I actually enjoyed the format of doing the lectures on your own pace, because it let me focus on other classes more during midterms. However, it was easy to get behind and I also felt that there was no leeway on the grading with the unit assessments. The GroupMe for the class was immediately shut down and because there were no live sessions, finding help was more tricky. The content was definitely interesting, but I don't think I would take a class like this again.

This class was amazing, and so was Professor Johns! I loved attending lectures—her teaching style is very engaging, and she explains concepts clearly. I would definitely recommend this course.

As for the workload, it's very manageable. There's one assignment each week (a few pages of a specific case reading), followed by a 3-question quiz in your discussion section. The quiz questions are straightforward, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t get 100% unless you didn’t do the reading.

Each week, we also discussed a new chapter from the textbook. The reading isn’t too heavy as long as you manage your time well. One great resource is that Professor Johns uploads all of the weekly glossaries on BruinLearn at the very beginning of the quarter, so you can get a head start on learning and memorizing key terms early. That made studying much easier for me.

I received a 97 on the midterm and an 88 on the final. The tests aren’t too difficult, but they do require a lot of memorization. The final is cumulative—it covers everything discussed throughout the entire course, not just the second half—so staying on top of the material each week is important. As long as you take notes during lectures, keep up with the readings, and review the weekly case studies, you should be able to get at least a B on both exams.

I would definitely take this class a second time if I could!

Professor Johns makes international law (a topic that could otherwise be sort of boring/irrelevant) pretty interesting- her lectures are engaging and extremely well organized. There are weekly quizzes in section that are super easy, just set aside 20 minutes or so to read the cases and you'll be fine as the questions are simple fact based questions. Her midterm was a bit harder than I expected actually, but she does curve it generously and I really should have just studied more. The tests are worth most of your grade (70%) however given COVID-19 our final was changed into a set of essay questions that were take-home. The take-home final took a significant amount of time and although I respected her as being fair during the rest of the time I took the class I think she could have been a little more understanding.

I am not sure why Johns is even teaching a course on World Politics if she cannot remain unbiased. She explicitly said "I love Israel" in lecture -- not that her opinion on this matters to me, but bluntly taking a side in the middle of class gives away her bias and also made a lot of students I knew in the class uncomfortable.

I believe this is why she doesn't record her lectures or post any of her lecture slides, because half of the content is her personal opinion and many times incorrect.

If you do not read historical and political accounts on your own time, you will leave this class misinformed and brainwashed by Johns' politics. Only take this class if you want to be indoctrinated.

While I agree with other reviews that have said some rather unpleasant things about Professor Johns, the class itself is not hard. It is true that the professor does not post lecture slides (if you need them that bad, go to office hours with a TA) or study guides (again, ask your TA to cover things you don't understand in section), the class is pretty straightforward. As long as you do your job as a student and attend class, and read the assigned book, I think you should be fine.
You are assigned reading quizzes for every chapter you cover (open note).
The midterm/final is MCQ and then SAQ. While she will say to be brief, DO NOT BE BRIEF. She will make you underestimate the exam and reassure you that it is a breeze. ITS NOT it's UCLA, you will need to study. You do not have to write long paragraphs, but ensure you are using the right vocabulary and answering the questions fully. I recommend studying the vocab so you can try your best to hit all the "key terms" she asks TAs to look for.
I don't believe that Professor Johns is mean or thrives from watching students fail. She is old school. She believes that her only job is to teach and go home. You definitely have to pull your weight. Go to class, read the book, study, and you will be fine.