Home       Professor Search       Professor List       Evaluate a Professor       About Us       Contact Us       Settle, Allen  Cumulative GPA: 2.15/4.00 with 88 evaluations Presents Material Clearly: 1.91 Recognizes Student Difficulties: 2.07 Political Science Department, Cal Poly, SLO Full Statistical Analysis Evaluate This Professor

POLS 112 Sophomore Grade Earned: B General Ed 1:30 am, Mar 26, 2013 Report Evaluation		I've had some pretty bad professors, but this was the first one that has driven me to try to save others from suffering through a class of his. This man seems to know a great deal about politics, but he either does not know how or does not desire to give this knowledge to students. His inability to even form a coherent, meaningful sentence shocked me at the beginning of the first class, and his expectation of students to just "know" politics without him teaching it or providing any resources for students to learn (as demonstrated by his exams, which have questions he has pulled from God knows where) frustrated me throughout the quarter. If you do not ALREADY know much about government or politics and you want an A in this class, best of luck.
POLS 471 Senior Grade Earned: N/A Elective 9:13 pm, Mar 18, 2013 Report Evaluation		I REALLY want to like him as a professor. He seems like a nice guy and he tries really hard. However, he knows SO much about city government that he struggles to verbally express any ideas clearly. Going to class is a waste of your time because even if you pay attention, the material isn't clear. The tests aren't hard if you can navigate your way through the books and the study guide but his lectures won't help you at all.
POLS 471 Junior Grade Earned: N/A Required (Support) 6:29 pm, Mar 18, 2013 Report Evaluation		Settle is a really great guy and one of the most talkative professors at Cal Poly, unfortunately that doesn't mean he is a good teacher. He goes off on tangents from tangents to the point where he constantly forgets what he was talking about to begin with. It's clear he has a lot of knowledge about the material, but it doesn't translate well to his students and his tests cover material that was never discussed in class. The textbooks are horribly useless for this class and he never references them once, but somehow they make up about 25% to 33% of the midterm and final. For the essay, you are given an extremely broad prompt and it's supposed to be 12 to 16 pages long. I wish this class would have been taught by someone else this quarter, because the material seems quite interesting.
POLS 471 Junior Grade Earned: N/A Required (Support) 3:27 pm, Jan 28, 2013 Report Evaluation		lectures impossible to follow, powerpoints don't make sense. HIS EMAILS AND HANDOUTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. Either that or all bold. Extremely not student-friendly. How could this man once have been mayor of SLO...
POLS 112 Sophomore Grade Earned: A General Ed 9:51 am, Dec 11, 2012 Report Evaluation		Well I didn't really show up for most of the quarter...you don't need to. He has two midterm exams that are based off of a study guide. Each study guide has about 50 or so topics, and the exams have 50 questions. Really simple, really. All you have to do is memorize the topics on the study guides, and use common sense for the problems on the test you don't know, and you should pull a good grade. I was really good at gov/political science before this class, so I was able to study the day before exams and pull an A without going to class. In lectures, Settle puts up power points and barely glazes over them...he really just stands there and talks about stuff that may or may not be related to the actual material. There is also a 10 page term paper due at the end of the quarter, so don't delay that for too long. Overall, pretty easy.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 1:17 pm, Jun 24, 2012 Report Evaluation		Well, he lectures off a powerpoint, but really doesn't pay attention to the powerpoint and just talks. He could seriously talk for hours on end without anybody saying a thing. He can truly entertain himself. However, very nice guy, don't get me wrong. 2 easy midterms and a semi-hard final. he gives study guides for every test. there is a 10 page term paper that definitely takes some time. overall, an ok teacher. not bad.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 2:18 pm, May 25, 2012 Report Evaluation		Honestly, Prof Settle made this four hour lecture pretty entertaining given the subject, and time of day I had the class. He would usually let us out an hour or so early, so it was really only three hours per week. He knows so much, and it's interesting to hear his take on everything. Very colorful professor, and the class is pretty straight forward. I have no idea why people bitch so much about the term paper, yeah its a pain, but its a good grade boost if you do bad on the midterms or final, and you can write it on anything you want pretty much. Overall, a good professor.
POLS 112 Senior Grade Earned: N/A General Ed 10:53 pm, Apr 8, 2012 Report Evaluation		Awesome class! Super informed he knows almost too much. Great guy, brutal term paper but not a problem. Thanks for the great class
POLS 112 Sophomore Grade Earned: B General Ed 8:22 pm, Mar 22, 2012 Report Evaluation		this guy has some talent. He can successfully entertain himself for entire class periods without anyone paying attention to him at all. I mean really, this guy could have a full on conversation with a wall.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 1:43 pm, Mar 20, 2012 Report Evaluation		Allen Settle is an incredibly knowledgeable man. Provided that he was mayor of SLO for 30~ years, he is extremely credible in this regard. However, I can't help but challenge his credibility as a professor. The material he would talk about for long periods of time tended to be irrelevant, and the material that was actually relevant he would race through rather quickly. The readings from the book didn't help on the midterms whatsoever- which is almost a mockery due to how often he mentioned reading the textbook during the quarter. However, I found it interesting how he informed us about contemporary politics with videos and excerpts. But when he combined this with the randomized study guides, it sort of undermined the true potential of the class. The two midterms are 20% each and the final exam and term paper are 30% each. I got a 70% on the first midterm, a 76% on the second midterm, and "Bs" on both the final and term paper. So in the end, I have no idea how that happened. When it comes to the midterms, know all of the terms he discusses in class in addition to the study guides- not JUST the study guides. Flash cards work very efficiently. I would say an A is very possible in this class if you have a great scope of politics (and some intuition) because some of the questions on the midterms appeared to be random and unrelated. If you get the 4-hour lecture, grin and bear it for it will all be over soon.
