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hard, detailed tests

Really interesting lectures. 25% of the grade is attendance. Take him if possible.

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He's amazing! Take as many of his classes as possible!

Definitely makes the class more interesting for the subject.

His tests are pretty basic and you'll be fine if you take notes during lectures and try to read. I didn't find him pretentious at all -- he was very nice and even funny!

Shaw is a good professor. Knows his stuff and enjoys it. Takes time to answer questions. Pretty clear and his exams as well, AS LONG AS YOU DO THE READING. Or else you will be caught by surprised, has random attendance checks. Highly recommend if your a Government major.

This was an online course with another professor, mcdaniels, and it was w good course. I personally do not like government but he made it very interesting. THE CLASS IS SUPER EASY! quizzes every monday but just read and go over the powerpoints and your are sure to get an A also 3 essays and no final exam!! :) and it is on a curve easy A

I had him in the in class lecture and I thought his lectures were pretty interesting. He makes you actually work harder in government than some of the other professors, but is a pretty reasonable person; if you diligently study his powerpoints and webtext, you should do fine in the class. Make time to read, it helps!

I took a government class before and thought this course would be repetitive and boring, I was very wrong. Daron Shaw is extremely knowledgeable and lectures on things you would never get out of a textbook. He is a hard grader and you definitely need to study for his exams, but I left the class feeling very satisfied! You just have to work hard!

Good teacher and gives great lectures but he has high expectations and give a lot of reading and material as a result. Tests (2) have a lot of information covered, papers (2) are 7 pages long.

Great professor, engaging lectures... I loved this course and would take it again!

One of my favorite professors I've had at UT. Very smart, very interesting and engaging. Classes feel more like a conversation than a lecture. Be sure to read every thing and review power points for exams. Highly recommend, esp for Gov majors.

Incredible lecturer. This is a required class at UT, so I didn't expect it to be interesting, but his online modules were fascinating. He explains very clearly and is great to talk to in office hours. Just make sure you can dedicate 2hrs/day to read.

The online self-paced class during the summer is actually pretty easy-3 open notes exams and a couple of short answers and online modules. Sometimes it seems like a lot since we have to cover everything in 6 weeks, but otherwise, the class was a breeze once you find your pace. Dr. Shaw & McDaniel are also pretty knowledgeable and occasionally funny

This class was hard but extremely interesting. Shaw is extremely well versed in government affairs and very respected in his industry. That being said, if this is your first gov class, you might feel a bit dumb when he starts talking about things you have no idea about. There are 3 tests, a group campaign simulation project, and an 8-page paper.

He's funny and cool, probably a pretty popular professor. Has high expectations but is not an unreasonable grader.

Shaw is a great professor! He really knows what he is talking about! I plan on taking him again because he was great!

Shaw is a nice guy, and unlike some GOV professors, doesn't let his personal political bias show in his lectures. His grading on papers isn't really clear and for the short answer responses in his Campaigns and Elections exams, the grade is really TA dependent. Would definitely recommend for anyone looking to develop a professional network.

The online, 6 week summer course wasn't hard, but there was a loooot of reading and note-taking to do. I would say it took me about 4-5 hours each day watching the lecture videos and taking notes. Exams are all open-note and open-book, so you should be fine if you take decent notes/skim the textbook questions, but be sure to study anyway.

Professor Shaw is one of the best professors I have had at UT. I took him for Campaigns and Elections and he was awesome. Tests were easy, paper was long but not difficult, and there was a group project which he graded easily on. He is a very approachable person and what I loved what how unbiased he was. I look forward to having him again!

Shaw is the absolute boy. Knows exactly what hes talking about and is an incredibly interesting lecturer. Not easy grader but not that difficult. For sure take a class with him

Dr. Shaw is the best professor I have had so far. He is full of knowledge and experience especially when it comes to politics. Attendance is taken by pop quizzes so you need to go to lectures but he makes them so interesting that you will want to go. Makes you work for an A but if you are into politics it is interesting material. Take this class!

This class as definitely pretty challenging and detailed for an intro government class and there was quite a bit of readings and note taking. The tests are pretty detailed and specific, but if you take time to study and rewatch the lectures, the tests are pretty straightforward. Overall, Professor Shaw was knowledgeable and entertaining.

