Lois P. Flynne

This teacher is a bit eccentric and often amusing. Her lectures are interesting but a bit too long. She expects high level work and the exams and req. work reflect her high standards. I learned a lot and enjoyed most classes.

Dr. Flynne's lectures are a bit rambling and disorganized, although I enjoyed the very different perspective she brought to things and her numerous interesting personal stories. Her reading list and exams are very challenging. I DO NOT agree with the student who imagines that she gives people F's who do not agree with her. If your writing is sloppy and illogical, you may get an F, but she made it quite clear that you can disagree with her views and still get an A. Also, as she pointed out in the class, most instructors in the Social Sciences have a definite liberal/socialist bias, so she didn't feel the need to rehash things you've already heard a million times. However, if the thought of having a teacher with a libertarian perspective horrifies you, this isn't the class for you.

She's a nice enough person, very approachable and enjoyable to get into a discussion with. But as for being an instructor, and in a prerequisite core class (no less), she did not cover the basics at all. We were supposed to learn about Geography, Economics, and the Political Sciences. Instead, she bombarded us with Libertarian Anarchist propaganda, requiring us to adopt her mindset in order to "get" her message. I don't believe professors should push their beliefs onto the class, regardless of what they are. I also don't believe regurgitation is the best way to learn. If a person believed in gun control, or socialism, or anything else antithetical to laissez faire capitalism, then that meant an instant "F". I did like the books she had us read, though, but I still didn't learn anything regarding the importance of Geography or Political Science. I have to give her credit for commuting 2 hours each way in order to lecture, but she should have saved the money on gas and stayed home.

Oh, God, where do I start? I think that she has retired, but just in case, here goes. I like her, as a person, she was nothing but nice to me. She's also a curmudgeon, not a bad thing in itself; but she's totally disenchanted with teaching, and it was evident in her lack of focus while in class, as well as meandering lectures, which were usually liberally peppered with stories about her countless animals, as well as libertarian sentiments. If you're hot for gun control, stay away from her. She won't call you names, but she won't listen to you, either. Her take-home exams were very difficult, but not impossible. They were, I felt, graded fairly.