Keleher, Allison  

Political Science

1.56/4.00

124 evaluations


POLS 111


Freshman
B
General Ed
Dec 2005
There wasnt much to this class, and the final was cake. I took keleher over doan because her polyrating was a fraction of a point higher. Honestly it doesnt matter who you take, read the book and you'll pass.


Freshman
N/A
General Ed
May 2006
I literally took this final tonight, so my entry should be very applicable! First of all this class is to get AP US History credit and is only one unit. You never actually attend a lecture, just show up on the first day and then on the day of the final. The exam is based entirely on the book, which is very pricey for a paperback. The final was 25 straightforward multiple choice questions. Know key terms and work off the vague study guide she gives on blackboard. There are also five short answer questions. Honestly these took no preparation; anyone who graduated from middle school could handle it. However Keleher gives you absolutely no time for the short answer questions. In fact I found out half way through the exam that she only allots 45 MINUTES total. In other words if you take a minute for each multiple choice question, that leaves four minutes for each short answer question. Absurd, but get your one unit here and move on.


Junior
N/A
Required (Support)
Jun 2006
This teacher Fu**en sucks big D**k.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Jul 2007
If you take 111 you go to class twice- once the first week, and then the final. Therefore, I can't really comment on her actual teaching abilities. BUT, to do well on the final, memorize verbatim everything on the study guide she gives the week before. Also, for the short answer responses, find your inner "liberalness" and I guarantee she'll give you good grades. Sound silly? Yes, but just think, it's only one test for one hour of your life... get that A, kids!

POLS 112


Freshman
C
Required (Major)
Jan 2004
Mrs. Keleher was very good at present the material well in this class. She can be biast towards republicans, but she is a good professor and you will learn a lot of information from her. She can grade touch and the essay portions of the Midterms & Final are very critical. Make sure to read the books because they have all the information for the tests. It was pointless to go to class because she introduced material straight out of the book, but she makes the lectures fun and interesting.


Freshman
A
General Ed
Jan 2004
Professor Keleher was a fair teacher. Her lectures are a bit boring, and very similiar to the readings. Her tests are simple if you do the work. She is tough though, and critical if you ask a question she doesn't feel is intelligent enough.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Feb 2004
Keleher's class was pretty good. She is fair and the 2 midterms were pretty easy if you read the material. There are also 3 assignments to turn; one was writing a letter to a Congressman, so they are pretty basic. You don't have to actually go to class if you read the material, and many of people left mid-class because some of her lectures are boring. But she can make the class pretty fun, but don't say anything too stupid, 'cause she will embarrass the hell out of you. The final is based on a book read and discussed in the last two weeks of class, and nothing from the previous weeks. I would take her class again.


Freshman
B
Required (Major)
Feb 2004
Class can be boring and she will try to push her beliefs on you. She is a hard core Liberal, but won't give you a bad grade if you disagree with her. ONce you get past her bias she can be really nice. She grades rather easly if you right a decent paper. I am taking her again.


Senior
C
General Ed
Aug 2006
Wow...she is literally the worst professor on this campus. Her lectures are a complete waste of time. The book was informative and simple, but her lectures are brutally boring. I went most of the time, but always regretted it. And...she doesn't even give a break half way through the lecture so if you attend, you have to stay for the whole time! She thinks she is the smartest woman alive but she is soooo not. You will learn more about her 70 year old husband and her love for Disneyland than you will about Politics. I've taken 2 other polsci classes and loved them and learned a lot from her. There is no point in taking this class from her because you won't even like her lectures and you won't even learn anything. Please listen to this and don't waste your time!


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Mar 2007
I would rather have sex with an ostrich than take another class with this bitch.


Freshman
D
Elective
Apr 2007
i want to suck her titties through her ass


Freshman
N/A
General Ed
May 2007
This professor is absolutly horrible. First thing she talks about is how much she hates conservatives then after a ten minute baseball discussion she goes back to how much she hates conservatives. She has no logic at all as a professor, hardly any students agree with her (liberal or conservative). She is a crazy bitch and for some reason hates white males who are conservative nascar fans that watch fox news. She spends all day preaching tolerance when she has none of her own. She believes that she is the the most logical professor in our school but really she is just a dumb bitch with a doctorate in political science and a huge stick up her ass. Avoid this professor if at all possible. If you do happen to take her you don't need to show up to class, just read. I am half way through the quarter and I can't wait to get out of her horrible class. good luck if you take her, I strongly advise against it.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Jun 2007
Please, I beg you, stay away from Keleher. Look, she does not teach, her lectures have no relation to the tests, but instead the exam questions come from the reading only. I am not trying to rip on her, she just does not put effort into teaching. If you don't mind taking an independent study then this class will be fine for you. Otherwise, find a different professor or a different class... its for your own good. I regret taking this class so much.


Sophomore
N/A
General Ed
Jun 2007
I would NEVER take another class with this woman if my life depended on it. Even though I'm a liberal who completely agrees with most of her politics (i.e. I actually find some of her Fox News rants amusing) I hate how narrow-minded and self-important she is. Her lectures are completely worthless and she is hardly ever even prepared to give one when she gets to class - read the book and do online practice tests and you'll ace her class. She is defintely the most condescending teacher I have ever had, I'm finishing up her class and cannot wait to no longer be referred to as "you knuckleheads" and be told what I do and do not understand by someone who thinks p-h-d spells god.


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Jun 2007
At first I enjoyed Dr. Keleher, because she reminded me of a teacher i had in high school who wasnt afraid to say whatever she wanted. She is sarcastic and i always laughed at all her jokes because she was amusing. But as the quarter went on i realized it was pointless to go to class because the midterms are based entirely on the book. But if you miss her class she will take you outside when you show up for he midterm and yell at you for not coming. If you are a girl she will asume you are in a soroity and make fun of you every class. Shes not sexiest though she is just as mean to the guys in the class. Read the books and do the online quizzes (IF YOU MUST TAKE HER CLASS) there are 3 midterms and that is your grade for the quarter. the midterms are about 25 multiple choice and 5 very short answer and an short essay IF YOU CAN PUT UP WITH THE BITCH YOU MAY AS WELL BECAUSE THE CLASS IS NOT THAT HARD (AND I AM NOT A STUDENT WHO STUDIES A LOT) last minute reading will do to get a B


Freshman
B
General Ed
Nov 2007
Despite the previous ratings (I am guessing that those students wanted an easy class), I really enjoyed the class. Yes, it was difficult, but if you read the material and attended the lectures then all was well. The only difficulty that I had with the class was that it was at 8am and it was a 2 hour class, so it was very hard to wake up for the class. I also really enjoyed talking with Dr. Keleher outside of class. If you want to lear political science well, then I would recommend Dr. Keleher.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Dec 2007
this class is basically all done by yourself. you do nothing in clas but take quizzes and you don't know which day s you have to go. If you have a general knowledge of the material, this class is a breeze. I'd take it just because you never really need to worry about anything. Other than that, she's a bit shrewd but who cares.


Junior
A
General Ed
Dec 2007
Feel free to take this class if you desire any (or most) of the following: 1) Attend (mandatory) lectures that often do not relate to the material at all. Usually you will get to hear the professor rant about topics students bring up, or stories about her jobs at Disneyland and the Winery. Attendance is mandatory. The professor loves to force students to come to class when she knows the lectures are meaningless because she does not teach the material in the lecture. 2) Be treated like a child and assigned a seating chart. 3) Donating $1 to a designated fund if your cell phone goes off in class (it is obvious to turn your cell phone on silent while in class, but sometimes people forget. This is the first professor I've seen that actually charges students money each time their phones go off) 4) An overall desire to feel like a highschooler again. The bottom line is this: if you'd like to attend mandatory lectures that often have little relevance to the actual material, as well as feel like you're in highschool again, then this is the class for you. On the bright side, all you need to do to secure an A in the class is do the reading and take the practice quizzes online or in the back of the book. I also didn't proofread this post, which is something Keleher would speak highly against.


