Western Kentucky University / Y / Edward Yager
Averages:
Overall Rating
OKv
Grade Received
Bv
Course Difficulty
Moderatev
Quantity of Notes
Overkillv
Tag Summary:
True/False: 1
Multiple Choice: 18
Fill in the Blank: 1
Essays: 28
Problem Solving: 1
Mandatory Final: 26
Textbook Required: 20
Extra Credit: 3
Attendance Required: 22
28 Total Evaluations
PS-110 : Hon American Natl Govt - Posted 5/6/2013
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
Not Specified
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Easy
Comments
Dr. Yager is the BEST! I absolutely loved this class. I am pre-med and just took this class for Cat. C as well as honors credit and I am so glad I did. I took government in high school, so a lot of this content was just review (and I found it easy), but I really don't see how you could think its hard. You have 4 quizzes and 3 exams (the 3rd being the final and it is not cumulative). The quizzes either have IDs or multiple choice and they have 1 essay question, the exams have 25 multiple choice and you write 2 essays. He just stands up and lectures (no powerpoint or anything) which normally I hate, but this man LOVES government and really cares about this class, but he also understands that this is a gen ed and most students do not have this class as a major priority, therefore he keeps it pretty straight forward. Take good notes while he lectures and you're golden! I never even looked at our textbook once and I got As on all the quizzes and 2 of the exams (I got a B on the first one). If you are looking for an easy Cat. C or some easy honors credit I defiantly recommend this class or Dr. Yager in general!
GOVT-110 : Honors American National Government - Posted 12/29/2010
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Overall, I thought this class is pretty easy. You have to go in order to hear his lectures. The tests and quizzes are over his lectures. However, you can skip every so often. After 3 absences he takes points off your total grade. He's really nice. I did learn from him. His quizzes are definitions and essays. His tests are multiple choice and essays. However, they were not overly difficult. Notes weren't overkill. Also, he requires 2 books. I didn't crack open the main government book once. However, he did require a point counterpoint book that I chose to read. I would definitely recommend him.
POLI-310 : American Presidency - Posted 12/26/2009
Overall Rating:
Poor
Grade:
C
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
I LOVE Dr. Yayer but I hated the class. It was consumed with SO many notes. You only have a midterm, presentation, and final. If you don't do good on the first test and the presentation your done. The presentations are boring..... and it takes so much time from the class. Overall, if your looking for an easy A this is not the class, you have to work extra hard....
PS-330 : Political Theory - Posted 12/21/2009
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Dr. Yager is a very intelligent man and his knowledge on the material of this course is vast. I like Yager, your grade consists of three tests worth 100 points and a 100 point participation grade. Attendence isn't mandantory, but in order to recieve good participation you must show up. This was a night class so it was even more important to show up. The book is a good reference, but I hardly used it. His tests consist of what the notes were, so be a good note taker or it could hurt you. I would recommend him, but if your a PS major this class is required so just go into it knowing that you have to take a large quantity of notes.
POLI-110 : American National Government Honors - Posted 5/30/2007
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Dr. Yager is a super nice guy who is genuinely passionate about teaching this subject. Taking good notes and being his friend will secure a good grade in his course. Yager gets a lot of flack for conservative tendencies, but the reality of the situation is that he loves Ronald Reagan and often uses him as a historical example. I did not find him biased, but hyperliberals should be wary of this course because huffing and puffing may ensue on occasion.
PS-330 : Intro To Political Theory - Posted 12/20/2006
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Dr. Yager is a very nice and intelligent professor, but don't take this course if it's not required of you, unless you're really into political philosophy. You'll cover all the great thinkers--Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Marx, Bentham, etc--but you'll find that reading the book is only somewhat valuable. But make sure to read the other required readings--The Wave is an easy, enjoyable read and Socrates vs. Marx isn't too bad either. Go to class, he always takes attendance, and make sure you sit where you want during the first few days, as he'll make a seating chart and take attendance based on that. Try to contribute to discussions, he likes that and it adds to your participation grade. The tests aren't too bad--you'll define vocabulary, do a few short essays, and then one long essay that usually requires comparing two theorists on big issues like human nature or natural law. It's kinda tough to follow Yager, as he has the voice of a news anchor, but keep up with the notes and you'll be fine.
PS-310 : American Presidency - Posted 12/19/2006
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Easy
Comments
I thought this was a really easy class and one that was very low stress which was a welcome addition to my semester. Also, I thought I learned a lot about the American presidency and did not dread coming to class every day. However, I wish Dr. Yager had spent less time on group presentations towards the end of the semester because I felt I didn't learn as much after the first exam.
There are not that many assignments for this class and there are only 350 points overall. You have two exams (midterm and final) that are each worth 100 points, a research paper over a presidential decision that you can choose yourself that is out of 100 points (I'd suggest not picking Truman and the atomic bomb since at least 3 people did it in this class and he's probably heard enough of that), and a group project which can be a panel presentation or a debate over a topic you can also choose out of the textbooks assigned for this class.
