I'm really glad I took this class, but it was definitely challenging at times. No homework except for weekly reading, usually 2-4 articles that take a few hours total a week. The grade breakdown was 40% midterm, 40% final, and 20% participation (aka showing up to discussion every week). This made the tests super stressful!! But he does provide a study guide (that's kinda vague and long) for both exams a week or so in advance. You have to have a good understanding of the key terms AND all the readings, which is a lot of info to memorize. That being said, the class averages were high and I personally was super happy with my scores. My TA David was dope, and Prof. Ross' lectures were engaging. I liked how his slides were simple and easy to follow, but I would suggest jotting down notes when he's talking for extra info to help with the midterm/final. Ross is clearly very knowledgable about the subject! Overall, this was a somewhat challenging class but totally manageable if you're someone who can stay on track by yourself (especially with reading).

I honestly have been recommending this class to people who need upper div courses because it was very manageable. The midterm was two parts, an in-class identification and multiple choice part and a take-home essay, and the final was the same format as the in-class portion of the midterm. Though you did have to study and know a lot of the keywords and readings for the exams, it didn't feel like it was anything unfair. The class averages for the exams was high (A-) and the lectures were honestly pretty interesting and went over the readings well enough for you to get a basic understanding. Discussion is mandatory, but not a course that'll really make you hate your life and really was only stressful when testing.

pretty average class! most of the concepts were interesting and prof ross really cares about his students. some days were a little slow and there was a decent amount of reading, but it is all doable

Great lecturer and interesting content. However, his exams are on the atrocious end. Expects you to know a lot and the study guide that he provides you is not at all helpful. With that said, I recommend taking this class because he does lecture in a way that is easy to understand and all of the readings provided are genuinely interesting