Junior
A
General Ed
Dec 2007
Also, a few things I forgot: She enjoys saying that "size matters" repeatedly in class regarding the size of the blue exam books she uses. I found it utterly disgusting as I'm sure the rest of the class did. One must see the professor in person to truly witness the disgust. She also takes this class way too seriously for what it is. She constantly worries about people cheating and mentions it before every quiz and test. She extends the University's law of "not talking about grades over the phone" to talking about grades over email. She also is obsessed with her power over students, which can be seen by the mandatory attendance and weeks designated as "quiz weeks" without specifically telling which day will be the quiz day, ensuring students will attend her pointless lectures everday.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Mar 2008
I am totally baffled by how horrible this teacher really was. She was not difficult however she was extremely boring. All she does is talk about herself in class, how bad her relationship is with her husband, how unhappy she is, how not to get married unless the guy is rich. How she works at a winery. She complain constantly about how shitty her life is for two hours then give you the home work assignments, or a pop quiz on the long readings. I do not recommend this teacher, take anyone else, or you will hate pols 112, and this teacher.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Mar 2008
She taught what was on the tests and was very clear what would be on tests...the class was easy and all you gotta do is read when she says read.


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Mar 2008
many people say shes horrible and she is at times. what makes her horrible is how straight foward she is to you and makes you feel stupid when you dont have the right answer to a question. probably the shittiest part about the class were the 6 quizes you have on readin but she doesnt tell you which day during the week it will be which means you have to read no matter what. there are two midterms and most of the questions are straight off from the quizzes. there are short answer questions but if you just read the material you will be fine. she has you write a letter to congress which if you basically just sound like you care you will get an A on it. the final isnt cumulative which is nice and its just like the other midterms. i would take her if your looking for a straight foward, no stupid random assignments other than the letter type of class.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Apr 2008
I thought she was an awful teacher and I don't recommend taking her class. Homework load, grading, tests were all normal (actually pretty easy). But going to class and having to sit there listen to her drone on and on, it's just not worth the time. And she takes attendance. Seriously, if there is any other class/teacher you can take, get out now.


Sophomore
B
General Ed
May 2008
Attendance is mandatory because she gives one quiz a week and you don't know if it's going to be on tuesday or thursday. The quizzes are easy, so are the exams. It's all based on the reading. Do the reading and you'll do fine. She is very opinionated. If you're conservative you might be offended. If you're not you'll enjoy some of the things she has to say. Overall I thought she made the class interesting. Her attitude may be a turn off, but she's a very intelligent woman.


Freshman
C
General Ed
Aug 2008
Keleher is an extreme liberal/feminist. During lectures, we never discussed anything we were assigned to read. However, reading is required to pass the class, due to her weekly pop quizzes. For our letter to the congressman, I did thorough research and wrote on an on-going federal issue, which is what the assignment stated, and she literally thrashed on my paper because it didn't agree with her own views, and she barely even knew anything about the subject I was writing on. I figured out those students who wrote on simple issues such as health care and immigration recieved good grades, that is if you write from a liberal/feminist prospective. good luck!


Sophomore
C
General Ed
Sep 2008
I went into this class thinking, "Well, I've read the Polyratings but I'll try to be open minded about her". As it turns out, I couldn't keep an open mind for long. She obviously has some personal issues she needs therapy for, and it really interferes with her teaching. Keleher would be a great teacher if she'd take 2 years off and attend therapy every day.


Freshman
A
Elective
Jan 2009
I was freaking out about having Keleher as a professor after reading all of the negative ratings here. However, I was pretty surprised when she turned out to not be that bad. If you hate political science, you are obviously not going to enjoy this class. I had somewhat of an interest, and this class made me enjoy it so much that I am now becoming a polysci minor. Keleher is not hard. She does weekly reading quizzes and if you do the reading (which really is not bad, probably an hour or less a week) you are going to do really well. The mid term and final take some studying, but if you put in some time, they are not bad - just memorizing (oh, and she loves to add things that she writes on the board, too). The "femnazi" comments are pretty mysoginist. She is pretty blunt and says what is on her mind - she can scare the shit out of you, but she can also be hilarious. Intimidation aside, Keleher is smart and knows her stuff. Granted, she brags about it at least every class, but she has the knowledge to back it up. She has liberal tendencies (what professor doesn't?), but she also has conservative views (like on immigration) so I do not see why other comments are so offended. The majority of college professors are liberals so you have to get used to it. Well, I wrote a novel here, but I just wanted to let the wary know that it will not be that bad!


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Feb 2009
Spawn of Satan


Freshman
B
General Ed
Jan 2010
Maybe she is easing up this year but i took class and found it very easy. i found her to be very knowledgeable and kept the class interesting with current topics. we only did 4 assignments of about a page each. the final was basically a midterm for the end of the course. if you took government in high school you should be fine and pass this class with a breeze.


Freshman
A
General Ed
Feb 2010
Professor Keleher is a fantastic teacher, her lectures were not only informative, but in my opinion, extremely interesting, and this was pretty nice, especially since the class was from 8 - 10 PM. I learned a lot from her class, some of the books were unnecessary, I think you\'re supposed to buy three, but really, you only need the big one. She has four assignments, all around 1 - 3 pages long, a midterm and a final. She also gives out extra credit if you attend like a political event and write a 1 page paper about it. I tried pretty hard, and I barely got an A, which is a 3.7, I believe in her class. I\'m not sure whats up with all the bad ratings, I\'m guessing that it\'s mostly because freshman tend to blame their bad grades on the teacher, or maybe her class was harder before... I think her POLS112 class was a great class to learn a lot about politics and history too, and it definitely does help if you took a government class in high school. You will have to put in effort if you want an A... Overall, very fun and interesting class, probably my favorite professor so far..


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Apr 2010
After reading Keleher\'s reviews, I thought maybe that people hated her because they didn\'t agree with or understand her views. I wish I hadn\'t decided to keep an open mind, she is the worst professor I\'ve ever had. The class was incredibly simplistic, all the tests were straight from the lectures, but the lectures were torture. She begins the class by doubting the intelligence of every student in the class, but continues it by keeping you as a captive audience. Unless you\'re a masochist, steer clear of Keleher.


Junior
A
General Ed
Jun 2010
NEVER EVER TAKE ANY CLASSES WITH THIS WOMAN. Self-obsessed, uninteresting, and obviously unhappy with her own life. I literally learned nothing in this entire course that hadn\'t been presented to me before the sixth grade. She puts students down, doubts their intelligence, and yet fails to deliver lecture material that could ever be described as engaging or useful.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Jun 2011
This woman cannot teach. That being said, if you are good at random disney trivia, you will do very well in this class. Also, her test questions are practically word for word off the online practice test questions that come with the book, so basically you will only need to dedicate about 20 minutes of study time to get a good grade. However, the tests only make up about half of your grade; the rest is based off of two research papers. Based on my experience, she will grade your papers better if she likes you, so show up to her lectures and participate no matter how painful it may seem. (It's especially important to show up because she gives out extra credit once a week)


Junior
B
General Ed
Oct 2011
I'm a junior now, and I had Keleher as a freshman but I think my evaluation will hold true. Keleher is beyond rude and one of the most mean-spirited persons I've had the displeasure of interacting with. Her obvious political bias (which is TERRIBLE for a political systems class) is very annoying. Please, do not take Keleher if you have the chance. And if Keleher is reading this right now, please change your attitude. You alienate your students with your mean-spirited and cruel sense of humor.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Nov 2011
GET OUT NOW. This professor is quite honestly the most racist, gold digging, unfocused, babbling idiot I have ever had the misfortune to interact with. She constantly goes on rants about her old ass husband who she probably only married so she could go all Anna Nicole Smith on his ass. Her arm fat wings are beyond disgusting. The first topic of discussion in the class was the legalization of marijuana, you know, the most appropriate discussion for the first day of class in a freshman GE class. Basically: she never goes over the reading, if you ask a question she wants you to try to answer it and then if you or no one else in the class can successfully answer it she's definitely NOT going to answer it. Or, if she does, she's gonna make it the most complicated, lacking of a point answer possible. This is probably due to the fat clogging her brain. Anywayssss, the first day, she'll come off as a brilliant political scientist who has strong opinions and will let you into her insight of the political world. DONT BE FOOLED. She does not give much homework other than reading but its tedious and not helpful. Her tests are not thaaat difficult but her study guides are like a vocab list, so completely irrelevant. If you can't drop now, make sure you do the reading, study the rip out page review things in the back of the text book and use the cengage brain online quizzes and tools to help you study. Otherwise, bring your iPod or sit in the back corner so that you can escape when she starts talking about how Mexicans that only speak spanish at McDonalds are all stupid illegal immigrants. Yup.


