I had Hakimi for Transnat. Maybe it was just the subject material or maybe it was her teaching style but I really disliked the class. She was vague and took herself way too seriously, even by Michigan law prof standards.
I’m in Hakimi’s class right now. Looking back, she’s not THAT bad. She cold calls like none other and her questions are often very vague and obtuse….and she’ll ask the same question 10 times in 10 different ways, but she’s always willing to talk with students if you ever have a question.
She does not allow laptops in her class, so you have no choice but to pay attention.
She’s not as bad as everyone says she is. I’d say the problem is that she sometimes doesn’t make it clear what the structure of the class is and how it all fits together, so that you’re left confused. For what it’s worth, I think she handled the faux-debate aspects of her style relatively well, and also think she seems interested in the subject and cares about making international law actually work.
These reviews are absurdly unbalanced. Yes, she takes an aggressive position in class – but not absurdly so. And there’s clearly no malice to it – she’s out to make you think on your feet, not humiliate you. And (unlike not a few other Mich Law professors) she’s extremely nice and friendly, always prepared to discuss a point in depth or just chat. She’s also quite funny.
I have her for foreign affairs. Unlike most of the reviewers here, I really enjoy Hakimi. She’s extremely adversarial and socratic (called almost every person almost every day of class), but that made for lots of ideas in the room and a lot of great debate. You definitely can’t afford to slack off in her class, but it’s usually interesting enough that you won’t want to. Maybe this isn’t the case in a 100-person transnat class, but her style works really well for foreign affairs law. She’s also very friendly and not stuffy at all, which is a nice change of pace.
Massive fan of her teaching style- cold calls can be quite involved, but she’s extremely nice and will help you through them if you get stuck. Not a sleeper class, but she’s a phenomenal professor who you can tell really cares about her students and is tremendously passionate about the topic of International Law.
I had Prof Hakimi’s f2019 international law. Prof Hakimi’s cold calls are a pain, but she’s a good teacher, and she’s very smart. She’s a little bit awkward out of class — sometimes it feels like you’re bugging her — but she’s happy to spend time with students outside of class if you ask. The exam is longgg and a little surprising but overall it’s a good class.
One of my favorite professors at Michigan. I have a deep respect for her teaching style, even though it can be a bit hard to follow at times. She’s caring, inclusive, tough, and very knowledgeable.
Had her for Int’l Law in f2019 – unlike most of the reviews here, I thought Hakimi was fantastic. Yes, she cold calls constantly & they’re pretty tough (she won’t really move on if it’s clear you’re not getting it) but she tries to help you out during them and is clearly not out to get you. Though those were tough, it had the benefit of making me VERY prepared for class and honestly, if you spend time on the readings & are prepared, they’re genuinely not that bad. The class is also incredibly interesting and she’s a VERY engaging professor with a great sense of humor. Would definitely recommend taking her to fulfill your international law requirement!
MLaw Prof Reviews
I had Hakimi and she definitely didn’t work for me. Her teaching style is much like Brensike-Primus (ie. highly adversarial), only more confusing.
I had Hakimi for Transnat. Maybe it was just the subject material or maybe it was her teaching style but I really disliked the class. She was vague and took herself way too seriously, even by Michigan law prof standards.
I’m in Hakimi’s class right now. Looking back, she’s not THAT bad. She cold calls like none other and her questions are often very vague and obtuse….and she’ll ask the same question 10 times in 10 different ways, but she’s always willing to talk with students if you ever have a question.
She does not allow laptops in her class, so you have no choice but to pay attention.
She’s not as bad as everyone says she is. I’d say the problem is that she sometimes doesn’t make it clear what the structure of the class is and how it all fits together, so that you’re left confused. For what it’s worth, I think she handled the faux-debate aspects of her style relatively well, and also think she seems interested in the subject and cares about making international law actually work.
These reviews are absurdly unbalanced. Yes, she takes an aggressive position in class – but not absurdly so. And there’s clearly no malice to it – she’s out to make you think on your feet, not humiliate you. And (unlike not a few other Mich Law professors) she’s extremely nice and friendly, always prepared to discuss a point in depth or just chat. She’s also quite funny.
Hakimi is great. Funny. Approachable. Human (cf. most other law professors). She does use the socratic method energetically, but not in a mean way.
I have her for foreign affairs. Unlike most of the reviewers here, I really enjoy Hakimi. She’s extremely adversarial and socratic (called almost every person almost every day of class), but that made for lots of ideas in the room and a lot of great debate. You definitely can’t afford to slack off in her class, but it’s usually interesting enough that you won’t want to. Maybe this isn’t the case in a 100-person transnat class, but her style works really well for foreign affairs law. She’s also very friendly and not stuffy at all, which is a nice change of pace.
Massive fan of her teaching style- cold calls can be quite involved, but she’s extremely nice and will help you through them if you get stuck. Not a sleeper class, but she’s a phenomenal professor who you can tell really cares about her students and is tremendously passionate about the topic of International Law.
I had Prof Hakimi’s f2019 international law. Prof Hakimi’s cold calls are a pain, but she’s a good teacher, and she’s very smart. She’s a little bit awkward out of class — sometimes it feels like you’re bugging her — but she’s happy to spend time with students outside of class if you ask. The exam is longgg and a little surprising but overall it’s a good class.
One of my favorite professors at Michigan. I have a deep respect for her teaching style, even though it can be a bit hard to follow at times. She’s caring, inclusive, tough, and very knowledgeable.
Had her for Int’l Law in f2019 – unlike most of the reviews here, I thought Hakimi was fantastic. Yes, she cold calls constantly & they’re pretty tough (she won’t really move on if it’s clear you’re not getting it) but she tries to help you out during them and is clearly not out to get you. Though those were tough, it had the benefit of making me VERY prepared for class and honestly, if you spend time on the readings & are prepared, they’re genuinely not that bad. The class is also incredibly interesting and she’s a VERY engaging professor with a great sense of humor. Would definitely recommend taking her to fulfill your international law requirement!