PSC 334 - Latin American Political Systems

Disclaimer: This is another in a series of posts discussing my classes this semester. They will all be under the label "Fall Courses" if you want to look at them.

First, I had no plans on taking this course. I had to add this at the last minute because of a work conflict, so I took what upper-level political science class was available.

The professor, Dr. Kline, is very knowledgeable about Latin America, having lived there several times in several countries. The textbook we use was edited by him. Needless to say, he's the right teacher for the job.

However, it just doesn't hold my interest. I've never been to Latin America, and it's never been an area in which I've been interested.

Dr. Kline also has the tendency to go off on tangents, which almost never have anything to do with the topic of the day. We tend to end up skipping over five or six slides to get to where he wants to be, and we don't get any of the slides to look at ourselves.

The one main positive is the fact that he emphasizes analysis rather than rote facts. He wants us to learn how to analyze situations and judge whether democracy really exists in these countries. So, I'll muddle through and get by in this class, and look forward to what's available in the spring.