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Arceneaux, Craig 
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POLS 482 Senior Grade Earned: Credit Required (Major) 12:11 am, May 25, 2010 |
Dr. Arceneaux is the most intellectually sound, intelligent professor that I have had in my four years here at Poly, hands down. Take his classes if you have any interest in Latin America at all, I took his politics of developing countries: South America class and it inspired me to spend 5 months in Argentina last year. All in all, his classes are tough but if you want a challenge as a POLS major (and you should slacker!), take any of his classes, I promise you wont be let down! He is an easy guy to talk to as well and very receptive to his students. I\'m going to grad school for Latin American Studies after I spend 5 months in Brazil starting in January. Take Arceneaux you will not be let down! | |
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POLS 328 Sophomore Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 7:08 pm, Mar 9, 2010 |
Arceneaux is a G, I definitely agree that he is probably way too smart to be teaching at Cal Poly, that probably why he got promoted to Dean of the COLA. Anyway if you want to get some inspiration to study abroad in South America, TAKE ONE OF HIS CLASSES! Overall, a great guy and a very approachable , extremely knowledgeable professor as well. | |
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POLS 308 5th Year Senior Grade Earned: B Required (Major) 11:35 pm, Mar 24, 2009 |
I have taken Arceneaux several times now and his classes are all pretty much the same as far as format. You can expect a midterm and final with heavy emphasis on essays, a fairly long term paper and quizes in some form. Be prepared to take LOTS of notes in his 2-hour long lectures. I actually enjoyed the material from 308 quite a bit as it dealt much less with IR theory and much more about real world issues. | |
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POLS 381 Junior Grade Earned: B Required (Major) 8:25 pm, Mar 17, 2009 |
take copious amounts of notes in class! This is the main piece of advice I can give anyone aspiring to take arceneaux. He is a pretty chill professor, and obviously very smart. Just make sure to take plenty of notes and study those before the tests! | |
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POLS 381 Sophomore Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 9:34 pm, Mar 2, 2009 |
A very straightforward, easy going teacher. The tests are fair, and mostly taken from the lectures with some from the texts. The books are not dull, and even though his lectures can be dry at times, they pick up when he connects the theory to current events. No surprises or extremely difficult assignments. Highly recommend. | |
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POLS 328 Sophomore Grade Earned: N/A Required (Support) 9:43 pm, Feb 25, 2009 |
Arceneaux is rather soft spoken, monotone, and you write notes for two straight hours, BUT he is helpful when you actually go to him separately and you do learn a ton of material that is extremely relevant and (I think) fascinating. He grades fairly easily, so if you go to class, you should do well enough in the class. And he is very hot, in a sexy older superman sort of way. | |
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POLS 381 5th Year Senior Grade Earned: N/A Elective 7:32 pm, Feb 16, 2009 |
Not done with the class yet, but I like Arceneaux. I think he does better in lecture when he kind of wings it, and isn't so involved with his notes...those were the lectures I find it easier to follow along with anyway. Also the more current the topics the more interesting class is too. And I've never said this about a class before, but he picks good books to read. Yeah, there's a lot of it, but if you're a POLS major, you'll enjoy it. They aren't these dry, super academic texts that I'll crack open once for the final. He has a pretty dry sense of humor that is kind of entertaining. And he's totally hot, so that helps too. | |
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POLS 339 Senior Grade Earned: A Elective 2:44 pm, Dec 22, 2008 |
Pretty typical "Arceneaux" style course. two hour long lectures, midterm, final, and term paper, only he has a few other assignments thrown in as well for this class. My only complaint would be that the class seemed to be taught more for the political science major and while it was pretty easy, I could see how the non POLS majors could have a tough time with the material. | |
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POLS 328 Senior Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 12:32 pm, Jun 17, 2008 |
This class wasnt too bad. He is very knowledgable on the subject of latin america and he will overwelm you with information. The hard part was the constant, fast-paced lecturing for 2 hours straight. The class consisted of a midterm and final, which we got study guides for, a 15-page paper, which was tough but I thought he graded pretty easily on, and really easy random pop quizzes. The class keeps you busy, but wasnt bad. | |
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POLS 381 5th Year Senior Grade Earned: N/A Required (Support) 12:42 am, May 25, 2008 |