While there aren't that many assignments, there is a lot of reading required for this class. You have a general textbook, foreign policy textbook, and a debate textbook that you use in this course and I'd suggest doing the readings since they can reinforce the material and also make the exams REALLY easy for you since they are all essay.
Each test is split into three parts: identifications, short essay, and long essay. For the identifications, Yager will give you six or seven terms and you choose three and do the old history drill of saying what something is, how it relates to the presidency, and why its significant. I'd recommend using a full page and maybe more for each of these. For the short essay, Yager will give you five choices and you do two of them. I found that writing 4-5 pages in the blue book for these would suffice. For the long essay, you don't get a choice and have to do the prompt that Yager chooses. This is why doing the readings is important because you have to use a great deal of evidence from the books ot back up your answer. Writing 7+ pages in the blue book to answer these was usually sufficient but I probably overkilled it.
For your research paper I'd suggest getting a topic ASAP and go ahead and start working on it. I did this and it made my life SO much easier as the semester wrapped up. Also, you will have to visit the library because he wants the majority of your sources to come from there which is totally reasonable so kudos to him. It's also really easy for you to get this done ahead of time because the syllabus tells you what he wants out of the paper and you have until the very last class day of the semester to turn it in. That's a heckuva lot more time than other classes give you to get things like this done so I appreciated that.
As far as the presentations go, it would be worth your while to try to take this class with a few friends that are reliable. I found most of the group presentations to be pretty sub-par and very boring.
Dr. Yager is an easy professor to get along with and he does take roll mostly every day so you need to show up to class. His lecture style is a little static and sometimes is visually awkward but it gets the job done. Plus, if you like history Yager loves to throw in historical parallels to the material so that can keep your interest.
Therefore, if your a social studies or political science major I'd definitely recommend taking this class because it's well worth your time and Dr. Yager is a very easy going guy in the department. A+
PS-110 : - Posted 11/3/2006
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
Not Specified
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Mr. Yager is a VERY nice man. He is always smiling always willing to answer questions and just overall knows what he is talking about. So it is very cool to listen to him talk...but all he does is lecture. He writes very little on the board, if at all, and doesnt really give organized notes to go by. You have to judge what you want to write down straight out of his mouth and I found that difficult. So sometimes on a test I would miss questions because I didnt write down specifically what he said. There is also a lot of reading involved. If you can handle all that then I'd take him!
PS-110 : American National Government - Posted 10/31/2006
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
Not Specified
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
PS-330 : Political Theory - Posted 5/19/2006
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Dr. Yager is a really good professor. He loves the content, and gets really excited about it. This course is an excellent overview of different political theorists and theories. He covers a lot of material without getting too in depth. I found it necessary to study for the tests, which are of short answer and essay format.
PS- : Honors American National Government - Posted 4/5/2006
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Easy
Comments
This class isn't very interesting but it's required for PS majors and its an easy lower level honors class. Dr. Yager is a nice guy but a Reagan fiend, nonetheless. I don't hold that against him, however, because he's not partisan at all. You won't really enjoy the class but it would be hard to hate.
PS-310 : American Presidency - Posted 12/16/2004
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Dr. Yager is fantastic as a person, but brutally boring as a professor. His essay test are somewhat ridiculous also. You have no idea what the questions will be and then he grades them a bit too harshly. All I can say is beware if you are super liberal! Though he is not a raving neo-con he does lean very heavily to the right. Don't take this class for fun, only if its required.
PS-110 : American National Government - Posted 12/13/2004
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Mr. Yager is a very intelligent man who knows what he is talking about he loves this subject and wants everyone to be able to understand it so he is always willing to answer questions. there are no papers for this class only quizes and exams. i recommend it for anyone who is quasi-interested in the American government. also if you want to start converstation talk about President Regan
PS-310 : American Presidency - Posted 12/9/2004
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
I learned a lot in this class, and Dr. Yager is a very helpful, knowledgeable professor. However, it is amazingly boring! Now, don't get me wrong, I'd recommend the course to anyone interested in taking it, but my God, staying awake is quite a task!
GOVT-110 : American National Govt. - Posted 10/30/2003
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
With a little effort this class can be a breeze. I NEVER read the main textbook: attending class is important because most of the test material is straight from his lectures. You may want to glance at the Levine selections when he assigns them. He doesn't really lecture on them and will sometimes have test questions about them. But even this isn't too much work, a lot of the articles have short summaries of the main points, and reading that will do the job. There are 3 tests throughout the year consisting of 25 multiple choice questions and an essay. Some people tended to get confused by some of his wording but I didn't think it was too bad. The syllabus says you can't miss more than three classes. He randomly takes attendence, kind of a spot check deal.. so if you miss there's a chance you'll get lucky and he won't take attendence. But like I said, tests are mainly straight from lecture notes so going to class every day pretty much assures you an A, provided you study a little. Nice guy, can be boring, but pretty enthusiastic. Good class whether you're taking it for gen ed or if you're a political science major.
