Professor

Cody Trojan

AD
3.4
Overall Ratings
Based on 46 Users
Easiness 2.8 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Workload 2.8 / 5 How light the workload is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Clarity 3.4 / 5 How clear the professor is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Helpfulness 3.5 / 5 How helpful the professor is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

Reviews (46)

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Oct. 4, 2023
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: N/A

One of the worst professors I have ever had at UCLA. He has a very arrogant take and approach on topics that are supposed to be “ambiguous.” He graded harshly and didn’t teach the materials at the level he graded at. Never take him if you have a choice, good luck!

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POL SCI 114B
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
March 17, 2021
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A

I just want to preface this by saying that to be quite honest, I am usually the type of student that does the bare minimum to get an A and does everything last minute.

Dr. Trojan is a great professor. There are definitely ways to finesse not doing all of the readings for this class, but his lectures really made me think deeply and question and strengthen my own political beliefs by the end(which really took me by surprise, as I am not someone who tends to be that interested in American Politics). He does go on weird weird little tangents but honestly in the most charming way. He facilitates great discussions, and if you make yourself go to the unrequired live lectures the first few weeks, you'll find yourself wanting to go and participate. Take this class. It'll make you think.

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POL SCI 114A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Dec. 29, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: B+

General Comments
There are a lot of reading each week, but you are supposed to skim them instead of reading them in depth. You also need to keep track of the assignment deadlines as there are several due each week.
Here is the class breakdown from when I took it:
Perusall Annotations (15%)
You need to write seven annotations on each reading on Perusall. You don't really need to think about writing them, but they each have to be spaced out through the reading and a certain length. These are due at every class meeting.
Interventions (20%)
There are two of them. They are basically mini essays. Aim for about four or five pages. He wants you to write a persuasive argument about the text by analyzing its contradictions.
Commonplace Book (10%)
There are ten of these. You have to draw a picture for the readings of the week.
Peer Review (10%)
This is a short essay about someone else's paper. He gives a template for it and should be about one to two pages long.
Term Paper (45%)
This is worth almost the entirely of the grade. I got an A on almost every assignment throughout the quarter and received a B+ because of a low grade on the term paper. I recommend going to office hours to make sure your argument conforms to his standards. For secondary sources, make sure to bring down people that disagree with your claim in order for you strengthen your argument based on them. While length matters, it is not at all sufficient to get a good grade. Aim for about 13-15 pages.
Final thoughts:
I was shocked by my final grade in the class. I thought that I was doing well throughout the quarter, but my grade ended up plummeting due to term paper at the end.

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Jan. 16, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: B

I honestly dont think I learned much in this class. readings are overwhelming and very fast paced. pop quizzes probably once a week that are 30% of your grade. and are honestly what hurt my grade. The questions are pretty detailed and pretty stingy with points. He's a passionate and nice guy but lectures are a waste of time and the only reason anyone goes is because of quizzes.

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Dec. 28, 2023
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: B+

Do not take this class if you’re uninterested in political theory. The content was difficult to understand and Dr Trojan spent at least half the class allowing students to do his job for him in explaining what the readings are about. He would give pop quizzes (closed note) on random days that could not be made up so even if you attended most classes, missing one day could ruin your grade. The readings for each class were at least 75 pages long along with an essay every two weeks not including an 8 page final paper. I ended up having an 89.6% in the class and tried to ask Dr Trojan to round and he refused without any explanation as to why. Wouldn’t recommend in the slightest.

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April 4, 2023
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: B+

Horrible professor. Not clear. Not helpful. Would not take again.

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June 26, 2023
Quarter: Spring 2023
Grade: A-

Whatever you do, don’t take a class with this guy. He is the worst professor I have ever had at ucla. If you’re not one of his “chosen” students that he only calls on during class, he will not like you. His lecture style is confused, unclear, and disorganized so don’t expect to understand anything that he teaches. He’s an insane grader and the assignments are impossible given that you will not understand a thing in this class. Please save yourself

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POL SCI 114B
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
March 4, 2021
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A

