Readings hard but interesting

Leftist, yeah, but knows her stuff. Good intro course; hard work but rewarding.

a class that promotes genuine thought and not just typical mcgill polisci bordom

No Comments

She is great. I think she is brillant and can really apply the material to everyday things. She does talk fast but she definitly helps you learn to take good notes, fast.

I don't know what these people are talking about. Lu is cool, nice and damn sexy. I have nothing negative to say about her.

Sheesh, you'd think she has offended the namby-pamby Liberal and PC elite from Ontario with the comments here.

I like Lu a lot... she has a great, dry sense of humour and a provocative, intelligent lecture style.

Found her to be a little too dry. Also, she seemed to have quite an obvious feminist bias. Not too bad though. My TA was a dick though. While other were handing out A's like candy, he told us B+ was tops.

I thought she was a good prof and that she taught political theory in an engaging way. If people thought it was dry, it's probably because they find political theory dry. Lu's not hilariously charming but she's got a structured lecture plan.

If you don't like POLI 232 with Lu, you're probably not a political theory person. That's why 200 levels are large classes, and they do indeed "weed out" the non-hardcore. Lu is a bright light in int'l poli theory, and it's been a pleasure takin

Catherine Lu really knows her political theory; she's an excellent professor. However, it's political theory, not to be confused with political fun. Don't take this class unless you're into philosophy and politics. Oh, and Dan is NOT a good TA.

No Comments

Now that I am done at McGill, I can say that Professor Lu was one of my favourite lecturers. I find her articulate and captivating. Political Theory is not for everyone, but for those who love it, Lu is a great professor.

Best class I've taken at McGill so far ! Maybe not the most fascinating lecturer but hey, it's not showbiz it's a university class.Liked her idea of starting from Orwell and building on themes of liberty,equality and community. I've used the coursepack more than once for papers in other courses ...

HOT, HOT, HOT!!! Great TAs as well

Kind. Conducts idiotic research. Judge for yourself.

Best theory class taken at McGill. She teaches with confidence and authority. Exams very fair, focused on analysis and not memorization. Is socially awkward and can seem cold. Perhaps being mobbed by students from her large classes has left her jaded. Pity.

knows her stuff, presents interesting topics, and a clear speaker.

Amazing professor! Throughly articulate, painfully organized, inevitably inspiring. Brought theory to life. Great themes, great assignments, great readings. Puts in lot of effort and attention to a 200 level class and cares for her students. One of the best profs at McGill. Great TAs too.

the course is very interesting

I took two classes with her. Political Theory and International Relations Theory. She is a good person, though the material is dry. You can choose sections of material to focus on and do your exam questions and paper on just that....

Ms. Lu is a great teacher whose dedication comes through quite clearly (along with an- occasionally- liberal leaning) I found most people who found fault with her tended to be disguising their own lack of will to do the work.

The class was fairly interesting, and Prof. Lu is a decent lecturer but not a particularly outstanding one. She tended to speak in run-on sentences so note-taking during lectures was a challenge. The course was not recorded though I had another class in Adams Aud. which was. The mandatory conferences were very helpful, I had Jeff Bercuson as my TA.

I found the course content to be scattered and couldn't see how the key concepts tied together. However, Prof. Lu is well-spoken, charismatic, engaging, and really tried her best to make the content as interesting and relevant as possible; a true challenge given the deadpan and tedious nature of most of the readings. Exams are fair and predictable.

I loved Poli232, but I can see how someone who doesn't like the material might not like the class. Is a MUST for anyone interested in pol. theory. I personally found her lecture style wonderful, although it was necessary to keep up with the heavy readings to understand them. Work hard and you'll get the most out of this wonderful prof and class.

A very good prof. Was a wonderful introduction to political theory, and she made you think. Lu knows her stuff, and knows how to teach.

This class & her lectures to this day remain in my head & have proven relevant & useful for every single other polisci class I've taken since! She made dull & burdenous material interesting & relevant while lecturing & a prof that will provide you a firm foundation for the rest of your polisci studies at McGill!

