Professor Savage does a pretty good job at teaching American political theory. He employs debates throughout the class to give students the opportunity to engage with the ideas. The reading for the class is heavy, but is also incredibly interesting, including primary texts by Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, and several other prominent American thinkers from the 18th and 19th centuries.

If you need to take a Political Theory or a 4000-level politics, I would easily recommend this class. Although there is SO MUCH reading, this class was pretty interesting. Professor Savage knows what he's talking about, and despite it being a rather dry topic, he brings some lightness into it. There are 2 debates and 2 essay exams. The debates and both essay exams are pretty easy if you read and pay attention in class. I will warn you, in order to do well on any assignment, you need A LOT of direct quotes. He never sets a minimum page limit (he sets a max), so if you want a decent grade write the max. Last note, this class is extremely reading-intensive, so be prepared to read hundreds of pages every week.