4.7
Quality2.1
Difficulty98%
Would Retake107
Reviews98%
Would Retake
107
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
107 total ratings5
88
4
17
3
2
2
0
1
0
What Students Say
“I love his lecture style: outlines that you follow along taking notes”
10013319 - 5.0 rating“Scott is obviously knowledgable”
POL1001 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
51%
Textbook Required
27%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.09 avg changeRatings by Course
1001
5.0
(2)10013319
5.0
(1)POL4310
5.0
(3)POLISCI
5.0
(2)POL4810
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
POL4810
3.0
POL3070
3.0
POLISCI1001
3.0
POL3310
3.0
POL4310
2.7
Reviews (106)
Teaches Education in America (i think it was). He is very cool and in-touch with students. It is an easy and fun class.
Education in America is an amazing class. Prof Abernathy is an awesome teacher. He interacts really well with students in class, and is always willing to meet outside of class as well. I can't say enough good things about him
Scott is very accomodating. He is also genuinely concerned about his students achieving in his class.
No Comments
Scott Abernathy was fantastic. He is really sensitive to students' needs and casual. Not exceptionally hard, either.
Awesome prof.
he's really helpful and encourages discussion and questions which makes the class fly by..also love the little tangents he goes off on sometimes. he's awesome
Great Prof
Great teacher, very knowledgable and friendly
He was the greatest poli sci prof. i have had and he knew what he was talking about!!
awesome awesome awesome! he wrote my law school recommendation!
v clear!
No Comments
No Comments
He is an awesome professor...probably the best I've ever had. He's very knowledgeable about the material and honestly cares how students are doing in his course. TAKE HIS CLASS!
Great guy, very candid and engaging professor.
Very clear, interesting, and lenient. Test are esay if you study the lecture notes. Lecture notes are printed out for every lecture---very nice. I've never had to open my textbook.
Awesome professor. There are no surprises. He does a great job teaching the information and tells you everything you'll need to know to do well. This takes a lot of pressure off and makes you truly enjoy the subject. My favorite aspect of this guy is that he closely monitors his TAs and their grading and intervenes if necessary. Thumbs up.
1001H honors section was very easy. I heard that TAs were asses when it came to grading papers in non-honors sections, but he gave out a lot of perfects in his honors section. Good lecturer (not the best I've had) but very interesting discussions outside of lecture. Hard to get lower than an A if you show up!
I really enjoyed going to every class. The professor clearly outlined what was on every test (which are easy if you sturdy the notes) and also gave note outlines for every lecture. The only part I was highly dissapointed in was the grading policy in the discussion sections. It was really hard to get even close to an A in those.
Very good professor. Things are explained clearly, and the tests and written responses are easy. The class is out of 100 points and it is very hard not to get an A. All of the material is from the lectures and from some readings.
Tests are straight forward. If you go to lecture and take notes you will do fine. Most of the class is weighted in the paper, but it is not too hard.
Enjoys his area of expertise (education) and still understands what its like to be an undergrad. Very likeable and knowledgeable.
Scott is amazing. The first half of the course was a little slow, and you could tell he wasn't that interested in it, but the second half was awesome! I learned so much. Tests are easy, paper is easy, everything is pretty easy. Hard to not get an A. I highly recommend the course if you have ANY (or zero!) interest in the education system.
Essentially, it was just a basic American government course, and fairly dry at that. He does a good job of answering questions and is a really nice guy, but the class is only 100 points so you have to do well really well on the tests to do well in the class. Also, he doesn't lecture with any visuals-he only talks at the class which wasn't helpful
After 3 years at the U, he is still one of the best teachers I have encountered. An A in this class was achievable if you attended class and took notes. He wrote the most important stuff on the board, which gave clarity to the information.
I really liked him! He was my favorite professor by far! As long as you know the study guide he gives you, you will get 100%!
Very good professor! Would recommend his classes to anyone.
Very easy and straight-forward. Go to class because all the answers to the quizzes are within the lectures and he gives you outlined notes for each lecture. Hard not to get an A
Great professor! His study guide is long and time consuming to do but will really prepare you for his tests. TAs can be picky though.