POLS 341 5th Year Senior Grade Earned: A Elective 12:14 am, Dec 21, 2011 Report Evaluation		Settle's lectures are worthless 99% of the time. There is a sign in sheet, but no participation grade, so it doesn't matter after the first couple of weeks. There was a midterm, a non-cumulative final, and short in class case brief, and a longer 5 case brief paper. I thought all of the assignments were easy, even without trying. All you need to know is the concepts and cases on the study guides, and for the cases you just need to know what concept the case addressed. I got an 'A' in the class and put very little time into it. Despite his useless lectures which go off on millions of tangents, he has energy and is pretty funny for a guy his age. I have had other older professors that are monotone and humorless, so that is the one place I will really give him credit.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 6:39 pm, Sep 17, 2011 Report Evaluation		I was blocked into this class Fall Quarter 2010 and looking back at that quarter I realized what little I learned from him. Professor Settle is a good guy and pretty funny when he talks about his love for guns, but as a Political Science Professor he didn't fulfill what I expected of the class. His lectures went off on tangents where he complained about random things, mostly how the government was run. My session was a 4 hour class every Wednesday, and, honestly, many students took the back seats to watch youtube videos and go on facebook because he graded attendance like every other week. He only had 2 midterms and one big paper at the end, which didn't give me too much grief. However, getting the book was probably the worst waste of my time and money. I read it before the first midterm, realizing after taking it none of what I read showed up on the midterm. From then on I just looked over his slides and found he used more from there. Often he plays "short" clips and those really never showed up on the test either. Either way, it wasn't too hard of a class, although I learned my lesson about taking 4 hour classes.
POLS 236 Senior Grade Earned: A General Ed 12:09 am, Aug 23, 2011 Report Evaluation		I graduated three years ago. Settle is by far the most informed professor in the Pols department. I´m sure hes the only professor who can really paint the entire picture of what constitutional law is. This class is not about memorizing the constitution. Its about how it applies to the REAL world. He always has his door open for students to come in. If you didnt take advantage... your loss
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 12:37 pm, May 10, 2011 Report Evaluation		Seriously, the worst class I've ever taken. He's so boring, and goes off on tangents for literally 30 minutes. If you ask him a simple "what is this" question, it takes him 20 minutes to answer. I took the 4 hour class, which was nice to get it over with. But every class was torture for me. I ended up not going, because his lectures are so useless. Be liberal on the paper, and know the study guides for the test.
POLS 112 Junior Grade Earned: B General Ed 12:59 pm, Apr 8, 2011 Report Evaluation		This class was disappointing. Settle has difficulty staying on topic and rushes through all the important information. He spends a lot of time talking about how we live in "interesting times" and seems to enjoy painting a bleak outlook for our future. Also, he loves telling the same stories/anecdotes over an over again about sawed off shotguns, submarines, and stapling checks to our exams. You can tell that he thinks he's hilarious because he enjoys laughing at his own jokes during class. Typically, half of the class is spent watching dated videos or PBS documentaries about credit cards or health care in America (these simply acted as time fillers and he maybe asked one test question about all the videos combined). I felt like his exams weren't very fair. They're great if you're happy with a B or C, but it's hard to get an A because he often writes confusing questions on material that he never spoke about or included in the study guides. Lastly, if you take this class, you don't need to spend your money on the textbook. It's a very well-written book and you might learn a lot from it, but reading it won't help you do any better in Settle's class. Trust me...I spent the first half of the class doing all the reading and the second half I didn't bother even opening it. I actually got better grades when I didn't do any reading at all. Just focus on what he talks about during lecture and whatever is on the study guide. If you do that, you can get a B. With that and a little luck, you might get an A.
POLS 341 Junior Grade Earned: B Elective 12:51 am, Dec 22, 2010 Report Evaluation		Settle is a really sweet man who seems to genuinely care about his students. He was more than willing to help me, and seemed to prefer e-mail (which saved me from having to walk to his office a million times for little questions). However, he did seem to kind of throw out grades (I\'m not complaining about mine, this seemed to actually help me out a bit lol) The class content was very interesting, and sometimes he comes up with the weirdest phrases which make it easier to sit through his lectures. Overall, this class wasn\'t bad at all (except for the 12 page term paper).
POLS 341 Junior Grade Earned: B Required (Major) 3:37 pm, Dec 21, 2010 Report Evaluation		The fact that Settle was the mayor of SLO actually worries me a lot after taking his class... I think he\'s actually a very smart guy; when you listen to him talk about random stuff in class, its obvious he knows a lot about a lot. HOWEVER Settle is a very, very ineffective communicator. He does not explain any of the concepts in class clearly. It is actually kind of sad, because conlaw should be a fascinating class. Settle tries to relate the constitution to his own local government experiences, and his students are then lost in this random stories. Like the person below me said, we spent a significant portion of the class taking about inter-county water regulation and the problems bat poop causes local officials... \"you cant put a diaper on a bat\" wtf? Settle never really addresses the concept in the class. Lectures are pointless, and will only confuse you more. After the first two weeks of class you realize they are just a waste of time. The study guides he gives you for the two tests are the only thing that matters. Make sure you know everything on them, cause the study guide comes straight from the test. In the end though i feel like settle just gives out random grades, and really doesn\'t care about his student. Good news is, they\'re supposed to be replacing him soon, so if you can put iff taking this class, do it!!
POLS 341 Senior Grade Earned: B Required (Major) 8:08 pm, Dec 14, 2010 Report Evaluation		During class we went from discussing about the role of Supreme Court justices then to talking about bats in sewers. Enough said.
POLS 341 Senior Grade Earned: A Elective 8:53 pm, Dec 8, 2010 Report Evaluation		Take this class is you want an EASY A or B. Don\'t expect to learn much in this class. I barely studied for the midterm and I got a B. Settle is a nice guy but he has no idea how to teach. I\'m not the kind of person who skips class, but there really isn\'t any reason to even bother showing up for this class. Don\'t take notes on his power point because they will just confuse you and are a big waste of time. When I studied the cases for the final I didn\'t even study from notes that I took in this class, I studied from my notes from Ron\'s class because a lot of the cases overlap.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 11:39 pm, Nov 8, 2010 Report Evaluation		Very friendly and funny teacher. He knows his stuff. He presents materials a little too fast, but he gets the point across. Plus, his class doesn\'t last the entire four hours. He usually lets us out an hour early which is super cool of him. He buys the class pizza randomly which is really cool of him!
