Professor
Michael Manville
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2025 - I signed up for this class after seeing positive past reviews, thinking it would be a chill lower div to take for spring quarter. I WAS WRONG. This class, which I anticipated being my "easier" class, was up there as one of the most difficult I took freshman year. Don't get me wrong, the material is very interesting and I would love a class that focused more on the materials in lecture and channeled that into the assignments/exams. What we got instead in Pub Aff 70 was assignments that had no relation to the lectures. We basically had one paper scaffolded into smaller writing assignments throughout the quarter. These screwed me because I had no gauge on how hard the TAs would grade them, and to make matters worse they were worth very little points but weighted SUPER heavily (e.g. one of them was graded out of 15 points but worth 15% in the gradebook so if you get even 2-3 points off you're cooked). I also did not get my first writing assignment graded nor receive comments about my writing until the second one was due, so I couldn't even use the TA's feedback to do better on the next paper because I HAD NO FEEDBACK TO GO OFF OF so I just had to thug it out and pray my writing was good enough (spoiler it was not). There are also random pop quizzes about the readings sprinkled throughout the lectures, so you pretty much have to show up to lecture every single time (if you ever have to miss day-of bc you're sick or something email him about that BEFORE CLASS... if you email him during a lecture about an absence it is not excused). He will also give quizzes if a decent amount of people leave after the first few minutes of lecture so do not expect there to be a pattern to the quizzes, he gave two back-to-back once. Overall this course stressed me out way more than it should have, and I should not be penalized on my writing assignments when it was not my fault the TA was late on giving feedback. Also I understand attendance is important but giving reading quizzes when the reading/ lectures have nothing to do with the assignments is a cruel and unusual punishment.
Spring 2025 - I signed up for this class after seeing positive past reviews, thinking it would be a chill lower div to take for spring quarter. I WAS WRONG. This class, which I anticipated being my "easier" class, was up there as one of the most difficult I took freshman year. Don't get me wrong, the material is very interesting and I would love a class that focused more on the materials in lecture and channeled that into the assignments/exams. What we got instead in Pub Aff 70 was assignments that had no relation to the lectures. We basically had one paper scaffolded into smaller writing assignments throughout the quarter. These screwed me because I had no gauge on how hard the TAs would grade them, and to make matters worse they were worth very little points but weighted SUPER heavily (e.g. one of them was graded out of 15 points but worth 15% in the gradebook so if you get even 2-3 points off you're cooked). I also did not get my first writing assignment graded nor receive comments about my writing until the second one was due, so I couldn't even use the TA's feedback to do better on the next paper because I HAD NO FEEDBACK TO GO OFF OF so I just had to thug it out and pray my writing was good enough (spoiler it was not). There are also random pop quizzes about the readings sprinkled throughout the lectures, so you pretty much have to show up to lecture every single time (if you ever have to miss day-of bc you're sick or something email him about that BEFORE CLASS... if you email him during a lecture about an absence it is not excused). He will also give quizzes if a decent amount of people leave after the first few minutes of lecture so do not expect there to be a pattern to the quizzes, he gave two back-to-back once. Overall this course stressed me out way more than it should have, and I should not be penalized on my writing assignments when it was not my fault the TA was late on giving feedback. Also I understand attendance is important but giving reading quizzes when the reading/ lectures have nothing to do with the assignments is a cruel and unusual punishment.
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2020 - Professor Manville is a very straightforward professor and I learned a lot about economics in the context of urban planning. He is friendly and helpful, particularly during office hours. He is receptive to student feedback too. I would take courses with Prof Manville again.
Fall 2020 - Professor Manville is a very straightforward professor and I learned a lot about economics in the context of urban planning. He is friendly and helpful, particularly during office hours. He is receptive to student feedback too. I would take courses with Prof Manville again.
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