Absolutely LOVED this professor! Very straight-forward, repeats all the important points he says multiple times, and is very accommodating to your needs! He makes class engaging and I enjoyed all the random things he would have to say. Related lessons to current events -- very interesting! *Make sure to really know what's on the study guide!!!
Professor Abernathy made POL 1001 relevant and interesting. The course itself wasn't too hard, only four short response papers and two exams including the final. Definitely go to lecture, the note sheets he gives out aren't enough to do well in the course. Write down anything he says that might seem relevant too!
Great lecturer, makes everything we need to know very clear for the tests. The study guide he gives before each test is cumulative, and takes a while to put together but it should help you a lot for the tests. If he sees a question that a lot of people got wrong he may just scrap it too which I thought was fantastic!
Fantastic professor! He makes the material interesting to listen to and you can get away with not reading the textbook and still get an A on the exams.
Scott's lectures are really interesting if you're already interested in the subject matter. No powerpoints. He hands out basic outlines of his lecture to follow along with. If you fill out the study guides thoroughly, go to every lecture, and attend review sessions, the class is an easy A.
He is a teacher easy to follow. Very organized with note sheets to take notes daily. He assigns a lot of reading but it is do-able. i definitely recommend him
Professor Abernathy is as good a teacher of politics as you'll find.
Extremely fair professor. Attend lectures and do the review sheets that he hands out and it is an easy A. He really wants people to do well in his class. I read for the first half and couldn't take it for the second. He outlines things in the book that he didn't cover on the review sheet so you can get by.
Professor Abernathy is a very enthusiastic politics guru. I loved his class and it has sparked my interest in politics! If you take the time to go to office hours and get to know him, then he will take the time to get to know you. There are three noncumulative quizzes, and if you fill out the study guide for each you're golden.
Good teacher. Always gives outlines of the lecture and study guides for the exams. Although, when he gives lectures, he does not use any visual aids. But overall, he is an OK teacher.
Awesome guy! Had him as a professor in a night class and he made it worth attending. Easy A if you attend class.
Abernathy is a really approachable guy and does a great job of engaging the class in lecture. My only problem is the TA. Ashley graded everything and always took off points for the most stupid reasons. Pray that she is not your TA as it will make your life much easier.
Awesome professor!!! I took his class as a night class, which I was quite nervous about, but he is so ingaging that it made me even more awake. Extremely interesting, great guy. I highly recommend taking this class! This semester, I am taking his 3319 class, which is just as awesome!
Professor Abernathy does a wonderful job in keeping all of his lectures interesting as well as peppering in a few cheesy jokes to make sure everyone is awake. His TA is a very harsh grader, but as long as you read the material and pay attention during lecture, his classes are very enjoyable!
Abernathy is a great POL prof. He gives decent lectures with lots of repetition on important topics and clear definition of important topics. Attendance and following/taking notes is MANDITORY but as long as you do the assignments/study a bit/listen you'll do great without working a ton. He's a good prof.
Scott loves the material and you can tell. He is so passionate about education policy and thrives in the discussions we would have. He can be quite scatter-brained at times. His first exam was very difficult but he made up for it with the grades on the second exam and the paper.
Abernathy has been my absolute favorite teacher at the U. I love his lecture style: outlines that you follow along taking notes. Exams were extremely easy as long as you had your notes to go off of to complete the study guide. Readings are NOT necessary. Super easy grader on the final paper for 3319; I wrote it the day before and got 100%.
Scott is obviously knowledgable. Class consists of his lectures, an occasional group in class assignment. Also gives 6 response assignments to specified readings (only 5 count) Go to class to do well on the tests (no final!) gives study guides. His lectures can be dry sincere dosent use visuals but gives out outlines before each lecture. Easy class
Professor Abernathy is a great guy. He really knows his stuff and is good at explaining concepts. This class is interesting, informative and very easy. Take this class, take Abernathy, you wont be disappointed.
Abernathy is a tremendous professor. He's very good at comparing current issues to the coursework and lightening up boring material with bad political science jokes. My favorite class the semester I took it even though it should have been boring.