Shaw is a great professor. His lectures were so interesting, and it really showed that he was incredibly experienced in the field of politics. His class is no easy A, but I would recommend him to any UT student.

Professor Shaw is great! I highly recommend anybody interested in political parties to take his class. There are three tests and two essays. Shaw also guarantees an opportunity for extra credit and rewards students who go to class with a generous attendance grade. Shaw is a professor that UT is lucky to have.

Shaw's a good lecturer and I'm glad I took this class online to take care of the credit. Class should be an easy A if you put in some effort & remember all the deadlines, and otherwise you should be able to get by with a B. Tests are really specific, but manageable if you took good, detailed notes.

Professor Shaw is great at lecturing. He is funny, personable, and knows his stuff!

I took 310L with Shaw and McDaniel. Shaw was by far the better professor. He is well prepared and his lectures are pretty easy to follow. He is also very kind and helpful in person. The tests in this class are pretty intense, but if you rewatch the lectures before the exam and work fast during it, that will help.

He is a great professor, and I love when they are so interested genuinely in their subjects. Unfortunately, he is the better professor of the two based purely on clear lecture slides and clear enunciation. I readily enjoyed his side of the lectures. The exams are effing insane, though.

Transitioning to online this semester has been rough. But already being an online class, Prof. Shaw made GOV310L by far the most easy transition and has been very lenient and so caring!!!!!! I have always loved his lectures. He makes government so easy to understand and the assignments are very straightforward. I would take it again if I could! :-)

I took this class with Shaw and McDaniel online. Very straightforward and engaging for a gov class. You have textbook modules that have questions built in (not too difficult if you skim bc they review info in lectures) as well as weekly assignments (also easy) and 4 exams (challenging but doable, all of them not cumulative). Independence needed!!

I took online GOV 310L with Professor Shaw and McDaniel. Shaw was certainly the better of the lecturers (more straightforward, succinct, manner of teaching) but they were both relatively solid. This is a good course if you like self-paced, online classes that provide flexibility. Keep up with the modules and study for the exams and you'll be good.

Took online Gov with him and McDaniel. McDaniel tended to explain concepts more bluntly while Shaw tended to be more theoretical. I thought they made a great pair. The class wasn't bad.

Clear, succinct and to the point. Professor Shaw not only explains gov. concepts well, but he also has a great easy to follow outline to go along with his lectures. A great thing about him is also that he clarifies all course expectations and requirements multiple times in the course leaving no room for misinterpretation of any course expectations.

Dr. Shaw's Campaigns and Elections class was one of the most memorable of my time at UT. I learned a great deal and I'm glad to have taken the class.

Dr. Shaw's "Campaigns and Elections" is one of the most interesting classes I've taken at UT. Since Shaw works mostly in the field of opinion polling, he takes a more analytical approach than most GOV profs. However, this shouldn't deter anyone, he contextualizes the information with his real-world experiences, making the info very approachable.

Fairly rigorous course for an introductory class that takes any honest person a fair amount of dedication and intent to pass. Daron Shaw is extremely intelligent and is, at the same time, succinct and meticulous in how he presents content in his lectures. While McDaniel is a knowledgeable teacher, Shaw is certainly a shining star of an instructor.

Professor Shaw is awesome! Pay close attention to lectures and readings and midterms shouldn't be too bad. The two essays were pretty difficult, but I felt that grading was definitely fair. I would recommend this class for sure.

A lot of the reviews on here are very over-dramatic. Granted, for an intro course, it's a decent amount of reading, but that's the only HW and they're not that bad. Lectures are not mandatory and the slides are online. Tests are just regurgitation of information. Fair point about lack of curve, but you shouldn't really need it.

I took Professor Shaws class with Professor McDaniel, and it was a fun bit difficult class. Exams ask very specific questions, you have to take thorough notes. Professor Shaw is a great guy, and will try and help you. Be ready to not achieve the grade you desire unless you devote at least 6 hours a week.

