Michael Fine - University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI

Professor: Michael Fine

Department: Political Science

College: University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: POLS405
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Michael Fine is a terrible professor. He knows his material, however he does not allow students to give their own opinions of the court cases he assigns. Those 70 some court cases don't even attribute to ultimately passing the final aside from knowing the names. Not impressed!

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: POLS301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Hard prof. Midterm and final are worth 80 percent of your grade. Two to three one page papers a week. Doesn't believe in powerpoints and lectures the whole class

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: POLS301
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Fine makes the class seem intimidating but in reality goes easy on grading. Two weekly papers make the class a lot of busy work. Your final grade is based on 40% midterm and 40% final. Seems intimidating but if you justify your answers you'll pass.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: POLS405
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

You will work hard here. You will be rewarded even more. Do the work, do the briefs. See him in his office, and the professor-ness melts away. He's a regular guy. Don't be afraid of participating. He will come to respect your bravery and effort, even if you're dead wrong. If you avoid this professor, you are shooting yourself in the foot.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I took a POLS class with Professor Fine a long time back, in the early 80s I think. Everyone told me he was a stiff grader and hated cops. I was a full time Sheriffs Deputy at the time and he showed no bias towards me. Contrary to that as long as you participate in discussions you were good to go. I found him to be a good, honest professor.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: POLS405
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Do not take Fine! Horrible professor! He is rude and rambles on about nothing. He expects so much... 74 briefs. PREPARE WELL FOR THE MIDTERM OR YOU CAN KISS YOUR GRADE GOODBYE. Keep up with the briefs... don't need to read the extra chapters in the book (doesn't really benefit you). He also calls on you in class so be prepared. Good luck.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: POLS312
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Horrible. If you can, do not take this class. I did end up with a B, but expect to work your butt off. He is a horrible professor. He is rude, makes you feel dumb, and talks about irrelevant information basically the whole time. If you don't keep up on the readings, attend class, and do well on the papers, you won't do well in this class.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: POLS405
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Fine is no doubt an extremely intelligent individual, it just doesn't translate well in the form of teaching abilities. His lectures are typically tangents that are barely related to the reading and his expectations for papers are insane.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: POLS312
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I have never been more uncomfortable in a class in the entirety of my college career. He's a harsh grader, calls people out in class, degrades students and their opinions, and makes this course unbearable. If it wasn't a requirement for my degree, I would've dropped it day 1. It's about time for this man to retire tbh.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: POLS312
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Easily the most intense course I've taken to date at UW-EC. Fine is very knowledgeable about the topic and wants you to learn, but he gets off topic and rambles making lectures almost unbearable. Get ready to read and write A TON as well. I had more homework in this class than my other 4 classes combined. Avoid him if you can.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: POLS312
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

At first, hated Fine's class. He rants in his lectures, can be condescending, and doesn't give direction. There's so much reading, even more writing. But he's a nice guy, and he wants you to learn. Go to his office hours, he'll help you understand. He just wants to know you can think for yourself and can do the work. It's good prep for law school.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: POLS312
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Fine is a really nice guy but every lecture he gets extremely off topic but he's a funny guy to listen to. There is SO much reading and writing in this class. You have to write 40 1 page briefs and two 7 page papers over the semester. He's a fair grader and gives great feedback. The entire semester is on the Federalist Papers and Tocqueville

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: POLS405
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Not as bad as I thought he would be after reading the other comments on here. Lots of homework and can be very blunt when asking questions but I did learn a lot by having to do all the briefs. 74 case briefs, 2 exams (essay and multiple choice), 1 paper, 1 quiz

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: POLS405
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Fine is a nice guy, but he does go off of tangents a lot. If you don't do your briefs then you won't pass the class. Exams are kind of hard but they are essays. One final paper that is difficult. Fine loves what he does and loves being a professor, just some of the expectations are really high.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: POLS301
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Fine is a very enthusiastic professor, he loves political science and has his opinions on just about every subject. That being said he is very friendly, if not a little intimidating. He is one of those professors that you don't want to hate, but they just aren't the greatest at teaching.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: POL405
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Fine knows what he is talking about however, he is terrible at teaching and explaining. He goes on tangents during class that never apply to the course - this happens at least once a class. Also, if you have a sensitive personality then avoid him. He is not rude but he's very direct which tends to offend some people. I would not take him again.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: POLS 301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Lectures are long which consist of mostly tangents and stories making class unclear. He will ask questions in class but then belittle anyone who answers incorrectly. The briefs for this class are mostly right out of the book but he grades hard. He gives you the Exam beforehand, but they are still very difficult essay questions. Avoid if possible!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: 301
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

His lectures were so off topic that I never went to class. All the test answers are laid out in the book very clearly! I usually studied about 410 of the questions for a couple hours before the test and hoped that the ones I studied were ones he picked for the test. Got B's on both exams and briefs. The class isn't hard even with minimal effort

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: POLS301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Fine is a genius, and the class is right up your alley if you enjoy politics. Not just the process, but the history and applications in real, current issues. Lots of work, but worth it 100%. I'd take it over again.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: POLS405
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Yes, you have to do 70+ briefs for this class. However, you will learn so much from this project. I have kept them as I prepare for law school. Fine has 30+ years of teaching and it shows by his knowledge of the subject material. I was intimidated at first by him, but later chose him as my capstone director. Smartest professor I had at UWEC.