I would highly recommend this class. However, it is a lot of managing your time - he often assigned 30-50 pages of a very dense textbook to read a week, some weeks even more. Your participation in discussion is crucial as well, so you really have to pay attention to the readings. If this class is ever offered at 8 am again, just know he lectures on basically the EXACT same topics and content as the readings. So going to lecture after doing the readings feels redundant - it's not always neccessary to hear him lecture if you take notes on the textbook. However, the topics were very interesting and I thought he and my TA were both very fair graders! He did a great job at outlining exactly what you needed to know for the final and midterm.

Initially, I think it will be too hard for a math guy like me. However, it is definitely doable if you are hard-working enough. A is not easy but I learned a lot and then used the knowledge I acquired to deal with real-life problems, such as referring back to the emergence of democracy while talking about credible commitment problems between family members. My TA Fernando is excellent: the best TA I have ever met.

The structure of this comparative politics class is unique because instead of focusing on two or three countries to compare/contrast Professor Posner generalized all of the concepts and correlated each to different countries. I personally enjoyed this method of teaching because it gave us a broader basis for comparative politics rather than going in-depth on a few countries. My main issues with the course however, are one the 8 AM lecture time and two the structure of the lecture. If you are not a morning person I do not recommend taking this course at 8 AM w/ Posner specifically because his slides are mainly pictures and he just rambles on while you frantically copy what he says. The readings for the class were helpful because they were straightforward and interesting in my opinion. The class grade was based on a midterm, short analytical paper, and final. For both the midterm and final he provides a list of key terms that could potentially show up on the exam, so this helps structure what you should study. The short analytical paper was so confusing to me until I went to my TA's office hours, but when people started explaining their topics it made more sense. Overall, I would recommend taking this course if you are interested in the structures of government, how a government is run, or globalization.

I loved this class! Posner explained concepts really well and the readings were straightforward and understandable. You get what you put in for this class; if you read the material and pay attention in a lecture, you'll be fine.
However, his lectures were an 8 am and moved really fast so don't sign up if you're not going to be fully awake in the morning.

This is a great class to take if you're interested in systems of government and other political systems, and inequality/globalization. Besides memorizing the various systems/institutions, the class is mostly common sense organized into terms. You have to go to lectures because Posner's slides only include photos and sometimes a few words, but you need the context. Only one midterm and the final, for which he provides a list of terms and then there's essays for both, and there's one 3-page essay for the class that's actually pretty complicated but once you wrap your mind around it, not too bad. The readings and lectures and sections are practically the same information, but I've found the textbook to be very helpful to read before the lecture because it's more in-depth and actually pretty interesting. An important thing to remember is that this class has a lot to do with ongoing research and theories, so there is rarely a right or wrong answer for some issues. You just need to know both/all sides of the theories/phenomena in order to do well.

Professor Posner was okay in my opinion. He has a lot of knowledge of what he studies. However, the assigned essay was only given about 4 days to write(during the week), so time managing for that week is crucial. Also, the midterm and final is graded very differently. It was something like taking the average of 4 TAs to make it somewhat fair for everyone; thus, you can end up with a lower grade than what you earned in the first place. Take really good notes and pay attention.

Really really enjoyed this class. Professor Posner makes the material very interesting and relevant, particularly the second half of the class which is about globalization. Learned a lot and would highly recommend. Class isn't necessarily easy, but if you really take good notes and learn the main points of what he's trying to teach, you shouldn't have a problem.

Posner's Comparative Politics class is interesting. He goes over your run-of-the-mill comparative breadth (institutions, etc) and then moves on to globalization. He is well prepared and lectures very effectively. The course reader is quite expensive (~$80), but a breeze to read. On the tests, a simple definition and how it relates to the overarching ideas in the class would get you an A.

Posner is a good professor, but not as phenomenal as I expected after reading reviews on BW. The first part of 50R is just reviewing basic political institutions (like, what is the difference between presidential and parliamentary systems?). If you took a rigorous AP Comparative Gov class in high school, this should be cake for you. The second half of the class is really all about globalization and development economics -- hardly comparative politics, but still interesting.

Posner is clear, funny, and seems like a kind guy. The grading on the exam/midterm was pretty decent -- just make sure you focus on significance of terms and connecting them to other terms and the larger comparative themes. I got an A. I'd recommend the class (especially the "R" version, which runs corequisite with PS6R).

Prof. Posner is a really good professor. His PS 50 is fair and I really didn't like it before the midterm (talks about political institutions and how they work) but then I realized I really liked the class. Post-midterm we learned SO MUCH(as in, wide range of things about the world-economy, debt, trade, etc). After this class, I feel I am able to have an informed opinion about so much more. I HIGHLY recommend taking this class. You actually learn and if you study, it isn't hard because exams are applications of what he teaches. He's a really good prof!
Class had midterm 25%, final 45%, quizzes (drop one) 10%, discussion participation 20%. Exams have ID's and essays. Also, Bon Sang Koo is an amazing TA, everyone felt comfortable talking in class, though there's language barrier he's still awesome. Made the class even better.