Professor Baum makes the class interesting by often trying to start political discussions and opening it up to the class. This being a gen ed requirement, not everyone was all that eager to speak, he tried to get everyone involved. He's REAL lax on late students and that was annoying for rest of us

His tests seem easy.He tries to get people to talk.I had him during the Presidential Re-Election so he was trying to get us to speak, the project easy because all you do is watch 3 movies and link em together,something you'd do in an eng class,there's 3 exams total,the class is not too hard,not easy either,take him if you think others are hard

These other reviews sould like nonsense. Baum makes politics exciting and interesting-mostly because he involves the class and we get to hear what many people think. He raises questions about how our system really works. If you want to remain sheltered in the mainstream-don't take him.

Very boring class (but I don't like the subject much.) However, his lectures were extremely straight forward and he was very clear about what would be on the exams. Memorizing all the boring defintions will help you do well on exams.

I loved this class, he is funny and engaging. So thorough you never even need to read the text. I have an A in the class and have never picked up the book. It is a shame he doesn't teach more classes.

awesome teacher. i love politics, and i loved this class. luckily i had a lively class and we were always struck up in debate. his lectures are perfectly clear, you dont even need the textbook. he has a sense of humor. he does teach the class with a bias, but explains the other side thorougly as well.

Professor Baum was a delight each and every morning, his teaching style was very engaging. He presents the material with a fair, non-bias, and encourages students to form their own opinions. My only complaint was that for how challenging his teaching style was, his tests were WAY too easy. Questions included Who is the Vice President?! An easy A.

Good guy, super liberal which is fine but seems to think his opinion is fact.

I loved this class-and the professor. He is smart and witty and brought up interesting and thought provoking class discussions. I thoroughly recommend taking his class.

His lectures are quite dull and he teaches without enthusiasm. His tests are quite easy and half the things that he says will be on the exam, end up not getting put in. He says he wants everyone to speak and "will not criticize your opinions". He DOES criticize other's opinions and just says what he thinks. Just keep quiet and you'll get through.

he is a really good teacher and i enjoy attending his class. his lectures are straightforward and he adds a sense of humor to it. it's also very thorough so there's no use of textbook. what i don't like are the exams and essay assignments. he grades extremely hard on what you write and expects it to be written the way he thinks. fun class but HARD!

Enjoyable, engaging, thought provoking class. Not an easy A but if you "refrain" from talking during it you will survive. Take notes!

Interesting lectures, dry humor, HARD GRADER. There are three tests and three papers. The tests are tricky but doable if you study (he gives study sheets). The papers are graded very harshly. He does not give extra credit. Though the class was interesting, I would not recommend him to anybody.

You have to have an opinion to get a good grade in this class! You can't be shy because he gives a lot of weight to class participation. He does grade pretty hard, make sure you use specific info from the textbook in your essays. If you don't understand, ask for clarification- he's pretty good about that. Taking detailed notes is a must!

Rick Baum is a fantastic professor, and has a good sense of humor. Go to the class, pay attention, participate, and you will do well. He gives out study guides that have all the topics that will be covered on the exams, so it's impossible not to do well in his class with a bit of effort. Highly recommended, I learned a lot and loved the class.

Very good teacher who only gives lectures and reading assignments. Very easy as long as you know how to write and go to class to receive the lecture notes.

Not exceptionally challenging at all, this class. A couple of midterms and a project where you read or watch movies or attend govt proceedings and write about what you did. However, this was one loooong lesson in why the US is hypocritical and underhanded and not really a democracy at all. True? Yes. Should Baum include more suggestions on how to remedy the situation? Absolutely. I dreaded going to class because it was boring and I usually left feeling hopeless about the state of our country.

Great Political science teacher! Really makes you active throughout the entire class. The True False questions can be dangerous, just need to pay attention to details!

Great teacher, very informing, style of teaching is very professional and unique. Alot of people didnt enjoy his class because he always played devil advocate however, THIS IS COLLEGE FOLKS!!! teachers arent going to hold your hand all the way through the lesson and not let you see both sides. and for the teachers that do should teach HS instead.

Rick Baum is a treasure! Funny and intelligent. Opinionated, but open to being wrong, if you can support your position. He uses the Socratic method of teaching --- debate and dialog --- rather than "jug to mug" regurgitation. So, unless thinking makes you uncomfortable, take this class before they shut it down.

All the topics he talked about was informative to my life. Hard grader on essays, but the exam is easy. He is opinionated and plays devil advocate, so defend your position well. Overall, I liked this class, and don't regret taking it.

