Not a good lecturer, and my worst class in college. The class is taught at a 9th grade level, yet one of the essays expected expert knowledge of the workings of Congrssional business and reports.

I concur with the previous statements towards Joe Hinchliffe. Joe Blows

He is also an advisor now. He is a very nice guy, but he is somewhat of a dim bulb. Make sure you know what all of the college requirements are and do not count on him to catch any errors; take all his "advice" with a grain of salt.

If I had one day to live, I would go to this class because it would seem like I had lived a whole life by the time his boring, vague lecture was over. good intentions, horrible teacher.

Terrible advisor. When I told him my plans to go to law school, he tried to talk me out of it, probably because he hated being a lawyer and assumes the worst of everyone. Very nice guy though, just don't listen to him.

If you like Poli Sci, you'll do fine in his class....if you don't - find another class.

Horrible. Has the condescending attitude of my worst teachers from Jr. High, is completely boring (I'd only come up from my crossword when he yelled), and seems to design his tests with the intent of 'tricking' students. Avoid.

No matter what you do, do not, under any circumstances, let this man know or think you are a Republican. He's very pleased with himself, moreso than anybody in the class is with him. He chooses the most oppressively dull textbooks I have ever seen.

He is one of the most boring speakers I've ever seen. I once showed him what I was planning on writing my term paper on. He told me not to write about that topic and to write about something else. To make a long story short, I got a D on the paper & was told that the topic was too vague by the TAs!

Very controversial

JOE IS ABSENT MINDED. HE WILL JUST GO OFF ON RANDOM THOUGHTS EVEN THOUGH HE BELIEVES HIS LECTURES ARE "RIBBITING" (YES HE REFERED TO THEM AS THAT). HE TAKES HIS CLASS TOO SERIOUSLY AND ALTHOUGH I AM A POLI SCI MAJOR AND ENJOY POLITICS HE MAKES HIS CLASS MORE THAN IT SHOULD BE.

terrible class

This guy is a complete tool. I see him often and every time have to restrain the urge to punch him in the face. Though I will say his loose interpretation of conventional morality makes him a good poli-sci prof. Boring class + heavy workload + humorless butterbean in a suit = instant cerebral death.

Although he claims that he is always available and he is, the class is ridiculously impossible to get an A or B in. It seems everyone is being screwed on his essays and midterms. Don't take Political Science 101 because I used to like this subject, but now hate it. Sorry Hinchliffe...

The difficulty of the class is extremly high. I always thought 100 level courses were of reasonable difficuly. He proved me wrong. Do not under any circumstances enroll in this class unless you are opposed to a 4.0 GPA, because I guarantee you will not get it. He seemes to be a reasonable teacher, sort of, but this should be a 2-300 level course.

What in the heck is the deal with the class. We take online quizzes that count for 10% of our grade but we have to read one hundred pages of material to take it and he asks the most detailed questions. This is introductory and he doesn't test over stuff he lectures on in class. Stay away it at all possible.

The class is rediculous. Understandable that there is a lot of information to cover in a short amount of time, but it is crazy the way that Joe teaches. Very unreachable and the T.A.'s are NO help.

Makes this class harder than it needs to be. Not very helpful when I went in to office hours. Definitely should not have gotten the grade I did for how hard I studied. I put a lot of time and effort into this class and still couldn't pull an A. Sometimes he was just totally unfair.

I hardly need to add to what other people have said... but its all true. This class is nuts. He lectures you like a high school student... and then tests you like a grad student. Advice: Make sure that you understand the ridiculous amount of online reading before the exams...or, even better, take someone else's PS 101 class.

You guys are all right. This class is unneccesarily difficult. How could any 100 level course be so hard? His class was a real pain in my neck. And when writing papers he has so many expectations and demands. Its his way or the highway. I STRONGY suggest taking someone else's PS 101 course.

Possibly the worst teacher ever. Useless in lectures. Useless in office hours. He's not a professor, just a staff member (undergrad adviser), and now I know why. The worst professor is better than him. Plus, he is not a great adviser either (but that is a different topic)! Take someone else. Anybody else is better.

Don't take this class! If this is not a required course, don't take it. You have to give this class 100% of your time if you want an A or B. Not worth it. Take another gen-ed or Prof.

