George, David  

Dr. George's class is pretty easy if you attend class, take verbatium notes about his lectures(which tend to easily stray), and read the book. The book isn't all that bad, some parts way more interesting than others, but overall an interesting class. Of course this is coming from a poli sci student..... One last thing-any political issues going on at the time seem to become part of his lecture. So, you get to learn more about current events with out having to buy a newspaper!

Prof. George's class was always very interesting. He rambles on about all sorts of amazing things, and seems to know a little about almost everything, especially of course, political science. If you do the reading, which is about thirteen chapters of 30+ pgs., then his verbatim scantron tests will be a breeze, just make SURE that you read. Good sense of humor.

The absolute worst teacher I've had here at Poly! His lectures are completely unrelated to the material in the book, and he thinks he knows everything about everything. His syllabus stated that the test questions would come from the online test bank, yet he went back on that statement because he "suspected some students weren't reading the text." I guess the idea of sticking to your word means nothing to him. He's EXTREMELY LIBERAL and cynical. This guy must have had the worst life possible, because he's always got something negative to say (especially about Republicans). At the end of the quarter, he told us that he thinks the class isn't challenging enough, so he'll be requiring an additional two books starting Fall 99. He fails to understand that it's a 3-unit GE class and not everyone is interested in this subject matter. If you're at all patriotic, avoid him him at any possible costs.

Professor George was one of the worst teachers I've had at Cal Poly. He takes forever to convey even the simplest ideas in his lectures and once he finally does say what he has to say, he thinks it's the most profound idea anyone has ever thought up. He insists that you do the reading and was constantly telling me that I was going to fail because I didn't do the reading on schedule. He just needs to come to the realization that he's teaching a course and not holding a lecture on how great a guy he is.

He spends the majority of the first few weeks of class talking about how cops are always shooting innocent people and police coverups. He is very liberal, and if you don't agree with his views, prepare to be offended. Don't argue because whatever you say, he will say you are wrong and belittle you and change the subject. His lectures mainly consist of him talking about how his wife wants him to open a polling buisness and every other poll in the nation is wrong. His lectures have nothing to do with the readings he assigns, but the tests are pretty easy. Just look at the study questions on his website and you'll do fine.

"I'm an important man. I make important decisions outside this classroom." I think that quote sums up this man's personality problems. It's hard to respect somebody who says things like this. However, I still would have been okay with him if at least he was a decent teacher, but unfortunately he also fails miserably in this department. Unlike some of the people who rated this teacher (don't call him a teacher; he hates that), I found this class very boring. I'm just glad I'm done with this class. Take somebody else.

Before I begin my analysis of this idiot, let me just say something very relavent. BUSH IS PRESIDENT. This man tried to teach this class as if we were his democratic little buddies. He only talks about politics from a democratic standpoint and caps on Republicans at least three times a class period. This fact makes him a bad teacher. You need to show all views from different parties, not just your own. He is a strong "liberal" Democrat. Hahah, democrat. The democrats in Al Gore And Bill Clinton have messed up our outlook from other countries. I cannot wait until these two idiots are out of power. I mean, how can a man chnage the laws around after the election already started. This is wrong ! It cannot be done. And Clinton, a man that lied under oath. A liar as a president, that' always good. And wait, AL Gore made the internet. HAHA I am so happy that these lying bastards are out of power now. It is about time. The help that this analysis of Mr. Geore gave you is directly related to his efforts in teaching the class. My final words to Mr. Geore are.. pack your bags, and get the hell out like your beloved lying Al Gore did. Cap on that you bastard!

The first impression I had of George was the first 15 minutes of class where he preceded to mess around with his laptop to get the presentation on the overhead working. This wouldn't be so bad if he didn't do the exact same thing for the rest of the quarter. He wasted my time and everyone else that was unfortunate enough to show up for his class. George has little to no interest in present the material, or teaching anything on the test or in the book. His driving motive seems to lead the class into a more or less 1 sided debate. In these coversation he embarks on wild tangents and does his best to offend anyone more conservative than himself. Not myself or anyone I talked to felt prepared for any of his tests. His massive scantron test cover hundreads of dry material out of the text. This is not all that unusual except George does nothing to review or clarify any of the readings. Quite simply put he is a teacher that has lost his flair for teaching and is in serious need of a job change. He's lazy, ill-prepared, and completely insensitive. George if your reading this, no one enjoys talking to you. Seriously. Retire, get fired, or put a .45 in your mouth, you'd make alot of people happy that way.

