I took the Confucian Political Theory class with him, and Branstetter is an amazing professor. He clearly loved the material he was teaching, and his passion came through in every lecture. The readings were pretty dense and hard to understand, but the professor did a great job explaining them and providing clarity about the subject. I thought the exams were reasonable, and while there are a lot of pop quizzes, it's not hard to consistently get 4/5 right if you read. Overall, Branstetter is one of the best instructors in the department, and I'd highly reccomend taking a class with him if you have the chance.

i'm writing this review because i love branstetter so much and i hate that he doesn't have any reviews. he is such a great professor, incredibly knowledgable and you can tell he's passionate about what he teaches, he is so so helpful, offers so much office hours and time to talk with him and go over your papers. also the class is just 3 papers. his lectures are engaging so i didn't even mind going to class, which isn't really mandatory but really helpful when it comes to writing your papers. he is really approachable, pretty funny, and overall one of my favorite professors i've had. i'm taking 2 classes with him and i love them both.

Professor Branstetter is amazing. He is super funny and extremely intelligent. I had him for his comparative political theory class. His class consists of three papers (no exams). He does not require you to purchase textbooks as he posts the readings online. He has office hours in the sculpture garden which he records live on Facebook so students can watch and ask questions from home. He loves answering questions and is very approachable. If you are a poli sci major with an emphasis in political theory take his class!

Branstetter is my favorite professor at UCLA! I am unsure why he doesnt have a ton of reviews since he is literally the best. He is super engaging and the most helpful professor at UCLA. He truly cares about a students learning. Out of all my classes at UCLA his is the most challenging because he makes you think and question everything. He asks questions that you didn't think about and it makes you reevaluate everything. However, the challenge is what makes his class great because he is there for his students at all times. He holds sculpture gardens, talks to you before/after class, holds extra office hours. He goes above and beyond and honestly, UCLA is lucky to have him. Many professors here only care for their research and it is great knowing that Branstetter cares about teaching and his research. He talks a lot about Japan and his travels. You will not fall asleep in his class. His grading is good as well! A is obtainable but just know what you stance is on essays and you will be good!

This professor is among the best in the school. He is engaging, funny, always positive, creative and interesting, and certainly very knowledgeable. I would recommend this class to anyone and everyone.

PS 10 with Branstetter 100% depends on your TA. Personally, my TA was really full of herself and graded pretty harshly. But other friends in the class had better and nicer TAs and ended up with better grades even with the same amount and quality of work. Branstetter is kind of a boring lecturer but he's entertaining enough. Lectures really aren't that necessary, but the reading definitely is. I've heard this was the hardest PS lower div and it was to me.

This was the best (and easiest) GE I have taken at UCLA.
Grading scheme = 10% discussion, and 3, 3-4 page essays (30% each).

There is a lot of reading assigned for this class, but I only really read one of the assignments to its full extent. Each essay only requires two of the readings each (I only used one reading for the last essay).
You don't really need to go to lecture, as it is not super relevant to writing a good paper, but if you are confused with the material, it may help.

I went to every lecture because Branstetter is such a personable, and engaging guy who is clearly passionate about the subject matter and his students' success.

Your TA does the grading, so who you have matters. My TA (Kris) was an extremely cool and thoughtful guy, who gave good feedback and graded on the easier side.
we were given 2% extra credit for doing the evaluations, which bumped my grade up. Clutch.

10/10 would recommend to a friend.

Professor Branstetter is by far the best professor I have had at UCLA. He is so engaging and passionate about political theory that it inspires his students, even in a subject which many would consider dry. He is also extremely helpful in office hours and, because your grade in this class is composed of 3 essays that your TA grades, it never hurts to go over your essay with him if you're not happy with your grade because he's not averse to bumping you up a few points if he feels that you deserve it.

Branstetter is by far one of the most caring and considerate professors at UCLA. His lectures make something as complex as Karl Marx understanding, and he is very forgiving if he sees you putting in an effort. The class is very reading dense and requires rereading of a very big and dense book, but rest assured Branstetter is so helpful in his lectures. His course has 7 pop quizzes but he drops 2. He also has one midterm worth 30% of your grade and a final making up 45% of your grade. Overall, I highly recommend this class.

Im currently taking prof Branstetter during my first quarter at UCLA & he is the the best! He actually cares about his students so much and is very passionate about the material he teaches. He's also super smart and open to hearing all of our different ideas. Highly recommend!