i'm not done with the class yet but thank god this is the first and last time i will ever have to take this guy. lectures are dry and boring and these pop quizzes that he gives are absolutely pointless. arceneaux is awkward and doesn't seem to have an interest in wanting to know his students at all - he's a very nice guy, dont get me wrong - but as far as teaching goes, not my style. the midterm blows, the term paper is a pain in the ass (i've been working on it) and i'm not looking forward to the final either. if you enjoy taking insane notes for 2 hours straight then this guy is for you, if not, then take another teacher! | |
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POLS 381 Junior Grade Earned: N/A Required (Major) 12:35 pm, Apr 28, 2008 |
im not quite finished with the class yet, but i will definately never take a class from this guy again! He is dry and boring, but presents material very clearly, outlined before class and everything, but dont ask questions he hates being asked questions! Pop quizzes suck, there at least 8, only two questions long, so if you miss one you fail! theres a 12-14 page paper with at least 10 outside sources that is worth the majority of your grade, which totally bites! All i can say, is this guy makes a two hour class feel like ten years in a state prison. | |
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POLS 339 Junior Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 6:27 pm, Mar 24, 2008 |
This class was amazing. Arceneaux presents the material clearly, but he presents A LOT OF INFORMATION really quickly. Although you learn a lot during just one class, you really don't know what will show up tests...so you are compelled to take notes on everything. Even still though, at the end he gives you a study guide which outlines almost everything that will show up on the midterm/final. Overall, not to bad of a class at all, will defitely be worth taking again! | |
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POLS 310 Senior Grade Earned: C Elective 10:37 am, Jun 24, 2007 |
This guy is a jerk. He is not interested in helping you, he just wants to seem important. His lectures are VERY boring but he grades pretty easy. And he is kind of hot so it at least you can stare at his ass if you get bored. | |
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POLS 308 Senior Grade Earned: C Elective 5:06 pm, Jun 12, 2007 |
Arceneaux is one of the most boring, driest, teachers I have ever taken. The only time that class was interesting was during our discussion on Latin America. His focus should only remain in Latin America, and nothing more. His lectures were not clear, and his enthusiasm for the topic was terrible. Tons of people never showed up, and most were falling asleep. I'd say buy a few of the books and read them on your own rather than taking it with Arceneaux. | |
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POLS 328 Junior Grade Earned: B Required (Support) 3:22 pm, Jan 30, 2007 |
I was very disappointed in this course because it is listed as entailing "The politics of developing countries." The course that Arceneaux taught was definately NOT centric on that topic. It was a complete misnomer. If you are interested in taking an intense Latin American history class, knock yourself out. He has a large amount of personal experiance with that continent, but you will not learn a damn thing about Africa, Asia, or the Middle East. (At least not from him.) There is a TON of reading, but the exams are not very difficult if you do it. Plus, he gives you a list of terms to study. Overall: it is NOT the course you think it is; you'll feel like you exerted a lot of effort and didn't learn much more about the topic you were hoping for. | |
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POLS 325 Senior Grade Earned: A General Ed 7:42 pm, Sep 6, 2006 |
Dr. Arceneaux is the BEST professor I have taken at Cal Poly. He is polite towards everyone and always makes sure that everyone understands the lecture material and readings. This class was the most interesting class that I have taken because I learned so much about other countries and their perspectives. The two hour class flew by because he presented such interesting material. The work in this course was: writing a 2-3 page comment papers about a question he gives about a film shown in class for the first 4 films; mid-term is 25 multiple choice questions + 2 essays which he gives 3 possible essay questions; final is 50 multiple choice questions; and a there is a 10 page research paper on a global political issue required. I was nervous about the research paper but it was fun and I learned a lot. I highly recommend taking this professor. | |
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POLS 339 Senior Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 12:03 am, Aug 21, 2006 |
Dr. Arceneaux presents the material in a linear fashion. By this I mean outlines and daily subjects written on the board before classes. This also implies his class is very structered. He is challenging and requires several papers. However, he returns emails almost seven days a week. In sum, if you study and follow college level guidelines, an A is within your reach. Not to mention I learned more in this class than most other poli sci courses. I take this professor any chance I get. | |
