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Leslie Johns
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I actually had her for 123A International Law (but it wasn't an option). She teaches from the new thought of political science. That is, she really believes in numbers and game theory analysis. Many times in class I would sit there and just be thinking, "what is she talking about". But at other times I would be on the edge of my seat because International Law has many interesting aspects. The difficult thing is that there was LOTS of reading and LOTS of notes. If you do not do the reading or take good notes you will not do well. The class was based on a midterm test, which was very difficult, and a final paper that also had a take home part (just as difficult). The take home part of the test was fun because you finally got to do some analysis rather than spitting out the notes she gave you. She teaches very interesting stuff, but presents it in the most dull way possible. If you want an easy class do not take her. I will admit though, I rememeber a lot from the class.
she & this class is decent. should not be hard if you took a lot of gov classes in high school .. pretty easy and conceptual.. just read over your notes and attend lecture then you will get a good/decent grade on the tests // there are 7-8 policy briefs due but i find they helpful of boosting your grade.. but TA choice is important!
SELLING Frieden World Politics 2nd Edition super cheap!
It is no different from the 3rd edition, and SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper!
Required for Pol Sci 20
Email me at seeyavs@aol.com
ATHLETES she will not let you reschedule midterms due to scheduling conflicts. No exceptions. Do not take if you have a conflict.
This class was great up until the final.
Apparently the final was curved 20 points because of how hard it was.
The midterm was doable, the weekly papers were doable, but the final destroyed my sense of self and lowered my overall grade.
The final was all essay-based and and a lot of information on it didn't seem to have been taught in class... or in the book? Both of which I attended and read religiously.
Other than that, Johns was a fantastic lecturer and I learned a lot.
Professor Johns is very passionate about politics, as can be seen in her lectures. There is a weekly paper (2-3 pages, double spaced), which you eventually get the hang of and is completely graded by your TA. So if you have a generous TA, you will get decent grades on the papers even if you write them the night before. I attended every lecture and took notes, but I did not really read the book. There is one midterm and final, and they are curved. The midterm was pretty easy- all I did was look at my notes, know all the basic definitions, and look at her past midterm. For the final, I did not study as much since I also had a chem final that day. I didn't think I would do that great because I honestly had studied very little and it was right after my chem final so I had felt pretty burnt out. I remember it being pretty difficult and I still don't know the exact grade I got on it but I somehow ended up with an A- in the class so I am guessing the curve was generous. Overall, if you are looking for a class where the workload isn't too much but you still want to learn something, then this is your class.
If you want an A in the class, you're going to have to work hard. She's a fairly good teacher though. This class definitely does not have a traditional poli sci curve distribution.
Selling 3rd EDITION of "World Politics" by Friedman/Lake/Schultz.
It's a required text for POL SCI 20. Great condition.
Contact for details 323-447-9509
What to memorize 100 pages of notes? Then take this class. This class is extremely extremely difficult. Johns gives you no guidance at all for the midterm or final which means a lot considering it is A TON of information. She doesn't post slides and her book does not cover lecture so if you miss clas your screwed. To do well in this class you have to go to every single lecture and type with the speed of god because she speaks fast. The TAs are important for clarity but they can't help you for the exams because they don't know what's on it. There are weekly quizzes in section that are difficult sometimes so you have to read. If I could do it over I would avoid this class. International law is really interesting but it's not worth the workload. You will spend the majority of your time on this class. The midterm was pretty straightforward but The final was impossible. She tests you on random terms from her book that she never covered or parts of lecture that were super minuscule. Would not recommend this class unless you have ample time or can read minds.
THE PROFESSOR:
Professor Johns is honestly the worst professor I could have imagined. Every sentence ends with "mkay" or "right?" and she sounds like some average joe UCLA pulled from the street to hold a lecture. She cancels lectures on a whim, and then material we missed shows up on the midterm and final, even though she emailed us saying not to worry about it. Shady, much? Her lectures are incredibly dry and I considered switching my major because of her horrendous class.
THE CLASS:
Please, do yourself a favor and read the textbook. Professor John's lecture slides have anywhere from 3-5 words on them, and that's it. The lectures are sloppy and mixed up. I learned my lesson by not reading the book initially in the class. There are 5 case studies about recent international issues. They range from about 10-20 pages per week, and you just read them. The quizzes on them are given in section, with usually 3 questions for 10 points. The quizzes are relatively easy, but require close reading and note taking. Definitely not something you can do the night before and expect to get 10/10 on the quiz.
MIDTERM:
The midterm absolutely wrecked me. I studied John's slides religiously, and I ended up getting a 68/100. With the curve, I got a 78.7/100. I sent in a regrade memo because of the ridiculous grading, and they only gave me one extra measly point. Professor Johns told us to mainly focus on the lecture slides, which is an outright lie because the book is a much better resource. The test itself is five pages, 10 questions, all short answer. The more you write, the better. I didn't use one term and automatically got 0/3 for that question.