Freshman
N/A
General Ed
Nov 2011
Dr. Keleher goes off on too many tangents, which some rarely appear on a test question. Most the material is straight out of the book and shows up on the online tools, so be sure you take the practice quizzes and read the key terms a lot. Sometimes, she can liven up the class, but mostly, it's slow paced not in a good sense, but in a sense that you're not really learning anything new assuming you read the material beforehand. As for the tests, the multiple choice is pretty straightforward, but on the free response, I get the feeling you have to get specific in your answers, so once again, you have to teach yourself the class. If you're stuck here, then start praying that you'll at least do well on the two homework assignments.


Freshman
A
Required (Major)
Nov 2011
This class is not difficult. There is a simple formula that anyone can follow in order to get an A. 1. Take notes. You did it all through high school (hopefully), and you can do it now. 2. Show up. This kind of goes along with number 1, but the extra credit is given out randomly, and you have to be there in order to get it. 3. Do your homework. Simple concept. Do the readings on time. Don't take notes on them, just take the time to actually read and absorb. 4. For the homework assignments, proofread like hell. Grammar is 40% of your homework assignment grade. Go to the writing center in the library. Your grade depends on it. She is VERY nitpicky! 5. Do the online quizzes. These are great. The tests are literally from the quizzes. 6. Study for your tests! I mostly studied my class notes, and then focused on the sections of the book that the class notes were based on. This was very effective. Review government jeopardy and online quizzes as well. 7. Do your extra credit! Attend an event, write one page about it, and boom, 5 more points on your test. WORTH YOUR TIME. Professors aren't there to make friends with you; they're there to teach you. Put aside your personal differences and learn.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Dec 2011
Honestly i thin people rate her too harshly here. I was a little scared after reading all her horrible ratings but her class is really really straightforward and this was definitely my easiest class of the quarter. She provides a review sheet a 48 hours before the test and if you go through what is on the sheet + your notes you are pretty much going to get an A on the test. Her homework assignments are a little convoluted in the sense that they come off as fairly simple but then she grades them pretty harshly so make sure you proofread..ALOT and you should be fine. She offers extra credit which is fairly simple and she adds 5 points to your test score which may not seem like a lot but it really is. I personally didn't mind her personality. She comes of as a bitch to a lot of people but she is just really straightforward and will call you out for shit. I actually think she is kinda funny. just don't get on her bad side. her lectures are pretty boring but just try to go and she will like you and don't fall asleep


Freshman
A
General Ed
Dec 2011
Terrible grader, grammar nazi, pointless lectures. Looks like a troll, Trundle's sister


Freshman
B
General Ed
Dec 2011
Troll.


Freshman
A
General Ed
Dec 2011
If you can take another GE, do it and if you have to take this class, Im sorry. There is literally NO point showing up to class. She talked about her husband, her dog and random shit for literally an hour and a half and would give like 10 mins tops of relevant info and it was out of the book so I already knew it anyways. Me and and probably 7-8 people would leave each class early each time cause we couldn't stand to waste our time hearing her talking about random stuff and give her opinions. Also, one time I emailed her about putting in the wrong grade to mycalpoly, which is kinda important you know, and she sent me THE RUDEST email back. I was pissed and didn't email her back. She's a bitch.


Senior
B
General Ed
Dec 2011
This wouldn't be a hard class if she weren't such a cunt . Material is straightforward and If you keep up with your readings you feel like you're prepared... But she's a bitch, plays favorites, and grades like an asshole. Thanks for crushing my goals of graduating magna cum laude. BITCH.


Freshman
B
Required (Major)
Dec 2011
Professor Keleher is a tough tacher to have. She marks grammar as 40% of the grade for homework assignments and is rather difficult to follow during lectures. Going to class is only useful for government jeopardy, and those few rare moments where a pertinent piece of information is shared or something is due. When faced with a question regarding what time period a Bill becomes a Law if the President does not sign it she told us to "Go look it up in the book." That being said my best advice to you is to go to class for those little bits of information, please read the book (!), proofread and double check all assignments for grammar mistakes, and generally study on your own. Also ask her right off about her policies for grading, and what exact percentages an A, A-, B+, etc are for her final grades. Every teacher is different and this is no exception, she grades using letter grades instead of points, which doesnt help you when you get a 82.9% and it only counts as a B-, you might as well have gotten a 80% for all its worth. Oh and for the final exam, even though she says she will never throw in a question about dates... well lets just say thats not exactly accurate.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Dec 2011
There are both positives and negatives to this professor. Pro: Multiple choice on tests are easy (assuming you read). Con: She grades strictly on the short answer portions as well as the 2 homework assignments you do all quarter. Pro: She knows what she is talking about (most of the time) and is more than willing to help you out with any questions you have. Con: She loves talking about her personal views. Good thing: she's pretty funny sometimes. Bad thing: She can go on tangents about stuff that doesn't matter when a student asks a dumb question and loves the polisci majors who sit in front too much. Odd thing: She takes her maiden name? Overall, not too bad of a class.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Feb 2012
I DON'T MEAN TO SCARE YOU, BUT IF YOU HAVE A CHOICE DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR!!! I am a hardworking student and a pre-law minor, so I actually like learning about government. I was block scheduled into this class my first quarter at Cal Poly, what a nightmare. It's not that it takes a lot of work to get an A, it's just that it takes a lot of strength to make yourself go to her dreadful, off topic lectures. But you should go because of the Jeopardy. Just a tip: use the online quizzes to study for tests, she takes questions from them.


Freshman
D
General Ed
Feb 2012
This class wasn't horribly difficult, but the lectures were long and pointless. Quite boring and hard to be involved. Very little of what she says in the 2 hour long lectures is of importance. All of her tests are right out of the book. Which are fine, but make sure you do all the reading, don't slack or it will catch up with you.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Mar 2012
Keleher was an okay professor. She's not nearly as bad as everyone says she is. Pros: the exams are multiple choice and fairly easy if you study, the final is non cumilative, she makes the subject interesting and really applies to to reality. Cons: the quizzes were ridiculous because you miss one or two questions and you get a B or C, and the questions are worded so weird that there can be more than one answer sometimes. That's the only reason I got a B. I would recommend Keleher as a professor because I actually walked away from the class having learned something. Ultimately, if you want to learn something, take Keleher but if you want to just get an easy A and not care to learn squat about politics, then you might want to look for an easier professor.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Mar 2012
BITCH. Straight up bitch. I hate her. She doesn't pay attention to you in class unless you sit in the front and suck up to her by petting her dog (which she takes to class). She's constantly going on and on about stupid things that do not in any way pertain to the class. There's basically on point in going to class because all she does is talk about herself. Contrary to common belief, she's NOT a grammar nazi if you're actually capable of writing decently. However, she does grade insanely hard on her short answer portion of her test (which account for 25% of the grade). Even if you get the question right she won't give you full credit. She's 30 minutes late to her office hours and never apologizes. Obviously her time is more precious than yours. She looks like a troll, talks like a preschool teacher, and is a bitch. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. IT IS NOT AN EASY A.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Apr 2012
Trust me when I say: Get out of the class. If you do decide to stay in the class, here are some tips: 1) read the textbooks and take the practice tests in the back of the book 2) her tests are almost identical to the test on cengage-so do them. over and over and over again! 3) She does not lecture about the material so if you do go to class bring other homework and show your face 4) Keleher is a teacher who likes when students visit office hours so do that; even though it won't be very helpful 5) if she assigns homework, be careful and write well. she grades heavier on grammar than content! 6) also short answer questions come from class movies and lectures so pay attention. Again, my best advice is leave the class!


