This class was fairly easy. The content was pretty simple, and if you went to lecture you would be totally fine. The exams were not hard, and if you do the readings, you will ace them. I don't think I would recommend it for a Social Analysis GE, because it isn't very interesting (unless you like political science) and it is slightly more work than others. I took it for a lower-division Communications requirement, and I recommend it for that scenario. The professor was nice and very chill!

This was the very first class I attended in college. It was great. Professor Thompson was a very clear lecturer. Moreover, I got super sick (literally all of fall quarter I was bed-ridden), and he offered fully recorded lectures. Like actual recordings that showed him teaching. This was a lifesaver. He also posted the slides. It was super helpful because I could just do the lectures in bed, and not fall behind. The lectures were interesting and relevant.
There were weekly readings assigned, and I suggest skimming through them in order to stay up to date. I fell off, and stopped reading them and would cram around the midterm/final, but it would just be easier to read them as they get assigned. The midterm and final were both take home assignments that asked you to answer questions in paragraph or bullet point form, using and quoting the weekly readings. There were also 3 1-page reflections assigned that were basically a synopsis of one of the papers we had read (you can choose).
The instructions were a little unclear for the paper explainers, so I got an 85 on the first one. However, once I went to my TA for clarification, I received 100s on the next 2. If you are remotely interested in American politics, this class is great. I loved it and have tried taking another Pol Sci class since.

The class was interesting with having one reading due for each lecture given. Some of the readings would deconstruct misconceptions and then explain why it might they actually not be accurate.
The lectures were in person and recorded on Zoom.
The lectures talked about the main points of the readings and also went beyond that, talking about other papers that weren't required readings.
The short papers we had to write and were less than 2 pages, just talking about a reading (such as the research design, outcome, significance, etc). The papers are meant to be concise.
The midterm and final were around 9 questions each and were either 1-2 sentences or a paragraph to explain your answer.

He's a great professor and the class was great too. One of the nicest and coolest professors I've had here. Would definitely recommend taking a class with him

Take this class with this professor!! If you pay attention in class (or at the very least go through the slides), go to discussions, and have a good understanding of the readings, you will do well. Sometimes the midterm/final questions can be a bit confusing and take a while to wrap your head around, but the grading is fair and pretty lenient. The readings can be long or short, but on really desne readings you can usually get by with just reading the abstract and results. Professor Thompson is a really interesting guy and my TA Chris Palmisano held engaging and relevant discussions. I would take this class again, and I would recommend it as a GE. This class made me decide to double major in Political Science.

This class with Professor Thompson was very easy and pleasant. There is very little work, and as the other review says the paper explainers make up a sizable portion of your grade and are extremely simple. The midterm and the final were not very difficult and if you understand most of the lecture material you will be completely fine. Discussion section was fun and engaging with my TA Chris Palmisano, and he didn't mind if you hadn't gone to lecture as long as you participated. There was even a survey you could complete to get 2 points of extra credit added to your midterm score, bumping mine to an A. You can do well in this class with very little effort, and I highly recommend it to Communications majors as one of the lower division requirements.