I took this during spring COVID quarter (online), so just keep that in mind.
Peris seems like a really nice guy, and was super accomodating through all the craziness going on in the world. He lessened our workload, and the midterm was really fair considering all the content we went over. He made the final optional and eased the grading scale a bunch, too. His lectures were engaging and funny at times, and he even connected his lectures to some current events, which was interesting. I really enjoyed his approach to the class.

PS he did get in trouble for saying the n-word while reading MLK's Birmingham letter during the George Floyd protests. He obviously shouldn't have done it, and it was hurtful people (esp BIPOC) even though he emphasized that he was saying it for historical context, and not to be malicious. His apology seemed genuine, and if it wasn't for that, I think he would really represent UCLA well as a full time prof.

Overall, Professor Peris did a solid job as the lecturer for Poli Sci 40. Although the lecture on systemic racism in which he read from MLK's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" (which contains the n-word), will likely overshadow other moments in this class, Professor Peris did a great job preparing a well-organized, interesting, and engaging course. I would welcome the opportunity to take another class with him in the future.

TAKE THIS CLASS!! I highly recommend POL SCI 40 with Peris!

Peris is a wonderful professor and I always look forward to attending his lectures. His lectures are recorded so it is fine if you happen to miss class. His exams are straightforward and easy so the path to an A is very attainable.

The discussion sections are also pretty fun and chill. My TA was Claudia and I really enjoyed having her since she's caring and helpful.

Overall, this is a great class for fulfilling the Pol Sci prereq, GE, or just a fun class! You won't regret taking it!

I know he had an N word scandal but besides that he was really good. The lectures were extremely clear and I totally understood everything he said all the time. There was a ton of reading which is important if you plan to take the quizzes but I don't this you really need to do it if not. The workload was on the higher end but certainly not impossible.

Loved this class, honestly. I had a pretty solid background of American politics from AP US Gov but I think Peris definitely added on and enhanced my understanding of the topic. He has good slides, lectures well, and is very knowledgeable. I thought the grading was very fair and the assignments were actually kind of fun. We had to write I believe five essays about certain topics, but they hardly involved any research and took me maybe two hours each. I think he made the class a bit more bearable for COVID and all tests and quizzes (quizzes were based on reading) were open note, but they were overall easy anyways. He also did a good job of incorporating current events into his lectures, especially since the election fell in the middle of the quarter. Cares about student's learning as well. 11/10 would recommend. I really enjoyed going to lecture. And he has two cats that meow in the backgrounds sometimes.

Great class and professor! Peris is very knowledgeable about American politics and made even the more mundane parts of the course content interesting. There's a lot of reading, but in my experience you don't really need to do it all. Definitely take this class!

I took PS40 with Professor Peris during COVID, so the structure of the class could be different from an in-person class. Professor Peris is incredibly knowledgeable about American politics, and I found it really rewarding to take the class with him. I've honestly learned so much about American politics from his lectures. The exams were fairly graded, and if you take good notes and understand the concepts thoroughly you will be able to get a good grade :)

There is a lot of reading, but I did learn a lot from this class.

One of the best professors to teach Poli Sci 40, Professor Peris made the optimal use of the resources given, and allowed the students to really understand the subject in depth. He is fair about grading, and gives a lot of notice in advance when he wants an assignment or quiz done in a particular way. The homework assignments are not ridiculous and very much doable, while the exams are highly focused on the syllabus, and do not include concepts from outside the syllabus. Excellent stuff!

Peris was a great professor who spent a lot of time composing his lecture slides and delivering engaging lectures. His presentation of the material was clear, concise, and he really only mentions and emphasizes the most important aspects of the topics we learn. Textbook is a good read, although his slides and presentations are more than enough for the tests if you take good notes. During my quarter, he got in trouble for his last lecture, but it was an honest mistake that he apologized profusely for and only did for the sake of "historic context". Would be really sad to hear if he got fired for this reason - he is a great teacher that simply made a mistake. Would take his class again.