Harlan Wilson - Oberlin College

Professor: Harlan Wilson

Department: TBD

College: Oberlin College

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: POLT234
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

One of my favorite professors at Oberlin. His political theory classes are very thought provoking and rewarding. HIs intellectual enthusiasm is contagious. He is sly and likes to challenge and provoke responses, but he has a genuine passion for getting students to really engage with the ideas and with each other. Difficult but relatively fair.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: POLALL
• 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:

SUPERB professor of political theory. Took as many classes as I could with him at Oberlin 20 years ago, and I wasn't even a minor or major in politics. Still remember his teaching with great appreciation.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: POLT131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I LOVE HARLAN WILSON! he has a fantastic sense of humor and is extremely intelligent. Class was a pleasure and a challenge, I knew nothing about Politics coming in and now hope to take more classes with Prof Wilson. Also, he looks like a walrus!

Rating # 4

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Great professor. Genuinely interested in material and students' ideas. Demands a lot of critical thinking, but helps you when you are lost. Expects a lot from papers. Assigns a lot of reading, which you don't always have to do. Lectures can be dull, but well worth it. Plus, he's really funny sometimes.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: FYSP999
• 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:

Not an easy teacher by any means; He demands a decent amount of reading and critical thinking. His classes are worth the work. He has a huge amount of pertinent knowledge, is great at challenging what you're thinking, and is one of my funnier teachers. I'd recommend him highly

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: POLT233
• 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:

Knows what he teaches, good at explaining concepts, demanding but fair. But he assigns a lot of reading and is a tough grader--he says he wants you to think independently, but he grades with a bias I think. His classes are interesting and worth taking. A funny professor, interesting material.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: POLS230
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Dry, sardonic wit. In his Marxism class, he does his best (thankfully) to keep the Trotskyites who take the course only to make agitprop for their version of communism quiet, and challenges them to back up what they say with Marx's writings, which they frequently can't do. Also made a private reading on anarchy with him--very insightful.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: POLT233
• 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:

Great sense of humor. He can be intimidating, and if you don't have a clear idea of what you want to say, he'll tear you apart. The class is challenging, but you'll be glad you took it.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: POLT131
• 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:

Funny, sarcastic, knowledgeable, fair, open-minded and considerate. He really loves to get everyone as interested as he is in looking at every aspect of political theory, even when it's obvious that some classmembers don't really care all that much. He's just a combination of every good teaching quality ever. Long live the Walrus!

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: POL131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Fantastic.

Rating # 11

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Very funny, very dry sense of humor that makes him seem boring until you get used to it. He kept his personal politics out of the class, which was nice, considering I'm about as far from a Marxist as they come.

Rating # 12

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

I love Harlan Wilson. A lot. You don't understand. I want to be Harlan Wilson when I grow up. He's incredibly smart, sarcastic as all hell, and just plain awesome. Okay, maybe he's boring from time to time. But he makes up for it by being so cool. Once I went to discuss a paper with him and somehow ended up talking about dissecting cats. Live cats.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: UTOPIANTHOUGHT
• 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:

He could be the most delightful man in the universe. He cares about his students, and when I ate lunch with him he was an absolute gentleman. I didn't love him at first, but he really grew on me. His sense of humor grew on me, too.

Rating # 14

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

surely the best racquetball player in the politics department.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: 237
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Holy wow! I never thought Environmental Political Theory could be so interesting. I've learned a lot in this class so far and have gained a new perspective on life. Highly recommend having some polticial theory and envs. background, but you can do fine without it. Great lectures & discussions.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: POLT131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

yeah, i was all set to dislike this class, but i ended up actually enjoying it and absolutely loving prof wilson. his comments on papers have to be seen to be believed. he's incredibly insightful and very funny. talking to him about political theory is, like, better than sex. he is awesome.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: POLT131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

At first you'll think he's boring, but he grows and you and everyone loves him by the end. And you end up liking the class. It just takes time.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: POLT234
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Got to give it to the man!! Wilson is simply on point. He's one of the few professors at OC that goes out of his way to educate and help. The man knows whole-page quotes from Camus down to the most obscure theorist. Wilson...uve sparked a tremendous interest in me. Thanks. G'luck in the future!!

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: POLT131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

An interesting teacher, it was sometimes hard to follow his train of thought. Incredibly intelligent and knowledgable. Gives great feedback on papers and really takes the time to attempt to understand you and your arguments.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: POLT131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Wilson knows his stuff, but he's probably one of the least helpful professors I've had at Oberlin. When I ask him questions I feel like I never get a straight answer. It's easy and interesting, but only because Oberlin kids are talking... Wilson doesn't fascillitate us well at all.