Great, easy class. He covers all the material in depth and is thorough in his explanations.
Scott is by far the best professor I have ever had. He genuinely shows an interest in his students, will wait after class to talk, and will always help in any regard whenever it is needed. Scott loves his job and loves his students more. I highly recommend him. You will not be sorry. You will leave his class actually having learned something!
Scott is the best professor I've had at the U. He knows his stuff and he's really invested in what he talks about. His lectures are the most straightforward I've ever had; before each class he gives you a guide for what he's going to talk about and as long as you take notes and follow along with the guide you'll get an easy A and learn a ton.
There is no final, which is great. He can get off topic so lectures can be boring. Tests are fairly easy if you take notes.
Scott is an incredible professor and knows his stuff. 2 quizzes, 1 "final" not cumulative, just like the other 2. He is very engaging and makes the course material interesting. Also a very kind guy and very understanding, helpful, and knowledgable. Wish I could take more classes with him! My favorite professor at the U.
Great professor, very passionate about what he teaches and he's able to keep you fully interested/entertained in lectures with no technological help, just him.
He's a great professor. If you show up to lectures, the three quizzes he has will be very easy. Outlines are handed out at the beginning of each class and as long as you follow along and jot down a few notes you'll know everything for the tests. Best part is no final for this class.
Very interesting class and Scott is incredibly passionate about what he is teaching. There are a lot of readings, but skimming/ basic understanding is fine as long as you take good notes in lecture. Lectures can be a bit dry but you will leave class having learned something! He is always willing to help and answer questions. Great professor!
One of the best professors I've had! His outlines are the test so go to class and fill them out!
One of the best professors I've had. Great teacher, super passionate. He is approachable and loves questions.
He teaches the intro to Poli Sci class, so he makes it very easy. His outlines are the whole test. Attendance isn't mandatory, but he gives out occassional in class assignments to check attendance. Interesting lectures, but pretty elementary. You'll probably get an A.
Really good about talking through the tests in class, makes sure to take time for questions, whether they relate to the class or current political issues.
Awesome professor, very clear & easy grading criteria: 3 quizzes, 6 attendance checks (but only need 5/6 for full credit), 5 one-page reading responses, and no final. His lectures are interesting & engaging, he gives a comprehensive quiz review study guide, and you'll probably get an A if you put in the effort. I 100% recommend to take this class.
He's very enthusiastic in his lectures. He'll often go off on a tangent and is always happy to answer students' questions. His tests are pretty straight forward, just be careful not to run out of time!
Scott was extremely passionate about the subject matter and he is extremely accessible. He was probably one of my favorite professor's at the University and his lectures were very engaging. He allows for discussion and questions during lecture and encourages student participation with discussions that double as attendance checks.
Scott is very organized: comprehensive outlines for each class, clear syllabus, clear grading criteria. Lectures w/o Powerpoint, so class format encourages discussion. Very cool reading from the Lanahan reader, but textbook tends to be redundant to lectures. He goes on tangents sometimes. Essays are short and graded easily. Study for the quizzes!
He is enthusiastic, passionate, and fun to listen to. He always takes time for questions and answers them to the best of his ability. This is topped off by how fair and impartial he is, which is too rare in the humanities departments at this school, and most schools in this country.
Love Scott! He is so funny and his quirky personality makes the class fun! If you simply show up to class and take notes on what he said, you will pass. His test outlines are exactly what is on the tests so fill them out, study, and you will get an A. The hardest part is the final paper which I thought I did horrible on, and got an A! haha
He's funny. Often goes on tangents and then makes jokes about him always going on tangents. He gives you outlines of the class discussions at the beginning of class, but still take notes on your computer. 2 tests a semester that are worth 50% of your grade, study material straight off his study guide and you'll get an A.
Abernathy is a really nice professor. While he can be hard to follow, he will clarify anything as long as you ask during class. Do this! He is very helpful and accessible, and wants you to succeed in his class.
