I took this class as a pre req for the poli sci major, and I hated it. The content was so boring and the lectures were torturous. Ying is nice and wants to help students, but is unfortunately not a good lecturer and her classes were unengaging. TA Alex Munoz is not a good TA and was not very accommodating to students and I found him to be really unapproachable and frustrating. I didn’t enjoy participating in class because he often shot down what students suggested if they were just slightly wrong or missing something. He was difficult and a harsh grader, and I didn’t feel like I learned much in most of his sections. On the bright side, the final was very easy and I probably could have not attended a single lecture and just studied well to get a good grade. The essays on the other hand weren’t necessarily hard but they were not explained very well, and the grading was extremely nitpicky over things that weren’t clearly communicated to us.

easiest and favorite class taken at ucla. basically only weekly home works which are kinda fun and really easy (100% if you complete it) and midterm and final were both taken online. honestly would recommend to anyone as this class is very free and actually interesting. the prof cares a lot and doesn't care to fail students unlike other teachers.

This course is by far one of the most meaningful ones to take as an undergrad for Political Science; I actually learned so much and it was the perfect course as an incoming freshman (not too difficult, excellent professor). Professor Ying’s lectures are engaging, use relevant examples, and provide multiple perspectives. She’s very clear and organized, and if you have questions she answers them well in office hours. I would take her classes again in a heartbeat.

MY FAVORITE CLASS IN COLLEGE SO FAR. Granted I'm a first year lol but BEST CLASS EVER. Professor Ying is so passionate about what she teaches and I would take this class a million times over if I could. I think anything Professor Ying teaches would be interesting but I was also interested in World Politics. She uses great examples in her lectures that make the concepts clear to understand. I also had a great TA, which really helped. Going to Professor Ying's office hours was also super fun and not awkward at all. She will sit down and explain anything you don't understand and take as long as you need. Best professor ever.

This is the easiest class ever! Every test was taken home online and open notes. I liked the content a lot too!

Easiest GE ever. Super easy homework, open-note final and everything you need to know is pretty much already in your head. Lowkey, lecture was pretty boring (explains the exact stuff as the readings) and they were all pretty basic concepts. I was considering double-majoring in POL SCI, but this class kind of turned me off to the idea because it was just so boring. With that being said, it fulfills a GE, and the prof is really nice so take it!

the quizzes are designed in a way that means you can always get 100% I'm not joking. The midterm and final are both open-book so are also really easy. The professor's really nice but her lectures can be repetitive of the textbook, so I stopped going to lectures after week6. The course serves as a pretty good introduction to international relations, but as a pre-poli sci major I found it unimpressive...a lot of the syllabus content is basic knowledge.

Loved this class! Super engaging, interesting material. We has Inquizitive assignments related to each lecture that helped reinforce the information. Midterm and final were online. TAs were really nice as well. Highly recommend for a polisci prereq or GE in general

If you're looking for an easy GE or political science pre-req, this is the class for you. The final and the midterm exams were both open-note, open-textbook so it isn't very difficult to receive the grade you want. You'll also need to put in 2-3 hours per week for the homework assignments. The TAs are fantastic in reinforcing the information from the lectures and reviewing before the exams. This class is a really good intro to international relations and global politics because it touches on a variety of topics that are all very relevant.

I don't know a single person that went to class past Week 1 or 2. She teaches exactly from the textbook and reading the textbook+ doing the homework is enough. Midterm and final both online, take home, open notes, open textbooks. This is the perfect class if you just want a good grade with no effort, but the content is genuinely interesting as well.