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 him.

This was one of my favorite classes for the quarter. If you are a Political Science major, you need to take Peris at least once during your time here.

The class was easy, but there is a heavier workload than expected. You must sign up for a survey-taking website, write 4 papers on the experiences and relate it back to course material. In addition, there is no final exam, but you do need to conduct your own survey as a final project. You have to work in a group of 3, and while the professor does not walk you through making charts and graphs and using Google Sheets, he is always available via email if you have any questions or concerns.

The other nice thing about this class is that the professor encourages students to speak up and engage in his lecture. This makes the class feel more like a collaborative discussion than a monotone lecture. He starts every class by asking if there's anything in the news to discuss, and students can talk about anything that interests them.

Public opinion is a subject that I only knew little about, but after taking this course I have a much better understanding of how important it is for the field I want to go into. If you like more hands-on application in terms of homework and project assignments, then this is a class you need to first pass!

Ajax definitely cared about his students and was always available to answer questions. Grading is based on participation/pop quizzes, midterm, final, and term paper. Be prepared for lots of reading each class.

Very fair professor and actually a very nice guy if you talk to him during office hours. The class is very interesting but there is a lot of reading. Study hard and you should be fine.
Pay very close attention to the first 3 chapters, as their themes show up extensively throughout the course and in later chapters (make those connections).

Lectures were clear and engaging. Peris wove in current events to explain political concepts, which made the content a lot easier for me to follow. There were 7 optional quizzes that were all multiple choice and could be used to help raise your grade. The midterm consisted of 25 multiple choice questions, 10 short answers (worth 5 points each), and an essay (worth 25 points). I think the average was 90 so everyone did pretty well. There were 7 homework assignments, but we could choose 4 to do. The assignments were essay responses to a prompt that tied in with the lectures. There was a two page minimum. We were given a "life happens" pass at the beginning of the quarter that could excuse any late assignment. The final ended up being an optional essay. For the most part, Peris was accommodating and understanding. He cares about his students and their learning.

(CORONA REVIEW) Being made online, the class consisted of a midterm, weekly homework assignments (ended up being changed to only 4), a final, and optional weekly quizzes. Very easy to keep up with the weekly topics and attendance was required in discussion sections with participation being accounted for. Homework assignments were 2-3 pages of double spaced writing about a few guiding questions about the week's topic. Midterm had multiple choice, short answers, and an essay, but majority of the people I know didn't even end up getting to finish their essay completely. The final ended up becoming optional given a few different events that required correction from the Poli Sci department. Overall, a pretty easy class that allowed for conversation and study of modern American politics.

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.

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!