Dean Manders

I seriously don't know what the other reviewers were thinking about when they gave A's to this professor. Albeit, I'm taking him again for 301 but it's only because I got an A for 300.

I came into this class thinking that I would acquire more knowledge about the world and the social sciences/politics/etc. etc. instead I was greatly dissapointed to hear him repeat over and over again about the generalities of everything that is happening around us. So the reading might be a little bit more interesting but that does not make up for the awful lectures that he gives. I seriously came away in his class without learning anything! Unless you're a total hermit who has lived in seclusion from everything around you, then maybe this class is for you and you'll be able to learn and actually like the way he teaches. However, if you're somewhat intelligent (and you are in college now) this class will not benefit you in any way other then an easy A.

Well, frankly speaking, Manders is a jerk. Plain and simple. BUT, he teaches very very well. What I mean by that is he gives you extremely valuable readings, insights, and information. I am so so glad I took him when I started at SFSU. It gave me a huge advantage and a more enlightened perspective for the rest of my schooling. I feel it was worth his derision and arrogance for the material and what I learned, but I can understand if other people disagree. Take him for the lessons, but be warned - he doesnt have very good manners. If I may wax poetic for a moment, Manders is like a suppository - painful to administer, but good for you all the same. The classes were exactly the same: a midterm paper (3 pages) and a final research paper (10 pages). I thought his grading was fair. Choosing a grade was pretty tough, but I went with a C+ because I thought the info was worth the uncomfortable professor. If it was boring info he would have easily gotten a D-, but if he was in any way nicer tan he is he would get an A-. Make of it what you will. Oh and I took both courses at the same time, against his advice I might add, and did just fine. They don't really overlap, but they do complement each other.

I do not know what the last reviewer is talking about. Dean Manders is an arrogant man and has complete disregard for his students. He does not welcome questions or comments from the class, however he does have a few that worship him and he will not condemn. He thinks that he is the only one with knowledge. He just likes to hear himself talk.

The good thing about his class is that it is easy. If you go every class he will increase your grade at the end of the semester. He only requires two papers. The first is usually on the first reading from his reader. He just likes to have you regurgitate from the article. After that no need to pay attention in class. The second paper, ten pages, can be on anything remotly covered in class. Just be sure to be consistant with your footnotes, not neccessarily correct but consistant. He teaches both SS 300 & 301 and says mostly the same stuff in both. You could take both at the same time and do very well.

My advice is to choose a seat in the back pay attention until the first 3 page essay then bring other work to pass the rest of class.

Dean Manders is an incredible instructor. I can honestly say that I have learned more in his course than any of the other courses I have taken at the university level. His personality takes getting used to. At first I didn't like his class because I was afraid to ask questions, however as the class moves along, students are able to speak freely with the instructor. The only requirement is that you ask good questions. It is required that you think about what you want to ask before you ask, or he may give you some kind of funny look. However the information that Dean Manders presents is very interesting stuff, and you really won't have a problem forming good questions regarding his lectures or readings. In the course we were assigned two papers. The first one was based on the first two class sessions notes, and the final was a ten page paper on the topic of your choice. A good deal of the topics that you will cover in this class are topics that aren't talked about every day, even at the university level. He will give you a wide spectrum of topics to learn about. If you follow up, and do a little bit of research, you will find that many of the stuff that he lectures on is true and has been hidden from the public. When I first went in to his class, I was really sure what to think about certain political subjects, however, this class helped me to identify certain problems in the economy, education, and politics. If you can, take his class. If you do, you won't regret it.

Dean Manders actually turned me off at first because of his conservative demeanor; he also seems on-the-edge towards irritability. He may not like a student (as I have always felt about how it is for myself), but he is fair. His expectations of student performance are righteous; and he does help the students (ie. class structure, syllabus, and a clear statement of what he expects from the class, etc.). He is well organized and passes his good sense of organization onto the students. This is really a timesaver. In the overall picture, his class is very informative, he allows 'thinking' and, in fact, promotes it. He sometimes expresses a smoldering attitude towards those who have a less-than-good understanding of the English language;yet,there has never been real problem of student abuse witnessed by this reviewer. Again, his class is excellent. Thank you Dean Manders.

