As an introductory political philosophy class, I wish we had done a more broad survey of different topics instead of spending the entire ten weeks mostly covering distributive justice. Despite the readings, which were for the most part quite dry, I think Brad did a good job of making the lectures as engaging as possible (many, many zoom polls), and illustrated topics well by going over lots of different hypothetical cases. The quizzes were somewhat tricky, but you can do pretty well on them by just relying on the handouts he provides which the lectures are based on. The first paper was far more straightforward than the final paper, which had an 11 page prompt that made writing it kind of a chore.

Honestly, the only thing that made this class hard were the quizzes. I know some people did really well on them but most of the class really struggled. Fortunately, everything was graded on a curve so even if you completely bombed it, you'd still get a reasonable grade. At the end we also had an extra credit opportunity for 1/3 of a grade raise on either the quiz overall or the first essay. I think professor Brad is a really enthusiastic and funny character in his way of teaching and i really enjoyed the evolvement of the entire class on taking live polls on how we feel about certain topics. My class in particular was very opinionated so the class never felt dull. Brad is a great professor and you can tell he cares how his students are doing in the class. He's always willing to help and answers questions in class and office hours.

The course had 3 essays with strict wordcap, and two short quizzes about 12-13 questions (all multiple choice). No book needed, all the reading material was given in class on weekly basis. As a transfer student, if I could retake the quarter, this class would for sure not be my first choice fresh off the CC boat but its manageable. Overall, 8/10.

You definitely get out what you put into this class. If you don't go to class or section and actively listen/participate, you will be lost. The tests aren't crazy difficult, but you have to actually understand the material. There are two mc tests (the one you do better on is worth 25% of your grade and the other is worth 15%), and there are two essays, no final. The first half of the quarter was infinitely easier than the second half, but it was still doable. I would recommend going to the PWC or something because philosophy writing is weird. The professor knows what he's talking about and the examples actually make a lot of sense, but if you stop listening for a second you're done for. I personally didn't do any of the readings because philosophers write stupidly, so I would just wait for us to talk about it during lecture. I personally did well but I heard a lot of people got an A- so if you're not cool with that don't take this class. It's a pretty solid class for a GE.

HATED THIS CLASS. and unless you have a philopsohy brain you probably will to. the course is super misleading and is basically the philosophy of property rights, not politics, and argues over land ownership for 10 weeks straight. the professor is a classic philosophy stereotype and his notes are scribbled words and pictures that make the content more confusing. It seemed impossible to achieve well in this course and seemed very bias in students performance based on previous philosophy experience, and the professor and TA were not helpful in getting your foot in there, giving no feedback on essays . dont take this class unless you love all philosophy or have a strong affinity for property rights

Brad is a gem at UCLA. He is incredibly helpful and cares deeply about student learning - all readings are rewritten in handouts, Brad’s own comprehensible words and the language that appears on exams.

A few words of caution- no PTEs, no BruinCast, no slides (just what he hand draws on the screen), and tough on plagiarism. But, he’s engaging, knowledgeable, helpful, and passionate.

For sure, his teaching style isn’t for everyone. This is a philosophy class, not a politics class. But, even without being a philosophy major, I loved it. If you approach it with the right attitude and see past the tough guy policies/attitude (especially prevalent at the beginning), you’ll have the time of your life.

The class has 2 papers and 2 tests. He gives the previous quarter’s tests to practice with and plenty of time to write.

Overall, I would highly recommend. If you get past the lectures being a bit dry, sometimes, at worst, Brad is a gem, and even the dry lectures are rich and enjoyable. He really becomes himself in his easily-accessible office hours, so please go too!

Professor doesn't record lectures and his lectures are based on his handouts. His lectures are barely helpful because he often strays from the handout or the reading. The essays are so open ended and it's hard to understand what he's looking for. His lectures aren't engaging and even if you try paying attention you leave more confused. I learned more just by going through the handouts myself than from his lectures, but he also includes things he mentions in lectures into his tests that aren't on the handouts. Overall this class was pretty frustrating.

If you aren't into philosophy, this class is often confusing as there is never a concrete correct answer. Would recommend another GE if you can considering there's two essays. No final exam though.

Professor McHose is a great guy and is super knowledgeable. He’s super willing to answer questions in class, is very funny, and cares about his students. While I thought the content was tricky at first, I think he has a really good way of teaching with stories and drawings that help you grasp the concepts. There are three papers in this class, all which you should do well on as long as you put effort in to them. There were also three quizzes which were a little trickier — I spent a lot of time studying for these and still sometimes underperformed. Overall, I think this class is really engaging and shouldn’t be too hard to get a good grade in.

10/10 would recommend if you are even slightly interested in philosophical thought and morality. Looking back, I am so glad I took this class. During fall quarter, I had an extreme love-hate relationship with it, but ultimately this class inspired me to minor in philosophy and I will be forever grateful!
That being said, I really feel anyone can succeed in this class. My biggest advice is take diligent notes on what Brad says, because he doesn't really use slides. He uses "handouts" which are just like multiple pages of his notes on the topics, but he relies HEAVILY on specific examples and scenarios that you will need to know for quizzes and papers. But honestly, even if you miss something, it's likely the TA will explain in section so don't worry about perfect attendance or perfect understanding during lecture.
The professor is really the highlight of this class. Extremely passionate, funny, and helpful. He even allows for two days of extension for papers (which you can choose when and how to use), and offers more on a case by case basis. He would additionally take out quiz questions that he realized weren't very clear after talking with the class, TAs, etc.
Strong warning though to anyone that is taking this class thinking they will learn about political philosophy...it's really about morality, property, and someeeee political thought towards the very end with Rawls. Nonetheless, extremely interesting and thought provoking. Not too hard at all. The quizzes are relatively straightforward, I got A's on all of them just by paying decent attention during lecture and then making a page of notes about an hour before each quiz on the most important topics/scenarios.
Don't be scared of the subject or the prof's slightly unorganized drawings in lecture! Really doesn't require too much effort to succeed in this class.
My greatest piece of advice would be to utilize the Philosophy Writing Center for papers. Book an appointment as soon as Brad mentions a paper is coming up though, because slots fill up super fast. It was super helpful to get feedback and ultimately supported my success in the class greatly.

This particular subject is not my strong suit so I did find myself struggling with some of the concepts. I did have to put in extra work by reading and making sure I started my essays early so that I could make different drafts and revise. Discussion section really helped to clarify concepts and staying engaged/talking with your TA is necessary if you are struggling with concepts.
The professor is what makes this GE worth it. He was very engaging and funny and I think most of the students would agree. Sometimes it would be a little difficult to understand what he meant and I wish the slides were more organized. However, you should always go through the handouts on your own before lecture and pay attention to the examples he uses. The class consisted of 3 quizzes and 3 essays. The quizzes were pretty fair and he would even get rid of questions most people struggled on. The essays were a bit challenging but doable.
If you are looking for a super easy GE this wouldn't be it, but if this is a subject you are interested in or are willingly to put in more work, then I do recommend this professor and class.