2.2
Quality3.5
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake92
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
92
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
10
4
5
3
20
2
28
1
29
What Students Say
“This class was terrible”
POL1013 - 2.0 rating“He also loves to present his liberal point of view as fact which can be quite annoying”
POL1103 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.03 avg changeRatings by Course
USPOLISCI
5.0
(1)POL003
5.0
(1)POL001
3.0
(1)POLSCI
3.0
(1)POL1123
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
POL1113
5.0
POLI1013
5.0
POL133
5.0
POL1205
5.0
POL3283
4.0
Reviews (92)
Harmon seems nice but he talks a lot. He gives lectures that are also on video stream so if you miss class you can watch them online--pretty convenient. Tests don't include the stuff he talks about which makes it alittle harder. the SI he has this semester is very helpful.
I've only got two words: BUMBLING IDIOT.
I loved this prof's lecture style! He is not a bumbling idiot!If students expect to simply regurgitate info from books and lecture on exams should not take this course. Prof Harmon expects analysis and for students to engage themselves. Easy to fail if you don't do the work. He makes himself available so take advantage of his willingness to help.
bumbling idiot, does not know how to teach a college course
avoid taking with this prof. if u fail the first test then just drop the class. thats all i gotta say.
Lectures are nonsense, if you want to pass then read the textbook and readings front to back word-by-word and you MIGHT have a chance.
A lot of journal readings. Expects a lot from students on mid-term and final. Not sure of direction adn focus of lectures each class. But you're in college and this is an upper-division course--expect to do work, kids.
Lectures are completely unorganized. In class he once stereotyped people who watch NASCAR to be "red-neck beer-drinkers." Avoid this guy at all costs. He is by far the WORST professor i've EVER had.
Totally unclear. I did better reading the book on my own than trying to understand anything he was saying. If you don't care about your GPA, take this class.
I completely differ. Professor has online lectures that are identical to class. Offers extra credit for tests. Pretty open about what is exactly on the test. He usually runs behind schedule and postpones tests. Pretty random professor but he really tries to make the boring content interesting.
RUN!!! Don't take this professor! His lecture style is very confussing. He only gives 3 test so pray you pass. Fail one and kiss an A goodbye. He doesn't curve at all. He gives 5 extra credit points and acts like he is doing you a huge favor.
Lectures are very unorganized. Yes, his lectures are posted online, which can help as a review or if you're sick. He uses chapter outlines that are very vague and hard to understand. Gets side-tracked easily and brings up irrelevant points. If you want to keep a high GPA, avoid this professor.
A lawyer who talks to much but doesn't say what you need to know. Read the book and study it as well as the notes he gives you. Most importantly read the book. He is not really clear on his material even if he says he is. He will work with you somewhat but you must talk to him personally. He does give extra credit pts. use them!
This prof thinks that he helps you out a lot but does not. Goes off on tangents that get you distracted from the point that he is trying to get across. Does not give any type of grade cruve. I went to more then half the SI and did badly on the fianal and he did not take to into consideration, and I did badly in his class. DO NOT TAKE THIS PROF!
I don't understand why people are against this professor. He is funny, and makes boring content seem interesting. I will give him a good rating, and explain why: Just do the work and the reading.
He is the worst teacher Ive had to date...Im a sophomore!
Professor Harmon is not very organized and only gives 4 exams. There is no homework and if you do not do well on any of the exams, your grade will suffer. Professor Harmon never really explained what to expect on the tests and what to study for. There is too much material to memorize. The class average was around 70.
teacher was very unclear in his lectures, tests were somewhat difficult. ultimately failed his class. retook with STARTIN and passed. i would not recommend harmon for tx politics.
Attend class he sometimes gives you the answers to the test when he feels up to aatually teaching that day. Class is usually pointless, read the chapters and fill in the outlines as you read and you should be fine when it comes to tests.
Hiddeous teacher! I took him to fit my scheduele and I have never had such a bad teacher in my entire life! He talks the entire class and yet gives you no information! Very unclear, not terribly difficult class to be honest; he just sucks as a teacher!
Professor was a nice guy but wasn't the best at teaching the class. The exams didn't relate to the material he taught us in class. I had him for POL 1013 Spring 07 and regreted taking him because I got D in the class. If you aren't really into POL or HIS then don't take this class with this professor. Everyone was upset that the exam ?s never match
This professor does not make his tests from the lecture or the book. The material I am not quite sure where it comes from. I took this course and it killed my GPA while friends with other professors did fine. Harmon will try to help you but all of his strategies do not help. Just do not take this course with this professor.
First off you need to know that this class just sucks any way I guess. The material isn't that hard just boring do your self a favor and become informed watch the news some of the stuff youd should realy know by now cause we've been learning about this since 1st grade. As a proffesor though he's very scatterd and his lectures are pointless. Rea
Mr Harmon is very enthusiastic about his teaching but is a HORRIBLE teacher. His lectures are very unclear and is not precise. The lectures are almost pointless to listen to and there's little learning from him. All the learning in his course is from reading the textbook. It's a very easy course, but BORING as hell.
