Good Class.

Grading is interesting in that it reminded me a bit of high school -- less emphasis on exams, more emphasis on various "assignments" spaced out throughout the quarter. One of the assignments is a "congressional simulation" in which people make speeches, propose bills, etc. in front of the entire class. In my opinion, some people took this way, way too seriously and it kind of ruined it for others (swearing, arguing, one-uping people by making actual social media profiles of themselves as "congressmen"). I'm assuming there are people who do this every quarter.

Perris is a great lecturer. Slides are super clear, no BS, he has clearly put a lot of thought into the course. Final exam and midterm were exceptionally straightforward, online, and open note.

In conclusion, this class is unlike normal Pol Sci courses in that your grade isn't based on just a midterm and final. Your grade in this class is based on a variety of quizzes, homework assignments (ie. short papers), your "simulation" participation, a small project, and 2 exams -- all of which are graded very fairly. If that sounds good to you, take this class. However, if you don't like the idea of constantly checking in/ participating in one course (ie. you prefer taking 2 tests and getting them over with), then it may be a good idea to avoid this.

This class was 3 homework assignments, the Congress simulation, 7 quizzes, the midterm, and the final. This seems like a lot, but it wasn't! Pretty manageable even with the simulation where I had a lot of extra work since I took on a leadership position within the "Senate". It was pretty fun participating because it led to more interaction between students. The homeworks were fine and I didn't stress over them too much! The midterm and final were take-home and pretty doable!

This was my last political science class needed and I felt it was a decent way to go out. The class has three homework assignments where you research a congressperson/committee. Then you have a midterm and final along with a congressional simulation where you pretend to be a US senator through legislation/social media/floor debates/a final campaign ad and more. Its a very fair class and although I barely attended because of my jobs, I still got a good grade and learned a lot.

During my entire undergraduate career, I have never had such an engaged, passionate, helpful, and caring Professor. Professor Peris has the ability to make even the dullest topics entertaining. During class, he always makes sure to answer every student's question effectively, always staying after class to answer any remaining questions. I have made it a priority to attend his office hours almost every week. Professor Peris is always very welcoming and makes sure to answer my questions, even if we go over time. In the past, whenever I would attempt to do outside learning on the course material and ask my professor about it, I would get very sparse answers. Professor Peris, on the other hand, welcomes this type of inquiry. Had he not been teaching this class, I could assure you that I would think studying Congress was incredibly mundane. Now, I have decided to apply to different Ph.D. programs because I have realized how fascinating Congress is and how many questions I have left. I have been able to apply so much of the course content to contemporary events, and I have generated so many research questions just from discussing the course content with Professor Peris. He seems to truly care about students' concerns and goes out of his way to hear their feedback. If you are willing to put in the work to get a good grade for the congressional simulation, he will guide you through it and tell you exactly what you need to do to obtain full credit. He is an incredibly straightforward and fair grader. I am so thankful to have enrolled in this class. Professor Peris represents the best UCLA has to offer and has already made such a large impact on my academic journey. I just wish he taught more classes!!

Take him.

Peris is pretty chill and this class is an easy A.
There are optional quizzes that a pretty as long as you do the reading.
You also have to write a weekly report on a congressional committee which get easier as the quarter progresses but I always got 10/10.
Would take Peris Again

I enjoyed taking this class with Professor Peris, and the timing of the course in the context of the subject matter of Congress and the events of early 2021 made for a particularly exciting and engaging course. Professor Peris' class was very straightforward and his lectures were organized (and recorded). I feel as though I learned a lot and the workload was light. No large writing assignments besides 8 weekly reports on a committee in Congress, but these were not overly time consuming. Optional quizzes and the midterm/final were straightforward if you studied (and likely not horrible even if you did not review, as he also held reviews in class).

One of my favorite PS upper div classes! Peris is an amazing and organized lecturer, the content is interesting, and the structure of the course is good as well. Easy weekly assignments and reading quizzes that make up half of your grade and the midterm/final are easy to do well on if you pay attention in lecture. Definitely recommend this course!!!