POLS 341 Freshman Grade Earned: B Required (Major) 9:03 am, Jun 16, 2010 Report Evaluation		Settle is pretty much the shittiest teacher I\'ve had so far at Poly. He spends the entire 2 hour lecture talking out of his ass and does not actually tell us what he\'s talking about, but expects you to figure it out. The midterm had a ton of questions that he\'d never even mentioned. He never posted the final grades or the 15 page research paper grades online, so somehow I ended up with a B? FYI Settle, it might be beneficial to actually let the students know how they are doing, rather than just handing out a random grade in the end. The worst part is that this Constituional Law class could have been extremely interesting, especially for those intending on going to law school, but he pretty much butchered the subject. It is TRULY a shame that this is one of the few teachers with tenure. And speaking to whoever wrote the comment below me, I agree with you 100%, I want my damn money back!
POLS 341 Sophomore Grade Earned: N/A Required (Major) 10:16 pm, May 27, 2010 Report Evaluation		are you fucking kidding me?! i cannot believe i paid to take this class.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: C General Ed 3:59 pm, May 24, 2010 Report Evaluation		Many questions on midterms and final that he did not speak about. Does not give any guidelines for paper. Interesting though, but if you want an A probably shouldn\'t take him.
POLS 471 Junior Grade Earned: A Required (Support) 8:55 pm, Mar 26, 2010 Report Evaluation		Settle is da man!!!!!!
POLS 471 Senior Grade Earned: B Required (Major) 12:14 pm, Mar 23, 2010 Report Evaluation		Coming into Urban Politics, I thought the lecture would be incredibly interesting. Not so much. Lectures are filled with tangents and irrelevant information for exams and tests, but he does have some good stories. Asking a question in lecture will lead to a ten minute answer that don\'t really solve anything, so it\'s probably better to just sit back and listen. One midterm with a few scantron questions and two essay questions, a final with two essay questions, and a term paper that is a max of 15 pages on a general problem in a California city...People were not joking when they said he doesn\'t read your tests or essays. I didn\'t do any reading and never attended lecture and got a B. Overall, don\'t buy the books, come to lecture if you want to be entertained, and don\'t worry about your grade.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: N/A Elective 11:39 am, Mar 15, 2010 Report Evaluation		Professor Settle is the most random teacher I have ever had- not in a bad way. He talks about the material for maybe an hour, and then just rants about politics, corruption, and \'oligarchy.\' In almost every class he says we\'re going to watch a short film, and it ends up being the most boring movie of your life, not to mention it usually lasts 1 - 1.5 hours. If you follow his study guides (if you can understand them), you can ace the midterms. I studied the day of and got B\'s on both. He\'s an interesting guy if you\'re really into politics, very opinionated and pretty entertaining. His combover is pretty intense too. Try not to get too distracted by it. I took the 4 hour class once a week, and it was nice to get it over with. He lets you out about an hour early, or you can leave whenever. Overall, an easy elective class where you can just zone out for 3 hours.
POLS 341 Junior Grade Earned: B Required (Major) 11:32 pm, Jan 30, 2010 Report Evaluation		Dr. Settle is a very smart professor; yes I do agree with other students that his class could be quite boring at times, and also not much helpful to what our grades were being determind by (our tests and papers.) I received a B+ in his course which I was honestly surprised about because I worked really hard and I felt that I did really well on the final and the paper. BUT, I kind of felt that he just threw out random grades. He is really funny though; it is so hilarious in class when we would ask him a question and he would talk FOREVER about something completely random and then he would ask \"Does that answer your question?\" and it was not even close to related to the question. HA HA he is funny
POLS 112 Senior Grade Earned: A General Ed 10:17 pm, Jan 3, 2010 Report Evaluation		The only reason you need to go to class besides signing the role sheet or getting the study guides is to zone out by staring at Settle\'s amazing combover. His tests are poorly written and contain questions that were never presented in any class material. I don\'t think he reads the essays, everyone I talked to got a B no matter what they wrote. Overall a totally frustrating class while you\'re taking it, but the memories of Settle are hilarious. One of my fondest moments in class was when Settle explained how he could maybe only kill 1 or 2 people in class if he fired one shot with a pistol, but could kill 3/4 of the class if he fired a shotgun, especially if it was sawed-off. Good times.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: A General Ed 8:36 pm, Aug 5, 2009 Report Evaluation		INVEST IN AMERICA - BUY A POLITICIAN! Be prepared to hear this phrase at every class meeting. Professor Settle is a very sweet man and seems to genuinely care about his students. Unfortunately, his lectures are extremely boring and for the most part irrelevant. I had this class for four hours on Monday nights and it was almost unbearable, luckily Settle usually let us out around the 3 hour mark. The class is an easy B for sure, but if you want an A you have to work a little bit harder. His midterms sometimes have questions that are unrelated to the material and at times don't even make sense. Grades are based entirely on midterms and the term paper. To do well on tests memorize the study guide and read the book. I strongly reccomend going to his office hours so he gets to know you, he is very friendly so its not bad at all! Overall, if you take this class, you only have to attend the lectures before midterms and go to office hours to do well.
POLS 341 Graduate Student Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 6:31 pm, Jun 7, 2009 Report Evaluation		Prof Settle is guilty of only one thing. That is assuming that his students are educated when many clearly are not and simple don't understand shit about the world.
POLS 112 Sophomore Grade Earned: A General Ed 11:43 am, Mar 29, 2009 Report Evaluation		This class was on wed for 4 hours, but what was actually needed was only 30 min. The rest of the time is Settle going off on tangents. He could star by talking about the duties of Congress then get off topic with lobbyists, that brings him onto money buying government which gets him talking about the SEC and FDA getting bought off. Then he will say he got off topic and pick up with the lobbyists again. I watch the news everyday and know alot about politics in America, but his tests had questions unrelated to the material and the were open to interpretation. When in doubt, pick the more liberal sounding answer to a question to get it right. There is a sheet given as to what is on the tests. this covers about 80% of the test questions. The other 20% comes from the lectures(if you could follow them), and unrelated questions that have no real answer, or are dependent on your political views.
