Pamela Conover - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Professor: Pamela Conover

Department: Political Science

College: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: POLI100
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Conover only lectures, don't expect to talk to her ever. Recitation is mandatory and your grades are decided by the TA. Honestly I knew the entire material after taking AP GOV but she makes it hard to get an A. Not as easy as a 100 intro course should be. She only makes you read NYT articles and everything you're graded on is NYT based.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: POLI50
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Overall, I really liked professor conover as a person. However, as far as first year seminars go I think this one was harder than necessary, particularly the final. I don't think this is a particularly challenging material, but the class period is very long so the lectures can kind of drone on.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: POLI100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Conover was not that bad, but definitely not the best. It really just depends on your TA. All Conover did was lecture for 50 minutes, and is not very helpful. I tried to go to office hours but she was busy. Conover is definitely inaccessible. However, I had a really good TA and was able to go to his office hours often. The class is okay overall.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: POLI100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I enjoyed Conover's class. Lectures aren't mandatory but she offers extra credit just for going. Exams aren't too bad. Participation in recitations and online is key in this class. She knows her stuff and tries to make topics interesting. 8/10.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: POLI100
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

This class was one of the best classes I have had at UNC. The lectures are easy to follow and the grading is straightforward. For our midterm, we were given possible short answer and essay questions before hand and could prepare for. Attendance is not mandatory and the slides are posted, but you have to show up for recitation and participate.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: POLI100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

To be honest, I took this class to fill hours , but it was somewhat enjoyable! I was excited to learn about the government (as it is intro to government) but it ended up being more about current events. Some of Conover's lectures were boring and some were interesting depending on the topic. Super easy class with not a lot of work with great TA's!

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: POLI217
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I really liked Professor Conover! There is a lot of reading and can be sometimes disorganized but overall taught an interesting class that had a point (which usually is not a thing in poli classes about social issues). Didn't get grades back for a while but if you put in the work and paid attention you can very easily get a good grade!

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: POLI100
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I didn't find lectures very clear, lecture slides were not helpful for studying, and there is a lot more work than you would expect for a 100 level class (POLI100).

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: POLI217
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

What a boring class! Lots of reading, all pointless and very low brow. Tests every day on the stupid reading. Mandatory forum posts about personal opinions. Unadvanced class, quite backwards in some of the concepts especially when looking at topics like false consciousness which are really no longer considered acceptable by most academics.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: POLI100
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I usually hate history-like classes, but this class is more so focused around social issues than government itself. She's a funny lady and isn't afraid to express her opinion or tell you you're wrong when you express yours. Grades are mainly focused around recitation so it really depends on what TA you have and how harshly they grade.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: POLI50
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

This class was pretty easy. The hardest part about it was sitting through the 2 and a half hour discussions on the movies we watched the previous class. Very easy to get a good grade, there are 3 papers due throughout the semester comprising 40% of grade and the final is open everything and she gives you the questions ahead of time.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: POLI100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Conover was a great lecturer. She's knowledgeable, funny, and very explicit about what she expects from you. Her lectures were straightforward, interesting and she sent out study guides in advance so that you could prepare for the tests way ahead of time without any curveballs. I would definitely take another class with her!

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: POLI100
• 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:

I took this class so that I could learn about US government. I actually ended up learning about current social issues. This class doesn't have that much outside work and not really any homework because you don't actually have to read all of the NYT's articles she assigns. I would take this class with a different prof. She curved my test grade down.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: POLI100
• 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: Not Mandatory

Comment:

This class was more difficult than I expected, and if I had looked on this site, I would not have taken it. The grading scale is tough, the lectures are boring. The class is centered around the New York Times and you actually have to pay for a weekly subscription. The recitations are good, and getting a good TA is important for passing.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: POLI100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

She isn't a terrible teacher but she's not great either. Definitely one of those middle aged people that thinks our generation and technology are ruining the world. Her lectures, while not particularly engaging or interesting, are clear. Lectures are optional but go and take notes on what she says, not just her powerpoints. Required NYT reading.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: POLI79
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

She is very politically inclined and that is made clear in her teaching. I had a hard time expressing my own opinions in the small group setting.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: POLI100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This class was by no means easy, but her lectures were very engaging, and if you do your work, you can surely get an A. Getting a good TA really matters and participating in recitation discussions helps your grade (and it wouldn't hurt to take notes during them). I had Mr Petrash and he was great. But go to lectures and take good notes for sure!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: POLI100
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Not very understanding at all.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: POLI50
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Watching movies is great and this class is not hard at all, but once Conover starts to lecture, I lose all interest. She teaches like a high school teacher, has the least helpful power points imaginable, and will shut down anyone's ideas that do not align with hers. It's not a hard class at all, but I just can't handle her as a professor.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: POLI100
• 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:

I think if I were to have read some of the most recent ratings before I took this class, I wouldn't have taken it and would have missed out on a great class. Granted, this class is far from an easy A, but Conover knows what she is talking about and if you put in the work you will reap the benefits.