Professor Rocco is probably my favorite professor in the Political Science department. He is extremely knowledgable and passionate about what he teaches, and explains the somewhat philosophical concepts of Marcuse/Freire/Gramsci in a very accessible, yet profound way. I found myself extremely engaged in his lectures despite the sometimes dry material because I was really charmed with Professor Rocco brings his analysis across to the class.

There are no tests, just 3 final questions which are very manageable if you pay attention to his lectures. I found myself looking at the world very differently after his lectures; it's just one of those classes that really make you rethink the systemic power underlying society. I enjoyed every minute of it, and am taking another class by him right now, which I am also enjoying. Ugh, he's just the best.

Most important thing I'd tell you is the only graded assignment in 113A is the paper due during finals week. Second, the syllabus says your grade gets dropped half a letter for each absence. Essay prompts come out week 6ish and for the most part he sticks to lecture slides you can use to outline your answers, but I advise you to take thorough notes each class; there are additional bits of info that are the key to an A, and those don't come easy here. Make sure to stay attentive- sometimes my mind would trail off a bit writing notes, and in 30 seconds he'd expand to another idea leaving me a bit lost. You can get by without doing the book reading in this class as quotes/outside research in the paper are actually discouraged.
As far as accessibility, I never spoke with him in office hours (again something you should do if shooting for an A), but he does hold a review session.
This was the first class I had taken in the theory field for the upper division requirements, and although it wasn't my favorite course, Rocco is a solid professor. He is knowledgeable about empowerment theory, and you very well may see the world differently afterwards.

I think this class went at a decent pace for the first 4 weeks, and then exponentially got faster for the next 6 weeks. Rocco did a great job at explaining the important concepts and to give examples, however, I think he could have done a better job explaining Gramsci's ideas. I think this was due to a time constraint. I really loved this class and thought that Rocco gave a very unbiased approach to each writer. I wish I had gone into office hours and discussed the state of society. Compared with the time that we had, it was very difficult to keep up with the readings after week 5. I would definitely recommend this course. I thought it was wonderful— but I am a Political Theory concentration and thus may be biased because I love courses like this. I do think that the professor should be a little more clear about what he wants in the final essays. I wrote an outline with all of the things that the professor had said in class we need in the papers, but when I talked to him, he said I had written too much and that it wasn't what he wanted. I really think the professor cares about our learning and wanted to open students' eyes to different ideas, which is what college is all about. He didn't push one writer over the other two, and thus did a great job of educating, rather than indoctrinating.

I think this is an amazing class, and not just for Political Theory students. Professor Rocco compares the ideas of three different writers who all think that people are oppressed— sexually oppressed, historically/colonially oppressed, and oppressed by identities. The class has little work (except for the readings which you don’t haaaave to do but can help) the first 6-7 weeks and then he gives out the Final exam questions, which are difficult. He gives you the answers, so it would be easy to get a B, but you would need to be a pretty decent writer in order to get an A. You must go into office hours for him to review your outline/paper in order to get a decent grade, because the questions do not always lead you to write what Rocco is looking for in the paper. He tries to scare you out of the class the first day, but it is not that bad. It is truly an interesting class and I would recommend for everyone to take this class, because he poses different problems in societies and critiques the authors. If you would like to actually learn something rather than just memorize material for a class, TAKE THIS CLASS with professor Rocco. He is wonderful and really wants to open students’ eyes. He allows you to use your own mind to determine what you believe, instead of pushing one theory over another. He's an interesting & awesome guy, too!
If you read Gramsci, here is a link online so you don’t have to purchase it: http://ouleft.org/wp-content/uploads/gramsci-reader.pdf

This class challenges you to think beyond basic vocabulary and textbook materials. Reading the assigned books is pretty much required in this class because it is what your final will be based off of. His slides are just basic points to what he actually discusses in class. By reading the books, it makes it easier to ask questions in class ... which he is very open to. His lectures and a majority of the reading material are very engaging and it makes you think of the world in a different way. He is clear on his office hours and will always assist you when asked. In the end, I wish I worked ahead and took advantage of the office hours of Rocco's class. This class is tough, and it takes a lot of work. A's are manageable.

Took this in Fall 2015. Professor Rocco knows his field well and speaks with personal anecdotes of his experience with Latin American politics. I enjoyed it thoroughly because of the alternative perspectives provided to thinking about the society in which we operate, especially the section on the banking education model. Took notes verbatim because his lecture slides basically form the answer outlines for the final essay questions. You will not do well if you don't show up for class and take good notes. And most importantly, synthesize answers based on what he teaches in class.

Grade received: A-

Professor Rocco has a very structured lecture routine-ppt. slides that are setup purposively, something he doesn't stray far from. In lecture it is largely one sided communication, with inquiry limited to his limited office hours. He is very knowledgable about the material, which is really interesting on its own (Marcuse, Freire and Gramsci), and he gives a good explanation of their respective theories in layman terms. The reading isn't absolutely required for the class since he gives all the material he requires on the final in lecture, but it does help a lot (especially with Gramsci). This class is helpful for theory/philosophy of institutional power, political organizing, critical pedagogy, etc.
I would suggest this class for someone already interested in the subject, maybe not for someone who is bedazzled by the title and thinks it a glamour course: the final essays are not glamorous. But I would suggest opting in for the weekly page responses, comprising up to 25% of your grade. It takes a lot of pressure of your otherwise sole determinator of your grade-the final.
I also took Rocco for PS10, and I would suggest taking him for upperdiv rather than the lower- he cares more.

Very bad professor. Comes across as decent in the beginning but you quickly realize he is anything but. He is aloof and condescending and showed little interest in how well we learned the material. Probably the worst Political Science class that I have ever taken. Avoid. Also ... he used to teach PS40, but the Department stopped letting him because he never taught any of the PS40 material. That should say something about his quality.