OK Professor, gives you every oportunity to do well in his class. Tends to go off topic.
People just like him because it's an easy A. He is not a good teacher, I had to take his class because my POL class from another school didn't transfer in. I could have taught better than he did based on the notes I took from the other class. Easiness does not mean they're good. Any other teacher would be better.
I took this class and withdrew within a couple of weeks and took Esparza instead. THE BEST DECISION I HAVE EVER MADE. The lecture was difficult to understand and it seemed like he was talking in circles.
Easy A. His lectures are ambiguous..and very liberal. Make sure you read the textbook. What is good about him is that he is enthusiastic with the subject and gives plenty of opportunities for extra credit through civil participation.
If you go to class and watch the review, you pretty much know what is on the tests. Do your part and you will be fine.
Very nice guy, tries to answer all your questions and tries to make it interesting. I think the negative ratings are probably just because people don't like political science. I like this professor so much I purposely signed up for another class with him.
He really cares about your grade, and gives you plenty of opportunities to bring it up. He's very helpful, and allows you to take the test early, posts the lectures online, has review sessions online, and an SI.
DON'T GET HIM! I was actually interested in political science and this teacher made me completely turn against it. When he talks he jumps back and forth with stuff and goes on BIG tangents. He gets excited VERY easily when he talks. He also never checks his emails and never gives you a rsponse. Professors are supposed to want to help, not ignore.
Attendance isnt required, and even if you go, what he talks about is on his outlines that he gives to you on webct. His video reviews for each test are pretty much him going over the outline... If you can find a better teach i would take that teacher over this guy.
Unfortunately i had no choice but to sign up for another semester with him, but the first semester he was a really nice guy.. although it seems high lectures are completely off topic sometimes, if you read the text and really study it and take in the information, youll be fine. i really dont think the SI helped at all but that might just been mine
Absoutly Awful!
Not going to lie, really hard class. The SI saved me...I read and everything it was still pretty tough. Survived with a B luckly thanks to my SI
DO NOT TAKE HIM! Very liberal professor,never answers his emials or messages on webct. I heard that he's been in trouble w/ the university for speaking his mind.Tests are pretty easy as long as you read the book, look over notes, and attend SI.Tends to go off topic sometimes.
"mmmmmkaayy ooohkaay".. thats all he says!!! he has the most worthless lectures and rambles on. do yourself a favor and stay home and read the book if you take him. or dont take him at all. tests are easy and i still made an A.. mmmkkay
He shouldn't be allowed to teach. He is a horrible professor. He never reads his emails and he is extremely absent minded.
DON'T TAKE HIM!! I didn't learn anything by listening to his lectures, so it was up to the book to learn. His tests were worded weird and usually had stuff on them that was never mentioned and not even in the book!!!
This professor is a total mess. Rescheduling test 2-3 times in a row is incredibly frustrating, listening to off-topic lectures is incredibly time-wasting, and not checking emails can also be quite frustrating. What makes this class so hard is how unbelievably boring the lectures are so As are possible. I think...
Material isn't hard, he makes hard. Clueless and unorganized. From the start: the syllabus was the wrong year; never clear what chapters were on the tests; he moved 2 tests back the morning of; took 2 months to respond to e-mails; ?reviews? are him saying ?we went over [title of section];? and random, misformatted test questions = copy & paste.
he is the worst professor ever. this is my first year at utsa and i should have checked out this web site first before registering for this class. he says "umm" a lot and doesnt make any sense. his tests are so detailed and his lectures dont match the material on the test at all. my class has 400 students and only 80 show up every class. shows alot
I am a freshamn at UTSA and I got 4 A's and one D. Yes, this class drops my gpa from 4.0 to like 3.2. He might be a nice guy, but his class sucks.
If you have an interest in politics i would not take this guy. He is boring and drags lectures on and on. He is really full of himself talking about his experience as a lawyer. Also he tries to push his political view on his students, so if your concervative it wont be that fun
One of the worst professors i have ever had. Very rude and not helpful. If you want an A in the class do NOT take him. Very unorganized and is full of himself.
He is a really FAIR professor. The tests are pretty predictable, and he goes over a lot of what will be on the test in class. he gives out a extra credit and will help you if you need it. his lectures are not boring and he is REALLY nice!
Complete waste of time. Puts many to sleep. Has passion for Texas and politics but his delivery is awful. Good news. Attendance is unnecessary if you read the readings. Had high B average on four exams just completing the readings combined with the easiest extra credit. With all that said do not take. It still was too painful.
