A lot of material is covered. Lecture pace is high speed and doesn't allow much time to digest material while in class. Too busy scrambling to type notes. For exams, potential essay prompts are given in advance. Study those. Massive amounts of reading are assigned. Frustrating when not all is useddiscussed. One book was never discussed.
I took this course expecting history, not lectures on obscure economists. Once I figured out her esoteric angle on twentieth century America the course became more manageable, though never close to enjoyable.
Incredibly excited coming into the class but wow...I will never take another class with Furner again. She is rude and her lectures are entirely pointless..I felt like I learned more just from reading the uploaded PP's. Tough tests, and 1 longer paper, excessive unnecessary reading.
Most of her lectures are bewildering tirades against obscure economists. She repeatedly asserts her affinity for "Neo-Pragmatist" philosophy and "Institutionalist" economics, but you will never ever care why. Sometimes mean and suspicious but often her head is in the clouds and out of the classroom. Avoid her at all costs.
She is a very sweet teacher, and has good lectures but at the end of the day her midterms/final was IMPOSSIBLE! atteneded every class, studied, and still didnt get a good grade. she is helpful for the paper though
The most awful class I have had at UCSB! She spends at least 30 min. before every class talking about things that don't relate to lecture, and she never gets through all of her lecture. She assigns an insane amount of reading, and expects you all to have completed it. I would NEVER take a class with her again.
I've taken three classes with Furner and I like her. She is intelligent and nice and presents interesting topics. The class is not a breeze as i've got B+ all three times even after trying for an A. Even so that does not diminish the teaching and the knowledge i've received. She required good writing for her papers so be prepared
Key to getting her swings in anger, clarity, help is her self image as Left-intellect. She needs to feel superior. Drops names of scholars. She once sneered AND laughed at accounts of how bad the Soviet Gulags were! Superficial, insensitive, bitter, self-absorbed, judgmental are all words that describe her well. The course is about her, not hist.
Very disappointing. Furner is a perfectionist. She expected us to read an immense amount of material, wasted lecture time by raving about Obama, and couldn't convert professional-speak into student-speak. Could've gotten an A if a matching section on each exam decimated my score, I'll settle for a B, but I'd recommend against this course.
She is very knowledgeable about her topics but is unable to get that knowledge to the student. Exams were sooooo hard!! Even with going to every class and reading the dull stuff we had to read I just could not get it!! She destroyed my GPA! The class focused way to much on complex politics versus real engaged history. Don't take it!!
lectures are really boring and generally don't help for preparation of the midterm/final.It is very economical so I wouldn't take the class unless you have some background in economic studies because she assumes everyone already does. Sooo much reading it is impossible to do it all! We had 2 small book reports, but don't be deceived the books thems
Rarely any class discussions... no explanation of how things were graded/what was looked for in the essays. Midterm, Essay, Final... all essays. She was really enthusiastic and passionate about history but I think there could have been other ways to engage students. Maybe she just wasn't for me.