POLS 341 5th Year Senior Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 7:48 am, Jan 13, 2009 Report Evaluation		What's so frustrating about Settle and taking classes with him is that the subjects could be really interesting and informative. Constitutional Law should be jammed pack with history, politics, and reason, and should have had all the students interacting in discussion. Instead, I worked on other classwork during Con Law lecture, and completed more than a few crossword puzzles as well. I learned the most when I studied for the midterm, but that was just memorization. The case briefs are interesting if you want them to be. Put effort into them if you want to learn something for your own benefit because Settle will not read them. Bottom line, this guy has got to retire. I want my money back.
POLS 341 Junior Grade Earned: A Elective 10:21 am, Dec 16, 2008 Report Evaluation		Professor Settle is the WORST teacher I've had since middle school algebra. This is the only class I have ever fallen asleep in throughout my entire academic career (and it was at 2 in the afternoon!). He cannot speak in a coherent sentence, is completely off-topic, and fails to answer the simplest of questions, instead choosing to talk about something completely random. Settle often decides to redefine already established Con. Law terminology and makes up bogus rationalization when you confront him on it. You will leave class every day wondering why you bothered to sit through the whole thing and asking yourself what you actually learned. He gives you a study guide for the midterm which is somewhat helpful but if he tells you that only things on the study guide will be on the test, he's LYING. He pulls a bunch of terms out that you don't expect, which is made even more frustrating by the fact that he can't even spell or format a test correctly. You waste money on a blue book for a portion of the test that takes up one page, that's where 20% of the points are so study the made up definitions he gives in class. I got half credit on the two one-sentence response questions he asked which dropped my midterm from a 96 to an 86. You do a term paper which is essentially 5 case-briefs + intro/conclusion and the final is up in the air (either essay format or take home situational responses). If it wasn't for the fact that I had taken AP US Gov in high school I would have failed this class miserably. I pulled an A- relying exclusively on high school knowledge. I have no idea how the other teacher is, but if you can take this class with somebody else, then do so. Settle may "know his stuff" when it comes to local politics, but when it comes to Con. Law he is only knowledgeable because he read the book. If you read the book before class you will not be surprised by anything. The ONLY new thing you will learn is that he used to be Mayor, he has a gun, and he has a pilot's license.
POLS 112 Junior Grade Earned: N/A General Ed 11:55 pm, Oct 20, 2008 Report Evaluation		Professor Settle takes every lecture and treats it like a State of the Union address. You can definitely tell this man is a politician at heart. If it wasnt for the hours of run around information the class would be fine. At least his cheap jokes are sort of funny. His test are fair and go along with the study guide which where helpful.
POLS 112 Sophomore Grade Earned: B General Ed 9:25 pm, Jul 11, 2008 Report Evaluation		Easy if you follow the study Guide. Hard if you try to follow the hours of irrelevant lecture.
POLS 471 5th Year Senior Grade Earned: N/A Required (Support) 11:45 am, Jan 16, 2008 Report Evaluation		One word: Combover.
POLS 341 Sophomore Grade Earned: B Required (Major) 9:02 pm, Dec 10, 2007 Report Evaluation		Ok, this class is pretty easy, im not the smartest kid, but i got a B. There is a 12 page term paper due at the final, but its really just time consuming and i doubt he reads it cause mine was not that great. He's easy, lectures are random, sometimes funny, and i never read the book haha.
POLS 341 Freshman Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 1:45 pm, Aug 2, 2007 Report Evaluation		Dr. Settle is hilarious. Yes, he does go off on tangents that have nothing to do with the material, but his stories are so funny. When he wasn't going off tangents, the lecture material was dry and boring. Just study the study guide he gives you and you will do fine. The 12 page term paper wasn't hard at all just very time consuming. I doubt he reads everything you turn in. If he likes you and you put in effort just to study for the tests and complete the assignments you will get an A or B. If you ever have questions, ask him! He is so nice and extremely intelligent!!
POLS 112 Sophomore Grade Earned: C General Ed 11:23 pm, Apr 15, 2007 Report Evaluation		this guy is the most monotone and boring lecturer i have ever had. if you're an insomniac, you should definitely take one of his lectures because he will definitely make you sleep like a baby. this class was one of the most dry and boring i've taken and his enthusiasm to point out random and irrelevant (atleast to the class) facts was extremely annoying. his paper at the end of the class is worth 30% of your grade, the same as the final and is graded in an extremely arbitrary manner. be cautious when taking this guy.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 11:27 am, Apr 3, 2007 Report Evaluation		I remember reading the ratings on this professor a few months ago thinking that there is no way going to class could be as useless as all these people said. It is. Dr. Settle's lectures are completely irrelevant to test material, and he goes off on tangents the entire class. If you ask a simple question, you will get a five minute response about a bunch of useless, random crap. I went to each lecture, hanging on to non-existant hope that next week's lecture wouldn't be as useless as the last. Please just take my word for it: going to class is the biggest waste of time ever. As for his grading, each midterm is worth 20% (50 questions each), the final is worth 30% (50 questions), and the term paper is 30% (~10 pages). One good thing is that the tests are non-cumulative so you can just forget it all after you finish the test. I got a 72 and 76 on the midterms, didnt study for the final and turned in a excessively liberal 9 page term paper and got a B- in the class. However, Settle is a nice guy and I don't think anyone failed any of the tests. If you're a GPA whore I would not recommend this class, as its nearly impossible to get an A.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 12:08 am, Apr 2, 2007 Report Evaluation		This was the worst teacher I have ever had in my life. Do not take him. If you do take him there is no point to ever go to class except for test days. He does nothing productive in class and cannot answer a question clearly. He gives out a study guide for each test but the tests are still extremely hard and have a bunch of tricky questions. I hate this guy. The only good thing is he curves a little on the test. This class was a waste of time and I don't know how I got a B. I didn't learn shit. Get this guy out of my life. Oh yeah be ready to write a 12 page term paper that he won't read.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 12:28 pm, Dec 21, 2006 Report Evaluation		Government class
POLS 471 Junior Grade Earned: B Required (Support) 10:20 pm, Dec 19, 2006 Report Evaluation		If you are that kind of person who goes in to class doesn't take notes and studies little for tests, this is your guy. 1st midterm is scantron+1 essay and the final was all written. There is also a paper due on finals day, but I bet he didn't even look at them because he is so busy with the city. He was former mayor. The dude knows more than all of the students combined so he will be over your head sometimes and goes off on random events about his life. He is very laid back, and usually comes in late to class by 5 minutes or so. If you want to learn by someone who's had 1st hand knowledge in government this is the guy, but as far as teaching goes, he probably wouldn't rank high because he never goes by his powerpoints. The final was cake, but the scantron had specific questions that were difficult. I went every class, big mistake, but he gives out hints every class that were on the first midterm that helped. Only half the class showed every meeting, but he probably knew why.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 12:15 am, Dec 11, 2006 Report Evaluation		Allen Settle does not explain things very well. He is easily distracted and goes off on tangents all the time. He is really funny because he's so weird, but I wouldn't recommend him.
