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.

He's definitely the type of professor you need to drink a cup of coffee for an hour or two before lecture. Sit near the front because sometimes his microphone cuts out and he doesn't speak too loud to begin with. His lectures are well organized and he explains them in detail by reading off his notes at the podium. You don't need to copy down everything he says, just the main points. The midterm was more based on the readings while some of the questions from the final were literally just slides from his lecture with a question mark at the end of it. I had Davari as a TA and he was nice. He really challenged you to think more in depth about the material. Overall, I got an A- in the class by going to all of the lectures, discussions and doing most of the reading.