Scott is a very good professor. His lecture style was tough to get used to at first. However, he was very clear about his expectations, never tried to surprise you on an exam, and you definitely do not need to read the textbook because it is very similar to his lecture. If you study his study guides, theres no reason not to get an A
Professor Abernathy is amazing. Extremely smart and very easy to follow. If at any time things get confusing he will be happy to clarify. Scott is very nice and never tries to trick students on the tests. I have went to his office hours multiple times and always have great conversations and dialogue. If you work hard you will do good. Recommend
Scott Abernathy is definitely one of the best professors I have had. He truly cares about his students. He makes his tests reasonable and straight forward. There is also a study guide for each test which is great! He knows the material and makes the lectures very interesting to listen too! I would definitely take this class again!!
Prof. Abernathy is a genuine guy. He clearly cares about his students and is pretty knowledgable. His quiz review sheets are super helpful. I rarely did the assigned readings (not graded), But I went to class every day and did the quiz reviews and aced every test. If you get an opportunity to have Prof. Abernathy, take it.
Gets off topic a bit but it usually isn't for long and sometimes it is still relevant information. Clearly cares about students doing well in his class. Helps students understand the material while not overwhelming them.
Scott genuinely cares about his students and how well they do in the course. Provides a study guide right before each exam and the material from the exam comes directly off of the study guide. Gives clear answers to questions that are asked in class and outside of class. Great professor and everyone should have the opportunity to have him as one.
great professor! you learn from his textbook so i thought that was really cool. he is extremely kind and helpful during office hours.
Scott Abernathy is honestly the best professor I have ever had. I took his intro class my second year because I heard how great he was and I wasn't disappointed. You can tell just by being in his class five minutes he cares about the material and the students immensely. He loves teaching and everyone can see it. UM wouldn't be the same without him!
This class is usually pretty interesting, but Scott makes even the driest topics at least moderately interesting. His study guides are great and tell you almost everything you need to know for the test. He's very funny and super accessible.
Scott was a super nice professor, but he sometimes rambled and took a long time to explain pretty simple concepts. I enjoyed the course because the subject matter is interesting and he is passionate about it, but I struggled to follow his train of thought at times. The final paper isn't that hard, despite being 10 pages long, and he'll help you.
Super interesting class that's not too difficult! The lecture content is extremely important so make sure you take good notes. There is one big paper that's worth a lot of your grade, but he gives you a lot of help and resources. He grades fairly easily if you know what you're talking about.
After not studying and getting a 14/25 on the first test, I went in and talked to him during office hours. He was incredibly helpful and kind and I missed a total of 4 points on everything else. He really wants you to succeed and is willing to help. There are two tests, each worth 25% of your grade, a project worth 30%, and participation is 20%.
Scott will answer absolutely any questions that you have. He is very enthusiastic about the material he's teaching and you can tell he truly loves what he's doing. He cares about students and if you ever forget to print an assignment out or something like that, he's totally fine with you either emailing it or handing it in later. Highly recommend.
Scott is the best. He is so passionate about what he teaches, and he really wants everyone to succeed. He is so kind to everyone and will help you with anything you need. He's also incredibly funny and knowledgable. I would 100% take another course that he teaches.
Scott really has a heart for the students. Sometimes things were unclear and he goes on a lot of tangents, but it's only because he's really passionate about the topic. I am not a polysci major so I didn't enjoy the class content too much, but Scott made it as fun as possible. If you have to take a polysci class, I would recommend taking his.
BEST PROFESSOR. You have to take this class!! Professor Abernathy is so passionate about the material it is contagious. He cares about everyone and is extremely understanding/accommodating. My interest in the subject matter quadrupled and you have to TAKE THIS CLASS!
What a man. His lectures were always very engaging and captivating. He's super intelligent and great at explaining complex systems to students. Really cares about his students too. 10/10 would get a beer or take another class with him.
Scott is the type of professor that can make things such as education policy and school finance come alive, which isnt an easy task. Hes incredibly interesting and gives great lectures. However, he doesnt use a PowerPoint so be ready to listen. Incredibly knowledgeable and looking to give you a good grade if you work hard. 10/10 would recommend
POLS4991 is the second course I've taken with Prof. Abernathy & I cannot put into words how caring & passionate he is about politics, especially education in the U.S. Despite the course being a capstone, Prof. Abernathy gave amazing advice and information for us poli sci majors after graduation. Extremely understandable, relatable, and awesome!