He loves to argue, but he also loves to hear other opinions. The purpose of the class is to get you to think critically. He's not looking to change your mind but to strengthen your opinion. Make sure you have proof before you open your mouth. Don't just quote the latest email forward you received. Easy tests if you study. Good class. Recommended.

Great Professor. Help you w/ paper, and study sheet. Study study sheets, and read the text You should do great.

i recently took his class he is really nice and very helpful if you ever have questions for a test or essay you can email him and he will get back at you fairly soon. awesome teacher his notes are all you need for the test because you get the answers rite out of your notes. he doesn't drop people but you have to go to class to take notes.

Great teacher. Insightful, interesting, funny. The only thing that frustrated me was his inability to control class discussions. In a political science class, discussion IS important, but when one or two angry and opinionated students run the class, it can be frustrated. I recommend taking him, but just be wary of the other students.

This teacher is interesting, engaging and organized. He is able to draw students from different backgrounds into lively discussions that are sometimes funny and always enriching. At the beginning of the class he writes an outline on the board, and he gives clear study sheets for tests. Follow his instructions, and you'll do great in his class.

This required class wasn't difficult, which was nice because I wasn't particularly pleased to have to take it. Fortunately Baum made it interesting and his spontaneous wisecracks kept things lively. He gives out review sheets before tests, which covers the material you need to know.

Professor Baum is awesome! He is really funny and makes his class very interesting with controversial political class discussions. This class is not for shy people like me (i'd rather listen then debate), but if you are a great writer, like me, you will get an A. Great teacher!

Really Great instructor. He is very funny and helpful. I greatly recommend taking his class. He gives out study sheets every exam. Just attend class to get the notes.

this teacher was boring and seemed uninterested in his teaching. he doesn't make class discussions fun I felt he did a lot of talking about how he felt. but this class was an easy A and required little thought.

I dreaded taking this required class, but it turned out interesting and engaging. If you do the assignments, show up to class, and take notes, it's not hard to get a good grade. The class is open to discussions and Baum expects you to defend your views. This should not be a problem, though. This is college after all…

one of the best teachers i ever had .he have a lot of key informations that i never heard about even in the news and i watch news a lot, he is funny and make you think,he opened my eyes on many things ,you must take it

Was a required course but Rick made it interesting and enjoyable. Definitely feel more politically inclined after taking this class (a lot more likely to actually take the time to read articles about constitutional law or local politics than just skim the headlines :-). Definitely recommend taking this with Rick, sure other profs are good too tho.

Class was taken as a last minute option so I wasn't really interested in taking at first. However class was pretty easy. Take lots of notes and ask questions before the three test. If you study what's on study sheet you should do fine.

Rick is knowledgeable in this field. No cell phones in class please. When you are given an opportunity to answer questions, or participate in discussions, stay on the topic. He gives out study guides before exams. Easy to ace the tests. Essays are sometimes necessary in addition to a quiz. Stay on point. Great teacher. I enjoyed the class.

I had him for Poli Sci 1, very easy grader because all you have to do is follow his instructions. He doesn't allow phones but he allows you to have you computer out for notes and ipad for notes. To pass the tests, he gives you a study guide of what you need to know, also if you take good notes you basically pass the class.

He is clear on the assignment, gives changes to correct essays after turning them in, if asked in advance, he can let you turn in late HW or assignment. As usual, do not lie or cheat on your assignments.

I thought this class would be boring since it's a requirement, but Rick actually made it pretty interesting. To get a good grade, make sure to learn what's on the study sheets he hands out before each test.

This professor made me understand so many topics related to politics. he defines (with examples) the term in a way that is easy to remember them during the test. He is hilarious. You don't need the book to pass. Take notes or record the class and your are done. He cares about your grades. he gives study sheets before the test.

Professor Baum has a heavy lecture soo be ready to take good notes. He assigns readings but if your a good note taker, you should be fine during tests. No HW assignments at all but he makes up for it during the tests. Tests are true and false with defintions included. So be prepared for it. I learned alot in his class. A fair course.

Mr. Baum is a great instructor with tremendous amount of knowledge. He makes the lectures interesting with his sense of humor. Please arrive on time to class, be ready to take notes, read the chapters assigned, turn papers on time, and you will be just fine. He is teaching, because he wants you to learn, he is not just give free A's that's intergri

If you can't keep up with the reading it is all covered in the lectures. Or, you can skip the lectures and do the reading and you'll be fine. Study guides are given for tests. Tests include a take home essay component. Even though I wasn't able to do most of the reading and I got low B's or C's on my essays I still finished with a B overall.