He likes to give you way more work than necessary, like having to prepare for 16 essays for the final exam. This class takes a lot of work, but can be interesting when you are reading by yourself...not in class though. Go to the TA's..they're the best source of help and the only way to understand what is going on.

Wow this class is horrible. I am not exaggerating but like seriously you might want to try another professor because this guy makes this class almost impossible. It is supposed to be a P.S. class but it seems like a 200 course. I just freaking took U.S. Gov (H) last year and i did very well in it. This guy makes me depressed.

I took this class as a Gen-Ed. Bad mistake. As an engineering student i have enough on my plate than to have to read 2 hours each night for this class not to mention that his classes don't prepare you at all. If you like learning based on reading, you might this class. Other than that, good luck.

essay questions very wordy; uses questions at 200 level. Does not necessarily use information discussed in class on tests.

Hinchliffe is a cool guy as a friend, just like to chill... but as a professor, he sucks. You pretty much have to do all the studying by yourslef, so BUY and READ the book.

NO, DON'T,RUNAWAY! I am praying on my hands and knees for a 70.00 in this class, all of the other students pretty much feel this same way. I have never in my life never understood a word the teacher was saying, and I went in for help many times. THIS WILL KILL YOUR GPA. Please listen, I wish I had. He never said anything constructive and definite.

This class turned me away from Political Science. It is by far the most demanding class and it will kill your GPA. He is a nice guy, but not too helpful. If you don't have at least 2hrs a night to spend on this class THEN GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN! Good luck everyone, pray for that 70%.

Absolutely horrid. My first polysci class, 101 in fact, and the course work equals about a 300-level class. Lucky to be even getting a C, seriously. Essays along with 80-100 pages of reading back to back. Multiple choice tests with nothing covered during class. STAY AWAY from this class, unless it's mandatory...

I understood this professor was challenging. I was eager for the opportunity to prove myself and learn a lot. Looking back, I regret it. The class was a headache and uninteresting. Yes, there are challenging courses that can be quite gratifying, this is not one of them. Unrealistic reading assignments, annoyingly over-animated powerpoints.

I was very interested in politics before this arrogant man ruined it. Want to ruin your gpa? Take his class. I am now changing my major thanks to this pathetic man. Oh, and as an advisor he is useless.

How did this man become the director of undergrad polisci studies? Inconsiderate, patronizing, so pretentious, and a lazy advisor. The other two advisors are way more interested and personable. They should stage a coup.

Not at all surprised by the other comments- this guys likes to smile while actually being rude to students. Not a pleasant experience working with him, not just for his attitude but also his ability to effectively do his job as counselor to the students who pay his wage.

I took his 101 class my freshman year and had him as an advisor. He told me to change my career path my first semester of freshman year. I did not listen to him and I changed advisors. I now have an internship at a law firm where the partners have agreed to hire me in three years once I pass the BAR. Point is DO NOT LET THIS MAN KILL YOUR DREAMS.

PS 220 wasn't an entertaining or fun class. He droned on and on and just laughed at his own jokes. However, he's also an adviser who tries to get everyone to not go into law. I don't listen to him when he tells me to give up on law school, but I wish he would help students rather than making them feel dumb and incapable of succeeding.

Such a boring teacher. Asks questions that have no answer and if they do, you have to be a mind reader. Soooo much homework for a 1-credit class. Wouldnt recommend this class to my worst enemy. He is an eccentric teacher but will talk on and on about vague and abstract ideas which dont help you at all for the papers he assigns.

if you have tripophobia do NOT take this class!

I had him as an advisor, and not a professor, but I imagine his advisement carries over to his teaching. I had a terrible experience working with him. He would force me into classes I did not want to take, he was very rude would mock me for my questions, and would straight up tell me false information about classes. Talk to someone else.

Tough class, but worth it if you engage with the content. Lectures can drag, but the professor is knowledgeable. Consider using Unstuckstudy alongside the free textbook to prepare - it helped me stay on top of things.

I sincerely did not enjoy this course. grading procedures are very unclear. No rubrics he archrive the class before all grades were posted. very rude and condescending in class. I truly wish I didn't have to take another course by him again. His lecture sides are very confusing and not formatted well at all. and he assigns five 50 page readings/wk