Cody Trojan
Department of Political Science
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2.8
Overall Rating
Based on 12 Users
Easiness 2.5 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.0 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 2.4 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.0 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

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GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
42.7%
35.6%
28.5%
21.4%
14.2%
7.1%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

50.0%
41.7%
33.3%
25.0%
16.7%
8.3%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

42.2%
35.2%
28.1%
21.1%
14.1%
7.0%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
Clear marks

Sorry, no enrollment data is available.

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Reviews (11)

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Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: N/A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
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!

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2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
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.
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.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
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.
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: B+
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Oct. 4, 2023

I felt that this class was quite horrible. The professor purposely ignored the emails of most of his students during the duration of the semester. Whenever he didn’t feel like dealing with an issue, he simply chose to ignore the issue altogether. The grading was a bit harsh on very complex topics. He graded fairly in the beginning half of the semester and chose to randomly start grading harder on the last assignment due for the most amount of points at 50% of the overall grade. Overall, I would never take this class again. Move at your own risk.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: A-
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
April 12, 2023

Honestly, this was a brutal class for me. Im an IR concentration and took this class because I needed to take a theory class as one of the courses outside of my concentration. Out of all the upper div courses ive taken over the past two years this has been my least favorite by far. The prof was very subjective in his gradings, and did not really have any rubrics or guidelines for writing the papers which made up the majority of the grade. The final paper had very vague instructions and when I spoke with him during office hours he did not seem very approachable at all and was not willing to give many suggestions regarding how I could improve my work. That being said, if you know that you love theory and want a professor who is just as big of a fan of it as you are, this is the class for you. If you are someone outside of the concentration looking to take a theory course to get your requirements fulfilled, and only slightly interested in the topic or not very well versed in the writings of political theorists then definitely stay away. If I could go back in time to stop myself from taking this class I definitely would, I do not feel like I learned that much and feel like a lot of the views shared in the class mirrored that of the professor and were not very open to debate or other interpretations. Again, definitely would not recommend this course unless theory is your forte and something your are deeply passionate in.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
April 5, 2023

The workload of this class was really heavy. Tons of readings. Have to write a total of three papers (two short ones and a longer one) throughout the quarter. The grading of this class can be said to be determined by the three papers, which Prof called interpretive arguments. Basically you have to follow the rubric he designed when writing, and make sure you stick with interpreting the meaning of the text instead of talking about your thoughts on it. An A for this class is not impossible, but it would likely cost you a lot of energy.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: B+
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
April 1, 2021

The best professor I have ever had in my three years at UCLA. Very knowledgeable with the subject, is very helpful in mastering the coursework, flexible and understanding, adds humor to the class, workload is perfect and assigned weekly, not overwhelming and reinforces the knowledge being learned that given week. Overall a great professor, would recommend to anyone looking for an awesome class/professor to have.

Helpful?

0 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
March 29, 2021

Dr. Trojan was extremely engaging during lectures, he was always dressed nicely (which made class feel a little more like class) and had a huge smile on his face ready to lecture. Every week, Tuesday's and Thursday's it was required that we submitted annotations on Perusall.com, they were due before class which was at 1230PM. It was a tedious task, a lot of reading which made the workload a little heavy. We would discuss the readings in class, Professor would typically ask questions and engage in the discussion with the students. We also had two mini essays, 4-6 paragraphs each due twice during the quarter which weren't too difficult, his instructions were clear and he gave great, meaningful feedback. I am taking another course with him since I did really well and also really enjoyed his class. Definitely recommend!

Helpful?

0 2 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: C+
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Feb. 23, 2021

A horrible class definitely do not recommend taking! He just strays from the subjects and then the time flies by and its just frustrating plus he is a hard grader and does not allow tardy work

Helpful?

0 2 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: B+
Oct. 4, 2023

I felt that this class was quite horrible. The professor purposely ignored the emails of most of his students during the duration of the semester. Whenever he didn’t feel like dealing with an issue, he simply chose to ignore the issue altogether. The grading was a bit harsh on very complex topics. He graded fairly in the beginning half of the semester and chose to randomly start grading harder on the last assignment due for the most amount of points at 50% of the overall grade. Overall, I would never take this class again. Move at your own risk.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: A-
April 12, 2023

Honestly, this was a brutal class for me. Im an IR concentration and took this class because I needed to take a theory class as one of the courses outside of my concentration. Out of all the upper div courses ive taken over the past two years this has been my least favorite by far. The prof was very subjective in his gradings, and did not really have any rubrics or guidelines for writing the papers which made up the majority of the grade. The final paper had very vague instructions and when I spoke with him during office hours he did not seem very approachable at all and was not willing to give many suggestions regarding how I could improve my work. That being said, if you know that you love theory and want a professor who is just as big of a fan of it as you are, this is the class for you. If you are someone outside of the concentration looking to take a theory course to get your requirements fulfilled, and only slightly interested in the topic or not very well versed in the writings of political theorists then definitely stay away. If I could go back in time to stop myself from taking this class I definitely would, I do not feel like I learned that much and feel like a lot of the views shared in the class mirrored that of the professor and were not very open to debate or other interpretations. Again, definitely would not recommend this course unless theory is your forte and something your are deeply passionate in.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: A
April 5, 2023

The workload of this class was really heavy. Tons of readings. Have to write a total of three papers (two short ones and a longer one) throughout the quarter. The grading of this class can be said to be determined by the three papers, which Prof called interpretive arguments. Basically you have to follow the rubric he designed when writing, and make sure you stick with interpreting the meaning of the text instead of talking about your thoughts on it. An A for this class is not impossible, but it would likely cost you a lot of energy.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: B+
April 1, 2021

The best professor I have ever had in my three years at UCLA. Very knowledgeable with the subject, is very helpful in mastering the coursework, flexible and understanding, adds humor to the class, workload is perfect and assigned weekly, not overwhelming and reinforces the knowledge being learned that given week. Overall a great professor, would recommend to anyone looking for an awesome class/professor to have.

Helpful?

0 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A
March 29, 2021

Dr. Trojan was extremely engaging during lectures, he was always dressed nicely (which made class feel a little more like class) and had a huge smile on his face ready to lecture. Every week, Tuesday's and Thursday's it was required that we submitted annotations on Perusall.com, they were due before class which was at 1230PM. It was a tedious task, a lot of reading which made the workload a little heavy. We would discuss the readings in class, Professor would typically ask questions and engage in the discussion with the students. We also had two mini essays, 4-6 paragraphs each due twice during the quarter which weren't too difficult, his instructions were clear and he gave great, meaningful feedback. I am taking another course with him since I did really well and also really enjoyed his class. Definitely recommend!

Helpful?

0 2 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: C+
Feb. 23, 2021

A horrible class definitely do not recommend taking! He just strays from the subjects and then the time flies by and its just frustrating plus he is a hard grader and does not allow tardy work

Helpful?

0 2 Please log in to provide feedback.
1 of 2
2.8
Overall Rating
Based on 12 Users
Easiness 2.5 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.0 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 2.4 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.0 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

There are no relevant tags for this professor yet.

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