Although the professor says books are required during class, save your money and just find them online . It's helpful if you have an app on your phone that allows you to annotate the online version of the texts during class. I just used sparknotes and shmoop and when it came to the writing assignments, I just found the relevant parts of the text. His lectures are at times unclear, high-level, and fast so I'd advise using bruincast instead so you can pause and reflect on what he said.

This class was made bearable by the professor. The readings are often not enjoyable at first glance but when the professor explains what is important, that perception shifts. Grades consisted of essays spread out during the quarter so focus your time into that and make sure to understand the main take away from each weeks readings. Panagia says there are no wrong answers as long as you explain your arguments in the essays well, however there are wrong answers so pick and choose your words carefully.
Overall, professor Panagia is a nice guy who is passionate about what he is teaching so if you have to take a GE I would recommend this one.

This is a really interesting class. Since it's intro to political theory, most of the texts we looked at were pretty old. This class is very reading intensive, and a lot of the material took a lot of time to get through. No tests, just three writing assignments worth 25% each where you had to write about the three weeks of readings up to that point, which were organized b theme. Interesting lectures. Writing assignments were graded by TAs, so there was always some clarification to be made between the professor's expectations and the TA's. Very interesting class overall.

this class was extremely boring, but if you go to lecture and have a good TA it is very manageable. I never did any of the readings and received an A on every paper. The class is basically graded on the three papers and they are very confusing and are given without much direction, so you really have to listen to what your TA wants. There are no finals and no exams

This class was by far my most enjoyable in my first quarter here at UCLA. Lectures revolve around the 2-3 readings given each week in the different books. You're supposed to buy the course reader and different books but I got away with just using PDFs online. Panagia then goes over the parts that he deems as important and has you take notes on this with him. He always shows up with his nice suit and is a goofball throughout a quarter of the lecture. Electronics are not allowed but I would sometimes see people in the back whip out their phones or laptops for the sake of ease.
The grading system consists of 3 different papers, each worth 25% of your grade, then participation in discussion section makes up the last 25%. Each paper typically has you write three/four 500 word short essays on different philosopher's ideas and how they relate to politics. As someone who didn't start writing until 1-2 days before the deadline, I never got anything lower than an A (although that might just be me). My TA also really contributed to how well this class went because he went above and beyond to make sure everyone understood the course material so shoutout to Michael S.
Overall, the class is very doable and I would be HAPPY to take it again... it is even making me consider Poly Sci as a major (im undeclared).

Professor Panagia is one of the best lecturers. Lectures are always entertaining even when the content is kind of dry. He tells you what you need to know, especially for the essays. The essays can be a challenge in itself because of subject matter, but they are not too long and the prompts are very clear. Essays and participation make up the grade.

Overall, this class wasn’t too tough. The grading is 75% essays (three at 25% each), and 25% attendance and participation. You read a lot about the foundational ideas of Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche and others, which sounds really dry and boring at first, but Professor Panagia presents those ideas in a way that is new and interesting. My TA, Michael Stenovec, was very helpful. He grades critically on the essays but he does offer lots of essay help and explains how certain things can be made better. His discussion consisted of a lot of writing-focused activities in addition to further oral discussion on ideas presented by Professor Panagia, and it was geared around making us more critical thinkers and writers. Discussion attendance is mandatory, as Michael gave us ungraded “quizzes” to see whether we were keeping up with the readings. Overall a simple and straightforward class, would take again.

if you're not into theory, this class will probably be boring and you'll never attend lecture (just a heads up). assignments are essays based on theory readings and films. Prof. Panagia's lectures are not structured at all, there are no slides, and it often seems like he is just making stuff up as he goes (but perhaps thats what theory is?). this is an easy class if you're good at writing and analyzing theory, film, and politics. that's all this class is: analyzing. Overall an easy class (but often boring)

This is a weird class. The movies he assigns to watch and the assigned readings are interesting, but he provides little guidance on how to write your critical memos / final essay. It's difficult to find a good balance between technical film analysis, discussion of the specific film, and political commentary based on the relevant readings. Err on the side of overusing the readings.

Grade is 3*10% for 3 critical viewing memos, 20% participation, 50% final essay

Do I feel like I learned something interesting in this class? Yes. Were the lectures frequently discursive and unhelpful as preparation for the writing assignments? Also yes.

Professor Panagia is in many ways a delightfully stereotypical college professor. I loved his class and his passion for the subject material is obvious in every lecture. He also really makes an effort to discuss practical information with his students, especially in regards to the university system and job interests, that I really appreciated. The writing for this class is challenging but the TAs are very helpful and will guide you through the assignments if you go to office hours. Like seriously, definitely go to office hours. Although it was difficult my writing improved after this class which is always a good thing. I would recommend this class and this professor.