<p>I am an incoming freshmen and I was looking to see what possible classes to take and I saw PSC 003 Intro to international politics. It seems like a very interesting course and I want to take it, though what I am concerned about are all the negative reviews which Professor Rector has received on Rate My Professor regarding how he runs the class and the insane difficulty of the TA's. </p>
<p>Does anyone have any prior experience with Professor Rector which can help shed some light on this? Are the numerous claims about him actually true or is he really a wonderful prof who just happens to have a posse of former students who dislike him?</p>
<p>I never had him, but a LOT of people did, and it seems like you either love or hate the guy. Apparently his lectures can be really interesting, but he can come off as arrogant. Also, I’ve heard that your TA can make or break your experience in the class- one of my friends had a TA that all but refused to give As, and another had a very sympathetic one that was super-helpful in reviewing for tests.</p>
<p>Remember though, you have until the second week of classes to finalize your schedule. You could register for the class, and if you don’t like his teaching style in the first couple of classes, you can switch to something else.</p>
<p>I haven’t had him, but one of my close friends took his PSC 003 class last semester and absolutely loved it. He assigns a lot of work and is demanding, but is also supposedly fun and incredibly knowledgeable. Take the Rate My Professor reviews with a grain of salt - only people on the extreme ends tend to post reviews. Every professor has their fans and their dissenters. By the way - despite the negative reviews, I’m planning on taking him for an upper-level PSC class in the next few years. Best of luck!</p>
<p>BAsically, there is not such a thing as an easy Poli Sci class. Professors have a tendency to assume you know the basics, even in the introductory classes, so they don’t start from the ABCs, more like integrated knowledge, papers, etc. Getting a B is a form of accomplishment in these classes. TAs can be harsher than professors, because they are the ones who actually grade you.</p>