POLS 112 Junior Grade Earned: N/A General Ed 12:55 pm, Oct 21, 2006 Report Evaluation		this guy is a pompous ass. and a bore. get out if you know what's good for you. oh, and all the nice reviews on this page were written by settle himself, BELIEVE ME.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 6:55 pm, Aug 16, 2006 Report Evaluation		Allen Settle is an awesome guy. He says random crap about arnold and condalizza rice. He's pretty hysterical at times. Just study the powerpoints and the study guide for the midterms and final and you will get an A. He's really understanding and is easy to talk to, so dont shit talk him...he's my bff. ALLEN SETTLE IS THE BOMB!
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 5:43 pm, Aug 15, 2006 Report Evaluation		***Conservative Survival Notes*** The only way to do well in this class is to write hands down the most immoral liberal 10 page essay you have ever read. Taking my stance against the supposed
POLS 112 Sophomore Grade Earned: A General Ed 1:39 am, Aug 13, 2006 Report Evaluation		I thought Settle was an excellent teacher. There was no homework and only a little of unnecessary reading. The tests were really easy, but what I really enjoyed about the class was that I actually felt it was worth going to . If you just want a pointless grade and to graduate as an ignorant young idiot, then don't go to class ever and get a B, but if you actually feel like learning, show up because he talks mainly about the most recent events and relates them very well to the class's subject matter. He's interesting and to the point, and presents the material from a very moderate point of view, giving liberals and conservatives their dues at different points along the course. He's one of the most qualified political science teacher because he's been so politically active as mayor of slo and has held other positions on many different committees. He's an interesting dude, take him.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: A General Ed 6:12 pm, Mar 27, 2006 Report Evaluation		What can I possibly say about Allen Settle? Well for starters Settle is hilarious he has a political humor that makes you feel like youre in the live taping of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart rather than taking a demanding government class. This class was pretty easy i studied from the study guide he gave me did the 10 page essay 3 days before the test and never opened the book and managed an A. His lectures are pretty funny to listen to with some great quotes like "Hey you dont pee on my poisies(the flower)" I rarely went to class and managed an A i would recommend him.
POLS 112 Sophomore Grade Earned: B General Ed 5:56 pm, Dec 14, 2005 Report Evaluation		I took Settle's 4 hour lecture. He usually lets us out within three hours. His lectures are very fast, don't bother taking notes...it's not worth your time. He posts everything on blackboard, you can just print that out and bring it to class. He gives three tests: two midterms and a final. Also, there is a term paper. The tests are easy, almost all questions come directly from the study guide - just memorize it. I did not try very hard at all and got a B.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 12:31 pm, Sep 18, 2005 Report Evaluation		settle was pretty easy. i hardly showed up for class and didnt really take notes because he puts them on the blackboard for you. i would just cram with a lot smart people before the tests and i would usually get b's. hes nice and talk to him if you get confused, but hes really smart and talks using words that havnt been used since the 19th century, so i have no idea what the hell he is saying sometimes. the paper he makes u write isnt hard, just fill paper.
POLS 112 Junior Grade Earned: B General Ed 11:23 pm, Sep 2, 2005 Report Evaluation		Basically, it's like having your grandpa teach you about American Government, cept this guy talks a mile a minute and unless you're a freshman it's just too much effort to try and comprehend what he's talking about so fast. He has a lot of stories he likes to tell about being mayor, and a campaign pitch for why he's been "member of the city council, reelected four years in a row, no contest", but he's truly a nice guy. If you're a freshman, you'll try a lot harder than you need to in this class. If you're a Jr. or Sr., you'll realize you can not show up to class, not read the book, and study a few hours prior to each midterm (there's 3) and still get a B+ like me. There's an 8-10 pg. paper to write, but it's graded pretty easy. Just turn it in. All in all, he's a nice guy who works with you, he let me take the final early so I could go home for a little bit after summer school. Know the study guides he gives out and the powerpoints he puts online like the back of your hand, and you've got an easy high B, or even an A if you can write a good paper.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: C General Ed 11:45 am, Aug 15, 2005 Report Evaluation		THIS TEACHER IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHY PROFFESORS MIGHT NOT HAVE A JOB IN THE FUTURE! HE REALLY TAUGHT ME NOTHING AND YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO GO TO CLASS. All of his lectures were on powerpoint and they were very boring. I went to every class and barely got a C. He is a nice guy, but the class is a joke. The reading is a joke and really has nothing to do with the tests. Out of a class of 45 students only about 15 go to class and he does nothing to reward the 15 that go. No different information for the tests and no quizzes. I should have wrote my final paper on outsorcing on why professors might not have a job, when it can be done online. Take another teacher!!