Prof. Abernathy was one of the best professors I met in the department. I took his class back in the fall of 2018, and to this day whenever I bring him up to other students or faculty they rave about him. Sure he goes on tangents during lectures and he's not always the clearest, but he deeply cares about what he teaches and he truly wants to help.
Abernathy is a fantastic prof, able to simplify the complex topic of political science without dumbing it down; very energetic passionate guy. There's plenty of reading to do in this class; usually class just goes over what's covered in reading, but still would recommend you do the reading bc you'll be a lot more prepared for discussion.
Ran very smoothly for a genuine online class. He would often change assignments as they approached in terms of due dates (typically making the requirements easier to achieve) which I thought was really nice. Overall wanted to see each of us be successful in the class.
Professor Abernathy is a super caring and easy going professor. The class consists of reading his online book and taking mini 3 question, GRADED ON COMPLETION, quizzes. The midterm is an open book open notes essay which is very easy. There is one paper which was is easy and then the final was just like the midterm. Overall an easy A
My entire grade consisted of a midterm, 6-ish page long paper, and a final. The class is basically just lecture, break off into small groups to discuss, and then lecture some more. I wish this was a smaller class, but I thought that Abernathy did a good job keeping class engaging despite the large (~80 students) size.
Really engaging lectures that really give you the sense that he is passionate about the subject matter. There are no lecture slides so attendance matters a lot if you want to ask questions about the readings or have the topics expanded.
Abernathy is a great person and a very nice professor. But this course was all over the place. You're only graded on two exams and one essay. Not a great prof if you like organization, clear guidelines, and interesting lectures. His lectures were really hard to follow because he never finishes a sentence before starting a new thought.
Prof Abernathy was super kind. Very understanding and empathetic. However, I don't think I learned a single thing in the class. Lectures are incredibly confusing so I never went. And I got an A. Grades pretty easy. Take the class but don't expect to learn stuff. Save time and sleep in
Great professor with a good heart. Talks pretty fast during the lectures and they tend to be a little over the place but overall they are pretty solid. There are 2 weekly readings with the attendance, 2 tests and a paper as the only things that are graded for the class. Make sure you follow the directions closely for the tests.
Professor Abernathy is truthfully the best professor I have ever had. He is a great lecturer, and you can tell he is really passionate about the topics at hand. I loved his class so much that I am taking POL 3319 with him next semester.
Definitely a great professor!
Class is super easy. I would usually skim the readings. SHOW UP TO LECTURES. Literally all the content was in the lectures, if it was in the readings it will be in the lectures as well. Graded on Participation (small group discussion), Midterm, Project, Final. Attend the Midterm and Final review he will go through the guide that matches the final
He is a great professor and really cares about his students. His lectures can feel a little long at times, but overall he was amazing!
Professor Scott is phenomenal. Even though the lecture went long, he is always ready to answer any questions. You can tell that he is passionate with his class. He is also easygoing, pretty comfortable with late assignments, and willing to put as much effort as you need. . All you need is take notes in his class. I highly recommended Scott!
Professor was passionate, funny, and very knowledgable about course content. Though there was a textbook, reading wasn't necessary to achieve an A in the class. He has a tendency to go on tangents (and talks FAST) but he provides lecture outlines (both on paper and PDF) for notetaking during class. Exams (open note) aren't timed but are LEQs.
Man once this man retired the PoliSci department lost a real one. Seriously an amazing guy and we both chatted a ton on politics during office hours. Seriously an amazing guy!
Prof. Abernathy's lectures can be a bit unstructured, but he's genuinely passionate about the material. Attendance is key, and using resources like unstuck AI alongside the readings really helps. Overall, a decent class.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
51%
Textbook Required
27%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.09 avg changeRatings by Course
1001
5.0
(2)10013319
5.0
(1)POL4310
5.0
(3)POLISCI
5.0
(2)POL4810
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
POL4810
3.0
POL3070
3.0
POLISCI1001
3.0
POL3310
3.0
POL4310
2.7