Professor Min is the best professor I've had at UCLA (edit: this review still stands almost a full year after I took this class). He is incredibly knowledgeable and very skilled at conveying course material in an engaging way that makes you genuinely like the class content a lot. He has a great sense of humor and utilizes it during lectures. There is a short 10-15 question quiz at the end of each week. These were super easy as they are online, you have the entire weekend to complete it, and once you start the quiz, you have 40 minutes for it (you can finish it in 10 if you paid any attention in lecture). The bulk of the class grade comes from a final research paper which you submit a proposal for around halfway through the quarter. The topic of the paper is always some important contemporary event in international relations. When I took the class (Fall 2021), it was about what the US could have done differently in Afghanistan. The previous time this class was offered with Prof Min (Fall 2020), the topic was North Korean denuclearization. It's 6–7 pages, but you have basically the whole second half of the quarter to do it. I didn't find it hard at all, but it was interesting nonetheless. Prof Min is a standout educator, and this class is really fun and interesting without being very difficult. A great class I'd recommend for freshmen, especially Poli Sci majors (seeing as this is a major pre-req, it's a good one to take early). I knew south campus students who took it as a GE as well and they enjoyed it and got As in it as well. Highly recommend.

This is the second class I've taken with Professor Min and he remains one of the best professors I've had at UCLA. He explains every concept thoroughly and in a way that is easy to understand. The quizzes throughout the quarter are very simple and are open book/note so. The only thing that could be worrying for some is the group project that essentially functions as the class's final. It should be no problem if you get assigned a good group and work throughout the quarter. I had Nallely as a TA and she was super helpful with answering questions regarding the paper. Overall, would definitely recommend this class to anyone!

Professor Min is a fantastic lecturer who is clearly very passionate about student learning. His lectures are engaging and biweekly quizzes are based on them. The workload is manageable and 55% of your grade is based off of a group policy paper. In section you are given plenty of time with your groups to get it started. I would absolutely take him again.

The grading consists of participation, 8 pg essay, midterm, and final. This class was relatively easy. Lecture is not really mandatory. I missed a couple times and ended up fine. He posts slide with blanks that encourage students to go to lecture but you're fine without going. He emphasizes some things that will be on tests. Like seriously listen to him when he repeats it. The essay required some research, but basically you could pick any topic that interests you relating to the prompt of course. Overall, great professor and great class

Professor Min was a fantastic professor. He really knew the material and was not only able to convey it well but in a way that was extremely easy to understand! I had Julian Michel as my TA and he was also great. He was super fun and interesting to talk to and even brought in a guest speaker who was a german diplomat. Overall, a really interesting and good class and super easy too!

(PS don't worry about the textbook, it's free online and is just an auxiliary thing, but his lectures are very thorough and he gives you all the info you need)

He's a nice guy, but he is new. All his materials are taken from other professors so his slides do not corollate with his tests. What you read in the textbook, his slides, and his exams are all different. The vague wordings on his tests feels like an AP World History exam. Your TA makes or break your grade. My TA wasn't helpful at all and seemed cold at times. You have to go with your TA even if it opposes what the professor says in class. Discussions are mandatory though. He blanks out slides, but classes are not to mandatory. He does try to put in pop references to spice the class up a bit but unnecessary. The workload is low, but it affects your exams later on. Only take this class if you just need units. It is not helpful if you plan on taking upper division IR classes later on.

International relations isn't really my jam, but I absolutely loved taking this class! Professor Min is funny, clear, and engaging. His slides are extremely well-organized and he provides them to students with blanks, which makes it easy to study for exams (although you will have to study for them). I read the textbook religiously at the beginning of the year, but I found myself getting the same grades when I just studied the content from the slides so I would recommend using the textbook as more of a reference for when you get confused. The structure of this class was perfect though and I would recommend it to anyone. My one complaint would be that the discussions were pretty pointless, but that didn't bother me that much in the grand scheme of things.

I would highly recommend taking this class with this professor. The lectures aren't mandatory , but they are really engaging, helpful, and funny. He blocks out some parts of the slides that he posts , but it is the same information as the reading. I missed a few lectures and never read the textbook but did just fine. The midterm was very easy and straightforward, and the final is the same format. There is one research paper that is 5-6 pages, but you have almost the whole quarter to do so. If you are looking for a GE or a class for the poli sci major I would definitely recommend this class.

This class was really interesting and highly recommend if you need a social analysis GE. Min is a very funny professor and gives really engaging lectures. I rented the textbook because I thought it was essential to read it but stopped around the 4th week or so and honestly don't get the book. It does highlight some material we cover in class more in depth but as long as you go lecture and grasp the material you should be fine. He blanks out some notes from the slides he posts online to motivate students to go to class to see the blanked out parts but honestly lecture wasn't that bad.

If you're going to take PS20, you've got to take it with Professor Min even if you have to wait a quarter or two. He's by far the most straightforward and reasonable professor I've ever had. He expects you to get your work done and participate (discussions are very mandatory) but he only requires what he believes you ought to do to understand the class concepts. There's only a midterm, final, and one paper (along with proposal, outline, etc.) but just review the slides and you will be absolutely fine. Textbook is a decent supplement but you don't really need it--download for free if you want but definitely don't spend the money to get a hard copy. Lectures aren't mandatory since all the slides are posted on CCLE although they do have blanks you need to be in lecture to fill out (tbh just highlight the blank, sometimes it shows up), HOWEVER, he's such an engaging, smart, and funny guy that it's worth your time to show up. He once read the entirety of the Cardi B-Nicki Minaj feud post (profanity included) to demonstrate a concept. At his very last lecture, the whole class applauded, which hasn't happened in any of my other classes, which just goes to show what a swell dude he is. 100% would take this class again.