This was a horrible class. I do not recommend. The lectures were disorganized and unhelpful. The professor was quite rude, even making fun of students at times. The assignments are structured in a way that sets students up for failure. If you want add a heaping dose of stress to your life, then this is the class for you!

Worst class I have ever taken, plain and simple. I want my money back.

10% of the class is two discussion assignments that he will grade very harshly. (If you repeat something someone else has said, you get a 0 on the assignment.)

90% is the in-class midterm and final essays, which cover only a fraction of the course material and will be graded even more harshly.

I cannot recommend this class enough. The class content was interesting, Professor Baylor was an engaging lecturer, and it was an overall easy A. The grade breakdown is three tests weighted at 30% and one socratic seminar weighted at 10%. There was no midterm/final and the three tests were non-cumulative, so only based on ~3 weeks worth of content; the tests were also very straightforward (10 multiple choice questions and 2 short essay questions) with Professor Baylor giving a study guide covering all the content that would show up on the test. For the socratic seminars, everyone at the beginning of the quarter is assigned a week where you discuss the reading with 4-5 other students. As far as I know, this was mainly graded on participation with mostly everyone getting full credit. The only homework are the readings, and they were usually pretty short. The only possible con of the class is that lectures were not recorded so you have to go to class, but even if you miss one or two it’s not a huge problem because he posts the slides. Also in regards to class content, if you took AP Psych you will already be familiar with most of what is covered in class. Take this class if you want an interesting class and easy A, definitely my favorite Political Science class I’ve taken so far

Baylor is definitly a very knowledgeable professor, we had 2 sitting exams, a discussion and a survey to give back which i thought was a very good experience ! The grading, contrary to what people might say is pretty good and the class is engaging if you are interested in this kind of topics. Overall its a pretty easy class to me as long as you read the few pages per class and do the small amount of work needed.

I like Dr. Baylor because you can tell he is super passionate about the content.

In my opinion, Professor Baylor is underrated. As someone who's taken him for multiple classes, I think the reason for his lackluster reviews on here is that he's admittedly dry-humored and unemotional. His demeanor may lead people to check out from his lectures or avoid approaching him for help. In my experience, he's a genuinely helpful and forgiving professor, though. His lectures are well-organized, highly interesting, and normally objective when discussing party politics.

I thoroughly enjoyed this course with Professor Baylor. Other reviews talk about his dry lecture style, but I personally found it very engaging and found his dry humor very funny. the material that he teaches is really interesting as well, combining psychology with political science and explain lots of the science behind why people make certain decisions in politics, and why it is difficult to persuade others to change their minds on political topics. The grading for the class was pretty easy as well with some simple discussion posts (participation) and then a midterm and final which were honestly really easy. I would definitely recommend this course to any other pol sci majors looking for an easy A. Also definitely bring up goat yoga to Professor Baylor, hes a big fan lol

I enjoyed the class throughout, I thought the material was engaging and I looked forward to going to class, but it didn't do me any good because I still got a bad grade. He is a HARSH grader, and I think there might be a miscommunication between what he wants to see from his students. He is not very clear, anytime I got a questionable grade I wondered where I went wrong. On the group project that my team and I worked really hard on we got an 84% which we thought was so unfair but I guess that was in part because he wasn't very specific on what he wanted nor didn't want. The final was filled with questions that seemed to try to trick you, it was about 10 multiple choice and two written mini essays. I left thinking I did okay considering I had been studying for like 10 days prior even with a study group from the same class, but in the end none of us were pleased with our grade. In response to those that might say getting an A is attainable, I put a lot of effort into this class and I am not sure I could have done more to get a better grade, I did all the readings and went over his power points and I am not sure what more in my power would have produced anything above a B at best.
Course consisted of a survey project with 2 other classmates of your choice, a final exam, and two discussion posts/replies on bruinlearn.

Professor Baylor stands out at UCLA not only for his fair grading and genuine desire for student success, which helped me secure A grades, but also for his dynamic teaching style. His humor and ability to craft memorable jokes made every lecture not just educational but very enjoyable, creating a unique classroom atmosphere where learning felt profound, delightful, and fun. The discussions on in-groups and out-groups were particularly impactful, broadening my understanding and empathy in ways I hadn't anticipated. Professor Baylor's passion for his subject and his students is evident; making my academic journey both enlightening and memorable. I eagerly look forward to taking another one of his classes!

Take Professor Baylor, you will not regret it!

Professor Baylor stands out at UCLA not only for his fair grading and genuine desire for student success, which helped me secure A grades, but also for his dynamic teaching style. His humor and ability to craft memorable jokes made every lecture not just educational but very enjoyable, creating a unique classroom atmosphere where learning felt profound, delightful, and fun. The discussions on in-groups and out-groups were particularly impactful, broadening my understanding and empathy in ways I hadn't anticipated. Professor Baylor's passion for his subject and his students is evident; making my academic journey both enlightening and memorable. I eagerly look forward to taking another one of his classes!

Take Professor Baylor, you will not regret it!