Professor Harmon is an excellent professor. He's not easy but he is fair and always ready to help. I had no interest in politics until taking this class. If you have a choice of professors, I highly recommend this one. Just come to class, do your reading and study the outlines that HE PROVIDES prior to class. Definetly a class worth taking
Professor Harmon is very helpful, he lets his students know that he is there for him. Not an easy A, but if you go over the outlines, read the book,attend class, and go to SI sessions,you should be fine. He's one of my favorite professor's I've had, and he teaches politics how they are and he doesnt sugar code anything. Great Professor&Great Class!
Professor Harmon is a good professor and he really cares about his students and what they make in his class. If you are having trouble see him right away very helpful. He does say Umm alot but youll get passed it after the first week.
I don't understand why he has such a low rating. One of the BEST things about him, is I get something out of his class that I don't get out of the book or blackboard, which is RARE for professors these days. He is very knowledgeable about his subject and shares real life stories and facts. His tests are not hard and he offers extra credit.
Prof is a nice man always looking out for students. Lectures can get very boring but very informative b/c he knows so much about the subject. Theres a lot of info so it can be hard but he has extra credit and outlines that help. If you take his class please dont be rude and walk out in the mid of his lectures or if not just dont even bother going
Don't take him- if you do you will regret it.
I liked Professor Harmon. He was very nice and helpful. He provides you with outlines for every chapter and lots of extra credit points. If you devote time to actually read the book and study for tests you can do well.
Say whatever you will about Professor Harmon in previous years, but I think he made vast strides this year to be a lot more helpful for students. He provided us with extra credit, tons of study guides, and was very prompt to put them online. I liked him.
Okay, he was not that great of a professor. His outlines did not work with the book, they were random. He provides no study guides. He is super liberal. He asks questions to the whole class and no one is listening so he thinks he is right but really... no one cares. Bring your computer to class or you will die of boredom. Extra credit counts little
READ THE BOOK! Attendance is a waste of time and unnecessary for the tests. Many people in my class fell asleep during his lectures; I don't blame them. Overall Harmon is a nice guy but very difficult to understand, and he doesn't really cover any important information in class.
EXTREMELY hard to follow during his lectures and his test are horrible!
Good professor and class. Was always worried when he showed up though. Always out of breath and breathing hard. I was thankful my CPR was current if the unthinkable happened. Treadmill Professor Harmon, Treadmill !!!!!
BORING. hard to get motivated to attend class. His lectures are USELESS! horrible overall
i attended every class all the SI's..i made A's in my math and chem..but a B in this class. its a tough class and there where a few A's but im more of a math science person than politics. Do not recommend this class unless your very into politics.
His lectures are awful to sit through. Has nothing to do with what's on the test 75% of the time. Read the book and do the outlines he provides. Offers extra credit which is really helpful if you make a poor grade.
Like most posts, class was a waste of time. I only showed up most of the time because I didnt want to waste gas driving home on my break. He doesnt talk about anything that will be test yet he says to take notes. If you do you'll have a notebook full of useless stuff. Overall: bland and very "meh". Glad i dont have to take this course again.
FIND ANOTHER TEACHER! The material is interesting, but he rambles about nothing, honestly. He doesnt realize that we are paying him to teach us. He showed up sometimes 40 MINUTES late to class, and would talk about pointless world news that had nothing to do with the material. WASTE OF MONEY AND TIME. I pulled a B by going to all the SI Sessions
talks about nothing important dealing with the class. one class we just listened to the single ladies song! its a watse of money. dont bother taking notes, nothing he said was worth writing down, came 30 mins late a lot and for the final! TAKE SOMEONE ELSE!! especially if you are on liberal, or dont want to wasate you money... horibble teacher...
Waste of time. He is extremely hard to understand,most of the time he rambles. A lot of times he says "um" between every word and you can't help but want to throw something at him. Shows up late to every class. One good thing is, he provides outlines for every chapter but that is the only thing he reads off of in class. Pointless to go...
Professor Harmon is a super nice guy, but his lectures are boring and pointless. the only helpful part is that he does give outlines for the chapters which can be found on Blackboard. Going to class is pointless. Read the book and study the outline and you will be fine. And if you feel the need, attend the SI sessions. He does offer extra credit.
This guy is that liberal professor. His lectures are pointless to attend, and the only way to pass is studying the book. However, he does offer extra credit, so that is one nice thing.
DEFINITELY WOULD NOT RECOMMEND HIM! His lectures are pointless. I've never heard anything worth writing down for notes. He rambles off topic a lot. He says "um" every other word which is very irritating. It can also be confusing to pinpoint what will actually be on the test. He does post outlines & offer extra credit.
DO NOT GET THIS PROFESSOR!!!!!!!! Horrible! Doesn't teach and lectures about random useless stuff. Two weeks before our midterm he was talking about what the senator buys with his money??? Stay away from this class!!!!
