worst class i have ever taken at ucla. i read the reviews and thought it cant be that bad- it is that bad. this professor has serious issues and was really temperamental, he doesn't understand technology and gave me a bad grade because he got mad at me for writing an email. avoid at all costs

This professor gets a lot of hate, some understandable, but not all valid imo. I am a poli sci major and took this class as a GE. Attendance is 20% of your grade - go to every lecture and discussion. If you need to miss a class, email your TA at least 3 days or a week ahead of time with proof of why you can't be there, and your absence is excused. The lecture slides don't contain too much info and he doesn't post them until week 10, but I pretty much never did the readings and just always went to class and did fine. Tramo wasn't the best with email, but if you talked to him in class or went to office hours, he helped. I found the content to be a little confusing at times, just not my field, but I feel like he did his best to make the class fun with interactive activities. We had a couple of guest lecturers speak throughout the quarter, all of whom were leaders in their field and super knowledgeable. My TA, Melanie, was horrible, she didn't know the content of the class at all and was not helpful. Sections had quizzes on BL every other week & brief overviews of the homework due on the alternating weeks. Homework was light, just go to the exact section of the textbook that the question is about. Overall, I liked this class, it wasn't too difficult and despite some of these ratings, I enjoyed the lectures and course material.