To do well in his class you simply have to underatand what he says and what he means. "You will do well on the test if you have read the material" = "You are doomed, I will do my best not to discuss anything about the test", "We will have review the day before the test" = "I will spout of my liberal ramblings giving you no clue or help"

Not an enjoyable experience. No teaching skills whatsoever. Puts no time into preparing lecture, and it shows, sometimes he just starts reading straight out of his notes. the class was very stereotypical politics, nothing new, democrats, liberals, republicans, conservatives. really cliche. he would try and get students pissed off about an issue, or say something really blunt, it never worked, no one responded, cuz they were disgusted with the quality of the class.

Dr. George is egotistical and rude. When you respond in class and he doesn't agree, you have you head ripped off. His lectures are incredibly dull. This was not the teacher to have to introduce me to Cal Poly. I came out of his class feeling sour. Major shortcomings for a teacher at this school. I do NOT recommend this teacher. You will wish you hadn't taken the class because he concentrates the material on 'studies' he has done. Not impressed. No, not so much.

Horrible teacher. Now I am going to go vomit. You will become bulimic from his lectures. He will fill you with tons of information about himself(not even course material) then you will go to the bathroom and purge the unnecessary information. Sorry man, my useless memory banks are full.

Where to begin? Simply put, George is not a professor of Political Science; he is a professor of his own beliefs. That's what the class should be called. My first impression of him was the way he looked. His head seems oddly (but later appropriately) small in proportion to his bulbous body. That was entertaining for the first thirty seconds of every class period, as he would ramble about desperately trying to prepare his computer and all the other technology involved in his lecture. After that five minutes, he delves into his lecture. If you like nappy time, you'll like his lectures. All he does is force his issues on you which are unequivocally liberal. I'm a democrat, and I was offended. The only time I ever enjoyed his lecture was when I defended one the many students he enjoys picking on (must be a big man to always discount what freshmen and sophomores believe or to tell them why their opinions are wrong). All he could do was sweat profusely through his shirt and avoid the issue. One of my favorite things about him was his combover. Who does the guy think he was fooling? Did you ever see Kingpin, at the end when Big Earn's combover looks like an exploding firework? There you go. It's not a dead animal, it's the last pathetic strands of hair he has. The hairstyle is like the man himself: fake, an illusion, oddly mishapen, and totally inappropriate. THE KEY TO THE CLASS IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE DIMWIT THINKS. Whatever makes the government look bad, that is the answer on the test. I encourage you to take the class so that you have nowhere to go but up in quality of professors.

Peofessor George's lectures were very interesting and insightful about our political structure expecially dealing with terrorism. He is very approachable and it DEFINETELY pays off to visit his office hours a few times so he knows your face.

I thought that George was okay. I don't know what the Republican pussies are talking about. He bagged on the Democrats too. By the way, I'm not a Democrat either. Liberals and conservatives get into a mindset and aren't will to listen, really listen, to other points of view. They just wait 'till the person is finished, or often not even that long, and spout out the party line. If you're not an extremist, left or right, I don't think it's going to be a problem. He makes controversial statements so that people will give their opinions, not because he thinks they are correct. The tests were easy, and the final was extremely easy. I got an A+ on the final. The questions were mostly about the text and not the lecture. I found this class to be pretty easy overall.

Dr. George is a great guy. Don't believe the other evaluations. I read them before I took the class and was a little scared going in. He is a really intelligent man, yet he has his opinions. There are two mid-terms and a final. They are multiple choice. They come from his lectures, which are very structured, and the readings. Read. If you are open minded this class is interesting. He gives you a whole new appoach on politics. Be open and don't take the things he says personally. He will give you a new out look. There is not homework other than the readings which is reasonable. Study for the tests, and don't fall behind on readings. If you study you should be able to pull a B.

After reading the comments written on here about Professor George, I was astonsished. It's true: the majority of people who write evals are students who dislike the profossor, not anyone that liked the class. Well, I did. He is very educated on his topics, and, though not computer literate, knows what he is talking about and is very interesting. I enjoyed the topics he diverged onto, and sometimes I did not see the point, there is one if you just pay attention. I heard before I took the class that it was very hard, but it's actually quite easy; just read the chapters and look over the review questions he posts for you. And take notes on the lecture. He is very opinionated, but so is any other professor, especially on topics like poly sci. I appreciated this class and the new perspective I gained from it. I would recommend this class to anyone that is open minded, or would like to become more so. (And to those who ragged on him because you're a Republican or conservative: get over it. You're entitled to your views just as much as he is.)