FINAL:
Again, horribly long test. The final was 10 pages with 18 questions. In order to get at least 50% on the final, you need to read the book. I read the entire book the week before the final and I knew almost all of the questions.
OVERALL:
Take this class if you want to hate your life, dread going to every lecture, and possibly even want to never take another politics class again.
I actually had her for 123A International Law (but it wasn't an option). She teaches from the new thought of political science. That is, she really believes in numbers and game theory analysis. Many times in class I would sit there and just be thinking, "what is she talking about". But at other times I would be on the edge of my seat because International Law has many interesting aspects. The difficult thing is that there was LOTS of reading and LOTS of notes. If you do not do the reading or take good notes you will not do well. The class was based on a midterm test, which was very difficult, and a final paper that also had a take home part (just as difficult). The take home part of the test was fun because you finally got to do some analysis rather than spitting out the notes she gave you. She teaches very interesting stuff, but presents it in the most dull way possible. If you want an easy class do not take her. I will admit though, I rememeber a lot from the class.
she & this class is decent. should not be hard if you took a lot of gov classes in high school .. pretty easy and conceptual.. just read over your notes and attend lecture then you will get a good/decent grade on the tests // there are 7-8 policy briefs due but i find they helpful of boosting your grade.. but TA choice is important!
This class was great up until the final.
Apparently the final was curved 20 points because of how hard it was.
The midterm was doable, the weekly papers were doable, but the final destroyed my sense of self and lowered my overall grade.
The final was all essay-based and and a lot of information on it didn't seem to have been taught in class... or in the book? Both of which I attended and read religiously.
Other than that, Johns was a fantastic lecturer and I learned a lot.
Professor Johns is very passionate about politics, as can be seen in her lectures. There is a weekly paper (2-3 pages, double spaced), which you eventually get the hang of and is completely graded by your TA. So if you have a generous TA, you will get decent grades on the papers even if you write them the night before. I attended every lecture and took notes, but I did not really read the book. There is one midterm and final, and they are curved. The midterm was pretty easy- all I did was look at my notes, know all the basic definitions, and look at her past midterm. For the final, I did not study as much since I also had a chem final that day. I didn't think I would do that great because I honestly had studied very little and it was right after my chem final so I had felt pretty burnt out. I remember it being pretty difficult and I still don't know the exact grade I got on it but I somehow ended up with an A- in the class so I am guessing the curve was generous. Overall, if you are looking for a class where the workload isn't too much but you still want to learn something, then this is your class.
What to memorize 100 pages of notes? Then take this class. This class is extremely extremely difficult. Johns gives you no guidance at all for the midterm or final which means a lot considering it is A TON of information. She doesn't post slides and her book does not cover lecture so if you miss clas your screwed. To do well in this class you have to go to every single lecture and type with the speed of god because she speaks fast. The TAs are important for clarity but they can't help you for the exams because they don't know what's on it. There are weekly quizzes in section that are difficult sometimes so you have to read. If I could do it over I would avoid this class. International law is really interesting but it's not worth the workload. You will spend the majority of your time on this class. The midterm was pretty straightforward but The final was impossible. She tests you on random terms from her book that she never covered or parts of lecture that were super minuscule. Would not recommend this class unless you have ample time or can read minds.
THE PROFESSOR:
Professor Johns is honestly the worst professor I could have imagined. Every sentence ends with "mkay" or "right?" and she sounds like some average joe UCLA pulled from the street to hold a lecture. She cancels lectures on a whim, and then material we missed shows up on the midterm and final, even though she emailed us saying not to worry about it. Shady, much? Her lectures are incredibly dry and I considered switching my major because of her horrendous class.
THE CLASS:
Please, do yourself a favor and read the textbook. Professor John's lecture slides have anywhere from 3-5 words on them, and that's it. The lectures are sloppy and mixed up. I learned my lesson by not reading the book initially in the class. There are 5 case studies about recent international issues. They range from about 10-20 pages per week, and you just read them. The quizzes on them are given in section, with usually 3 questions for 10 points. The quizzes are relatively easy, but require close reading and note taking. Definitely not something you can do the night before and expect to get 10/10 on the quiz.
MIDTERM:
The midterm absolutely wrecked me. I studied John's slides religiously, and I ended up getting a 68/100. With the curve, I got a 78.7/100. I sent in a regrade memo because of the ridiculous grading, and they only gave me one extra measly point. Professor Johns told us to mainly focus on the lecture slides, which is an outright lie because the book is a much better resource. The test itself is five pages, 10 questions, all short answer. The more you write, the better. I didn't use one term and automatically got 0/3 for that question.
FINAL:
Again, horribly long test. The final was 10 pages with 18 questions. In order to get at least 50% on the final, you need to read the book. I read the entire book the week before the final and I knew almost all of the questions.
OVERALL:
Take this class if you want to hate your life, dread going to every lecture, and possibly even want to never take another politics class again.