TOO MANY BOOKS TO READ!!! He always gives too many books to read, Green at least doesnt give you as many books, but he spends more time and detail on them and even lets us watch movies. His class is getting repetative, thats the problem. Its always the same subjects and it becomes routine. Sometimes I can afford to not read a couple of his book.

He's the Best!!!!and he's Brilliant!!!!

Some have stated they don't care for him, BUT I LOVE HIS CLASS!!! He lets you speak your mind and holds intelligent conversations. He's understanding and interested in world/current events. I'll miss this class!!! :D And, the assignments were "do-able." Some claim they're too hard to understand what he wants - NOT TRUE!!! I did fine! So there!

My favorite professor at FGCU. He is tough, but you leave his class confident and smarter than when you went in. He's passionate about Political Science, and is very exciting to listen to when he relates the things we learn to current problems. Take at least one class with him, you won't regret it.

Our culture and society class was turned into a full on political science course focused on US foreign policy. We had TONS of very lengthy readings and discussion is expected. When my class wasn't participating, he added to our take-home essay exam by adding an in class portion as well. I learned a lot but he is extremely liberal and anti Bush adm.

What a great professor!! He's the best political science professor this school has. I've taken seven classes with him!!! He's the man!

This guy is a genius and a great teacher. Although he is a super-liberal (I am republican) I still greatly enjoy his classes! He is a super-helpful teacher. I gaurantee you every person here rating him poorly is because they are lazy and expected an O'Brien class.

Professor Coughlin is a really good professor. His lectures are unique and stimulating, and he really makes the material important and interesting to his students. His class was engaging and required alot of thought and hard work. However, I feel like I really learned alot from him and his class. Thanks professor Coughlin!

this is not one of those easy teachers to get an easy A, must work hard to get a good grade.all his classes require alot of lenghtly reading but you learn alot and most classes are discussion so everyone can get in their opinion. He knows what his talking about. his test are hard and he grades fairly, in lower level classes he does cruve the test

Took Environmental Policymaking with him and will say that the class was very difficult but, highly interesting. The texts are informative but, lengthy and his class simulation is a lot bigger of a challenge then anticipated. He's a great guy and grades fairly. Be ready to work and learn.

Very demanding teacher, but very knowledgeable. Knows what he's talking about but is very very writing intensive. You will be challenged but will learn a lot.

He's a great teacher but he doesnt give out easy A's.His lectures are interesting/he doesnt make it boring,but they are long.There are class discussions/assignments.Most of his grades are based on the exams.I recommend him b/c he knows what he is talking about and you learn a lot, but it is NOT an easy class, you really have to work for your grades

Dr. Coughlin is an AMAZING teacher. Anyone who doesn't get an A either skipped classes or didn't do the reading. Very interesting and grades FAIRLY

He grades extremely fairly and really has a passion for the subject. I have learned more in his classes than in any other political science classes I have taken. It is a lot of reading, but it is very well worth it when you take the time and do the reading.

Coughlin is kinda hot in a weird way. He is super smart and will help you with anything. If you show up and participate by adding some credible comments, you will pass with flying colors. Easy A unless you're a complete moron...just skim the reading, jot down 2 or 3 quotes, and throw them out during class- always worked for me...

genious professor that has passion for the topic but is a very strict grader and expects the most out of everyone. tough class but i learned alot

I have had six courses with Dr. Coughlin, and the man is a genius! He is probably the hardest Political Science teacher, but he is also the best. His class is thought-provoking and challenging, and he is very helpful!

This man is a super-genius. I took two courses with him and was always impressed with the depth of his knowledge and his understanding of so many topics. The subject material itself is rather difficult, but Dr. Coughlin is so intelligent that he can make it very easy to understand.

Professor Coughlin is a great professor. His class, like most classes, is not difficult if you do the reading. I took him for several classes while an undergraduate PoliSci major. He loves to hear different points of view and truly is neutral when it comes to grading. Not sure why people say he is a tough grade, I got 100s in his classes =)

Favorite teacher I've had while at FGCU. Astoundingly knowledgeable and intelligent. A few quick witted political jokes here and there, I loved it. Attendance is mandatory, mostly lecture with questions for the class. Essay exams, and term papers, very willing to help with the term papers. Attend class, read, and do the work and you'll get an A.

He is smart so he knows if you wrote it at 3am the morning b4 it was due. Don't use ur cell in class - u shouldnt anyway - he WILL call you out. Go to his office or send him an email if u are struggling. He is very helpful. Do the reading or u will get too far behind for the tests.

