Good prof, but his lectures are way too theoretical and “academia” focused. Wish there was more real world application and discussion of current events. Cares too much about memorizing names of academia researchers. Ton of reading and most of it isn't well written or engaging, coming from a guy who loves IR. TAs were terrible this quarter.

Wow. get ready to read, get ready to memorize every reading for the final. No study guides/reviews are given, simply memorization. He is a great guy and everyone seems to like him, I just tend to not love his grading and teaching style. Having a good TA will help you a lot. Ahh lots of work but rewarding for sure.

Worst professor I've experienced at UCSB and the only bad grade I've received. His 60 slide lectures lack significant detail, often using a single word for an obscure event, a good prof will create 20 detailed slides. All exams are handwritten blue book. The worst part is he genuinely seems like he wants students to fail. Did not earn my respect.

Strathman's penchant for condescension and rote memorization ruined what would've been a fascinating class. In office hours, said my criticism of the idea that colonized people 'benefitted' from colonization was bc my race was colonized and I "probably have a lot of friends in soc".His class teaches us to memorize his views, not think for ourselves

Prof. Strathman was the highlight of my UCSB PoliSci career. He's not the easiest professor, but he is a fantastic teacher. I've taken a number of his classes and would recommend anyone taking PoliSci who is looking to learn the subject to take Prof. Strathman for their IR focus. It won't be an easy road, but the lessons taught will stay with you.

I have taken 4 classes with Dr. Strathman. His classes don't offer much room for error due to their balance. Exams are graded on knowledge of minute details taken from any reading or section of the notes. In order to do well on a final you must bring in every reading applicable, and the omission of one results in a poor grade. Take at your own risk

tbh I wish he had more things within the class to be graded on cause I got messed up by the 2 exams... TBF I didn't do any of the readings lol (I learned my lesson) and thought I could get away with my skim and organize method. but also didn't really try. his lectures are good tho. the tests are pretty hard lots of connecting and things and whatnot

Beware of the wrath of Strath before taking this class. Professor Stratham excels at delivering engaging and informative lectures, providing a wealth of knowledge in. However, be prepared for strict grading, extensive reading, and a fast-paced course covering numerous concepts. It's a challenging but rewarding class that demands a lot from you.

I don't even know where to begin. Strathman should be teaching grad school or be a teacher in movies. He is a phenomenal lecturer, and I have learned more in his class than in any class at this school combined, but the number of readings and how quickly he covers topics make his classes sadistic.

Although his lecture style is engaging, I found that his material lacked nuance. For example, he taught the idea of "American Exceptionalism" (that the US has always fought for fair power balancing internationally), with no mention of settler colonial history. Political science needs more perspectives "from below", which he did not present.

Strathman is my favorite pols professor I've had so far. You need to go to class to take notes because he wants you to regurgitate what he says, which isn't really on the slides. Definitely split the readings with a friend. I'm in another class with him now and it's 100% possible to get an A if you put a ton of time and effort in.

I love Brent Strathman. His class was so hard but it was hard for good reason. All of his readings and assignments have meaning. He is an amazing lecturer and is extremely engaging. His tests are hard but if you do the readings you'll be okay. As long as you do all the readings in this class you'll get at least a B. Take a class with Strathman!!!!

Great lecturer! He is very fast-paced and does assign a lot of reading but if you put effort you'll be fine.

Professor Strathman is FANTASTIC! His lectures are super engaging and you'll leave his class having learned a lot. BUT, make sure you're ready to put in some effort, show up to class, and do the readings to get a good grade.

Engaging lectures and readings. The readings might be a bit long, but if you like the subject, then the readings are interesting. Also, If you are even a bit confused, go to office hours!

Strathman...where do I even begin? I have taken 3 courses with this guy and have come to these conclusions: 1) He is a great lecturer, 2) He grades very harshly and 3) He is not lenient towards people who need special accommodations, so don't get sick and expect any help from him. Funny, engaging, intelligent guy. But not caring or lax at all.

Strathman offers dynamic lectures that make it easy to pay attention. Yes, it is a difficult, intense class. If you do all the readings and take good lecture notes, you will be fine. Grading is tough, but he is very clear on what he wants from his students.

I took 121,126, and 127 last year and got a B+, A-, and A. You gotta go to most lectures if u want to do well. They are fast paced and interesting. He assigns a lot of readings, but read the conclusion and pay attention in section. I never read an entire reading and survived just fine. Memorize the main points of each author for in person exams.

Took online in summer, every week we had about 6 lectures and quizzes. It was a lot of work. Prerecorded lectures were good honestly, thanks to online, if I took it in person, I will fail it. It was very hard. The quizzes were tricky, and the exams were timely and very difficult. I had many diff understanding than the prof based on his lectures.

Very engaging lecturer and I learned a lot but was also one of the most miserable classes ever. Unrealistic grading expectations (I lost many points on tests not because I answered wrong but bc he was looking for a specific, different answer). Never responded to emails. Seemed to pride himself on the fact that a good portion of his students fail.

Strathman provides great lectures, however there is a lot of provided readings that are connected to the quizzes, midterm, and final (all closed notes/book). Memorization of the authors and their theories is helpful for the final. There are also 2 op-eds that are harshly graded. C's get degrees so just do your best. Take quizzes seriously!

Took the class online and in person they are equally as hard but would recommend online. A lot of reading be prepared.

The good things I can say about this professor/course is that the quizzes are very straight forward. However the quizzes draw from an unreasonable amount of readings and the readings are often pictures of text which is annoying because you can't CNTL-F the text. Also had a difficult time receiving help when the class site was not functioning.

Probably the hardest class I have ever taken at UCSB, but I'm glad I took it. The class/professor were super fascinating. You will 100% become an expert in foreign policy after this class. Honestly, if you're up for the challenge, take your time on the readings, attend lecture and office hours, I don't see how you could get less than a B overall.