OK...if you want a good grade in Dr. George's class, read here. Yes, he's a Democrat. Yes, he seems to think that all Republicans are wrong/bad. Yes, he can be offensive sometimes. Yes, he fumbles around with the computer. But who cares. The point is to get through this general ed class with as little pain as possible and get on with life. Rule #1: Do not read the books. Many people try, and they do not do well on the test because it is too much to remember. If you're like me, and are carrying 4 or 5 other classes that you also need to study for, then reading 6 chapters plus the Sources text is ridiculous, insane, and not going to happen. Instead, memorize the answers to the test banks for the assigned chapters (takes about 1 hour). Rule #2: Know the introductions to the Sources text, which is written by the author. Rule #3: Go to class, and know his lecture notes. It's not hard. I probably studied a total of 2 hours for each test, with little preperation beforehand.

If you are a card carrying member of the NRA, please take another instructor for this class, unless you are highly opinionated and would gladly accept the challenge of arguing with a man who doesn't recognize anyone elses opinions and generally accepts his own ideas as concrete truth. Not many people try to present a counter arguement to his lectures because when one poor sap does, he is not given much of a chance to be seen as having a possibly plausable arguement. Other than that, the class is easy. Study and you shall succeed. Pay attention.

Basically the way to succeed in this class is go to the lectures, take notes, and study the review questions. (Which, by the way, I have all the test questions - over 100 pages of 'em! - and if you'd like to have them just e-mail me at mnwhite@calpoly.edu) The class may be difficult for you if you disagree with the professor's ideas, but I actually think he enjoys the debate if you put up a fight. Just take it easy and don't stress it.

I wish I knew how biased this teacher was before I registered and took this class. I did take the EARLY morning class and that didn't help. Dr. George presents HIS information in a way that only points a certain direction. He complains that every political group that he is against, spreads propaganda. But technically, he does the same thing... making him a total hypocrite. The homework load is non existent. The readings are long, tedious and dull. Buying the book is pointless. Just study off of the online questions. They're the EXACT questions on his test.

Prof George. is a good guy, if you agree with his views. He is the biggest Liberal i have ever encountered, and he is not afraid to express his views and challenge others. He also loves to lecture on how great Democtates are, and how dumb Republicans are. if you are a liberal, or if you don't mind listening to his views then take him. but if you are like me, and are strong set as a republican and listening to Liberals speak pisses you off, then DON'T take him. His tests are pretty easy, but i would not recommend him to anyone that is a strong republican.

I don't know why everyone keeps saying that D. George is a democrat, or a liberal, or all of these judgements. He's actually a registered republican. He says all of these things to make you talk, he wants to argue with you because he wants to build your knowledge of the system. He chose a book that has a negative view on our government purely because it'd make you look and think about it more. It sure does spike your desire to listen in the class doesn't it? George's tests are rough if you don't study for them. They're 100 questions, true false and multiuple choice. Most come from an online "test questions bank" which has all of the questions without any answers on it. The test bank is enourmous, you have to start a couple days early to study for his two exams. The final is no different. His lectures are via powerpoint, they've very well done and don't waste your time. He usually lets you out of the class early if he has nothing more to say. There's an extra credit assignment if you need it. He's approachable. He's amusing, and tells great stories in class to relate to material which will definetely get you laughing. Overall, he's very well versed - I enjoyed his class, and he knows what he's doing. Don't believe this reviews that he's terrible and wants to kick you out of his class... he just wants you to think. He's retiring as well after the spring quarter.

The one thing that I can say about Dr. George is that he can work with you and help you if you have a problem. But overall you have to read the book because that is what he quizes you on. The case reading that he had is difficult and if you only read one book, read that one. His lectures are a little boring and he only goes over american government and not california. If he does go over it, it is through his note and it isnt very much in the first place. If you take this class be warned that you are going to be reading a lot in the book and depending a lot on yourself to understand the matierial.

I really liked his approach to the class (elitist vs. pluralist) but he was a horrible professor. Though I 100% agree with his political views, he should keep them out of the classroom unless he opens up debate where a student can actually argue their point and not get cut off or told they're wrong. College professors need to foster an open forum where students can make their own opinions, not get one drilled into their heads. As a liberal, even I was sick of his one-sided approach by the end of the quarter. I don't recommend this teacher to anyone. Conservatives espeically will be frustrated and I feel bad for anyone that ends up in his class.

he's got a *VERY* liberal bias. sometimes i wonder if his goal was to teach us, or to bad mouth republicans. the tests are all from a given test bank, so they are fairly easy. whem he's not pushing his beliefs down your throat, his lectures are interesting.

I've had three classes with Dr. George and every one of them has been very entertaining. You talk about things that are going on right now in the world, and you get to see them from a different perspective. He challenges you to be suspicious of what you hear in mainstream media and to look for alternate viewpoints. My favorite thing about Dr. George is that he calls bullshit on all the megaconservative christians in class and doesn't allow their closeminded bullying to take over class as some other POLS teachers do. An awesome professor and an easy class. You may or may not get a midterm depending on how many conservative christians are in the class and the final is an easy take home essay that you have all quarter to work on. No minimum page limit and a maximum of 15 pages. Good class and good professor.

