdae is a midterm paper and final semester research project

Gurowitz is an amazing lecturer and I really looked forward to her class! Lecture isn't mandatory, but you should definitely still go. There are a lot of readings -- it's manageable, some are skippable/skimmable. Graded on a take-home midterm (5 pg paper), in-class midterm, final, and section participation. Pay attention/go to lecture to do well.

This class was well-organized and the professor was great about answering questions. There was a lot of reading (sometimes you can skim). You have to go to lectures - they aren't recorded and the slideshows are pretty basic. It's tough to get an A because it's graded based on three pieces of writing, which felt a bit arbitrary and unclear.

Prof. Gurowitz is a fantastic lecturer and I greatly enjoyed PS5 with her. My only complaint is that lecture recordings tend to be inaccessible; if you miss a class you have to rely on a friend's notes. However, the actual course content was digestible and interesting.

Professor Gurowitz is a great professor, but what helped me through the course was the GSI assigned to the course as those are the individuals who you'll be interacting with the most. This course was extremely reading heavy so be prepared to read.

Overall one of the better classes I've taken in the PS dept. Gurowitz is clearly so brilliant and well-spoken, but lectures are kind of a repeat of the readings and are history heavy. MT exam early in the sem and 5 "reading responses" which are graded as essays. Final paper is based on a case outside of class, so many people stop attending class.

Releases recordings of lectures online, so attendance isn't mandatory. Follow the schedule provided in the beginning of the year and you'll be fine. Gurowitz is funny and an efficient lecturer, but it can be difficult to take notes at times. I recommend watching the lectures from the front of class and taking notes later at home w/ the recordings.

Puts the GRRR in Gurrowitz. Enjoyed the course very much, and enjoyed her information based lectures. She shows that she cares about her students and does her best to present new material in an organized manner. Participate in section, go to her office hours, and ASK QUESTIONS! Don't have to do all the readings, but would suggest doing some.

Great lecturer, interesting material. In-person midterm heavily based on lectures, so although attendance wasn't mandatory it's worthwhile going. Final was a research paper.

great class, great professor!

Good and efficient lecturer with a very clear, direct and organised style. However, class is very heavy in reading, and most are long and dull. Lecture recordings are also not released online and the slideshows are pretty basic, which basically makes attendance mandatory.

Awesome class with really engaging lectures, you're graded on three assignments, and its definitely manageable class. All reading material was very accessible, your happiness in this class is reliant on your GSI. I wouldn't recommend taking the head GSI.

Prof. Gurowitz can seem intimidating at first but don't be shy! The class is very lecture heavy but luckily she is an interesting lecturer. If you don't plan on attending lectures, don't take the class. Lecture attendance is the only way to succeed.

very nice professor, lectures are really interesting but tough grader

I've had her twice and I think she does a really good job on her lectures. She reads off the slides, though, so if you don't want to go in person you don't have to. But i do recommend it & she's super nice in OH DO THE READINGS!! i credit my A to that