Bad. Listen to the reviews. So bad. Very bad.

Do not take this as a GE. I took this as a GE to see what Polisci was like and I hated it. The work is very difficult and the grading is super harsh.

The content from the lectures and readings themselves were actually fun to learn and easy to understand. However, when the professor applies real-world concepts (and there were A LOT OF THEM), everything becomes incredibly complex. I remembered asking the professor for clarity pertaining to some concept and he replied by asking me a question that I did not know the answer to; he made me rewatch the video lecture to figure it out. I'm glad that my TA was able to help me understand the concepts applied to a real-world setting, but I still struggled. Even though I took 70+ notes for the class, I didn't do too well on some reading quizzes, I didn't do too well on the midterm, and I definitely did not do well on the 3 papers. I believe I got 1 C and 2 Ds. The extra credit assignments were somewhat helpful. I was kinda surprised that I passed the class. Overall the course itself is not too bad, but, again, the professor made everything complex to fully understand the course. DM me (via email: *************) if you need reading and lecture notes for the class. They are $6 each. I still have my 3 papers for anyone that needs reference for WHAT NOT TO DO. They are $4 each.

I first need to talk about participation. It's worth a total of 15% of the total grades. He expects you to talk every second during discussions. For those people, who just don't have a good conversation and are shy this is a total nightmare. I talked at least 4-5 times each discussion bringing up ideas and points but still ended up getting an 80% on the participation section. Attendance is mandatory! There are always at least 50-80 pages of reading each week alone with 1hr and a half lecture videos, in order to score an A on the quizzes. There are 3 papers and it's very tedious work. I don't recommend it if you don't have to take the class.

Don't take this class.

This is without a doubt the absolute worst class that I have taken in my three years at UCLA. The workload gives me the thought that Theis truly does not consider other potential classes one might be taking and the grading is some of the harshest I have seen for any class. Nobody got above a C during the 2019 Fall Quarter Final. This is not indicative of an issue within the students, but rather the professor. The papers given to you throughout the course require more time than what is given to complete with the several hours if not days of research and then articulation of said information, and the midterms make you question whether youve actually been learning what you're supposed to in this class. I cannot say I have had a negative experience with Theis, he has always been a stand up guy when I've interacted with him, despite the fact I hate this class with a burning passion. AVOID THIS CLASS AT ALL COSTS, IT IS NOT WORTH THE SAKE OF YOUR MENTAL HEALTH AND SANITY.

Idek where to start, but this is one of the hardest classes I have taken at UCLA. I'm a stem major and took this as a GE, but Professor Thies purposely makes some questions on tests or essays extremely challenging in order to make sure that the kids who get A's KNOW the subject. As an introductory class, this should not be case. It should introduce topics that aren't to crazy to comprehend, but by Thies structuring activities this way, he makes it very hard to do well. I wouldn't take this class as a GE

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. He assigns crazy amounts of reading for 2 point quizzes. He will not work with you if you have extenuating circumstances and he is not nice. The final project is horrible too; he expects you to find everything online, yet several of the questions do not have findable answers. Take this class if you like busy work and do not ever need to contact your professors.

This class was very engaging and a lot of material is definitely covered/analyzed. That being said, the world load is very heavy (lots of reading, approximately 3 pretty long paper assignments). Professor Thies is a great professor, but it is a pretty difficult course that requires much time and effort.

I’m satisfied with what I learned in this class; I love political science and the material covered in this class is engaging and relevant. However. Professor Thies seems to derive pleasure from being difficult in his grading methods, assigning very heavy and not easily understood paper assignments, and overall keeping students on their toes. So… despite getting an A and learning a lot, I would recommend any of the other excellent polisci classes at UCLA over this one, classes that won’t give you as big of a stress ulcer and deprive you of so much sleep/time.