This is great for an easy GE, less so if you're a PolSci major and actually interested in American politics. The class itself is very easy: 1-2 summary slides based on papers per week (you don't really have to read them), a midterm and final (both online with unlimited time), and a one-page "explainer" of a paper of your choice. Attending lecture is not necessary (also optional and recorded), but discussion participation is graded; outside of that, classwork shouldn't take more than an hour per week. The professor is clear and lectures are somewhat interesting, but Thompson is much more focused on methods than results; my TA, Grant Baldwin, is amazing and very engaging. Thompson does hold OH, but the TA and their OH is most helpful.

This class is relatively easy for a major course/GE. Homework is 2-3 reading slides per week that take probably 20 minutes each. The midterm and final are both take-home, open-note that you can go in and out of over 2 days. There is also a "paper explainer" which is a one-page summary of one of the articles and is pretty easy but grading depends on your TA. Overall would recommend it as the class is decently interesting and an achievable A.

I took this class during my first quarter at UCLA, and I loved it. The professor is really nice and chill, he gives off shy awkward vibes in the best way. You can tell he loves the material and that is conveyed during his lectures, he pretty much reads off the slides so you'll do fine if you don't go to lecture but sometimes he'll explain thing further, go through stuff on the board, and answer people's questions which can be helpful when you attend. He also records the lectures if I remember correctly. The workload is pretty light, you have weekly readings and a podcast but you'll be completely fine if you don't do them, my TA told us that as long as we read the abstract for them we would be fine. You have a couple of weekly papers based on different articles provided and those would probably be the only ones you would have to read in further detail. The TA's are really really helpful, Ayoung is THE BEST would definitely recommend. You can go to office hours and they'll help you go over the papers before you turn them in so you can make sure you're doing it right and you can also get feedback on previous ones. The midterm and final exam I though were pretty easy, I took them during the TA strike so they were take-home (I'm not sure if they always are) but they were pretty easy and my TA went over questions similar to the ones asked on the exams so I had a pretty solid idea on how to approach them. Overall, its a really cool class, would definitely take again.

This class was great and very interesting if politics/government interest you. You had to read two scholarly papers every week and listen to one podcast. It was not necessary to do the readings and attend lecture; you can get away with only doing one. Lectures were optional and discussions were mandatory. There were three paper explainers where you had to summarize a scholarly paper in one page or a 3-min recording. There was a short answer midterm and a multiple choice final. This class requires great reading comprehension, and it's helpful to come in with some pre-existing knowledge (ie. AP Gov or APUSH).

Midterm Exam (30%)
Final Exam (35%)
Paper Explainers (30%, 10% each)
Section Participation (5%)

I definitely think the A I got in this class was thanks to the TA strike. While the Paper Explainers are pretty straightforward, the midterm was hard to understand - Prof Thompson changed his 'no curve' policy because the average grade was a low D. Overall, this class probably isn't as bad as the other PS pre-major requirements, but you definitely should know how to write well and figure out exactly what a prof is asking for to do well.

This was a great class! Professor Thompson focuses on one topic each lecture and explains the existing research on that topic. 30% of your grade is paper explainers, and up to three people from the same discussion can turn in the same paper explainer. You just choose a paper to summarize, but he basically summarizes each paper in the lectures anyway so just refer to those. The midterm average before the curve was a D, but he took off the question that almost everyone missed which bumped up grades 10% then gave us an easy 3% extra credit quiz. The midterm really wasn't bad if you paid attention to the lectures and discussion section. Everything on there was in the lecture slides, the answers just aren't always intuitive so make sure you check with the lectures/recordings. The final bumped everyone's grade up because he switched it to multiple-choice but that was primarily because of the TA strike I believe. It was also significantly easier than the midterm anyway. I thought the class was interesting, I'd take it again!

Professor Thompson is clearly passionate about his work, although it does not translate incredibly well. His slides are very very to the point and he posts old recorded lectures. However when it came to the midterm the average was a 26/40, and it felt more like a homework assignment than an exam (pdf you download and you have two days to answer the questions). You can't simply know the facts in. superficial manner, but determining how and what material to go into depth is confusing. Other than that you have these super short papers (3 of them) that are very easy.

Very interesting a straightforward class. I really loved how Thompson organized his lectures, it was very easy to understand him and take notes. He was incredibly accommodating to his students in regards to grading and the TA strike. A great first Poli Sci class to take at UCLA, I highly recommend. (Also a good social analysis GE if you need one)

This is the only non-A letter grade I’ve ever received over the course of my entire academic career (I will be graduating 2024). I went to class, took notes, listened to the podcasts, discussed the material with classmates—it wasn’t enough. I feel like I could have taken an A- but a B is not proper representation for what I actually learned. That being said, I did not enjoy the material in this class. Dan’s lectures are fairly boring as he spends most of the time regurgitating research materials and tying them together for “correct answers” that he specifically curates, but doesn’t communicate how you must specify the answers for the exams. As a political science major, I was disappointed in the instruction (Dan + TAs), grading, and overall quality of this course. Dan is intelligent and loves the material but not the students or overall learning trajectory of the class.

All you have to do is look at the slides while you do the take home final/midterm and show up to discussions to get an A. The professor is really nice and his lectures are interesting. I took it as a GE and I thought it was really easy and I learned a lot. Definitely recommend this class with Thompson.