James Hutter - Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Professor: James Hutter

Department: Political Science

College: Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: POLS406
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Had him for 406 spring of 2011. There were about 10 people in the class and all we did was search databases for numbers in a clearly defined way. So easy. He kept making me sit by other people. Easy A for me just going to class. Would take again.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: HIST361
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

First time this class has been taught here at ISU. HUGE democrat and likes to argue only if he wins. Tests are over all the books. He always says "ask yourself what would I put there" so its not always the best tests. Get on his good side and you wont drop below a B. He loses your papers a lot..

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: POLS305
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

If the professor likes you you'll do well in class. Attendance is mandatory. He grades papers based on his own Term Paper Guidelines, not on content. Overall a very frustrating professor, at the end of the semester I didn't learn anything.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: POLSC385
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS! This man is a tool! He is rude, arrogant, on a power trip, and a sexiest pig! He requires you to attend class when he does not lecture! NOT ONCE! You watch movies most of the time, which of course means he does not have to teach. His tests are nuts! He will literally take a quote from a 300book and ask who said it.PRICK!

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: POL215
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

All he asks is that you do your work. If you read what he assigns, you will do just fine.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: POLI215
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Hutter is not a bad teacher, this is college, so the classes are harder than they were in high school. Tests are hard though so dedicate time to studying. He has a liberal bias, but it doesn't really show that much, and isn't extreme. Overall I don't think he is as bad as people on here say he is.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: PS215
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He's a little silly, and sometimes messes up test scores. He's alright if you don't mind learning a lot on your own.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: POLSC215
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Attended class everyday, read everything in the book and still did terrible on tests. You REALLY have to dedicate at least 2 hours a night studying.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: POLSC215
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Attended class everyday, read everything in the book and still did terrible on tests. You REALLY have to dedicate at least 2 hours a night studying.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: POLSC215
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Attended class everyday, read everything in the book and still did terrible on tests. You REALLY have to dedicate at least 2 hours a night studying.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PO215
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Mr. Hutter had his favorites in my class... the ones were doing good.. not sure how they did good because his quizzes were random material out of the book.. not even the main idea, but he would quiz over the captions under texts or number questions asking what the percentage for so and so on the chart. dumb questions that were really irrelevant.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: POLS215
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Avoid this prof. Absolutely have to do all readings and take notes on them. Tests do not cover main ideas but minor details. Lectures are mandatory but a waste of time. Interjects his own political opinion and the same irrelevant stories repeatedly. Long lecture, little learned. Class is survivable; everyone either fails or does great - no middle.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: POLS215
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Try to avoid hutter. He is extemly unorganized and his exams are not even fair. I read everything and attended lecture to still recieve terrible grades..not worth it switch to a different professor

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: 215
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

My class was a three hour night class, and we had exams every week. If you read the book or readings each week, and paid attention in class, the test was okay. He was strict, but he was fair and had a great personality. Attendance was mandatory, but since it was only once a week it wasn't too bad. There was also extra credit opportunities.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: POLS305
• 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 am shocked at the poor reviews of Prof. Hutter. He was extremely interesting/I learned a lot from his class. I did attend almost all classes and found it helpful that he spelled out EXACTLY what he wanted. This is COLLEGE people, you are going to encounter tough professors and it helped that his expectations were clear. Got an A in the class.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: POLS340
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Hutter is biased, egotistical, and should not be a professor at this university. You will have a hard time finding even one PolS major who recommends him or his teaching. He goes so far as to issue his own, long-winded style guide for all term papers because obviously AP, MLA, Chicago, or Harvard style guidelines just aren't good enough.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: POLS406
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

His tests are impossible to pass even if you read the book. Most of the class fails and you have to rely on a curve. His lectures never have a plan and are just what's on his mind that day. Don't count on knowing your grade until the very end, which will be a total surprise. He's impossible to deal with. My advice: Don't take a class with him!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: POS215
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Don't take this class, with this instructor.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: POLS318
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Not a very good teacher - he tended to ramble a lot. Lectures were mostly his opinion and it was hard to have a different opinion then him. Easier to just let him go on about things. Tests were difficult, not sure how he arrived at final grades for the class. Certainly seemed random to me!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: POLS318
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

The absolute worst professor I have ever encountered. He is very politically biased and class time is worthless. All tests are derived from the text. He grades with a very steep curve. I think the lowest grade in my class was a B- or maybe in the C range, even though some people were below 60%. He's not tolerant of outside ideas.