I learned a lot about IL, which is a good thing because that is the course title. Johns is a really good professor. The first half of the course is much more riveting than the latter half, however. In the first half you unpack the flowery, conceptual aspects of international law while the latter half covers its contemporary applications. She wrote a textbook that clearly maps the main ideas for the course and made following her lectures easy. However, this textbook does not span the breadth of the course; the last month is a hodgepodge of prosaic texts and scholarly articles that are much more difficult to follow and not as pertinent to her lecture material.

She is very accessible in office hours and her exams can be difficult if you didn't study. It is impossible to cram for an exam - it is too much content. Staying on top of the readings is paramount.

Professor Johns is the absolute best. She revamped the class this past winter, so you no longer are required to buy a massive IL book. Instead, she’s actually writing an International Law textbook so all the readings were in CCLE (yes, she’s ~that~ knowledgeable). The only thing you need to buy is a course reader of court cases, which you need for the section quizzes. I think it’s like $45 but I never bought it, just took pics of friend’s readers which was no big deal. Quizzes in section are nothing to worry about if you read the cases and you get 7/10 points for just writing your name. Johns doesn’t post lecture slides or bruincard so going to class is a must but I actually really enjoyed her lectures. She’s incredibly engaging and knows the material like the back of her hand (she’s been teaching IL for 11 years). Students would hurl obscure “what if’s” in her direction and she always managed to give a well thought out & clever answer off the cuff. Not to mention she has a sharp sense of humor, which is always entertaining. The midterm and the final are difficult and require a lot of studying (easier if you read the textbook consistently) but her curve is very generous, think A’s getting curved to A+’s and B’s getting curved to A-‘s.

TLDR: Professor Johns is fantastic, read her textbook, study in a group, and be prepared to L E A R N a whole lot :)

TAKE THIS CLASS!

I recommend taking this political science class, it was my first upper division and I thought it would be hard but it was manageable. The textbook is unnecessary but read the cases in the course readers since there are quizzes in discussion each week on the cases which are easy. The test is also straightforward and based on the lectures. Therefore, if you miss one lecture it will be bad since she does not post slides or podcasts the class. You need to go to every lecture to understand the materials. Going to her office hours is helpful as well. Super nice professor and I would take another class with her

First off, don't read the Shaw text book. Don't even buy it. It's a waste of time and money. I went into this class hearing it was the hardest class in the PS Major and talking to a guy who apparently worked at Bloomberg fresh out of undergrad and he said he got a B-. So I went into this class full tilt, read everything, etc. It's really not that hard. (Though obviously you are going to have to work)

Professor Johns is SUPER clear on everything, her power points are very straight forward, and her curve in the exams is beyond generous. Pay attention to lectures and read the case studies and know them really well. The final is cumulative so it's a ton of memorization, but if you work hard and know the material you won't get killed, and her curve will save you.

I really liked this class. There is an ENORMOUS law textbook that she requires, but I bought it and didn't open it once and did fine. The only books you need are the one she writes, which is pretty cheap on amazon, and the casebook from the UCLA store which is $10. The class is organized, her slides are clear and easy to follow, and she is a very engaging lecturer. The section quizzes are simple if you read; I would usually read them about an hour before section. If reading cases seems daunting, the casebook is edited by her so only the relevant parts are left, and the longest one is maybe 8 pages. She doesn't post her slides or record her lectures, so if you miss class you're kinda screwed. I didn't find the exams overly difficult, but they definitely require a moderate studying. Just make sure you take good notes during lecture. She also has an adorable puppy that she has at her office hours most weeks. I would recommend this class to most PS majors, especially if you are considering law school.

Every subject we covered was extremely interesting and Professor Johns is very clear and summarized complex information really well. The tests were mainly on the lecture slides but the textbooks are very helpful to get a better understanding of the topics since she flys through them a mile a minute in lecture. You must get her textbook and the casebooks since those were always tested. If you have a great memory, you’ll thrive in this class. Take amazing notes and be ready to dedicate a good chunk of time to studying them week by week otherwise you’ll be trying to cram 50+ pages of notes for the midterm. This class is the hardest I have taken but also the most rewarding and useful in framing studies of international relations.

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.

ATHLETES she will not let you reschedule midterms due to scheduling conflicts. No exceptions. Do not take if you have a conflict.

Easy for PS 20. Hard for PS 123A.
need the books for PS 20? shoot an email to *************, selling cheap.

123A: International Law

nice lady, decent topic (even though at the end of the day, all international law is completely illegitimate) but this class gives zero handouts. and maybe it shouldn't, but it makes it THAT much harder than you typical UCLA class where any and all resource is available to encourage your success.

it is a real pain in the butt that she does not

a. record her lectures for future reference when studying for finals
b. post her slides online
c. give out any study guide whatsoever for a TON of information. what is on the final remains unknown

they say you should take this class as an example of a law school class. they are right.