The best aspects of this course were the knowledgeable and engaged instructor, the breadth of material covered, and the intellectual challenge of the material. Dr. Barman encouraged students to think about the material deeply and ask questions during lecture. The sheer amount of material was the worst aspect of the course. The pace started out very fast to prepare for the midterm, but dropped off the second half of the semester because there was no final exam, just a project. Suggestions for improving the course included having a second exam, include more checkpoints in the final project, and go over some derivations step by step on the board. Prospective students should know this class is very difficult, but extraordinarily interesting and this instructor is highly recommended.