Junior
C
General Ed
May 2012
Horrible person who belittles others, assumes she knows everything, and blabbers along the lines of racism. She picked a favorite student in the front who was ultra conservative and would have conversations with him the whole time. We were all the 3rd wheel. She has an offensive personality--along the lines of a male inmate. If you go to class make sure to bring a jacket with a hood and sit by the wall for a nap. Also talk about her dog--you may just get extra credit.


Freshman
A
General Ed
Jun 2012
Coming into a POLS class, there is this fear that the teacher will try to impose their personal views and biases on you or to distort the information they present to you. I did not feel that it was such with this professor. She seems pretty level headed, mildly humorous, and lectures in such a way that students with all kinds of learning preferences can get the information some way or the other. She does pick on disruptive students, but I feel teachers have a right to do so if students are disrespectful. I did feel like she overstated the difficulty of the class, as I did not read the text or study at all, yet still passed with an A. If you are having difficulty understand the lectures, the text was pretty easy to read (but I eventually found it unnecessary for myself). Keleher strongly urges students to vote and to get informed about political issues.


Freshman
A
General Ed
Sep 2012
LOL when I think back to this class I laugh because it's just kind of a weird one. She brings her dog to class, she has a very cynical sense of humor, and she just kind of rambles on and on about stuff that's not actually on the tests. She has you read a chapter and then will lecture "about the chapter" the next class, but she has no notes/organization to her lectures, so usually she goes into way too much detail about stuff that's not on the tests. Her tests are 75% book and 25% lectures, so no one ever shows up to class. In my opinion, she grades unfairly on the free response questions. I went to EVERY SINGLE CLASS and she would still mark me down on answers that she said in class if she didn't like the way that I wrote it. She is super freaking liberal and will rant about her left wing allegiance sometimes but then act like she is "not biased". Please. Mine was the only class that she was teaching that quarter, and she would have her office hours right before that class so that she would only have to come to campus 2 days a week, and often held "online office hours". How convenient for HER. AND she took out multiple chapters in the test and cancelled about 3 classes (once she supposedly didn't have a way to get to campus..really?) I wouldn't be so mean on here if I didn't feel like she was so rude and not understanding...I still got an A- in the class but I worked hard and couldn't have done any better considering her bias grading, which is super annoying. Have fun with this lady, you'll atleast laugh in this class. OH and go to extra credits so you get 5 points on every test. Saved my ass many times!!


Freshman
B
General Ed
Nov 2012
Keleher is extremely rude and derogatory toward her students, I definitely would NOT recommend taking her for a GE. This quarter she started grading for participation, however if you try to speak and you give and answer she doesn't like, she completely rips you apart and humiliates you in from of the whole class, making you never want to offer your opinion again. The tests are pretty easy if you read the book, but she doesn't really teach at all in class--only shares her opinions on various political issues. The only reason I ever showed up was because she did "government jeopardy" where she called up random people for an extra credit pop quiz on the reading. Avoid taking her if you can.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Dec 2012
This class is really easy all you have to do is read the book. Go to class until you get called for government jeopardy ad then you don't have to go again. If you do go to class she will rip you to shreds if you say something she doesn't agree with. She is the biggest bitch ever who clearly hates her life...so don't waste your time in class. As long as you read you will do fine.


Freshman
A
General Ed
Dec 2012
Keleher's class can be summed up in one word: hell. I basically got 100% on every assignment and test in the class and I still did not like her. She was just very rude and didn't seem to even care that her students possessed feelings unlike her. I don't want to absolutely rip on her, but she is not a good teacher and she is a very angry person for some reason. All class period she ends up talking about how Republicans are extremists and radical, but she does still like some conservative students. All you need to do in the class is read the book, take the coursemate quizzes before the test, and don't say anything stupid to her. If you do this it is an easy B


Freshman
A
General Ed
Dec 2012
If you can handle going to an extremely boring lecture for the slim chance of getting called up to Government Jeopardy and don't mind her frequent, rude "jokes" then I say go for it. This class is very easy. All you need to do is read the book and take the online coursemate quizzes and viola! you're done studying. Reading the online study chat that she does the night before can help sometimes but usually is just a waste of time. Also, the book has bolded words in it. Not exactly what I was expecting in college, but, hey, I'm not complaining. You more than likely won't learn, unless you somehow managed to completely block out your gov teacher in high school, but at least you'll finish a GE with minimal work.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Jan 2013
I think Dr. Keleher deserves more credit than she receives. She's fair when it comes to grading, and assigns practically no work other than two or three homeworks that can be done online in about 15 minutes. Her lectures aren't exciting, but if you go to class and get called up for Government Jeopardy it counts as extra credit towards the next exam. Overall, she is a pretty average professor, and this class is easy to earn a good grade in.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Mar 2013
I was put in this class Fall Quarter of my freshman year, and looking back, it is the worst class I have taken in college. Keleher presents the information decently, if that. However, what truly makes the class sub-par is her attitude. She is rude to students, presents a jaded perception of politics and life in general and seems very unhappy. I am a student who is generally shy in class and never asks a question, and the first day when I got up the courage to ask a clarifying question, she was extremely rude to me in front of the 150 people there and I did not speak again the whole quarter. Overall though, the class is easy, I did not struggle. A lot of the material was gone over in high school, particularly the copious amount of U.S. history in the beginning of the quarter. If possible, don't take her, but it's really not that big of a deal if you have to.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Dec 2013
I don't think Professor Keleher is a super bad teacher. Sometimes, she talks about things that go very into the topic, which aren't needed for the midterms. If you read the book beforehand (which is our "homework") the lectures aren't that bad, just useless. Her lectures are powerpoints which she gets off the book. Her midterms (20% each; there are two) are based on the book and online quizzes from the textbook and some videos (which she post online). They are multiple choice, and most of it is based on the major topics, nothing trivial so I wouldn't worry too much. She brings her dog to midterm and finals days, but the dog stays at the front of the classroom, which is kind of sad. She also gave three essays (10% each) but sends them off to someone to grade, and they are nice graders. I went to every class because sometimes she gave out questions/information for certain questions on the midterm, but you don't need to go. Just reading the textbook is good enough. I wouldn't recommend taking her if you really wanted to learn about political science, but if you're just taking it for credit, her class is really easy. The reading isn't that bad either.


Freshman
A
General Ed
Dec 2013
Take the online quizzes and know the key terms from the book. Attend the lectures because she will often create test questions on things she says in class that ARE NOT IN THE BOOK if there is low attendance that day. DO THE EXTRA CREDIT when she offers it, it is very worth it. Don't raise your hand or ask any questions, she will most likely just yell at you.


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Dec 2013
Lecturer Keleher is by far the worst teacher I have ever had. She does not teach the material whatsoever. She is also super cynical and treats her students as if they are children. If you have to take this class or get stuck with her, because you chose "STAFF" then I recommend doing her extra credit and reading the text and doing the online support material religiously. If you do that then you will most certainly get a B or an A in the class. Her lecturers are a waste of time attending, and half of the students leave early everyday anyways. AVOID.


Freshman
A
General Ed
Jan 2014
Her lectures do not help at all. If you are actually going to go to class bring your textbook and read it and take notes in class. Her first test is completely different type of test then her second but her final is like her first test. First midterm and final were tests relating to the actual textbook topics. I am going to tell you now that this will be your most dreaded class. She is insulting and just nasty. do whatever it takes not to be in this class


Sophomore
C
Required (Support)
Feb 2014
Go to lecture if you want to listen to an entertaining political rant that has almost nothing to do with the material. Here's my advice: Go to lecture. Put on headphones. Take out textbook. Use the two hours to read, take notes, and study. Whoever said she is liberal, is wrong. True, she said she changed from Republican to Democrat (but is now back to the GOP?), but her ideology is very conservative. Leave it to Cal Poly to hire conservative faculty in the liberal arts department.


