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!

I really like the professor. He is very kind and helpful. The course is comprised of reading quizzes (given out randomly), a take home midterm, and a take home final. You really have to understand Branstetter's interpretation of Marx to get full credit on the exam. It was a lot harder than I was expecting based on the reviews. I would suggest going to office hours and copious notes during lectures to get full credit on the midterm and final.

Best professor at UCLA. It makes no sense to me why UCLA hasn't already given him tenure status.

Please take Professor Branstetter. He is so amazing. Not going to lie the material is a big fat whattttt but you get use to it after a while. There is no purpose of explaining the orientation of the class as he changes it with each class he teaches. I took pre-modern East Asia and it consisted of a midterm, final and 5 short fill in the blank quizzes. Just try to read the material and if you don't understand it reach out to the professor as he is the most kindest and helpful professor I have ever met. The quizzes are not hard as long as you read, yes they were overwhelming but they are not impossible I promise. Extra credit is given here and their. I don't really know what to say besides he is the best, and he is so understanding.

Branstetter is simply the best. If you have the chance to take a class with him, do it.

Definitely one of my favorite classes that I have taken here just because of how awesome John is. He makes the material interesting even if you know nothing about it, and is very fair in his grading system. There was only a midterm, final, and then 7 short MC quizzes with 2 of the lowest ones being dropped. He offered a few points of extra credit but not enough to really change anything unless you are about half a percent away from a grade bump. Midterm and final are both framed so that you get to choose 8/10 short answer questions of about 200 words, along with a short essay that answers another longer question. I thought the class was more than fair and would definitely take it again.