This class combines American and Texas government in one class. The lectures are American Government, while the required readings of the textbook are Texas Government. Exams are mostly American Government, with Texas government sprinkled in. Not a super hard class, especially open book, but a decent amount of reading and work.

Professor Shaw made the course enjoyable. His dynamic with Professor McDaniel is humorous, and it makes the content more engaging, especially since it was an asynchronous class. If you do the reading and watch the videos, you will be fine.

I spent a majority of my time in this class taking notes for the exams, from both the lectures and the textbook. Homework was pretty straightforward, and essays were kind of dependent on your TA. Shaw and McDaniel were very accessible outside of class, but it was honestly a huge time commitment in order to do well in this class.

Professor Shaw is passionate about what he does. He tries really hard to explain concepts in class, despite it being online. I definitely do believe the course takes up A LOT of time but the tests are pretty straight forward.

The class was honestly challenging for me, but Prof Shaw was always easy to reach out to outside of class and hes so nice to his students. You can tell hes passionate about what he teaches and wants his students to succeed. even though this class was difficult, Id take Prof Shaw again!!

I took the self-paced version of this class, and I liked the format of it. I found it fairly easy to keep up with although it was pretty time consuming. He definitely saved the course because his teaching partner, Mcdaniel, was sort of rude to students. Although Shaw doesn't host the reviews ... The lectures were easy to understand in my opinion.

This class is really not that much work y'all. Shaw was my preferred professor because I like a detailed note sheet, but this is an entry level class and if you watch the lectures and do the readings it is an easy A.

This is a lecture heavy class. Lots of content is covered between him and McDaniel. However, if you suck it up and do the work you'll pass with flying colors. Be aware, 4-5 hours of lecture a week. Don't fall behind because this is an asynchronous class.

Great professor and who really is knowledgeable. Lectures are heavy so get ready to take good notes. Exams are multiple-choice and open notes. Papers are pretty tough, and grades depend on your TA. I have a really good one but she's definitely a tough grader.

Long lectures, but Shaw manages to make the class more engaging through his personality and tangential comments. Easy web-text assignments, albeit the text is extremely boring. Tests are open book meaning the multiple choice section is very easy. Short answer portions of tests are interesting to write about but are graded harshly.

I took this class in Spring 2021, and it wasn't bad although I took it just for flag requirement. There are lots of notes to take, and professor Shaw and professor McDaniel collaborated each other pretty well. His lecture slides contain more information of each material than professor McDaniel's. I personally enjoyed In the News Quizzes talking.

His lecture slides are very helpful and he's a good lecturer. He gives a lot of opportunity to bring your grade up.

Professor Shaw is charming and well-spoken. He inspires me to work on my speaking skills. His lectures are informative and he explains difficult subjects well. Whilst he is amazing, his TA Neco Donohue is uncaring, grades harshly, and doesn't fulfill his role as a "teaching" assistant because he makes zero effort to teach students.

Beginning of semester was reading heavy, with notes required to do well on tests. Lectures were well organized and easy to take notes on. Tests were half MC, half short answer; MC was difficult, but are given options to choose from for free answer. Class attendance is not mandatory, but graded attendance quizzes are given (3 lowest dropped).

Took Political Parties w/ Shaw. He has a reason behind every assignment and lecture, and explains it well. Class consists of 3 exams, a paper, and attendance quizzes. MC questions on exams can be nitpicky; enough questions about readings are asked to where you must read. Overall, he is a great professor, but will make you work hard for your grade.

You can tell Shaw cares and is passionate about politics. If you're the same way and want to be challenged, this is the class for you. If you want an easy A, stay far away from this class. TA grading on exams has been pretty tough and the essay assignment is grad student level.

Prof. Shaw is super knowledgeable and a fun, captivating lecturer. There is a TON of information to learn, but the three midterm tests are open note - no final. There are ~ 14 interactive reading assignments and ~14 attendance quizzes, and you can drop your four lowest scores on each. Take good notes and you can definitely get an 'A'.

By some miracle I passed this course with a B. The class itself was great, but it was extremely reading heavy and the grading is unforgiving. I would stray away from this class as an elective unless you're willing to work really hard for your grade. Not an easy A class.