I'd like to preface my review by urging everybody to take the other student's reviews of Dr. Trojan with a grain of salt.
Dr. Trojan is an extremely knowledgeable professor who goes out of his way to both help and challenge his students to do well and learn something new. These intentional challenges come in the form of identifying students' preconceived notions of text and concepts that most don't even realize they carry with them. Dr. Trojan has a very lively, happy, upbeat personality that carries with it a contagious aura of happiness and an excitement for attending class. Dr. T takes a more modern approach to lecture and allows for constant student engagement, discussion, and questions throughout lecture while he guides conversation in various directions, typically on the basis of the required readings. This method is effective for identifying key concepts and ideas that many students often miss or have a tough time understanding. Some students have pointed out his lecture style is terrible, but I'd rebuttal by stating that they more than likely are not attending lecture and are not engaging with the text/lecture itself. The workload of this class is quite heavy with a huge emphasis being placed on multiple weekly readings, which are provided free of charge, as well as annotations for the text being required. The majority of students' grades rely on two papers throughout the course and a large 10-15 page final paper. Participation is greatly encouraged, helpful, and will provide a better experience and platform for learning. Overall, the workload is tough, but if you manage your time well and put in the time and effort, you'll do well. Dr. Trojan is a great professor with so much to teach and give. It is obvious he loves his job and truly cares about his students' learning and doing well. I strongly encourage any poli sci student willing to stick through the heavy workload to give Dr. T a try at least once to experience something new and exciting with an extremely unique and likable individual.

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2 2 Please log in to provide feedback.
Jan. 15, 2023
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A-

He does not upload his slides, tends to talk about the same thing extendedly. Boring but fairly easy class, participation matters for discussion because its part of you grade. we have weekly or biweekly "interventions" which are mini papers but the instructions given tend to be unclear. Trojan says one thing then the TA says a completely different thing. My TA was a pretty harsh grader

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
March 14, 2023
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A

I learned a lot in this class & once you understand the requirements, it's smooth sailing. While Trojan requires that you purchase the course reader, I found that I didn't really need it. Homework each week consisted of digitally annotating the reading 3 times through a program called Perusall, I found myself skimming it for the most part, and I was still able to follow along in class. We had mini-essays due every couple weeks called "interventions" where we challenged a way of thinking. I did poorly on the first one since I analyzed a quote, rather than dismantling the logic behind it, but my TA left helpful comments and I was able to recover my grade. We had one main paper & no final. There was a lot of freedom with our final paper so I used one of my intervention topics and just expanded on it. The course topics were all very abstract, so Trojan was the perfect professor for it. He is very much the teacher to answer your question with a question, or respond to "Can I go to the bathroom?" with "Can you?" However, I kind of loved that as it really forced me to think and analyze words in a way I've never had to before. He was very engaging with what otherwise may have been boring content and utilized the class space in a great way. I would recommend going to office hours which were held in the sculpture garden, as they prepare you for discussion and are actually quite thought-provoking. Overall, great class!

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
POL SCI 114B
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: N/A
Oct. 4, 2023

One of the worst professors I have ever had at UCLA. He has a very arrogant take and approach on topics that are supposed to be “ambiguous.” He graded harshly and didn’t teach the materials at the level he graded at. Never take him if you have a choice, good luck!

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
POL SCI 114B
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A
March 17, 2021

I just want to preface this by saying that to be quite honest, I am usually the type of student that does the bare minimum to get an A and does everything last minute.

Dr. Trojan is a great professor. There are definitely ways to finesse not doing all of the readings for this class, but his lectures really made me think deeply and question and strengthen my own political beliefs by the end(which really took me by surprise, as I am not someone who tends to be that interested in American Politics). He does go on weird weird little tangents but honestly in the most charming way. He facilitates great discussions, and if you make yourself go to the unrequired live lectures the first few weeks, you'll find yourself wanting to go and participate. Take this class. It'll make you think.

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
POL SCI 114A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: B+
Dec. 29, 2020

General Comments
There are a lot of reading each week, but you are supposed to skim them instead of reading them in depth. You also need to keep track of the assignment deadlines as there are several due each week.
Here is the class breakdown from when I took it:
Perusall Annotations (15%)
You need to write seven annotations on each reading on Perusall. You don't really need to think about writing them, but they each have to be spaced out through the reading and a certain length. These are due at every class meeting.
Interventions (20%)
There are two of them. They are basically mini essays. Aim for about four or five pages. He wants you to write a persuasive argument about the text by analyzing its contradictions.
Commonplace Book (10%)
There are ten of these. You have to draw a picture for the readings of the week.
Peer Review (10%)
This is a short essay about someone else's paper. He gives a template for it and should be about one to two pages long.
Term Paper (45%)
This is worth almost the entirely of the grade. I got an A on almost every assignment throughout the quarter and received a B+ because of a low grade on the term paper. I recommend going to office hours to make sure your argument conforms to his standards. For secondary sources, make sure to bring down people that disagree with your claim in order for you strengthen your argument based on them. While length matters, it is not at all sufficient to get a good grade. Aim for about 13-15 pages.
Final thoughts:
I was shocked by my final grade in the class. I thought that I was doing well throughout the quarter, but my grade ended up plummeting due to term paper at the end.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
POL SCI 114A
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: B
Jan. 16, 2020