POLS 112 Sophomore Grade Earned: B General Ed 11:30 am, Jun 17, 2005 Report Evaluation		His lectures were VERY boring and took the entire 2 hours. He put his power point lectures on blackboard, and expected you to print them. However there were like 32 pages of bullshit for each class! I don't think anyone printed them, and if they did they're stupid. He has 3 tests and a 10 to 12 page research paper due on the day of the final. I doubt he read any of them. It was on outsourcing and the Patriot Act. His lectures were often disorganized, and he would go on telling us bullshit stories about: guns, flying his airplane to mexico, solar panels, turkeys knocking out SLO's power, michael jackson, there were some more, but I forgot. He has all these gay cute names for politicians and stuff. I couldn't help but laugh...at him! He thought he was funny. The only plus is that the class is easy. The final isn't cumulative. The first 2 midterms are 20% each, the final (which isn't cumulative) is 30% and the paper is 30%. I got a B+, it was boring as hell, and I didn't learn anything I didn't know in high school civics class, but at least it was an easy GE requirement to finish.
POLS 471 Senior Grade Earned: N/A Required (Support) 3:40 pm, Apr 20, 2005 Report Evaluation		i've only been in this class for four weeks and i already can't stand this professor. he is racist and can't present anything in a coherent fashion. all the material is on powerpoints, but he can't explain it. the entire lecture consists of meaningless tangents. i seriously regret taking this class, but at least i don't feel bad for skipping out most of the time. i'd rather do horribly than sit with this guy any longer. worst professor i've ever had (and that's saying a lot).
POLS 471 Junior Grade Earned: B Elective 4:24 pm, Mar 22, 2005 Report Evaluation		I can't believe I took this guy again. I had him for municipal government last year. Don't get me wrong...he is a super nice guy and he is very easy to work with. It is obvious that he knows alot, but he just isn't able to communicate anything to the students. His lectures and his powerpoints are coompletely incoherent. This guy is completely senile and ought to just retire. Nothing he said all quarter made any sense. Its like all of his years as a politician has trained him to be purposely confusing in every aspect of his life. I promise that if you take this guy you will never be more confused than in his class.
POLS 112 Junior Grade Earned: A General Ed 3:50 pm, Jan 1, 2005 Report Evaluation		Dr. Settle is quite a weird guy. He rambles a lot, and thinks he's really funny (which is partially true). He talks kind of fast, and sometimes it's easy to get lost (especially if you're a political retard like me). However, if you listen, go over the slides, and read the book, it's not tough to get an A. Since I was clueless about politics, the book really helped me understand what Settle was rambling about. But I'm sure you'll do fine without the book if you already know stuff about politics. There are two midterms and a final. The final's worth a little bit more, but it's the same length and format as the midterms, and is not cumulative. There is also a 10-12 page research paper on two current topics. But don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds. Good luck.
POLS 112 Junior Grade Earned: B General Ed 5:39 pm, Dec 15, 2004 Report Evaluation		Prof. Settle is definately a politician. He was mayor of SLO for a while and definately talks like hes trying to impress a crowd. He loves to talk, so be warned he goes on crazy tangents. He allows Q & A sessions before his tests, however his answers to any questions then or during class are incredibly roundabout and vague. His class is one where it is pretty easy to get a B if you study lecture notes and go over the book, but getting an A is very difficult.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 6:47 pm, Dec 7, 2004 Report Evaluation		I LOVE PROF. SETTLE! This guy is really cool and he knows a lot of stuff about politics and was elected major like 8 times. He makes a somewhat boring subject really fun. He gives reviews a week before each exam which is basically what he writes the test off of so its not really that hard. beware of the 10 page paper....he gives you the whole quarter to write it which is so easy but don't save it until last minute. Overall, settle is really understanding and his lectures are so fun because he bashes a lot of random political figures! TAKE THIS CLASS!
POLS 112 Junior Grade Earned: B Required (Support) 9:08 pm, Sep 20, 2004 Report Evaluation		Mr Settle is alright. You need to go to class everyday. Study the study guide and your guaranteed a B.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 3:09 am, Aug 2, 2004 Report Evaluation		This class is SO BORING and a complete WASTE OF TIME. He lectures off his powerpoints, which he emails you anyways. So if you miss class, you barely miss anything. He has 2 midterms and a final, all 50 question multiple choice, and a 10 page paper due the last day of class. He isn't the greatest teacher because he speaks at a very fast pace which left many things unclarified, he always goes off on tangents, and did I mention his 2 hour long lectures are EXTREMELY boring? After everyone realized that most of the material he covered in class wasn't on the first midterm, only half of the students showed up to class from then on. I thought having a former mayor as a professor would be a great experience, but I was completely wrong. It sucked.
POLS 471 Junior Grade Earned: N/A Required (Major) 4:26 pm, Jun 10, 2004 Report Evaluation		This guy is easily the absolute WORST teacher on planet earth. He means well, but has no ability to teach whatsoever. It became quite obvious to me that the only reason he is teaching is because Cal Poly wants to be able to say that the former mayor of SLO teaches at the school...trust me you will hear about this many times throughout the quarter. Lectures were excruciating, powerpoints were random and made little sense and its obvious to me that he doesn't read the essays from the tests or the paper. Speaking of the paper he passed out half of the assignment sheet the first day and despite repeated weekly request for the rest of it we never he never passed it out before the paper was due. what a joke!
