POL SCI 113A
Problems in 20th-Century and Contemporary Political Theory
Description: Lecture, three or four hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Designed for juniors/seniors. Study and interpretation of theorists who have focused their analyses on social and political problems of 20th century. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Professor Dienstag is a very intelligent person with a lot of valuable insight to offer. My class was small and discussion based so I did not get to witness his ability to lecture and teach very much. However, he gave great insight to the works we were examining. I only wish he was more approachable in his demeanor with students and presenting a more open, comfortable environment when discussing to help students feel more empowered to speak. At times, it did not seem like he respected our ideas. But otherwise, he is an excellent Professor and worth taking particularly if you are interested in theory.
Professor Dienstag is a very intelligent person with a lot of valuable insight to offer. My class was small and discussion based so I did not get to witness his ability to lecture and teach very much. However, he gave great insight to the works we were examining. I only wish he was more approachable in his demeanor with students and presenting a more open, comfortable environment when discussing to help students feel more empowered to speak. At times, it did not seem like he respected our ideas. But otherwise, he is an excellent Professor and worth taking particularly if you are interested in theory.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2023 - Professor Parasher is one of the best professors I've had at UCLA. The class readings were manageable and extremely interesting. That being said, you have to read a different book every week, and it's in your interest to complete them if you want to excel on the essays. When I took the class, we read Carl Schmidt, Hayek, Arendt, Rosa Luxemburg, Gandhi, Fanon and a few others. Professor Parasher's office hours were tremendously helpful for improving my understanding of the class readings. I highly recommend going to office hours because the professor is a great conversationalist and is extremely knowledgeable about political theory. Professor Parasher's lectures are not only engaging, but also insightful. I found the lecture slides and notes very useful when writing my essays. Grades are based on two 5-6 page essay assignments for the entire quarter on the prompt of your choosing. Overall, the class was pretty chill, and I would definitely take another class with Professor Parasher. I genuinely enjoyed the course content and discussing political theory with the professor every Tuesday during office hours.
Spring 2023 - Professor Parasher is one of the best professors I've had at UCLA. The class readings were manageable and extremely interesting. That being said, you have to read a different book every week, and it's in your interest to complete them if you want to excel on the essays. When I took the class, we read Carl Schmidt, Hayek, Arendt, Rosa Luxemburg, Gandhi, Fanon and a few others. Professor Parasher's office hours were tremendously helpful for improving my understanding of the class readings. I highly recommend going to office hours because the professor is a great conversationalist and is extremely knowledgeable about political theory. Professor Parasher's lectures are not only engaging, but also insightful. I found the lecture slides and notes very useful when writing my essays. Grades are based on two 5-6 page essay assignments for the entire quarter on the prompt of your choosing. Overall, the class was pretty chill, and I would definitely take another class with Professor Parasher. I genuinely enjoyed the course content and discussing political theory with the professor every Tuesday during office hours.
Most Helpful Review
Professor Rocco has a very structured lecture routine-ppt. slides that are setup purposively, something he doesn't stray far from. In lecture it is largely one sided communication, with inquiry limited to his limited office hours. He is very knowledgable about the material, which is really interesting on its own (Marcuse, Freire and Gramsci), and he gives a good explanation of their respective theories in layman terms. The reading isn't absolutely required for the class since he gives all the material he requires on the final in lecture, but it does help a lot (especially with Gramsci). This class is helpful for theory/philosophy of institutional power, political organizing, critical pedagogy, etc. I would suggest this class for someone already interested in the subject, maybe not for someone who is bedazzled by the title and thinks it a glamour course: the final essays are not glamorous. But I would suggest opting in for the weekly page responses, comprising up to 25% of your grade. It takes a lot of pressure of your otherwise sole determinator of your grade-the final. I also took Rocco for PS10, and I would suggest taking him for upperdiv rather than the lower- he cares more.
Professor Rocco has a very structured lecture routine-ppt. slides that are setup purposively, something he doesn't stray far from. In lecture it is largely one sided communication, with inquiry limited to his limited office hours. He is very knowledgable about the material, which is really interesting on its own (Marcuse, Freire and Gramsci), and he gives a good explanation of their respective theories in layman terms. The reading isn't absolutely required for the class since he gives all the material he requires on the final in lecture, but it does help a lot (especially with Gramsci). This class is helpful for theory/philosophy of institutional power, political organizing, critical pedagogy, etc. I would suggest this class for someone already interested in the subject, maybe not for someone who is bedazzled by the title and thinks it a glamour course: the final essays are not glamorous. But I would suggest opting in for the weekly page responses, comprising up to 25% of your grade. It takes a lot of pressure of your otherwise sole determinator of your grade-the final. I also took Rocco for PS10, and I would suggest taking him for upperdiv rather than the lower- he cares more.
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