Freshman
C
General Ed
Aug 2014
Worst professor I've ever had at Cal Poly. . She was not pleasant to be around and having to listen to her rants 4 hours a week was almost torture. I tried to go into office hours for help and she completely shot me down and was not willing to help besides telling me I needed to get my priorities in check. The work she assigned outside of class was not helpful and her grading was very bias and subjective. She made a GE way harder and way less enjoyable than it had to be.


Senior
B
General Ed
Oct 2014
If you want to go to Keleher's lectures, be prepared for political rants instead of actual teaching. Don't log in to her online review sessions for tests either. She will log in late and answer EVERY QUESTION with "you should remember that from when we talked in lecture" or "you can easily look that up in the textbook", then she will have the audacity to say "wow no more questions?" when people quit trying to deal with her bullcrap. Same deal for when you ask questions in lecture. Keleher is super rude 100% of the time in class and clearly hates her job, and her students too. I cringed inside when I would show up for a test and she would joke "wow the turnout is better than ever!" like she actually expected people to show up for her terrible lectures. I cringed harder every time she said she would send bad students to the "Dean of Bad Students" (seriously it's in her syllabus). For the most part, read the book and you'll be fine, it's an easy class regardless. You may miss stuff on the test in the lecture but I almost never went to lecture and got a B anyway.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Nov 2014
Keleher is a funny laid back woman. The homework is really easy and you can do just fine in her class by skipping the lectures and reading the book. Her lectures are really long and really boring. Her tests are hard though but she lets you use notes so that is definitely helpful.


Junior
A
Required (Major)
Feb 2015
She is very laid-back, she gives extra credit, she jokes around and is actually funny but most students don't catch on. She is a good professor and tries to explain everything to the best of her ability, I think the fact that she lectures freshman might make her seem a little harsh because freshman don't know how to be good students. Plus her test are exactly what she tells you to study!


Freshman
B
General Ed
Feb 2015
Dr. K was great, super understanding when we had technical difficulties with the programs she asked us to use. She tends to be a bit opinionated about her personal political views but she really presents material in a good way, she chose an awesome text book, and I learned alot! She gives you all the information you need to know for both midterms and the final on a handout and she lets you create a study guide to use on the test. If you follow those exactly you will do phenomenally. I really enjoyed this class and Dr. K even though I was expecting not to after reading polyratings. I would recommend her!


Freshman
A
General Ed
Mar 2015
Literally my favorite professor at CP. She's hilarious. The class is super easy too: there are 3 online quizzes that are 10% of your grade (each) and they aren't bad at all. Open note, internet, etc. 2 Midterms that are 20% each and a 30% final. You get to use a TYPED page cheat-sheet (front and back) for each midterm, and 2 pages front and back for the final. Its general information too, that I feel like most people already know. Super straight forward, and the old version of the textbook (2012) is totally fine. Looked forward to this class every time.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Apr 2015
Dr. Keleher's class is extremely easy, that is if you can sit through her extremely liberal lectures about why the south should be kicked out the the US and why the Republican party will no longer exist in 10 years. Although her grading is fair, her lectures are ridiculous. Don't go to class, just show up for tests, and as long as you took government in high school or can fit a few definitions on a two page cheat sheet you'll do fine. This class is a joke.


Freshman
N/A
General Ed
Apr 2015
If you align with Keleher's political beliefs you will probably find her witty and fun however if you don't you will probably be biting your tongue for two hours listening to her spew a bunch of bullshit on issues you can tell she isn't very educated on. Or just shit on her opposition in general calling all republican's old white people from the south who are racists. She is very narcissistic in the way that she thinks that since she is a Political Science major that she is some God sent political genius who knows everything about every political argument ever. She also talks about her family and how she hates her step-daughter which is honestly really uncomfortable. Overall take the class or don't. If you can find a better professor take there class. If not, take the class you may hate your life for a quarter, but Lord knows we all did.


Senior
B
General Ed
Jun 2015
She's an extremely abrasive person, a know-it-all, and honestly kinda weird. She tells you on the first day that there's no homework because we're adults and don't need to be babied but I call her bullshit that she's super lazy because her 3 tests are scantrons and 3 quizzes are graded automatically online. I'm an A student and I'm really peeved by the fact that I got a B because I overall did very well in her class (it's pretty easy and the lectures are interesting, her only pro) but because there are very few opportunities to get grades (6 in fact and thats it) you have to get an A on everything. If you don't mind getting Bs she's honestly not too bad and it was easy, but I find her irritating as a person and am annoyed by the impossibility of getting an A.


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Oct 2015
All these negative comments are ridiculous, I took Dr. K as a senior and all of the freshmen in this class just thought negatively of her, when in there is no real basis to think of her like this. She did an excellent job at communicating the material, gave us study guides, and was as real about the topics as she could be. She even makes jokes throughout lecture. Shocker I know, but if your one of the students just sitting there not caring you're going to miss them. I personally thought she was low key hilarious. And she actually cares, I went to her office hours and she helped me with whatever questions i had.


Freshman
N/A
General Ed
Nov 2015
The online homework for this class is so easy- there is no way you can't get 100% on all of them unless you don't do it. Exams are pretty difficult, however she does let you use a page of cheat sheet notes for it. Class is boring and teacher is such a bitch. She talks shit on republicans 24/7 and doesn't really have a filter on her mouth.


Freshman
A
General Ed
Dec 2015
she's a witch. i swear she keeps children in her basement. go to class high, its the only way you'll make it through.


Freshman
C
General Ed
Dec 2015
Do not take this professor. I have never written a polyrating for a professor before but Cal Poly students deserve to know the shit they're about to go through if they take this teacher. I have never been so disappointed in a teacher's inability to teach a class the material needed to actually learn the fucking class. She is so one-sided with her points that if you are of the opposite party, you may very well fail the class. She ends up bragging about her own achievements and barfing her political views on you for the entire two hours. You will waste your money and time on this teacher. Do not take this professor.


Freshman
N/A
General Ed
Dec 2015
I wouldn't be surprised if keleher is the worst teacher at cal poly. she is absolutely terrible, and I cannot stand her. DO NOT TAKE HER CLASS and if you are stuck in it then just read the book and take notes and skip class, her lectures are the worst things on the planet. if i could give her a negative rating i would.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Dec 2015
So Keleher as a person if you aren't a screw around isn't too bad. She's brutally honest which I liked. She makes homework assignments 35% of your grade this quarter which was a nice buffer to her tests, which were straightforward and not too difficult either. If anything her TA's were the worst part about her class. Her lectures are also extremely boring, and having it at 8pm was rough. I suggest you and a friend switching off going to class every week and sharing notes.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Dec 2015
She's actually a pretty good teacher if you just put minimal effort in. Im assuming most of her ratings are from freshman who haven't had exposure to many college classes. Her class is honestly not difficult at all and she knows most people think her class is b.s.

POLS 180


Senior
N/A
Required (Major)
Feb 2004
Please don't take this professor. She is horrible. Horrible.


Sophomore
C
Elective
Feb 2004
This has been, by far, one of the worst classes I have ever taken at Cal Poly. Keleher shows absolutely no interest in her students whatsoever unless their views are the same as hers. She spends the majority of class baggin on President Bush (not that I mind) wasting a good 45 minutes of class so that she can keep us in there the entire 2 hours. I would not reccommend anyone take this class unless you enjoy having a teacher recite directly what you just read from the book and then testing you on topics she skimmed over in class rather than the main points in the book/lecture (since they are exactly the same). Keleher also likes to spend a fair amount of time telling the class how much she knows about pols even though every time she tries to have a political debate in class with a student she gets shut down because she doesnt know SHIT!!!!


Junior
A
Required (Major)
Mar 2004
Keleher was a fine teacher. Her classes were interesting, and she knows a great deal about political science. Most of all, she was a very fair and unbiased grader. If you are willing to do the reading, and pay attention in class, this class is an easy A. She is a really nice woman as well.