This teacher takes the first 40 minutes of class talking about announcements and teaches the last 10 minutes. He is a really bad lecturer, but he makes up for it with extra credit and posted outlines. He also posts long readings from outside sources that may or may not be on the test. Tests are all over the place. Be careful of this teacher!
Good Professor. He is liberal , and does have phrases that he says a lot , but if you go to class he tells you what will be on the test. He tells you to read the outline and the outside readings. I made an A by having common sense, reading the outside readings, going to class, reading the outlines, and doing some of the extra credit. Nice Guy.
Prof. Harmon bends over backwards to ensure the success of his students. He provides chapter outlines, tons of extra credit, interesting articles in lieu of the textbook, & publishes his lectures online. To earn an A: do extra credit, print lecture outlines, take notes, attend class, read the articles & review it all before a test. It really IS an EASY CLASS!
He rambles, makes conjectures about any number of unrelated things based on fallacies, and is a horrendous speaker. He shows up late, speaks in a ridiculous voice, and rarely discusses pertinent information. He is a bad teacher, his willingness to offer supplements to his awful lectures (extra credit, outlines, etc.) is his only saving grace.
Often came to class late. He usually did not explain clearly what will be on tests. He uses reading outlines in class as notes that can be filled in with the textbook. Usually uses real-world examples for whatever topic is being discussed, but tends to ramble. Offers many opportunities for extra credit.
Literally the worst professor I've ever had. Lectures are completely annoying and full of pointless conjectures. He rambles the entire time and makes really irritating voices and comments.
Do not EVER take this class. Nice guy, but TERRIBLE professor. Will make you resent politics even more than you already do. Worst. Class. I've. Ever. Taken.
This man should not be teaching college classes, or any class for that matter. I'm a psychology major, but I hate that he acts like POL 1013 is the only class that matters. He often changes due dates, takes off points/doesn't answer questions if in the syllabus, and doesn't TEACH. He just debates with the same student every class. A complete waste
Super easy if you read the textbook and read the outlines he posts. But don't bother coming to class because it's just debating. Sometimes in class he'll explain the assignments, which are awfully worded and explained on the guidelines. Easy class to pass if you have taken AP POL in high school because it's really just a repeat of that
Do not take this prof. He is a far left liberal who only questions students views when they disagree with his views. He thinks teaching means talking about current issues for the majority of the class; however his tests are ONLY over the book. Taking notes in class is pointless. UTSA should really raise the standards of how they select teachers.
Don't take him!!! If you happen to get stuck with him form study groups and use the outlines rotate going to class with friends bc sleep is more important.
I'm in class right now, and we aren't doing anything. Going to class is completely pointless, and his lectures are irrelevant to the class. The tests are over the book. This is a class where you basically teach yourself.
He is never in his office, he rambles in class and is a horrible public speaker. He takes off points if you ask a question that is on the syllabus but then changes the syllabus and does not provide the full one. What ever you do DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!!!!!!!!!!!!
He is not the greatest profesor or lecturer but in order to do well you have to READ the BOOK! It's possible to get a A but you must work for it and teach yourself. Attendance is not mandatory and most people don't come to class but make sure you go to class the days leading up to a test because he will give a overview on the test. No test reviews!
This man is an awful teacher. Please do not take this professor. He rambles for days about nothing and his grading system is very confusing. If you want to make a good grade in this class, be prepared to teach yourself. My grade sucks.
Terrible, terrible professor. I wish I would have check RMP before taking his class. I went in there, first day with everything and was ready to take notes. Pointless, he didn't teach us anything and only way of getting a good grade in his class is by reading the text book and studying that.
He was so nice but he wasn't very prepared, and he did ramble but he had a method to it, he would say random cases which would be on the exams and not in the book. Well at least for me, I feel the need to attend every class I've paid for so skipping isn't by choice. Read the book, and attend class, essays aren't hard just unclear instructions.
This class was terrible!! He doesn't teach just read your book okay!! He's so disorganized! He doesn't give clear instructions! Slow grader! Goes off topic in class...don't get me wrong he's a nice guy. But having a nice professor doesn't boost your GPA. Also follow assignment instruction or you won't get any credit at all.
Funny Guy not very clear
Probably the worst professor I've ever taken. Is very unclear and lectures can be hard to follow. Strange way of grading. I don't recommend this class at all.
Easy class but this professor is boring as hell. He breathes heavily into the microphone when he gets excited which is always weird. You'd have to be an idiot to fail his class. (There were plenty in my class). He also loves to present his liberal point of view as fact which can be quite annoying.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.03 avg changeRatings by Course
USPOLISCI
5.0
(1)POL003
5.0
(1)POL001
3.0
(1)POLSCI
3.0
(1)POL1123
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
POL1113
5.0
POLI1013
5.0
POL133
5.0
POL1205
5.0
POL3283
4.0