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POLS 225 Senior Grade Earned: A Elective 10:54 pm, Feb 6, 2006 |
This class is awesome, and this teacher is awesome. Arceneaux knows his stuff, lectures are kind of boring, but if you are actually interested in the material they are totally worthwhile. I took this class even though it didnt fufill any of my GE or elective units, but I'm totally glad I did, because I learned a ton from this class. It's pretty easy to do well in this class provided you aren't retarded and actually put a little bit of time into studying. There are multiple choice quizzes, which can be kind of tricky, but he curves them. Just look at the key words in the back of the book and you'll usually do okay. The midterms are multiple choice + 2 essays. But he gives you 3 essay prompts ahead of time, and basically tells you almost EXACTLY what he's looking for. So as long as you put some research in ahead of time and actually think through, or even write a draft of the essays before hand, you'll do okay. The only kicker is that he has some "current events" journal that you are supposed to keep the entire quarter. But NOBODY keeps up with it, and you will end up having to stay up all night before its due writing 10 pages of crap like I did. Or you could be responsible and actually just write 1 page every week for the 10 weeks, but we both know thats not gonna happen. Synopsis: This course is bomb & so is Arceneaux. Take this class. | |
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POLS 225 Junior Grade Earned: C Required (Support) 8:45 pm, Dec 22, 2005 |
Arceneaux is a good teacher that knows his material, but he is boring. He doesn't take attendence which is nice, so I hardly went and I still passed. I just wanted to pass because the class was so boring and I did with not much effort. If you really want to learn you can do that too. There's just a few quizes, midterm, final, and a journal which is kind of a waste of time because it's all bs. Overall it was ok, I have had worse. | |
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POLS 225 Freshman Grade Earned: B Elective 9:07 pm, Dec 16, 2005 |
I didn't realize how much I'd learned in this class until I started watching the nightly news again and realized how much more relevant the information seemed and how much more familiar I was with the terminology. Professor Arceneaux really knows his stuff, and he brought a lot of interesting topics to the table. Having said that, he is a little soft spoken, and I made a point to sit at the front of the class so that I could hear him better. The class could also have benefited from a little more political debate, but that's partly the fault of the students too. He's a pretty tough grader when it comes to the essays on the midterm and final, and the tests are fairly detail oriented. There is a lot of reading required also, but I found it pretty interesting anyway. I highly recommend this class to anyone wanting more insight into politics at the global level. | |
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POLS 328 Junior Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 1:00 pm, May 25, 2005 |
He is an excellent teacher that knows an incredible amount about politics. His classes can be tricky and he usually requires a lot of reading, but I have never had a class in which I learned so much. His is not that boring, he just gives an insane amount of information every lecture, so be prepared to write. He is the most informative and well organized instructor I have had at Poly. Take him, its well worth it. | |
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POLS 324 Senior Grade Earned: B Elective 6:25 pm, Apr 7, 2005 |
Dr. A is a good teacher. He really loves what he is doing. He gives a lot of readings but it's worth it. His lectures could be a bit more entertaining.... Otherwise he's good. | |
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POLS 324 Senior Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 6:04 pm, Apr 6, 2005 |
Really nice guy. And I think everyone who has taken him is in agreement that he is extremely smart. His classes are tough but I think he grades a little easy to make up for the amount of work and studying you have to do. Lots of reading and the material is pretty difficult so you really can't slack off or miss class if you want a decent grade. He has a midterm, a final and two papers. Very accessible during office hours. | |
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POLS 328 Senior Grade Earned: N/A Required (Major) 8:53 pm, Jan 13, 2005 |
I rarely ever say this about Cal Poly professors, but this guy is too smart to teach. He seems to think that everyone in the class is as intelligent and as familiar with the subject matter as he is, so he moves very quickly and rarely stops to see if anyone needs clarification. He makes students write a 13-15 page paper; a very big assignment for people who have a lot of other things going on (i.e. other class assignments, senior project). He's a nice guy and, as I said before, incredibly smart, but if you sign up for one of his classes, be prepared for long lectures that are confusing at times, a lot of reading, and a big research paper. | |
