Freshmen Only: A Guide to Introductory Classes
The best and worst professors at Cal
By Robert Nathan Eberhart
From the September 2006 Print Edition
As students flood back into town and the cyclical rhythms of the academic year resume, it is typically the freshman class, fresh from a summer of final goodbyes and nervous anticipation, who are the most vulnerable to the radical vicissitudes Berkeley has in store for them. Berkeley can be a frightening blend of pompous intellectualism, debaucherous bacchanalia, aggressive panhandling, LSD-influenced bureaucratic tomfoolery, and general chaos to the new arrivals. To smooth the transition from sweet, naive freshman to battle-hardened veteran the California Patriot has complied a guide, albeit an editorially biased one, to several freshmen introductory classes and the professors therein. Enjoy.
A. James Gregor
Professor of Political Science
Fall 2006 course: Political Science 137A, “Revolutionary Change: Fascism and Social Science”
Love him or hate him, Professor Gregor is a force of nature. One of the most divisive characters at the UC Berkeley campus, Gregor is not for the weak. An outspoken conservative, and hence an outcast among the liberal political science department at UC Berkeley, Gregor has been a leading, if raspy and irritating, voice for conservatism for many years. As now-shamed professors extolled the virtues of Mao Zedong’s health care system in the 1970s, Gregor was professing the theoretical and practical parallels between Marxism and Fascism. Gregor is now an institution unto himself. While his iconoclastic, confrontational manner may have earned him enemies through the years, the Patriot certainly is not among them.
Ronald Gronsky
Professor of Materials Science and Mineral Engineering
Fall 2006 course: Engineering 24, “Materials in Music”; Materials Science and Engineering 204, “Theory of Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Diffraction”
Professor Gronsky has built a reputation among the student body for his enthusiasm for teaching and his love of students. He is currently the most highly rated professor on ratemyprofessors.com, where students have unanimously assigned him the highest possible rating. A lecture style which presents ‘vast’ amounts of information in a lucid and understandable manner combined with an approachable comportment make him one of the most effective and beloved professors on campus. He often teaches popular freshman seminars, but sign up for them early as they are limited in space and fill up quickly. A must-have for any engineering major.
Alex Filippenko
Professor of Astronomy
Fall 2006 course: Astronomy 10, “Introduction to General Astronomy”
Filippenko is arguably the most popular professor at Berkeley. He teaches the legendary Astronomy 10, a gargantuan 500-student class describing the structure and evolution of stars, galaxies, and the universe. There is a fair amount of math and physics for an introductory class, so plan on a study break here and there between binge drinking and O.C. marathons. Comments on ratemyprofessor.com rate from “Best class ever!” to “One of the best courses at Cal, taught by one of the very best professors on campus.” It’s difficult to argue with nearly unanimous approval, so take the class.
Andrew Janos
Professor Emeritus of Political Science
Fall 2006 course: Sorry kids, he’s not teaching this term.
Professor Janos’ lectures utilize a vast wealth of knowledge drawn from more than theoretical abstractions. An escapee of the former Soviet Union, Janos delves into his own extensive personal experience to bring depth and context to his lectures. His research and teaching field is comparative East European politics, and he is best known among students for teaching Political Science 2, an overview of comparative politics. A heavy accent and tendency to ramble draw both complaints and adoration from his students but it is generally accepted that if you can see through his quirky foibles, you will thoroughly enjoy his lectures. Here is one professor at Berkeley who is surely no Soviet apologist, as he has experienced Communism first-hand.
David Karol
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Fall 2006 course: Political Science 104, “Political Parties”; Political Science 279 “Intermediation: Parties, Interest Groups, and Social Movements in American Politics”
After the previous reviews of some of the best professors at Berkeley, don’t be fooled into thinking that’s all that there is to offer. Certainly, common sense dictates that you will encounter professors whose classes are undesirable for any variety of reasons. Professor Karol teaches just such a class. One of the newest members of the Political Science Department, Karol has already succeeded in garnering himself a reputation as a professor to avoid. Numerous alumni of Professor Karol’s Political Science 1 course commonly describe it as boring and unimaginative. While he may be better suited for research or guiding smaller, specialized courses composed of motivated political science majors, if he is ever assigned to lecture an introductory political science course again, avoid it.
This guide is a truncated survey of some of the more outstanding examples of what you might encounter in your introductory classes. We at the Patriot do not have the time or space to showcase all of the fantastic professors who work tirelessly to bring you a world-class education or those on the opposite end of the spectrum who view teaching as a perfunctory and bothersome obstacle toward tenure or their next book deal.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider supporting the Patriot