POL SCI 10
Introduction to Political Theory
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Exposition and analysis of selected political theorists and concepts from Plato to the present. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2025 - Professor Branstetter is an amazing person and professor. The content has been switched from previous quarters but is very interesting and involves a lot of philosophical questions. The grade is all points based. You get 3 points per section you attend (30 points total) and then 7 points a week (10 of them) for a one-page (single-spaced) essay. You are allowed to submit the essay as many times as you need to get the grade you want and they are encouraged to be submitted every week, but are technically not required to submit it until finals week. However, the weekly readings are very chunky (sometimes over 200ish pages). He has a zoom and a recorded option and does not take lecture attendance. Overall, this class is one of the best Poli Sci lower divs and a really easy GE. Enrollment for this class is super hard to get, but worth it to keep trying (he sometimes will give out PTEs depending on how the department is feeling).
Fall 2025 - Professor Branstetter is an amazing person and professor. The content has been switched from previous quarters but is very interesting and involves a lot of philosophical questions. The grade is all points based. You get 3 points per section you attend (30 points total) and then 7 points a week (10 of them) for a one-page (single-spaced) essay. You are allowed to submit the essay as many times as you need to get the grade you want and they are encouraged to be submitted every week, but are technically not required to submit it until finals week. However, the weekly readings are very chunky (sometimes over 200ish pages). He has a zoom and a recorded option and does not take lecture attendance. Overall, this class is one of the best Poli Sci lower divs and a really easy GE. Enrollment for this class is super hard to get, but worth it to keep trying (he sometimes will give out PTEs depending on how the department is feeling).
Most Helpful Review
Summer 2025 - You don't really need to do any of the readings in this class, especially if you are a bit familiar with the philosophers or political scientists beforehand. The midterm and final are both essays that feel fairly easy to complete based on all of the lectures. The class is not very hard and I found it interesting!
Summer 2025 - You don't really need to do any of the readings in this class, especially if you are a bit familiar with the philosophers or political scientists beforehand. The midterm and final are both essays that feel fairly easy to complete based on all of the lectures. The class is not very hard and I found it interesting!
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2022 - The professor was okay, to be honest. Not the best professor and not the worst, I found the lectures and readings to be really boring. I found it easy to pass the class not by watching lectures but by watching youtube videos breaking down the readings and main concepts, with that I was able to get Bs or As on the weekly 500 word papers. I also want to give a shoutout to Naomi Ellis who was my TA as she was amazing and honestly one of the main reasons I even passed, she was very lenient grading, always open to asking questions about any subjects, and not super strict on tardiness or having to switch discussion times for the day. But the class and discussion did require you to have the physical copies of the books which can be pretty pricey, I got away using online formats in the discussion, but I can't speak for everyone. I found it ridiculous how for the final paper, the professor upped the word requirement from 500 to 2500 with no warning, it was hard writing 500 words already. But if you don't mind reading about philosophy from old white men, go for it.
Winter 2022 - The professor was okay, to be honest. Not the best professor and not the worst, I found the lectures and readings to be really boring. I found it easy to pass the class not by watching lectures but by watching youtube videos breaking down the readings and main concepts, with that I was able to get Bs or As on the weekly 500 word papers. I also want to give a shoutout to Naomi Ellis who was my TA as she was amazing and honestly one of the main reasons I even passed, she was very lenient grading, always open to asking questions about any subjects, and not super strict on tardiness or having to switch discussion times for the day. But the class and discussion did require you to have the physical copies of the books which can be pretty pricey, I got away using online formats in the discussion, but I can't speak for everyone. I found it ridiculous how for the final paper, the professor upped the word requirement from 500 to 2500 with no warning, it was hard writing 500 words already. But if you don't mind reading about philosophy from old white men, go for it.
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