What follows are ALL comments hand-written by students, in their entirety.
...............................Absolutely enjoyed the class - like the Powerpoint lectures. Tests were difficult. I wonder if it's possible to write the equivalent of a perfect test (answer key) in 1hr 15 min. But overall, it was a great class. Very fair professor and willing to work with students - a rarity.
I think the lectures would be more beneficial to students if they were more interactive, also with a concrete beginning and end.
I have not yet missed a single class. Need I say more? Give this man the professorship that he deserves. No room for improvement now. The course is great, there is no need for further improvement.
There was way too much reading in this class. I felt no matter how much I prepared, I still had no clue what was going on. I read everything and always went to class and I'm still not going to get a good grade. I worked way too hard for the grade I will receive.
It was a good course, and I learned a lot. The teacher was very knowledgeable about the course material. It was interesting, but there was a lot of reading, and it was easy to get behind. Sometimes in class I would get lost. I like the idea of PowerPoint slides, but the way he explained things was sometimes confusing. More class discussions.
Dr. Cleaver is very helpful and receptive to his students. He is the smartest man I know, next to my dad. He is an excellent professor. Just so you know, we refer to you as "The Cleave"
Maybe we could have some more discussions in class instead of just lecturing from the slides. Otherwise, Dr. Cleaver is a very knowledgeable person that could discuss and give his own opinions about any topic that might arise. I truly enjoy the class even though I didn't put as much effort into the class as I was supposed to.
International Economies in Crisis? How much economic material was discussed? Too abstract for me. Focus on the title of the course and economics. Focus on the title of the course and economies.
Dr. Cleaver does a good job using examples to illustrate his point. But he is very personally involved in the Zapatista conflict in Mexico and he needs to not use that example as much. I understand his passion for the topic but he does not need to constantly push it to his students. Also, the Zapatista struggle is not that big of a deal anyway compared to other international economic crises. Also, focus more on economics.
D YA BASTA!
I enjoyed this class very much. You presented the material in such a way that is never was boring or dull - current affairs stuff usually isn't "fun" for most people. But this class was awesome.
This course was demanding, but worth the effort. The reading packets were great. I liked that they drew from the whole of the political spectrum. A brief discussion of the neo-classical and Marxist philosophies may be helpful at the beginning of the course. The analysis of Keynesian economics is a good foundation, but a brief treatment of the others may help in being able to fully analyze the material.
Reading was excessive (unless youŐre a 1/2 time student). Classes were a one way street, with you talking and us listening. I know your response to this will probably be that we were afraid to speak up at any time. However, lecturing in a darkened room with PowerPoint presentations isn't exactly conducive to open discussion.
The course content sometimes seemed out of date, or at least did not focus on current economic events.
Incredible amount of reading. If you give that much in the future it is helpful to have the most relevant items underlined in the packets. Cleaver is one of the top two teachers in the econ department. He motivates you to think for yourself and outside of social norms on many issues. Points a new much needed perspective in the UT econ department. Students can only be enriched by the diversity of perspectives on issues and Prof. Cleaver is one of the few that recognize that. Two thumbs up for the course.
Cleaver is a though provoking against -the -grain Prof. I recommend him to all econ /Liberal Arts majors who have an open mind.
Offer another undergraduate upper-division course which is dedicated to the analysis of current economic events on a global scale including synthesis and "puzzle-building" of multiple events, a "think - tank class".
Dr. Cleaver one of the top professors I've ever had. I took a class with Dr. Galinsky of the classics department and thought he was awesome. Later I found out he had won some award. Dr. Cleaver just as good and if he hasn't won some award's, he should have. His wit, sarcasm and knowledge of the subject were uncanny. I would recommend Dr. Cleaver to anyone. I'm in the Bus. School and none of the professors even come close.
The packet were very bad, they weren't ready in time and were hard to follow. Dr. Cleaver knows so much that it was a privilege to take this class. The bad thing is that he knows that he is a stud and looks at everyone down like if the whole world was wrong.
Too much reading. Good class, but the course packets were excessive. Hard to synthesize on essay questions.
I was surprised that UT offers a course with such a amorist perspective (really with anything different from a quantitative neo-liberal approach there is a surprise). But I think Dr. Cleaver tries to hard to jam the entire scope of economic interactions into a Marxist viewpoint. And with such a focused thesis, I didnŐt feel I could really ask questions which differentiated from his analysis. He certainly is passionate and I think he really motivates many of his students, and I know he has to defend his viewpoints constantly within his field. But I didnŐt feel comfortable asking questions as I do not share many of his Marxist views.
Dr. Cleaver is one of my favorite instructors. His lectures, assigned readings, and tests push me to think beyond my usual academic boundaries. Dr. Cleaver is insightful, interesting, and entertaining. Dr. Cleaver, thank you for truly broadening my horizons, trite as it sounds. Oh, and I won't bitch about the volume of reading. I'm sure you're heard it all before. Thanks.