He walked the class through the MLA process, he made it easy

Overall, he is a great professor that is obviously very knowledgeable in his field. The only place that I find he comes up a bit short is when assigning homework, it's not hard by any means, especially if you know certain tricks for reading a ton of material quickly. That said, I'm a procrastinator. If you're fine with reading then go for him.

The class itself was easy enough, do the readings and show up to class and you'll be prepared for all the assignments. Lectures themselves sucked because of his reliance on group discussion rather than having actual lectures. Read, or at least look like you did, because participation was mandatory. Just a very tedious/boring class with this prof.

Never try to text or be on your phone in class, thats a pet peeve of his. I would recommend taking notes on a computer because he covers a lot of topics with out writing anything on the board and I thought it was easier to type. Also his voice is surprisingly soft, I wasn't prepared for that.

I was put into his Honors Peace & Conflict class as a freshman. But I had previous experience w/ research and incredibly long papers. He assigns reading each night & it's a three day a week class. All of his lectures are relevant and you need to contribute to discussion otherwise he gets angsty and calls you the wrong name. I really enjoy his class

Discussion boards every week relevant to class and readings; READ, participate, attend, pay attention to terms he uses and references from the readings, write them down. Use those concepts he references from the books in your 10 pages 2 questions midterm and final essay exams. He's incredibly intelligent and entertaining to listen to. OFFICE HOURS!

Coughlin is an incredibly knowledgeable and passionate professor in the Political Science major. There are weekly discussion posts, but the big grades of the semester lie in the midterm and final essays. Getting an A in his class is not easy, but he really makes sure that you actually learn something from his class regardless.

Dr. Coughlin was very knowledgeable in his field. Very pushy about his personal political agenda and would often go on rants about different conflicts rather than explain what occurred with no bias. Very tough grader when it came to anything written, but if you go to his office hours he will typically give you extra points. Wouldn't take again.

His discussions in class are based on the readings, so definitely read. He has weekly discussion posts. It was just a mid term and a final, which were not too bad, you just have to had read. He does not curve anything below a .5 percent. The research paper is optional but if you dont do it you won't get an A in his class. Attendance counts.

Professor Coughlin really knows what hes talking about and sometimes lectures can feel boring. He uses discussion boards a lot and will assign the usual group project.

I took the class during the summer and it was graded by a few essays which aren't that bad. Dr. Coughlin gives good feedback and is available outside of class if you need help with anything..

The class is pretty easy as long as you pay attention and do the outside readings. The lectures were a little boring, but the Professor was nice enough. There are four essays throughout the semester which are worth quite a bit, but arent too difficult.

The class can be kind of challenging, he records his lectures so you can watch them and provides notes and power points. It can be a lot of information to digest but he covers many of the main themes of the course in his lectures, if you watch them then you'll be fine just don't watch try and cram them all in one day, overall pretty good professor.

He wants you to do well in his course and actually know the material and be able to talk about it in discussions/ real world activities. He is a very nice professor if you have questions outside class and is easy to get a hold of.

He is very nice if you need help outside of class. He wants you to know the material and talk about it in class. There arnt too many assignments just a few discussion posts and some essays so they have to be quality.

People often have mixed opinions about Coughlin. He's honestly a great professor. He can be hard to understand, especially when he uses various theoretical terms to describe a concept, however, he truly knows his stuff. Claims that he is uninviting to various points of view are unfounded. Coughlin creates a welcoming and open-minded environment.

I love Professor Coughlin, but he can be a little hard to follow in his theoretical-based courses. However, he is very accessible outside of class and through email to answer any questions you may have. His classes are very lecture heavy, so be prepared to take notes and participate in class discussions.

The class itself isn't too bad, it's just very opinionated. If you go in with that realization and EXCLUSIVELY use his book and nothing else, it's not difficult. Where it gets tricky is on tests or quizzes where an opinionated question is asked. He answers emails and concerns very quickly.

Really knows his stuff. Can go on rambles sometimes but he clearly has a passion for what he teaches. Class is straightforward. DO THE READING. There is no getting around it. Everything is basically writing/essays but its very do-able if you chunk it out. Ive taken this professor for multiple classes and ive liked him as a teacher very much

Your grade is weighted/distributed across a variety of things like participation/attendance, tests, group projects, a paper, etc., which caters to all types of learners! The reading can be a little intimidating, especially given that you really have to retain and comprehend the material to participate in class, but he does great explaining it!