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POLS 225 Sophomore Grade Earned: A Elective 9:36 pm, Jan 10, 2005 |
This is a good class, I learned so much. It is a lot of work and I was intimidated at first, but it was fine. You write a series of related papers about current events and a journal paper thats due at the end of the quarter. His tests are long and take the whole two hour period and consist of a mult choice section and two essays to which he gives you possible prompts beforehand. I really likes this class and prof and recoment it. | |
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POLS 328 Junior Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 7:44 pm, Oct 3, 2004 |
Arceneaux is the professor that I have been the most impressed here at poly. His lectures can sometimes be a little boring, but his knowledge seems to impress me more than any other professor. His test are pretty hard. I think he might forget that he is so much smarter than his test takers. Either way it was a very informative class and he probably the best and most recognized poly sci teacher at the school. He's also written a few books. | |
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POLS 328 Junior Grade Earned: A Elective 11:47 am, Aug 11, 2004 |
craig is an extremely intelligent teacher, who is well-versed in the world especially latin america. He knows his subject but unfortunately it's easy to drift off in his class because he often lacks energy. He has some great jokes every once in a while and he has great hair. i'd recommend him as a teacher and this class; very informative. he is a hot babe | |
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POLS 328 Junior Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 9:42 am, Jul 26, 2004 |
Arceneaux is a very well educated teacher. He does a great job of teaching the latest information, especially information related to his personal area of studies - Latin America. His lectures are fairly clear and easy to understand. However, he talks rather fast and can be rather dry. Overall, he is a good teacher and is interesting if you get beyond his monotone voice. | |
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POLS 324 Junior Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 10:22 am, Mar 31, 2004 |
Arceneaux is awesome, he is by far the best professor I have had here at Poly. Granted he can be a bit dry at times, but you get more out of his classes than you will anybody else. He really knows what he's talking about, and he talks about a lot. I would reccomend him to anyone who has an interest in what is going on in the world. | |
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POLS 215 Sophomore Grade Earned: A Required (Support) 11:06 am, Feb 12, 2004 |
He is a pretty good teacher who definitely knows his stuff but he boring though he tries to keep students engaged. He even tried telling jokes but I just couldn't help falling asleep. There were some progressive projects that I thought were great where you write an opinion essay, exchange it with another student and respond to them, and then make a research essay using everything you have gathered and the response you recieved from another student. You also have to keep up a current events journal to be turned in at the end, and while it is so hard to keep up, I do not suggest leaving it for the end because its a lot harder to find past news! Anyway, it was a good class and I plan to take him again as a teacher and just make sure to enter class caffinated! | |
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POLS 324 Sophomore Grade Earned: N/A Required (Major) 11:13 am, Feb 3, 2004 |
Prof. Arceneaux is awesome. Good communication skills, always happy and smiling. His lectures go real fast with tons of information, but he repeats himself on almost every thing he says, so when taking notes learn what to write down and what to ignore. one midterm, two eight page papers, and a final. not too bad. lots of reading....5 books for one class is the a little rediculous. has study guides for tests, and they arent too bad, but make sure you read...that was my mistake! over all good teacher and would take him again. | |
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POLS 225 Sophomore Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 3:53 pm, Jul 24, 2003 |
Yes, Arceneaux is boring, but if you give two shits about understanding what's going on the in world and WHY it is happening take this teacher. If you like taking notes better than reading the books, I even further recommed taking him. I read neither of the two books assigned and got an A. He does not expect a lot from you as long as you complete the few assignmets he gives. He doesn't take role nor does he expect participation in class. He is so incredibly smart and can answer almost any question. Overall I really liked him and am glad to have taken one of his classes. | |
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POLS 324 Junior Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 10:25 pm, May 5, 2003 |
