The man has been an expert in the field for approximately 60 years. Going to his lecture gives you the opportunity to hear the details from a man who knows them inside and out, has been following the events since the 40's, has lived the history, and has long been one of the nations leading minds in the field. To take Binder is an opportunity many students take for granted. Most of these students below don't realize how lucky they are. Binder is in his 80's, if his mic isn't on it is hard to hear him, and yes, his slides can be hard to follow. Having said that, Binder knows this material like the back of his hand; to forgo lecture is to deprive yourself of an opportunity that will not be around much longer. Sit in the front with a cup of coffee and pay attention.

Overall suggestion: don't, unless you must.

Content: an in-class midterm and a take-home final, both with multiple essay prompts.

Lectures: rough. Very, very rough. I can count the number of times on my hands he stood up and wrote something on the board (6, if you're curious). For the most part, he sits in his chair and reads his notes, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, except it's mainly a mumble and largely nothing to do with the readings. In fact, you can (and many people did) get away with just doing the readings and not go to lecture. I was a sucker and did it anyways.

In the end, I got a B+ and was happy with it. I just wanted it to be over. I took approximately 10+ pages of notes per lecture, went to every lecture (awake, mind you), and I can honestly say that during the course (and especially after) I have next to NO recollection of anything mentioned or covered, at least to any detail. It was all a big, monotonous blur. I'm sure he's really knowledgeable in his field, but he doesn't convey it in a class setting all too effectively (read: I did not look forward to class at all).

I took Binder for PS165...his lectures are very detailed and hard to follow and his PPTs have way too much text and not enough visual stimulation. Furthermore, his inability to project his voice puts many people to sleep. With that said, the TAs really help to clarify the material and while the reading is dense and heavy, you learn a lot.