I honestly dont think I learned much in this class. readings are overwhelming and very fast paced. pop quizzes probably once a week that are 30% of your grade. and are honestly what hurt my grade. The questions are pretty detailed and pretty stingy with points. He's a passionate and nice guy but lectures are a waste of time and the only reason anyone goes is because of quizzes.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
POL SCI 114A
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: B+
Dec. 28, 2023

Do not take this class if you’re uninterested in political theory. The content was difficult to understand and Dr Trojan spent at least half the class allowing students to do his job for him in explaining what the readings are about. He would give pop quizzes (closed note) on random days that could not be made up so even if you attended most classes, missing one day could ruin your grade. The readings for each class were at least 75 pages long along with an essay every two weeks not including an 8 page final paper. I ended up having an 89.6% in the class and tried to ask Dr Trojan to round and he refused without any explanation as to why. Wouldn’t recommend in the slightest.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
POL SCI 114B
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: B+
April 4, 2023

Horrible professor. Not clear. Not helpful. Would not take again.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
POL SCI 119
Quarter: Spring 2023
Grade: A-
June 26, 2023

Whatever you do, don’t take a class with this guy. He is the worst professor I have ever had at ucla. If you’re not one of his “chosen” students that he only calls on during class, he will not like you. His lecture style is confused, unclear, and disorganized so don’t expect to understand anything that he teaches. He’s an insane grader and the assignments are impossible given that you will not understand a thing in this class. Please save yourself

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
POL SCI 114B
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A
March 4, 2021

I'd like to preface my review by urging everybody to take the other student's reviews of Dr. Trojan with a grain of salt.
Dr. Trojan is an extremely knowledgeable professor who goes out of his way to both help and challenge his students to do well and learn something new. These intentional challenges come in the form of identifying students' preconceived notions of text and concepts that most don't even realize they carry with them. Dr. Trojan has a very lively, happy, upbeat personality that carries with it a contagious aura of happiness and an excitement for attending class. Dr. T takes a more modern approach to lecture and allows for constant student engagement, discussion, and questions throughout lecture while he guides conversation in various directions, typically on the basis of the required readings. This method is effective for identifying key concepts and ideas that many students often miss or have a tough time understanding. Some students have pointed out his lecture style is terrible, but I'd rebuttal by stating that they more than likely are not attending lecture and are not engaging with the text/lecture itself. The workload of this class is quite heavy with a huge emphasis being placed on multiple weekly readings, which are provided free of charge, as well as annotations for the text being required. The majority of students' grades rely on two papers throughout the course and a large 10-15 page final paper. Participation is greatly encouraged, helpful, and will provide a better experience and platform for learning. Overall, the workload is tough, but if you manage your time well and put in the time and effort, you'll do well. Dr. Trojan is a great professor with so much to teach and give. It is obvious he loves his job and truly cares about his students' learning and doing well. I strongly encourage any poli sci student willing to stick through the heavy workload to give Dr. T a try at least once to experience something new and exciting with an extremely unique and likable individual.

Helpful?

2 2 Please log in to provide feedback.
POL SCI 10
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A-
Jan. 15, 2023

He does not upload his slides, tends to talk about the same thing extendedly. Boring but fairly easy class, participation matters for discussion because its part of you grade. we have weekly or biweekly "interventions" which are mini papers but the instructions given tend to be unclear. Trojan says one thing then the TA says a completely different thing. My TA was a pretty harsh grader

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
POL SCI 10
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A
March 14, 2023

I learned a lot in this class & once you understand the requirements, it's smooth sailing. While Trojan requires that you purchase the course reader, I found that I didn't really need it. Homework each week consisted of digitally annotating the reading 3 times through a program called Perusall, I found myself skimming it for the most part, and I was still able to follow along in class. We had mini-essays due every couple weeks called "interventions" where we challenged a way of thinking. I did poorly on the first one since I analyzed a quote, rather than dismantling the logic behind it, but my TA left helpful comments and I was able to recover my grade. We had one main paper & no final. There was a lot of freedom with our final paper so I used one of my intervention topics and just expanded on it. The course topics were all very abstract, so Trojan was the perfect professor for it. He is very much the teacher to answer your question with a question, or respond to "Can I go to the bathroom?" with "Can you?" However, I kind of loved that as it really forced me to think and analyze words in a way I've never had to before. He was very engaging with what otherwise may have been boring content and utilized the class space in a great way. I would recommend going to office hours which were held in the sculpture garden, as they prepare you for discussion and are actually quite thought-provoking. Overall, great class!

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
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