I've taken Stein for two classes. To get to the point he's the best PoliSci Professor I've had at UCLA. His lectures aren't the easiest to get engaged in but if you pay attention they're full of interesting information. He is the most knowledgeable professor I've ever had and is witty and more than willing to talk to you. His midterms aren't as bad as people on here have made it sound, and they are graded fairly. He is however, very busy. He is on a number of boards and committees and can be hard to get a hold of. Overall his class is not that difficult, it is a lot of reading, but you definitely can get away with skimming it. If you're interested in IR you would be doing yourself a great disservice by not taking his class, the material is a foundation for everything IR. Stein is a genius!

I have mix feelings about Stein. There is no point in going to lecture because we had a midterm where there was a couple of questions that pertain to the readings. He ended up not having a final so the midterm jump to 50% of our grade midway . The midterm was graded by all the T.A.'s ... there was a 12 to 15 page research paper.

My T.A. tried really hard but overall the class didn't apply well. Stein rambled about stuff that was never tested on. If you really want to learn about foreign affairs in a class that is more structured take someone else.

This class had a midterm , a 12-15 page research paper and section attendance. The midterm was pretty much just on the readings with one question pertaining to lecture. I don't even understand the point of going to lecture .