I really liked this class. Dr. Arceneaux really knows what he is talking about. I have heard people complain that he is dull, but all you have to do to make the class interesting is engage him in class discussion. If you do your reading, the class is pretty easy and if you don't do your reading Dr. Arceneaux lectures really well so you'll get the idea. Just take detailed notes and don't be afraid to ask questions. | |
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POLS 225 Senior Grade Earned: B Required (Major) 3:42 pm, Feb 18, 2003 |
The midterm and final are cake. The papers are even easier, but they have to be concise for a high grade. He explains the material very well.If you go to class, you do not have to do most of the readings. | |
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POLS 225 Freshman Grade Earned: A Elective 9:06 pm, Jan 10, 2003 |
arceneaux is a nice enough guy, he just was not an effective teacher. pols is not even my major, or anywhere near it as a matter of fact, but i was able to ace the class while simultaneously never opening the book or showing up to class. i didnt learn a thing, but if you want an a in this class its most definitely possible. all youve got to do is study the study guides he hands out before the midterm and the final. also, just do your papers and you'll be fine. | |
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POLS 225 Sophomore Grade Earned: B Required (Major) 11:59 am, Nov 7, 2002 |
Having taken Arceneaux twice at Poly, his style has grown on me. I didn't appreciate how much I learned until after it was all over. He is too smart to be teaching at Poly. He has got to be a genious or something. I'll be taking him for a third time this winter too. Can't go wrong if you aren't afraid to put in the work. | |
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POLS 225 Freshman Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 2:17 pm, Jul 13, 2002 |
arceneaux is a well educated man who knows his subject matter well, however in my opinion he is just too soft spoken. if he was better at presenting the class material which i thought was fairly interesting, he would be a much better professor. very easy grader, almost too easy, and to whoever said the amount of material was unbareable should probably drop the fuck out of school. i think arceneaux would be an excellent professor if the class size was about fifteen or less but until he learns to speak up, lose the monotonous voice, and become a louder, dynamic professor he isn't that good. | |
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POLS 308 Sophomore Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 7:22 am, May 5, 2002 |
Dr. A is the best Pols prof at poly. His lectures are only dry to those who don't like to learn and only want to skate through class. The lectures are very informative and really gets the attention of the students who want to learn about international politics. He is a very smart guy and will help you out whenever you need it. The best thing about him is his objectiveness. He is not trying to shove that liberalism down everyone's throat and only present his opinion like EVERY other pols prof does at poly. As far as his grading, as long as you take good notes and pay attention in class you are fine. | |
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POLS 225 Freshman Grade Earned: B Required (Major) 3:49 pm, Apr 22, 2002 |
Arceneaux was a nice professor who meant well, however his lectures are dry, and hard to sit through. The midterm and final were both difficult, however, he gives you a chance to bring up those grades by giving several (easy) homework assignments, and two or three papers, all of which he grades extremely easily. All you have to do is put a little thought into what you write, and you'll most likely get an A or a B on the paper. I did very poorly on both the midterm, and the final, but I still managed a B+ in the class thanks to his easy grading of the papers and homework assignments. | |
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POLS 225 Junior Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 10:21 pm, Apr 10, 2002 |
The other student who rated Arceneaux must have been on crack! Dr. Arceneaux's work load for a 200 level course was ridiculous. His lectures were as dry as the Mojave and if you asked a question he didn't give you a straight answer. Dr. Arceneaux seems more impressed with his own research. If you check out his four-paged, single-spaced, 10-point font syllabus----talk about anal! He should have kept his nose in books and stayed at a research oriented UC Campus. | |
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POLS 225 Freshman Grade Earned: A Elective 12:16 am, Apr 9, 2002 |
Craig Arceneaux is a fairly softspoken guy. He presents material well and projects a very thoughtful and considerate personality. His class is very manageable and he gives you some good essay possiblilites to keep your mind stimulated. He teaches good information without making the class too much of a pain. I only wish he'd give his opinion a little more in class. He tries to be very even handed, but sometimes it is fun to have a professor generate some contraversy in a poli sci class. If you take him I am sure you will get along with him well and enjoy the class | |
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