POLS 112 Sophomore Grade Earned: B General Ed 2:41 pm, Mar 30, 2004 Report Evaluation		I attended about the first two weeks of class only to realize that this guy loves to listen to himself talk about useless crap. I got suckered into this class because of previous poly ratings that don't mention the 12 PAGE PAPER that you are required to write for 20% of your grade. This is worth just enough of your grade to have to do a good job on it, but not worth enough to save you from the completely random 50 multiple choice tests that are given as 2 midterms and final. If you can try to find yourself another professor for this course.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 1:02 pm, Jan 3, 2004 Report Evaluation		Dr. Settle is a very charismatic man who has a passion for political science. I had him from 6-10 on Mondays, so the class seemed to drag on. The class never lasted past 9 though. The midterms/final are kinda funny. There are always about 5-10 questions on there that will have you saying "What the fu*k." If you review the study guides he passes out, you'll get C's-B's on the midterms/final. There is a paper that's due at the final that's a guarenteed A. Overall, I'd take the class, it's a pretty easy B.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 1:04 pm, Aug 21, 2003 Report Evaluation		Settle is a cool guy. You don't need to buy a book for the class. Just go to class and take the notes and it'll be all good. He curves his tests a bit. And most of the questions are from a study sheet he gives you. Well at least thats what the first test and the final were like, with like 6 questions you had no idea where they came from. Then the second test was brutal. The questions didn't even match what I studied on ym study sheet. It was ruff. But overall he's a cool guy, answers any quetion you have. And he is a very approachable guy. The best Pols-112 teacher.
POLS 112 Sophomore Grade Earned: B General Ed 1:08 pm, Jun 20, 2003 Report Evaluation		man... this guy knows his stuff. He is very open minded and full of energy. I can tell he's very passionate about his profession as a politician/professor. It is awesome to know that he was the mayor of SLO for 8 years and is now on the City Council. Office Hours are interesting if you get a chance to go to them... you walk into a tiny room piled with books. Everything (lecture notes, etc) he puts on his website. So, don't get bogged down by copying every detail down from the notes. In fact, if you just go to class, get the very-useful study guide that he hands out, and memorize the stuff on the study guide you'll do fantastic. He wants you to know exactly what's going to be on the *multiple choice* exams. The final was not cumulative... this class doesn't get much easier. Have fun listening to him go on rants about policy... haha. Also, if you have questions about the city or anything of that nature, he's very willing to tell you what he knows.
POLS 112 Sophomore Grade Earned: A General Ed 2:08 am, Jun 20, 2003 Report Evaluation		Dr. Settle, also known as the mayor of san luis obispo, was fun to have as a political science professor. He definitely knows a lot about government, however he tends to go on tangets with everything. He gives 3 multiple choice midterms throughout the quarter and that is it. He hands out study guides before a few classes before the exams though, so it definitely helps you know what material to study. I was kind of a pain to have it from 7-9 at night, so I would recommend trying to get into an earlier class. However, he makes the course enjoyable if you're able to show up to class and stay awake. Overall I would recommend Dr. Settle over all other teachers for this course because of how straight forward the requirements are and because he really makes an effort to entertain.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 12:44 pm, Mar 31, 2003 Report Evaluation		i got a B+ in this class. grandpa settles a nice enough guy. his class is made up of 2 midterms and a final, all 50 multiple choice questions. he will give a study guide out before each exam and if you know it (and the notes), you should be able to get a B. from what i experienced, an A is almost impossible because he will have about 6-9 q's on each exam that you will have no clue about. total out of his ass questions. the lectures are pointless, just get him to send you the power point notes and convert them to word.
POLS 341 Senior Grade Earned: A Elective 3:17 pm, Jan 5, 2003 Report Evaluation		I didn't miss a single class and it paid off. He basically teaches you everything you need to know and then gives you a study guide. Hell if you want to read the book then just go get the study guide and stay home. His head is full of so much political information. I found it interesting to hear about it, but others might not. Sweet class!
POLS 341 Junior Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 5:01 pm, Dec 9, 2002 Report Evaluation		WOW! where do I start. Settle is a nice guy, and I am sure that he is very smart, maybe he is too book smart. The guy cant put out a coherant sentence if his life depended on it. I did not follow one thing he said all quarter, i left his class every day feeling confused as to the point of the lecture. He does not present info clearly AT ALL! I feel like he knows alot about things but his brain doesnt flow in one thought pattern, almost like he is TOO smart. On the positive side, he is Nice and says off the wall comments which can be entertaining. You do not need to go to class to get a good grade. I completely screwed up the midterm and I got a B on it. There is a 10+ page paper due at the end of the quarter, but I have my doubts that he actually reads them. This is an easy A, any idiot can pass this class, you would have to be severly stupid not to.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: C General Ed 10:58 am, Jun 21, 2002 Report Evaluation		What was this guy thinking? It kind of scares me that he is the mayor of the city! Class is extremely pointless, his lectures are so unorganized! The only good part about class is when he starts cracking jokes about how dumb his colleagues are. For the tests he gives you a comprehensive study guide. Know it all word for word! Once the midterms come, the first 10 questions are exactly from the study guide, the next 40 are his own opinion coming out of his ass! THere are 2 midterms, both 30% each, the final is 40%, but not cumlative. If you have this teacher, don't bother going to lectures, don't bother emailing him, he doesn't respond, just don't bother this class!
POLS 112 Sophomore Grade Earned: B General Ed 12:48 pm, Jun 20, 2002 Report Evaluation		Dr. Settle is an amazing professor. If you make the effort to pay attention in class, you will learn a LOT and realize that this guy is very very interesting. He's really good at relating what we're learning to things that are currently going on in SLO, the state, the nation and the world. As SLO's mayor, he knows what he's talking about when it comes to politics, and he wants his students to understand what's going on in the world around them. Dr. Settle is also always willing to answer your questions after class, even if they're not related to what we're studying. Take Dr. Settle- you will learn a lot.
POLS 112 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 1:37 pm, Apr 5, 2002 Report Evaluation		This guy kicks ass. He's the mayor of SLO, so that should tell you that he knows his politics. There's no homework except for reading, and there's only 3 multiple choice tests all year. The final is non-cumulative. Settle is by far the best professor I have taken at Poly so far. I hope he teaches other POLS classes cuz I'm definiately going to take him again if he does. Do yourself a favor and take from Settle even if it fucks up your schedule. You won't regret it. He makes politics fun and interesting. GOD BLESS YOU SETTLE!!!!!