This class was a joke. Professor George was a complete ass. I did not learn a single thing in the class - he talked about how much he hates Bush and disagrees with the Iraq war. I am pretty liberal, yet I still hated going to listen to him ranting about Bush! Also, he said there were going to be no tests, then randomly one day mentioned that he had changed his mind and to be prepared for a test the next week. I managed to do really well in the class, but HATED every moment of the class.

i love this teacher, i loved just going to his class because i have so much respect for him. the class has no final, just a final paper. the midterm is so fair, that you realize what teachers should really be all about. class is composed of discussion questions that an assigned group writes pertaining to a reading assignment that the whole class has to read. dr. george is very into this database about the elections and to be honest, it's actually really cool. he's a great guy and very passionate about what he does. easy to talk to and easy to ask questions to as well. take him if you can for this class or any other, i'm sure he's great no matter what he teaches.

Despite what a lot of people on this page say, Dr. George is actually a pretty cool guy. I think he's retiring soon, but if he does stay on into next quarter, I would definitely take another class of his. You don't even have to meet at all on the scheduled final day, because there's no final and you turn in the paper on the last day of class. There's one midterm, and he gives you all the questions beforehand so you can study, and they really weren't that hard. It's basically short answer format. We had lots of class discussion, because the class is run where he'll lecture one day, and then specific groups of students will lead the discussion the next day with questions from the assigned reading. He always had something interesting to contribute. It's true that he is really liberal, but it's not like he hides it and tries to influence you in some sneaky way. Overall it was a fun class to come to, and pretty easy to get an A.

Dr. George is by far the most interesting teacher I have had at Cal Poly. His classes are fun, exciting, and really stimulating. One of the reasons why he succeeds in teaching his students is because he stirs up controversial class discussions. Although many students are offended by his Liberal bias, I think it is his right to express his views because of his experience as a political scientist.

DR. George for critical issues is a sweet class. We did not take one test,and did not have a final. For 10 weeks we sat in a circle and discussed current issues. George gives you the option of writing a paper or giving a presentation(which is pretty fun) for your grade. He said he is retiring this quarter but will come back in teach in the future. He treats this class completely different from basic PoliSci. It was the easiest A I've ever had in my life. Take George for Critical Issues if you can!

Dr. George is an interesting fellow! He is really passionate about his views and will often disregard anyone elses evidence that contradicts those views. At times it can be pretty frusturating. On the good side this class was a cake walk. All you have to do is show up and have an opinion. It is not necessary that you read because they are all life relate issues that we talk about so it is easy to chime in without having to do the work. No tests, no quizes, no final. Does it get better than this? I do no think so. All you need to do is show up!

Well, I really don't know where to begin. This guy is a trip. George is the most blatantly closed minded liberal I have ever seen. He always preaches how liberals are "progressive" and "accepting" but never once did he accept the opinion of a conservative. Whenever a good point was made he would dismiss it as propaganda. Also, THERE ARE TESTS!!!!! Ignore the earlier Polyratings. Not really a hard class but be prepared for some wierd ideas (like the US military is likely going to overthrow the government if we do not initiate a draft)

What a terrible liberal teacher. If you're a conservative avoid this class. He's got a midterm worth 1/3 of your grade where if you don't kiss his ass, you get a bad grade. Same thing regarding participation. His bullshit ideas are so out there it makes you want to puke. Learned a lot about liberal propoganda throughout the quarter but didn't really learn anything useful. He talks about ideas like the dangers of groupthink yet practices it himself. He is a microcosm of what is wrong with the poli sci department at Cal Poly. Basically this whole class is made up of him trying to teach you leftist propoganda.

The entire class was a war between the liberals and conservatives of the classroom. If you enjoy this kind of debate, you will enjoy this class... however, after a while, when he has kicked out all of the conservatives, people quit respecting his opinion. He believes that newspapers can be conservatively biased, but that none are liberally biased. Hopefully this will clue you into the way that he thinks. At any rate, you won't learn anything, and no one reads the book, you just sit around and talk. Have fun.

Prof George spends no time going over actual material that you need for the class. You don't need to read the book. I only had to write one paper for my whole grade. The rest of the class time we argued and he kicked the conservatives out of the class, and as amusing as he was, when he made all of his biased opinions, i didn't learn anything except to never take from him again.

I learned that if I were to take up hunting, I should shoot deer, not bears, because a bear will hunt me back if I successfully wound it. Fascinating! I didnt know that the key to production and operations management was so brutally simple!