Ken Menkhaus - Davidson College, Davidson, NC

Professor: Ken Menkhaus

Department: Political Science

College: Davidson College, Davidson, NC

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: POL140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Menkhaus a knowledgable guy. Unfortunately, his class is only lectures, and by this I mean he sits at the front of the room and talks the whole time and you're expected to get down every word that he says. There're very few graded assignments and he takes forever to get them back. Overall, he was just okay.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: POL140
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

One of the most interesting professors I've had at Davidson so far. Hearing about his experiences working in Somalia is fascinating. The course material is also very interesting. He's a fair grader, just takes a long time to get assignments back because he takes on many responsibilities with the school. Highly recommend a class with him.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: POL140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Menkhaus is passionate about his field of study and often interjected facts about Africa during POL 140. It is important to do the reading and to take notes during class. Most of the important information he gives is during his lectures.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: POL140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I took this poly sci class as a bio major and even though my bio heavy brain did not understand what was going on, it was a good class overall. His lectures were really interesting and he is a fair grader. Only problem is he takes on too many jobs in the school that he takes FOREVER to grade so you dont know how youre doing

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: POL140
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Good guy. Him and I may not agree on everything about politics, but his lectures are interesting, he's a fair grader, and I enjoyed the class. Would recommend for anyone wanting an interesting polisci course. He always has interesting stories about his world travels and living abroad too.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: POL381
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Menkhaus is first to say that Philanthropy and the Nonprofit Sector is his "bread&butter course" at Davidson. Lectures sometimes felt a tad underprepared, but more importantly, he provided the best platform for students to engage with one another, reflecting on effective giving and the course's lab component where we gave $20K to local nonprofits!

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: POL362
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Menkhaus is literally the hidden gem of Davidson. If you don't know much about him, Google him. His "field stories" are the reason for taking his class. He tells stories about sleeping on the couches of ambassadors, flying around war-torn cities in helicopters, getting coffee with spies, proving the DoD wrong and playing war games with the military

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: POL209
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Menkhaus is a legend. He says things like "And that's why you have to be able to outdrink Swedish intelligence officers" and "Death threats are easier to handle than bar fights." You will have to work in his class, but he's a fair grader and makes sure you learn stuff. He will stick up for you in the wider poli sci world if you earn his respect.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: AFRICANPOL
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Menkhaus is the man. One of my favorite quotes: "Being able to outdrink Swedish intelligence agents is an important part of field research." He really knows his stuff and teaches straightforward lecture classes. He expects a lot from writing and is very busy, but he's a great guy and will go to bat for you.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: POL130
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Menkhaus's lectures are pretty clear and cover most of the material that you were supposed to read (which few people actually do), but know the names and major ideas of the authors for tests. I found him a very interesting guy and his anecdotes about Somalia are always interesting and pertain to the subject being covered.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: POL290
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I was not a poli sci major but took this course and learned so much (yes, even at 8:30am). Menkhaus is an incredible lecturer, and as long as you take great notes, you will do fine. Very fair grader but very hard to visit during office hours, as he is constantly traveling. i would highly recommend this class. he's not as hard as people think.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: POL130
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Best teacher ever. Super interesting lectures...sometimes it was so interesting that I forgot to take notes! Phenomenal.. I wish he would teach all of my classes. I had his class at 8:15, but I actually looked forward to going and I never dozed off because it was such a great class.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: POL130
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Menkhaus is a smart, nice guy, but I do not recommend him. He claims to want a discussion based class, yet he ends up lecturing the whole time. Also, He takes a long time to grade, and he does not provide very useful comments/ feedback.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: POL250
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Menkhaus may frequently be called to DC and beyond to help the government, which can make meeting with him difficult, but when you do meet with him, he's very engaging and helpful. Incredibly knowledgeable, yet down-to-earth and friendly in lecture. Tests/papers can seem daunting, but he grades very fairly.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: POL250
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

A phenomenal teacher and a great guy. Teaches you the importance of brevity and answering with hard facts. Also be prepared for class to be cancelled every other week since he's traveling to DC to testify before Congress on Somalia (he's the #1 expert in US) Finally the class was virtually all lecture so go to every class write down EVERYTHING.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: POL240
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Menkhaus is my favorite professor at Davidson. This is a lecture class, but you will definitely not be bored. I had this class at 8:30 and I was still excited to go.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: POL141
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Menkhaus is incredible - a MUST TAKE! He assigns a lot of reading, but both it and his lectures are phenomenal. He single-handedly made me understand what's going on in the news today.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: POL241
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

don't miss his class

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: POL241
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I couldn't have asked for a better professor, nor could I have asked for a better way to set up a class. He is smart, engaging, and if you don't take a class with him, you are missing out.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: POL241
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Menkhaus is well-qualified, let there be no doubt. He stays pretty busy with his own work, but not to an excess. He's available if you need to meet. But really this is a true lecture class. Tests and essays will generally be graded hard. Did I mention the reading? Because there is without a doubt a lot of it.