Freshman
A
Required (Major)
Mar 2004
This woman is terrible. She stresses that if we are "good enough, smart enough, and people like us" we'll succeed. I have news for her, she is a failure on all three acounts. Her class is set up well with 4 homework assignments each worth 10% of your grade and a midterm and final worth 30% respestively, but ALL the grading is subjective. I honestly don't understand what her standards were and i don't know why i got the grades i did. They were all over the spectrum for what i though were good papers. She isn't helpful at office hours either. And she is just an inconsiderate person; she told one student that he was stupid repeatedly in front of the entire class. I would stay stay away from her, but her ass got fired, so thankfully we won't ever have to take her again!


Senior
D
Required (Major)
Jul 2004
Wow, I hate this bitch


Junior
N/A
Required (Major)
Oct 2004
I was shocked! She is so self absorbed with her personal accompolishments she has no idea of what she needs to do in a classroom. All she can do is relate everything back to the fact her mother left her and her brother at a young age with her father and she had to take over the house chores. She needs serious counseling and should not be working with students. We can't be this desperate.


Freshman
A
Required (Major)
Dec 2004
I found Professor Keleher to be an excellent and well-informed instructor. I came to every class and always enjoyed it, she makes jokes that are very witty. My best piece of advice is to sit in the front, and always look up current events before class so you can mention them, because there's always a segment at the beginning about what's going on in the world, and she'll like you more if you speak up. However, if you disagree with her point of view, keep your mouth shut because unless you can really back up what you're saying, you're going to get humiliated, I've seen it happen. She definitely leans to the left, which was good for me because I do too, but a die-hard Republican might be uncomfortable in her class. Bonus points if you like the Daily Show and/or West Wing. You need to be able to write well to do well in this class. Disorganized papers with sloppy diction won't cut it. Always put page numbers on your papers, and DO NOT forget to cite your sources. A simple "Grigsby states that..." isn't enough, give the author and page number in parentheses after the sentence. Every time. I don't know if she'll keep the papers the same, but if she does, here's my best piece of advice for each. For the paper on power, don't claim to have found manipulation unless it is painfully obvious. For the one on research methodology, make sure to include all the relevant pages in the article. For the one comparing ideologies, be sure you know exactly which ones are being discussed. For the one on the party platforms, do NOT say that they're the same. I would recommend study groups for the midterm and final, I found it really helpful. Both tests were bluebook tests, so be prepared to write a lot, especially for the final, which took me the entire three hours. But overall, I really like her, and I'm taking an elective with her next quarter. She makes class interesting.


Sophomore
B
Required (Major)
Dec 2004
The class has four papers, a midterm, and a final. The midterm and final aren't too difficult and consist of several essay questions. The papers are not too bad but it is difficult to determine her grading policy because it is not always consistent from assignment to assignment. Most of the lecture time is discussing current events, the daily show, and west wing and she lectures pretty much from the text so it is not crucial to come to class.


Freshman
A
Required (Major)
Jan 2005
If you like Disney World and Ursula the Sea Witch, then this is the class for you. At least the firt thirty minutes of class were devoted to discussing these two topics along with the Daily Show and the West Wing. Also she is a flaming liberal, which in itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but she ripped into people with conservative views with an vindictiveness that should be resevered for child molesters. The material itself is not that intense, basically a repeat of 112 though.


Junior
B
Required (Major)
Feb 2005
She is the most biased, unprofessional, close minded professor I have had. For anyone that likes having intelligent professors who actually know things about their subject and don't just reiterate the book, don't take her.


Senior
C
Required (Major)
Mar 2005
This is the first and only evaluation that I have ever done for polyratings. This "professor" is the worst member of Cal Poly's political science department. DO NOT TAKE HER FOR ANY CLASS!! She will not respect your opinions if they differ from her own and she will attack any student that she deems moderate to conservative. Even liberals will see their grades suffer if they disagree with her on a single issue. 2 extensive midterms, 4 papers and biased, unreasonable grading. Aviod her at all costs!!!


Senior
C
Required (Major)
Jul 2005
Wow, the freshman morons that support this "teacher" are on crack. Keleher does not give a flying fuck about her students or the subject. FOR ANY CLASS THAT SHE IS TEACHING THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE -- find that alternative and dont look back. She will not prepare you for her tests and if she thinks you are consevative, she will not grade you fairly. This is because she is not competent to partake in reasonable discussion like an adult. She does need counciling and she will victimize EVERYONE that takes her class. Even far-left liberals warn against this teacher because her lectures are not consistant and her facts are not straight. She is more concerned with winning arguements in class than teaching. This leads her to contradict herself and liberals in general. It is sad that she has taught courses here.


Senior
B
Required (Major)
Oct 2005
The comment two below mine has to be Keleher herself. No student would write an agrandizing comment about her. She is uprofessional, very unorganized, and very biased. Bias is acceptable, nearly everyone has one, but she is extreme and will punish you for not seeing things the way she does. Im a liberal person, as is she, but she makes me want to vote republican. Her narrow views and extreme bias only damage the liberal image, and are conducive to hindering democracy itself. Ofcourse any political science professor should know that an act in extremism is antithetical to democracy!


Senior
N/A
Elective
Dec 2005
So here's the deal... Keleher classes are a total waste of time. She talks incessently about her political views, her trips to Disneyworld, and her favorite teacher from back in the day. She is an insufferable self promoter, talking to the class about her many interviews and job opportunities. All this and she still had time to insufficently cover the material. Her study-guides are more like study-don'ts and she is probably the worst POLS teacher I have ever had. Run for your life, I am not joking. She and she alone, has made me switch my minor from political science. The thought of any more classes with her make me want to transfer to a different university. RUN! Run far and fast away from her!


Freshman
B
Required (Major)
Dec 2006
This teacher was absolutly horrible. Throughout lectures she would go off topic about half the time. Some days we would talk about nothing for the full 2 hours. She grades pretty unfairly, so sucking up might be a good idea. Warning, she also goes by Crutchfield when u are regestering for classes, so look out for that. Avoid this teacher at all costs.


Freshman
B
Required (Major)
Jan 2007
Okay basically, this class isn't fun. The lectures are long, boring and off topic. Keleher also doesn't make things any easier. She is extrememly opinionated and one sided. She is a hard grader and her office hours don't help her like you. The first midterm was really hard, and the final wasn't as bad. There are only 4 papers throughout the class, none of which are too hard to long, but she is a really hard grader and she often docks points off for spelling and grammer. I think she is currently the only teacher for pols180 so you pretty much have to take her. So good luck. But just make sure you read the book and you should do fine. The first few chapters of the book are super super boring but it picks up around chapter 4 or 5. Tough it out you can do it!


Junior
C
Required (Support)
Feb 2007
You poor people who will see the name "Crutchfield, Allison" as the professor and never be able to find Crutchfield in Polyratings. That's because her name is Keleher and (conspiracy theory) Cal Poly has disguised her name so that students will not be able to read her actual ratings. Advice to freshman: do not take 180 with Keleher. You will regress in your education. She is so bad that I would put off taking 180 with Keleher until she is fired or morphs into a glob of shit and Cal Poly is forced to offer a new professor for 180. If you end up ignoring this advice and taking her, may God have mercy on your soul.


Junior
C
Required (Major)
Feb 2007
Consistently off topic during lecture. Going to class is a waste of time, just read from the book. She is boring, mean, and just plain bad at teaching. Don't take her, whatever you do.