GOVT-100 : Intro To Govt - Posted 7/15/2003
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Tests were pretty easy, kinda boring in class but hes a really good guy, a family member got deployed for the war in iraq and i called him the morning of the test and he excused me from the test...
GOVT-110 : American National Government - Posted 5/23/2003
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
This class was pretty easy for me, but others might find it harder because grades are based on three tests. The multiple choice can be a bit tricky: watch out. Dr. Yager presents the material in a nonbiased and interesting way. The books are not greatly needed. Although some found him boring and "spacey", I was glad to come to his class and found him to be a nice guy. I added his class late, and he welcomed me rather nicely.
He doesn't like tardiness, but attendance is just spot checked. He always was nice about my class input, trying to make something out of what I said. A nice gen ed C category class.
GOVT-110 : Hon American Gov't - Posted 5/17/2003
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Dr. Yager has been one of my favorite professors at Western. He has a great enthusiasm for government which really transcends to the class. I think the course itself is pretty easy. His lectures are easy to follow and easy to get notes from. Reading from 2 books is technically required, but I only read the book 3 times and still got an A. I'd recommend going through the vocab in the book before each exam. Your grade is based on 4 quizzes worth 25 pts and 3 tests (including a non-cumulative final) worth 100 pts each. Attendance is mandatory in the honors section, maybe the regular, and he does take role. Honestly, this class is pretty straightforward and painless. I'd definitely recommend Dr. Yager.
GOVT-110 : Honors American Government - Posted 12/17/2002
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Dr. Yager's a good professor, but inflexible on others political theory---which reflects in your final grade. I could have made an A if I'd have kept my mouth shut and agreed with his theory instead of my own!
GOVT-310 : American Presidency - Posted 12/8/2002
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Dr. Yager is a very sincere person. He is highly intelligent. I took this class as my second Govt class and was able to really learn a lot. His tests are identification of terms, 2 short essays and 1 long essay (but you have a choice on what to write about). He grades everything easy. You have a presentation with a group, nothing to worry about, its not hard. His lectures are a little hard to organize in you notes, but you can get the hang of it. You will really learn a lot. I highly recommend him.
GOVT- : American National Government - Posted 5/14/2002
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
I really enjoyed Dr. Yagers personality. He is extremely enthusiastic on his topics, and loves to have class input. We had 3 tests (including the final) and no assignments throughout the entire class. There was one extra credit opportunity. The tests are moderately difficult, but if you read the chapters in the book and the Levine selections, and listen in class, you should have no problem. However, it's quite difficult to get an A in the class because of the lack of assignments, but Dr. Yager tries to make this class interesting and enjoyable. I would definately take him again. He seems like a very sincere kind person.
GOVT-110 : Intro To Gov - Posted 4/26/2002
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
His tests are challenging because they are worded weird. Just read the chapters and the tests will be okay. He takes a lot from in class notes, but he gets off subjects. He is really excited about the subject and will keep you awake!
GOVT-110 : American National Government - Posted 4/17/2002
Overall Rating:
Poor
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Professor Yager is boring at times, especially since he tends to state the obvious. You will have to get used to his lecture style. Besides that, his tests are tricky because he misuses words or uses words that have many different connotations. He allowed me to use a dictionary on the test and I suggest that you do the same if you take him. The multiple choice will get you: most of it is over the lecture notes, but like 30% is from the book. You will have to do alot of tedious reading for the class for both the textbook and the other book he will have you purchase as well. Professor Yager is a nice person, but you have to be gung ho, otherwise your grade will suffer. You really will have to study for his tests.
GOVT-110 : American National Government (honors) - Posted 1/21/2002
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Easy
Comments
This is a pretty straightforward course. The grade comes from three exams (one is the final and is not comprehensive) and four quizzes. Dr. Yager takes attendance every class, and if you miss more than three classes, you lose points.
GOVT-310 : American Presidency - Posted 12/14/2001
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
C
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
Can be boring and can put you to sleep but a good class although hard.
GOVT-110 : American National Government - Posted 11/30/2000
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
Not Specified
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Dr. Yeager is a good professor. He is friendly and helpful. I would recemend this class.
GOVT-110 : American National Government - Posted 10/22/2000
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
Not Specified
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Awesome professor.
I recommend this class to anyone taking government.
He really explains the material he's going over, and
the test questions are easy to understand.
GOVT-110 : American National Government - Posted 4/19/2000
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
C
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Dr. Yeager is the type of man to tell jokes that aren't very funny. He was a nice guy and it was very obvious that he loves government. He gets so excited about it.