He is probably one of my favorite professors. He is really accessible and realizes that most students take his class as a requirement. He tries to use outside examples of how the government works to make it more relatable to students. Overall, he's a great professor!

I'm not good with politics and this professor made me understand every topic. he tells real stories to make you understand. He es great. you will get an A if you assist to his classes and take notes. He gives a study guide. He helps you, and you can present the test the next class if you dont feel prepared the day of the exam. TAKE HIM.... THE BEST

Richard is a great professor. The class is very very manageable. Richard provides study guides so you know exactly what to study for exams. If you're a good note taker you won't even need the text book. Lectures are critical of U.S. government and you really learn a lot about democracy. Would take again!

As long as you're okay with taking good notes everyday you wont have an issue. He gives great examples to help clarify what his lecture is about. He is very thorough on information so you wont miss anything on exams. He is also great on playing devils advocate in order to make the class really understand different view points. Great guy!!

He gives amazing, interesting, funny, and lectures that make it not necessary to read the book. His lecture also give viewpoint of both conservative and liberals! He also gives study guide on what each of the tests. Grade is based on 3 tests and 1 report. Expect to write 2 short take-home essays as part of ur test grade. One of the best teachers.

Professor Baum is a very knowledgeable person, and taking this class really helped me having a deeper understanding of the overall governmental system in the US. Definitely worth it, and very interesting.

Professor Baum makes political science really easy to understand. He teaches everything you need to know for the tests in the lectures. He even gives a study guide before each test. As long as you take good notes you will get a high grade in the class. Hes a fair grader for essays and you are given the prompts at least 2 weeks before the due date.

Professor Baum is a really good choice for POLS1. Lectures are clear. Essays cover fairly easy topics (which are discussed in class beforehand). The only homework is to read, but you never need to if you go to class and take notes. Everything you need to succeed in this class is in the lectures. If he taught any other classes I would def take him

Great instructor!! Go to class and take notes so you absorb the material. The study guides for the exams are extremely helpful. Make sure you give yourself enough time to write the papers (1 project & 2 as part of your exam). Highly recommended!

Mr. Baum is a really great professor because he makes class interesting and keeps you on your toes! He makes a lot of corny dad jokes but thats why it was fun. Do not ever miss a class because the lectures provide 90% of what is on the tests so be sure to take notes til your hand is sore. Participate and enjoy the lectures; you wont regret it!

Mr. Baum is a really solid teacher who knows his stuff about political science. He likes to keep his class light and energetic which makes it more interesting to go to. He is pretty lecture heavy but he will let you know what will be on the tests so that you know what to study for. Overall he is a good dude and has a very passable class.

I had a lot of fun in professor Baum's class. He is very knowledgable about what he teaches and is thorough with lectures. We had a fair amount of reading and note-taking. But it's college!

Has a good balance between reading, lecture, and workload. We had weekly 2-hour zoom lectures which included critical information for tests. I enjoyed his humor and the interesting stories he sprinkled around. If you take notes, pay attention, and use some critical thinking then the tests and essays (4 total) should be rather simple.

I learned a lot this semester and had more fun than I expected from a polisci class. Professor Baum made the class enjoyable with his sense of humor and kept me interested. If you pay attention, take notes and participate, you will earn a good grade. Dont let other comments fool you, Baum is a great professor that will work with you to succeed.

Great class! I am walking away feeling more educated, equipped and empowered to make intelligent voting choices and understand the options available.

Took this class to get a requirement out the way but I never realized how interesting gov. actually is. Prof. Baum always recorded the lectures for students who didn't have time to attend the zoom and was quick to answer any of our questions. He also reviews the concepts we learn before starting a new lecture. Take notes and pay attention for an A

I really enjoyed taking Professor Baum's online class, his test are based on his lectures, so if you take good notes you should pass your test. His lectures aren' the typically boring lecture he makes them fun and interactive, if you miss a zoom meeting he records the class and it's up on canvas the next day. I definitely recomme taking his class.

Professor Baum gives wonderful lectures, which provide all information needed for exams and essays. His teaching style is very engaging, and he encourages everyone to speak their mind about issues to have open discussions. The work is not overwhelming and is at a very manageable pace with other classes. I highly recommend this professor.

Had Professor Baum for Political Sciences during the Spring '23 term. His lectures are interspersed with interesting stories and a great sense of humor. He spends a lot of time going in depth into each of the topics and really seems to care for his students. More than prepares us for each exam that comes up as well as giving a complete review.