Freshman
C
Required (Major)
Feb 2007
This teacher expects you to memorize everything from those stupid little internet articles and is very harsh in grading. Also she's strays off topic a lot, its boring, and you won't learn. Good luck, and god help you if you take this class...... cause she sure wont


Junior
C
Required (Major)
Jun 2007
So i attempted to give Dr. Keleher the benefit of the doubt. But having her as my first POLS professor at Poly, i had no idea what to expect. I seriously wondered if i had made a bad choice for my undergrad major. My worst fear was thinking all future Poly professors would be like her. I quickly found out it was not my inabilities as a student, but her poor teaching skills. The material in itself was not difficult, but she definitely makes it seem this way. She boasts about her ridiculous area of research, which NO ONE cares about[gay log cabin republicans, wow?] Not even people who actually are homosexual would be remotely intrigued. And this is probably one of the main reasons she can't get anything published. Obviously Poly is not hiring this woman for a reason, and for the school it is a step in the right direction. She cares more about her damn horses than students who want to actually learn. This class needs to be taught by another teacher, because i had better professors at JC. If a college ever had a refund policy, classes with Keleher would be the primary reasons why.


Graduate Student
D
Required (Major)
Dec 2007
I graduated in 2005 from Cal Poly. As a PoliSci student, I made the President's List in my final year and acheived numerous 4.0 quarters. My one regret is Keleher. She was so utterly offensive that I stopped going to class. I would not retake my "D" because only she taught the course until I graduated. If you must take Keleher, get it done and get out. Just suffer through it; I wish I had. If you have the option, DO NOT EVER TAKE A COURSE WITH THIS IDIOT.


5th Year Senior
C
Required (Major)
Jan 2008
I am a 5th year poli sci major, and I took her in fall 06. She is the worst professor I have ever had in my college career. Biased, mean spirited, poor lecturer- she should not be teaching. I have only received one C in my college career as a poli sci major and that was with Keleher. Her continued employment at Cal Poly is a shame and reflects poorly on the political science program. She needs to go.

POLS 310


Senior
C
Required (Major)
May 2004
I don't know that guy was talking about--her ass did not get fired (sadly). Her lectures are sometimes interesting but she goes off on tangents and never explains things well enough because she assumes everyone knows everything about politics and watches CNN (or West Wing) all day. This was one of my worst classes ever at Poly. For our first midterm we were asked to pretend we had graduated from Poly and were working as a campaign manager in 2008--then she wrote comments on my paper saying it was not realistic because no one would hire a recent graduate to run a campaign. Huh? That was her idea, not mine. She's crazy. Seriously, do not take this teacher unless you have no other choice, or unless you really do know everything there is to know about politics. Then maybe you'll enjoy this class.


Senior
B
Elective
Feb 2005
Keleher was the most unprofessional professor I have come across in three colleges. She would talk about students when they were not in class. i.e. "angry white guy" and another student from a previous quarter. She seemed much more interested in being perceived as cool due to the fact that she was a loser in high school. UNPROFESSIONAL! she would drop f-bombs desperately trying to seek the approval of her students...very insecure and don't try and think outside of the box on her tests. I got a B+ and I wouldn't take another class from her if it was the last one I needed to graduate. She conveniently didn't have our class fill out a survey cuz she would have been fired... BIASED, and UNPROFESSIONAL!

POLS 315


Sophomore
N/A
Elective
Mar 2004
i need this professors email address for winter 04 or office hour times, if anyone has them can you please post them! thanks


Freshman
B
Required (Major)
Jun 2004
i had Keleher for Pols 180 and 315, and i liked her both times. She does her usual thing about acting like it's going to be the hardest class in the world on the first day, but in reality she is not THAT hard of a teacher. Just make sure you are good at writing essays clearly and concisely, and KNOW HOW TO CITE YOUR SOURCES and you will be fine! i took this upper division class as a freshman and got a B+! this is an interesting class for the type of student who likes to keep up with current events (as any poli sci student should anyway. you WILL get a newfound respect for the Presidency and how complex and hard it really is. she encourages lots of in class discussion and, well, if you want to get on her good side.. watch the West Wing. it actually has a lot of application to the class material. the field trips to the presidential libraries are annoying (and required for a big paper) but that's about the only complaint i have.


Senior
B
Elective
Aug 2004
At first I was disappointed with Professor Keleher's bias in class... But after I worked through it and started to ignore it, I began to appreciate her teaching style and love for the subject. In the end, she turned out to be very helpful and inspired me to work a bit harder.


5th Year Senior
N/A
Elective
Nov 2005
When I read the reviews of Dr. Keleher, I had to ask, "who the hell are they reviewing." Keleher is a tough grader and expects a lot from her students. She cares a great deal about her students and their difficulties. However, she is not there to hold your hand and give grades without reading your papers and mid-terms. She expects students to be able to write, spell, puncutate, CITE, and think. If one reads the books, attends class, and pays attention, then one will score well on the exams. Yes, she is opiniated, but she will denegrate either party where it should be done and she is very objective--gives credit when and where credit is due either party or party member. My advice to the children who take her class is: either grow up and act like college students or shut the hell up and take another professor. -- jdhollow@calpoly.edu


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Dec 2005
First things first: No, I am not Dr. Keleher, as the person four comments below this seems to think. Nor would I consider myself a "moron on crack" (the person below that). I post on polyratings for every class that I take, because I think that other students should know what they are getting into, and I try to be fair while imparting some relevant information about the class. You can be the judge of whether it's more helpful than simply complaining about a professor's bias for the entire comment. I take classes with Dr. Keleher because she keeps things interesting; there is always class discussion, and although she may have some bias she readily admits to it without trying to cover it up. In the presidency class, your grade consists of a midterm, a paper, and a final. Both the midterm and the final were open book, so as long as you've read the material, you should be able to put together a coherent essay (or two for the final) and find some support for your argument in the books. On the midterm we picked one essay to write on out of two, and the final was two out of four. She also told us what the four basic areas for the essay questions on the final were going to be. For the paper, you have to visit either the Nixon or Reagan library, plus get five scholarly sources. You're supposed to compare the legacy that the president's library was trying to leave with the legacy that scholars say they left in reality. I chose Nixon, and there was a wealth of information about him, so writing the paper was really not that difficult. However, Dr. Keleher is very critical about writing, so make sure to cite your sources and proofread. Hopefully this was more helpful to those of you considering taking this class with Keleher than the many ranting screeds on this page about her bias.

POLS 334


Junior
N/A
Required (Major)
Mar 2004
I would not recommend Dr. Kelleber. Her lectures came almost verbatim from the books, making going to class pointless. Her sense of humor is inapproprate, and it seems as though she had her favorites in class. She seemed unable to answer students' questions about the law, making me sure if she really should be teaching a class called Jurisprudence. Plus, she also teaches at a junior college. I do not know why this university cannot hire professors better than junior college quality.


Sophomore
A
Elective
Mar 2006
Jurisprudence is the philosophy of law, so in general, this is not going to be the most interesting poli sci class you will take here. However, with Dr. Keleher, you spend a minimal amount of time learning what the "old dead white guys" have to say, and a good portion of it doing a Supreme Court simulation. She draws your names out of a hat in the beginning of the quarter, matching you with either a justice or an attorney. Then you learn about that person and their jurisprudence, so you know how to handle the case from their point of view. Attorneys write briefs, which the justices read, and then on the day of your simulation the attorneys give oral arguments, with the justices butting in to ask questions. There is also a paper that you write, talking about your person and the jurisprudence of the lower court decision. You turn it in during the final period, the justices give their opinions, and then you have a potluck. No final test. There is a midterm though, about halfway through the quarter. If you do the reading and can write a decent sentence, you shouldn't have a problem, since it's open book. Also, don't panic when you see the midterm questions. She may write different ones than the ones I had, but pretty much everyone felt like they hadn't done very well, but when they got the test back it was better than they expected. I've already taken Dr. Keleher a bunch of times, and I would definitely take her again.


Sophomore
B
Required (Major)
Jun 2006
Keleher is amongst the worst professors in the political science department. I'm sure with a PhD she must have some knowledge but she doesnt teach on any of it and you learn virtually nothing from her classes. She rants about her politics(which i agree with but still she isnt teaching) rather than teach on the material for the course. I'm tempted to take the classes I've taken with her with another professor just to learn what I missed by taking her. She also is very rude to everyone especially girls. Try and avoid her if all possible. Hopefully the rumors are true that she wont be back next year.