POLS 110 Sophomore Grade Earned: D General Ed 5:01 pm, Feb 12, 2002 Report Evaluation		Being the mayor, he thought it was acceptable to enter class ten minutes late every day. The class lectures were extremely boring and difficult to follow. The notes he wrote on the board served no purpose for studying. This was the first D I had ever gotten. The tests are very difficult and impossible to study for. I certanly do not recommend this teacher and do not feel secure knowing hes running the town.
POLS 110 Sophomore Grade Earned: A General Ed 7:13 pm, Dec 5, 2001 Report Evaluation		Easy class, just study the guides he gives you. When taking your tests, wait till almost everyone is done and go up and ask him for help. If you act like you know your stuff he'll pretty much tell you the answer.
POLS 112 Sophomore Grade Earned: A General Ed 9:58 am, Nov 9, 2001 Report Evaluation		To all you haters that are ripping on my man Dr. Settle, You must be incredibly stupid! This man is a great professor that kicks ass. He practicly gives you the answers before the test with his study guide, and all you have to do is go in his office and ask him what to study, and he'll tell you exactly what questions off the study guide are going to be on the test.
POLS 321 Sophomore Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 8:42 pm, Aug 1, 2001 Report Evaluation		Settle is kind of a snooze at times, but he's a nice guy and is totally willing to help you out. His tests are hard if you didn't study, but there is lots of review that he does in class with a very complete study guide. Expect a long paper that will be graded easily.
POLS 210 Sophomore Grade Earned: N/A Required (Major) 8:42 pm, Aug 1, 2001 Report Evaluation		settle is kind of boring, and he does not cover nearly all the test material in lectures. He is a good man, just not a good teacher
POLS 471 Sophomore Grade Earned: B Required (Support) 8:59 pm, Jun 21, 2001 Report Evaluation		He's a cool guy with fun stories. he could TALK ALL DAY!!! He got off track a lot but we got the gist of things. No one does as much reading as he suggests, and there is a big paper, but I suggest taking his class because he really knows the subject matter and he enjoys interacting with students.
POLS 110 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 5:06 pm, Apr 5, 2001 Report Evaluation		Dr. Settle is a pompous buffoon. His lectures are unorganized, and mostly filled with local issues which give him a chance to brag about how he "saved Costco," etc. Keep in mind nothing in his lectures will be on the test, and I don't exactly know where 50% of his questions came from. He'll assign about 200 pages of reading and ask the nitpickiest questions that are not central to the class at all. He takes forever to hand back scantrons, and when he does, there's no reviewing the test, it's just a big black "D" on the top in marker. I studied at least 10 hrs for each test, went to his office hr, etc, just to pull a B. I would NOT recommend Prof Settle to anyone.
POLS 110 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 2:29 pm, Apr 3, 2001 Report Evaluation		You will learn a lot in Settle's class. However, his tests are totally random and vaguely worded. It would be near impossible to pull an A in this class. Most questions are common sense or straight off the study guide, but then he'll ask about some weird fact from the book, or something that was neither in the text nor lecture. He's really nice, and very friendly, and funny. It was cool to hear our mayor say "What the shit is that?". If he made the tests correlated to the course, he would be my favorite teacher at poly.
POLS 110 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 10:52 pm, Mar 21, 2001 Report Evaluation		This teacher is decent...his test are super random and it's almost impossible to study for them. You have to have an extensive background in polysci to succeed in this class.
POLS 110 Freshman Grade Earned: B Required (Support) 2:04 pm, Mar 8, 2001 Report Evaluation		LISTEN HERE IS THE SCOOP. If you are the type of student who always goes to class and study all material thuroughly, dont take this professor. He will get on your nerves, not all material on tests will have been discussed or assigned. However, if you are like me and can roll with a few punches and wont be upset you get a B instead of an A. Take him. There is no busy work, no homework, just three tests of at worst average difficulty. Pulling a B takes no sweat. Plus going to class is hardly mandatory. All you need to do is study his study guides and you know 90% of the material on the tests. I hate it when kids complain about to little work. This class was cake!
POLS 110 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 2:45 am, Feb 21, 2001 Report Evaluation		Dr. Settle is good at making the topics interesting, and is good at helping the class understand what he decides to cover in class. However, once you take the first test you'll realize he isn't really teaching anything relevant to the exams and you will have to read the book, memorize his study "guides", and pray for a miracle to be prepared for the midterms / final. The entire grade is %60 for 2 midterms and %40 percent for the final. Also, don't take the night class for 3 hours because it is SOOOO boring and you won't want to go. I do not reccommend him unless you are really desperate for this class (i.e. hopefully graduating soon).
POLS 110 Freshman Grade Earned: C General Ed 2:42 pm, Dec 14, 2000 Report Evaluation		Do not take his once a week night class, three hours is too long! You will never go, as I didnt. He did not lecture on what would be on the tests nor did the reading help at all. just look at his review sheets and hope to god that you already know all about political science because that is what he expects. mr. s himself is a really nice and cool guy, just a little clueless in the teaching department
POLS 110 Freshman Grade Earned: D General Ed 4:35 pm, Nov 5, 2000 Report Evaluation		Although I thought he was funny, and extremely knowledgeable on the subject, he tests had nothing to do with the material represented in class. I went to class, read the book, reviewed the study guides like crazy, and I still couldn't pull off better than a D+. His "reviewed" several classes for each of the midterms and the final, but somehow none of that material was on the test. I was impressed to have the mayor as a teacher, but he constantly brags about "only being the second person in history to hold a undergrad teaching position adn be an elected official blah blah blah..." I definetly would not recommend taking this professor.
POLS 210 Sophomore Grade Earned: C General Ed 11:50 am, Jan 31, 2000 Report Evaluation		Settle will rap about local issues all quarter long, yet NONE of those will appear on the tests. He is a bad professor
POLS 110 Sophomore Grade Earned: B General Ed 11:06 pm, Jan 28, 2000 Report Evaluation		I thought that he was a very good teacher until I took the first test. There was material on the test that I know was not covered in the book or in class. Also he says that he tests on the general concepts, not specific details, but then there will be a question like "On the figure on page 573...". He does have a great deal of knowledge in the class, though, being the mayor and all. Overall, he was decent.

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