No Comments

Many people who dislike this prof had Abizadeh first. He is amazing, but people expect too much. Prof Lu is consistent, clear, and solid. Nothing amazing, but if you show up to class and take your notes (no computers allowed) you will do fine. This is where you find out whether you actually like poli theory or you're just in it for the prof.

People who don't like her either don't like poli theory to begin with or aren't good at it. Prof. Lu is a good, clear lecturer although seemingly shy. She is EXTREMELY approachable and very helpful in answering questions, especially 1-1. Readings are short and essays aren't graded harshly. The key to an A is conference attendance/participation!

Boring prof, though material is straight forward. Unless you're a poli sci major, do not take it. Essays are fairly graded and their goal is clear. Too many readings for an intro class. I was falling asleep during most classes, but if you do not go, you can't get a good mark as she posts nothing online, but her powerpoint questions.

I'm confused with the negativity Dr. Lu has received on this website. She is a very clear lecturer, is quite passionate about the subject matter and is very approachable. As someone doing a political theory minor, this was a great course.

Lu is a clear, considered lecturer--perhaps not as flashy as Abizadeh, but she can be unsuspectingly hilarious at times (ask anyone who saw her stand-up improv prior to the Waldron lecture). The class is immensely interesting and easily the most enjoyable class I've had this semester; a must-take for people interested in theory and IR.

She was super unorganized but really interested in her material! She was adorable too.

Dr. Lu is well organized, interesting and has a great capacity for abstraction. She is not spectacular, but can be surprising.

Prof Lu can be disorganized but the class is super interesting. The key to a good grade resides in attendance and participation, and participation means doing the readings. They can be a bit difficult but they are super interesting if you like political thought and philosophy.Super helpful at office hours,I advice you to talk to her,she will help!

She talks way too much and always goes over lecture time. I end up with 5+ pages of notes every lecture. There are also too many readings for an into class. It's very tough to get a decent grade on the 2 midterm essays. Avoid.

Best Teacher ever :)

Prof Lu is a great lecturer and has an amazing way with words. Lecture notes are not on powerpoint nor posted online but it is fairly easy to take notes in class. She is very clear with what she wants in her essays, although the TAs are hard markers. Final wasn't bad - 3 short answer, one essay question and a quote ID section. Participate in conf.

She doesn't allow laptops in her lectures so you have to take handwritten notes, which can get tedious. She also doesn't post anything online, and tends to go overtime in lectures. There is a large amount of readings (sometimes a book a week) but she does a good job of clarifying the material in lectures and conferences are usually good.

I like the way this seminar-style course was organized. There's a lot of work, but it's very incremental. The texts we read are historical gemstones and highly engaging (more depth than breadth). Professor Lu herself is a very nice lady and even with her rules, the environment she creates is not pressuring, but stimulating.

Lu is a really good lecturer, but assigns a lot of reading. Attend all classes, write down as much as you can, read as much as you can (though you can get away with not doing all of the readings), attend and participate in all conferences and you will absolutely do well. Con: she's pretty inaccessible, and takes so long to conduct grade reviews

She is such an incredible lecturer, and is passionate about what she teaches. By far my most enjoyable class this semester despite the huge amounts of reading. If you don't like reading, you'll find this class hard, but it is also a must-take for those interested in Political Theory and International Relations.

This has been my favorite Political Science class at McGill so far. Lu's lectures are really interesting, though she can go over time quite often. She responds to email fairly quickly and is always personable. The only down-side of the class is the large amount of readings, but I've found skimming is ok because she covers the readings well in class

Lu is perhaps one of the most underrated professors in the political science department. Smart as a whip in both theory and IR, generous and responsive over email, and compelling enough to make her 8:30s worth it. If you have any interest in justice, human rights, international politics, theory, or war, definitely take one of her classes!

Excellent professor.

This class, especially the Hobbes, the Social Contract, and the Locke readings, taught me a great perspective. Most importantly, through the content, Professor Lu made me realize the responsibility I have to keep my word as a way to build a respectful, dynamic, and authentic political community. It was quite a valuable experience.