Junior
B
Required (Major)
Jun 2006
Keleher definitely talks tough in the beginning but if you stick the class out you realize that she comes to really respect the students who stay. She loves the law and the workings of the Supreme Court and you will learn valuable information in her class especially if you are thinking about doing something law related for a profession.

POLS 343


Junior
N/A
Required (Major)
Mar 2004
Keleher is OK. Does not deal with student's difficulties well because she really doesn't care. She expects that everyone is an adult at the college level and they should take care of their shit without making excuses and bothering her about it. Her lectures differ VERY LITTLE from the required texts and it is very possible to miss a lot of class and still do well in the class (that's if she doesn't feel the need to damage ur grade because you missed class which she actually might do). She also loves stuff about gay rights and homosexual rights. When she teaches jurisprudence that should just be called "Rights for Homosexuals"

POLS 345


Freshman
A
Required (Major)
Jul 2005
Dr. Keleher is my favorite poli sci professor, and I've taken quite a few classes with her. This class was pretty much like all the others: definitely interesting lectures with some random tangents once in a while. During one class we spent about an hour discussing the merits and pitfalls of legalizing drugs. At 9 am, this was my earliest class, but it never failed to wake me up. The book was another story. It was extremely dry, with pure text and charts, no pictures or anything. To write the 6-10 page paper, you had to pick an actor in the legal system, (such as judges or prosecutors) interview three of them, attend a court session, and do a lit review on the state of the research on your actor. The only other grades you get are a midterm and a final. She's not too picky on the tests, meaning you don't really need to worry about dates and names, and she won't try to trick you with really specific questions from the test. It's more about the basic ideas, the stuff that you should definitely remember if you read the book at all, and whether you can put together a coherent paragraph. She cares about making sure you can write well, especially on the paper, so you should definitely check your spelling and grammar, and make sure it's not full of BS because you can bet she'll see right through it. It is possible to get good grades in her classes, even A's, she'll just make you work for it.


Junior
B
Required (Support)
Mar 2006
don't take this teacher!! she is scary and not at all easy to talk to. when you go to her office hours to ask her questions, she will hit herself in the head and say, "i just dont get why you don't get it". she may never realize that we're students, here to learn, and she is the one who is supposed to be teaching. definetely go to class, and try not to look at the clock. don't as questions, she'll just tear you a new one. her tests are fair, and there is one paper you need to write. watch out on the paper, she's a stickler for every possible thing known to man. last i checked it was a poli sci course, not an english 101. anyways, i would steer clear of this one, i hope i never run into her again, but i did get a B-, after attending all the classes and getting a stupid C on my paper which a grade i've never gotten before ... she's nuts!


Junior
B
Required (Support)
Dec 2008
yah yah everyone knows keleher is a nazi bitch, she will let you know this herself repeatedly throughout the quarter. and yah yah this is also probably the ONLY class at poly i did all the required readings for (she has unannounced quizzes, so its basically not a choice if you care about your grades), but honestly i think i learned more from this class than most at poly. the required court visit for the final judicial process paper made me learn so much about a career in law. all the bitching and moaning was arguably worth this class

POLS 347


Freshman
A
Elective
Mar 2005
This was a pretty cool class. It was all about politics and popular culture, so we ended up watching like three movies, two West Wing episodes, and a Daily Show episode. We had an open-book midterm, a paper, and a take-home final. The final question was so broad that you could have written about almost anything and still done well, as long as you proved your point and made sense. You're supposed to go see her to talk about your paper topic before you write it; do this sooner rather than later, or she'll get annoyed that you're slacking off. This class was pretty easy though. Most of her lectures are pretty entertaining, and she encourages discussion, so you're never bored. To address what a lot of people on this page are saying, yes, she is biased, but she doesn't pretend like she's objective, so at least you know what you're getting. Just come to class, do the reading, and don't say something really stupid, and you'll be just fine.

POLS 359


Junior
N/A
Required (Major)
May 2011
She's terrible. Bottom line. Cruel and rude beyond what you could ever imagine.


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Apr 2014
By far the worst Political Science professor in the department. At least half of the class period was her going off on tangents, mostly related to how her other job, working as a wine steward, was so much better and more valuable than being a teacher. The other half was her reading the textbook powerpoint word for word and struggling to answer any students' questions. She failed to teach me a single thing throughout the entire quarter and our entire class felt cheated at taking this class. She acts completely conceded and arrogant, forcing you to call her Doctor Keleher, even though she has the knowledge of a highschool freshman. If she's teaching, I would recommend spending another $2700 and waiting another quarter just to avoid her. My grade has no relation to how I feel about her. Despite my A, I'm compelled to discuss her incompetency and total failure as a professor. Dr. Keleher should be fired or quit within the year or this university seriously needs to reconsider its hiring policy.

POLS 360


Senior
N/A
Elective
Dec 2005
Professor Keleher doesn't know her subject area. You best test Dr. Doan or Dr. Valenty. She has a very bad temper and is always late to class. She loves talking about herself and is a liberal feminist that does not have any tolerance for any other viewpoint but her own. This was a very disappointing class. She really should stick to what she knows and quantitative methodology ain't it.


Senior
N/A
Required (Major)
Nov 2010
I currently have Keheler. She is funny and entertaining to listen to if you share the same political viewpoints as her, but her class is run horribly. Her lectures are fast, boring, confusing, and dry as hell. She says she gives you a \"study guide\" but its just like 1/4 a page pretty much saying \"know everything we have gone over\"... not exactly a STUDY GUIDE. Not to mention, the computer lab is a joke. You just follow her instructions on the projector and print out a bunch of stuff that makes little to no sense in the context of the subject matter of the course. Smart lady, but not a good Teacher. I would not recommend her for POLS 360 because the material is somewhat difficult and she is the type of person who can explain a simple concept in such a way that it is factually accurate, but in no way understandable to someone of average intellect. It\'s almost like she holds it against you, for not being as smart as she is...

POLS 361


Junior
B
Required (Major)
Mar 2011
Dr. Keleher is an interesting woman. She has a deep passion for American politics, which you will find out very quickly as you realize that all her lectures eventually veer off into some sort of political discussion or analysis. This can be a good thing if you’re interested in Log Cabin republicans (her favorite topic). She also does seem to care about the students in her class – she is very good about being available in office hours and responding to emails. Just be careful, she has a way of bashing you while giving advice as well as making the whole class feel incompetent. She was a little rude at times and seemed to enjoy treating us like a bunch of 3rd graders. As far as her teaching method: it was horrible. Her lectures were dry as hell and I think we were actually tested on a handful of those concepts. I stopped taking notes halfway through the course because I realized it was pointless. She really doesn’t communicate the material very well at all. On the plus side, her midterm was open-book, open-note and she didn’t have a final, instead we wrote a final paper. This was nice because she posted a “model paper” on her blackboard which was basically a road-map on how to ace the paper. All in all, this lady is a lot of work aside from the actual course load. Take her if you feel like getting by easy with the school stuff but dealing with a woman who’s got a LOT of issues and really sucks at teaching.


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Jun 2011
Honestly, the class itself is boring; but hey, this is college, not a babysitting club. As far as the project went, Keleher was extremely helpful in guiding us along (if you go talk to her during her office hours). With the midterm, it was straightforward, and did cover everything from the notes. Why does every student feel like their professor needs to hold his/her hand going into a test? There were no tricks on the midterm, so there shouldn't be a real need to rewrite everything. For those who think she is biased, I am going to have to disagree with you. She is a Republican of the old guard. She just happens to not be fooled by what FOX calls "conservatism," and points out the stupidities of the politicians (most of them found in the FOX camp). For the most part, my class got along pretty well with the professor. She let us dress up for class on Halloween. Our final was the paper. Anything against the material is really against the class itself and not the professor. For those of you who find that this is a road bump in your attempt to skate through the POLS major, I'm sorry. For those that want to learn the basics of research and statistical analysis, this class is extremely helpful.

MATE 441


5th Year Senior
A
Required (Major)
Nov 2016
BOYCOTT!!!