Professor profile for Alan Kessler
Student reviews of Alan Kessler
Review from a student who took GOV 312L
Kessler's class is the first I have never wanted to skip. His lectures can get a little boring, but his goofy sense of humor will wake you back up. Tests are harder than you would think, but passable. ps - don't by the $50 course packet. the readings are not necessary and good grades are attainable w/out it.
Kessler's class is the first I have never wanted to skip. His lectures can get a little boring, but his goofy sense of humor will wake you back up. Tests are harder than you would think, but passable. ps - don't by the $50 course packet. the readings are not necessary and good grades are attainable w/out it.
Review from a student who took 360N
This is a review of his "Globalization and Trade Policies" class. Dr. Kessler is the first professor I've met that takes the time to learn his students. I had never spoken to the man, but when I approached him one day, not only did he know my name but he gave me a helpful answer. When I returned home that day, I noticed that he had sent me a personal email further answering my question. I've never seen that amount of care towards students. His lecturing style is unbelievable. He is articulate, witty, intellegent, open to questions, and above all else, politically-neutral to a fault. His readings are copious, but if you read them, you will be ahead of most political science graduate students. In this sense, his class is perfect for the more sophisticated undergraduate who wants to learn a lot and get ahead in the field. His tests aren't terribly difficult. For the most part, they follow from the study guides he gives a week before the exam. In all, I would say that Kessler is the best professor I've ever had at UT, if ever.
This is a review of his "Globalization and Trade Policies" class. Dr. Kessler is the first professor I've met that takes the time to learn his students. I had never spoken to the man, but when I approached him one day, not only did he know my name but he gave me a helpful answer. When I returned home that day, I noticed that he had sent me a personal email further answering my question. I've never seen that amount of care towards students. His lecturing style is unbelievable. He is articulate, witty, intellegent, open to questions, and above all else, politically-neutral to a fault. His readings are copious, but if you read them, you will be ahead of most political science graduate students. In this sense, his class is perfect for the more sophisticated undergraduate who wants to learn a lot and get ahead in the field. His tests aren't terribly difficult. For the most part, they follow from the study guides he gives a week before the exam. In all, I would say that Kessler is the best professor I've ever had at UT, if ever.
Review from a student who took GOV 360N
I took Intro to International Relations with Kessler over the summer. The class was interesting but pretty challenging. There was an incredible amount of reading and the tests were difficult. The review sheet he gave had pretty much everything that we'd talked about in class, but some of the things on the first test didn't show up until the review sheet for the second test. Perhaps he didn't change the review sheets from when he taught the class in the school year, but it made it rather confusing. He's a nice guy but the class wasn't that fun. I'd only recommend this class if your REALLY interested in International Relations.
I took Intro to International Relations with Kessler over the summer. The class was interesting but pretty challenging. There was an incredible amount of reading and the tests were difficult. The review sheet he gave had pretty much everything that we'd talked about in class, but some of the things on the first test didn't show up until the review sheet for the second test. Perhaps he didn't change the review sheets from when he taught the class in the school year, but it made it rather confusing. He's a nice guy but the class wasn't that fun. I'd only recommend this class if your REALLY interested in International Relations.
Review from a student who took GOV360N
Professor Kessler is a wonderful instructor. His lecturing skills are amazing, even if it's not the most interesting topic ever. He's very approachable and friendly, and always willing to help. The workload is a bit staggering at times and the reading is always necessary, as well as staying on top of current events, but most of it will hold your attention. I highly reccommend him to any government major.
Professor Kessler is a wonderful instructor. His lecturing skills are amazing, even if it's not the most interesting topic ever. He's very approachable and friendly, and always willing to help. The workload is a bit staggering at times and the reading is always necessary, as well as staying on top of current events, but most of it will hold your attention. I highly reccommend him to any government major.
Review from a student who took GOV 360N
I took the class titled "Foreign Policy Decision Making," with Professor Kessler. I agree, the class can be challenging. However, if you do enjoy being challenged, then this is the best class to take. There were 2 take home exams (essays) and 2 smaller writing assignments. The exams covered material from lectures and the course packets. So..if you read and review your notes, then the exams are pretty easy to complete. Oh,if you never had a background in international relations...don't worry. The professor and TA were very helpful with explaining things. No outside reserach is required, unless you want to learn more. Professor Kessler did a great job of reviewing events from the past and relating them to the class. So, overall the professor, lectures, class discussions, and the TA were all helpful. Thus, if you put in the effort, you should make an A in the class. Yes, a challenging class, but quite rewarding in the end.
I took the class titled "Foreign Policy Decision Making," with Professor Kessler. I agree, the class can be challenging. However, if you do enjoy being challenged, then this is the best class to take. There were 2 take home exams (essays) and 2 smaller writing assignments. The exams covered material from lectures and the course packets. So..if you read and review your notes, then the exams are pretty easy to complete. Oh,if you never had a background in international relations...don't worry. The professor and TA were very helpful with explaining things. No outside reserach is required, unless you want to learn more. Professor Kessler did a great job of reviewing events from the past and relating them to the class. So, overall the professor, lectures, class discussions, and the TA were all helpful. Thus, if you put in the effort, you should make an A in the class. Yes, a challenging class, but quite rewarding in the end.
Review from a student who took gov 360n
Kessler is a pretty good prof. His lectures are a little boring, but that is mostly the material. He has a good sense of humor and tries to lighten it up. The tests are hard if you don't bother to do the review sheet thouroughly, but if you do its not that horrible.
Kessler is a pretty good prof. His lectures are a little boring, but that is mostly the material. He has a good sense of humor and tries to lighten it up. The tests are hard if you don't bother to do the review sheet thouroughly, but if you do its not that horrible.
Review from a student who took FxmuGKtdndcP
sWNG57 This is one awesome blog post.Much thanks again.
sWNG57 This is one awesome blog post.Much thanks again.