Dean Manders is a very intimidating professor. He also does not allow for student input in class lectures and discussions. He is knowledgeable in his area of social science and politics but be forewarned:

HE IS NOT AN AUTHORITY ON HIV AND AIDS.

He will give out misleading information about these topics and students should be aware that it is not accurate. Take this class if you must, but question things that Dean Manders may put out there as fact.

Dean is a great teacher that knows his material. He lectures well with a clear and easy to understand voice. You can learn a lot from him and his class.

He knows his material, but is very single minded. He is not open to student's opinion and as a result my class didn't even bother talking after the first month. He was going to shoot you down for even having an opinion. He doesn't make the class an enjoyable learning enviroment. In his papers just write down what exactly what he said in his lectures, if you disagree (don't even go that direction) you will have to redo your paper to state what he wants. I totally agree with another comment about if English writing is not your strong point don't take him. I personally think he's racist. He likes to pick on ethnic students. I made an observation that all the Asain American female students in my class had to see him after we received our first papers back. He told every one of them that they need to learn English. He likes to intimidate his students and uses it to his advantage. I didn't see a desire to attend class after the midterm since the term paper was on whatever I wanted it on.

I agree with the reviews that are posted here for the most part. Dean is intelligent,informed,and engaging. He is also aggressive, intimidating, impatient,inflexible. He talks down to his students,and he expects his students to be somewhat well informed about the political arena. If english is not your first language, or if your writing skills aren't really good his grading will be particularly harsh. For all his knowledge and the appearance of being a capable and intelligent person, his teaching style didn't foster a desire to learn- in me or in many of my fellow classmates.The text was a badly printed collection of individual authors. There were 2 papers, one 5 pages and one 10 pages,and each student could pick a topic related to the class. One student questioned him in his office about a grade and she came to class in tears. She claimed he had made a few culturally slanderous statements,( she's chinese american). She was born in SF, english is her first language. I read her paper and it had a few structural problems and grammar errors, but nothing that would warrant a D-.

Dean Manders is a very intelligent teacher. His social science 300 class is very informative and challenging. The class consists of one 5 page midterm, one 10-12 pages final paper, and one 10 minute group presentation. Although he is a very knowledgable person, he lacks much people skill. Even though he makes himself available to his students, he is VERY intimidating to talk to. And if you are a non-native speaker, he will make you feel incredibly stupid. He will talk to you in a very harsh tone of voice and make you you feel like you just immigrated here, regardless of how long you've been living here. Over all my experience with him was not a pleasent one.

Dean Manders is an incredibly smart, well read critical thinker who is very clear about his expectations. We had to read several articles out of a course reader, and do two term papers, the midterm (5) five pages, the final (10-12) ten to twelve pages. Manders expects that when you do your papers that you make use of the articles and lecture material, then it is important to incorporate your input on the given subject with clear concise clarity. If you have strong writing skills and a good attendance record you should do well in his class. Although I enjoyed listening to manders excellent lectures, there is plenty of room for growth in his people skills. I believe he make take such a distant attitude with his students in an effort to remain "proffesional" but there were times he appeared cold and detatched. Manders does not seek out much student opinion or discussion and he speaks really fast. Be ready to write volumes on his lectures. Overall my experience with his class was positive, however if you are taking this class to casualy it could easily become a nightmare because it requires deep cognative involvement.

Dean is a very knowledgable proffesor. He's well read, very articulate and loves the subject he teaches. His course consists of a midterm: 3-5 pages take home paper, a final: 10-12 pages take home paper, and a 10 minute group presentation. Instead of books, he has a course reader. Every week the students are required to read 2-3 articles. The course doesn't require a lot of work and time imput, but it requires a lot of critical thinking. The class i took was 3 hours once a week and it was mainly lecture and discussion. Although he welcomes questions and input, he is intimidating to approach and does not posses adequate interpersonal and social skills. I think it's hard for someone who's that smart to have great people skills because they just know too much. He is more than willing to give you help, but is abrupt and cold in manner. I think he means well in trying to answer your question but if you ask a dumb or stupid question, it's hard for him to be understanding. I would recommend this class because i learned a lot, but don't expect an approachable person.