I took this fall quarter of my freshman year and I thought that it was completely doable. Class consists of a midterm, a "research" paper, and a final. Discussion is mandatory. The final and the midterm are pretty easy if you just go over the slides. No need to really go to class because he puts the lecture slides online (but he does black out some key words so you'll need to get those from a friend). Overall, take the class for an easy GPA bump. I didn't put in a ton of effort and did well. For the paper, it's a pretty open ended questions that's easy to answer. Also, they really hold your hand through the writing process. You have to submit a proposal one week, then a two page outline a few weeks later, then a rough draft later, and then finally the final draft during week 9. It's literally impossible to fall behind because they guide you through it. Min is an engaging lecturer, though can get boring during lame material. Min is also super helpful during office hours, and an overall 10/10 guy to be around. Take the class.

I have no criticism for Prof. Min! He is very thorough with his lectures, and he goes to great lengths to foster a relaxed atmosphere in class.

Some advice: Be wary of the wording on examinations. I've noticed that he creates some questions in such a way that glossing over even a single word could completely change the question's meaning. Make sure to take your time and read each question multiple times.

First things first, DO NOT LET ANYONE SCAM YOU INTO BUYING A PDF OF THE TEXTBOOK FROM THEM. The textbook's not really necessary for the class, it's really more of a supplement with extra details.

Now onto the class itself, the grading is pretty straightforward, 15% participation (going to section is mandatory, lecture isn't), 20% midterm, 5% 1-page paper proposal, 25% 5 to 6-page paper, 35% final. It's definitely important to do well on the paper (going to office hours is super helpful!!!). The midterm and final do cover a lot of concepts that take a lot of memorization. I found that the hard part was more the amount of content that had to be memorized, not the difficulty of the concepts themselves, they were pretty straightforward. You do get practice midterms/finals in discussion, but keep in mind the actual exams were a bit harder than the practice ones. Professor Min does hold a review session for the final that's pretty helpful in consolidating all the information you should know for the exam.

Professor Min's an awesome lecturer, he's super clear, engaging, funny. Definitely pay attention in lecture, he drops LOTS of hints on what's going to be on the exam, like quite literally he constantly repeats, "KNOW THIS FOR THE EXAM." So even though lecture isn't mandatory, I'd recommend going because he explains stuff super clearly and makes concepts easy to digest. He also uses a lot of modern examples to explain certain concepts. I guess you could say he's "hip with the kids." He also posts the slides on CCLE with certain sections blanked out to motivate you to go to lecture, but if you want to refer them afterwards, just highlight the blanks and copy and paste it and the blocked out words should show up.

Overall, great class, 10/10 would recommend.

If you're going to take PS20, you've got to take it with Professor Min even if you have to wait a quarter or two. He's by far the most straightforward and reasonable professor I've ever had. He expects you to get your work done and participate (discussions are very mandatory) but he only requires what he believes you ought to do to understand the class concepts. There's only a midterm, final, and one paper (along with proposal, outline, etc.) but just review the slides and you will be absolutely fine. Textbook is a decent supplement but you don't really need it--download for free if you want but definitely don't spend the money to get a hard copy. Lectures aren't mandatory since all the slides are posted on CCLE although they do have blanks you need to be in lecture to fill out (tbh just highlight the blank, sometimes it shows up), HOWEVER, he's such an engaging, smart, and funny guy that it's worth your time to show up. He once read the entirety of the Cardi B-Nicki Minaj feud post (profanity included) to demonstrate a concept. At his very last lecture, the whole class applauded, which hasn't happened in any of my other classes, which just goes to show what a swell dude he is. 100% would take this class again.

Selling textbook pdf for cheap, email me at gustvmahlr@gmail.com

If you read the textbook, and then use the slides in addition to the readings, you will do well in the class. Lectures are very straightforward, and he seems a fair guy and is young (cogent, does not ramble unnecessarily). The midterm practice exam he gives is much easier than the actual midterm, so be aware. The midterm consists of multiple choice as well as short answer questions. The final is similar to the midterm, with 70 questions (20 from first half, 50 from the second half). You pick 2/4 short answer prompts to respond to from the first half of the quarter, and 4/6 prompts from the second half.

I have the textbook pdf, and will sell it for very cheap, as well as answer any questions you need about the class! Please email me at gustvmahlr@gmail.com

I would highly recommend taking this class with this professor. The lectures aren't mandatory , but they are really engaging, helpful, and funny. He blocks out some parts of the slides that he posts , but it is the same information as the reading. I missed a few lectures and never read the textbook but did just fine. The midterm was very easy and straightforward, and the final is the same format. There is one research paper that is 5-6 pages, but you have almost the whole quarter to do so. If you are looking for a GE or a class for the poli sci major I would definitely recommend this class.

He's a nice guy, but he is new. All his materials are taken from other professors so his slides do not corollate with his tests. What you read in the textbook, his slides, and his exams are all different. The vague wordings on his tests feels like an AP World History exam. Your TA makes or break your grade. My TA wasn't helpful at all and seemed cold at times. You have to go with your TA even if it opposes what the professor says in class. Discussions are mandatory though. He blanks out slides, but classes are not to mandatory. He does try to put in pop references to spice the class up a bit but unnecessary. The workload is low, but it affects your exams later on. Only take this class if you just need units. It is not helpful if you plan on taking upper division IR classes later on.

If you need the pdf of the textbook for cheap, hmu:

alana.malika129@gmail.com

The grading consists of participation, 8 pg essay, midterm, and final. This class was relatively easy. Lecture is not really mandatory. I missed a couple times and ended up fine. He posts slide with blanks that encourage students to go to lecture but you're fine without going. He emphasizes some things that will be on tests. Like seriously listen to him when he repeats it. The essay required some research, but basically you could pick any topic that interests you relating to the prompt of course. Overall, great professor and great class