Michael S Chwe
Department of Political Science
AD
4.2
Overall Rating
Based on 51 Users
Easiness 3.2 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 4.4 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.2 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 4.6 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Uses Slides
  • Would Take Again
  • Engaging Lectures
  • Often Funny
GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
51.9%
43.2%
34.6%
25.9%
17.3%
8.6%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

55.4%
46.1%
36.9%
27.7%
18.5%
9.2%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

52.4%
43.7%
34.9%
26.2%
17.5%
8.7%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

13.7%
11.4%
9.1%
6.8%
4.6%
2.3%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

13.7%
11.4%
9.1%
6.8%
4.6%
2.3%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

13.3%
11.1%
8.9%
6.7%
4.4%
2.2%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

14.7%
12.3%
9.8%
7.4%
4.9%
2.5%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

12.7%
10.6%
8.5%
6.4%
4.2%
2.1%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

12.5%
10.4%
8.3%
6.3%
4.2%
2.1%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

12.1%
10.1%
8.1%
6.1%
4.0%
2.0%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

11.8%
9.8%
7.9%
5.9%
3.9%
2.0%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
Clear marks

Sorry, no enrollment data is available.

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Reviews (37)

1 of 4
1 of 4
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Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Dec. 22, 2020

Professor Chwe is literally a KING. So sweet, and always engages with the class. Very patient and willing to help when people were having difficulties with material. The course itself was overall good. Some of the material was tricky, but again, he makes himself very available for any questions over email, slack, or office hours. In response to zoom learning, he restructured the course to where we just had to complete a certain number of problems (correctly or mostly correct) for an A, instead of traditional exams. My TA was Soonhong and he was super helpful. From what I've heard, the other TA's were fantastic as well.

Helpful?

3 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A+
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Dec. 29, 2020

Professor Chwe was easily one of the best instructors/ teachers Ive ever had. He’s funny, nice, and is always willing to answer your emails or questions, even before and after class. All the lectures and most of the office hours were recorded and posted which was extremely helpful in learning the content (you could still attend the lectures live if you wanted to). Overall the work load was very manageable. Sometimes the homework and material was rough but my TA was willing to give extensions if I needed it. The professor and TA were also very helpful in explaining the homework problems and course material during office hours. The lectures are also very organized and he usually started it off with breathing exercises and fun things like pet show and tell.

Fall 2020 Grading Policy:
The grading policy during Fall 2020 (online) seems to be much different than the reviews for when this class was in person, so keep that in mind. This is how the class worked in Fall 2020: You are GUARANTEED an A- or better if you turn in all the work. There is a weekly set of homework problems that you have to do (excluding the midterm week) which can take half an hour to a few hours to complete. If you make minor mistake(s) you still get full credit. If you make a major mistake you will be told where your error was and you can resubmit it for full credit. There is no real mid term or final, all you have to do is turn in 12 exam problems by the end of the quarter. Like the homework, if you make minor mistake(s) you still get full credit. If you make a major mistake you will be told where your error was and you can resubmit it for full credit. You can always email your TA or professor about an exam problem if you’re confused, and we went over some of them at the end of the quarter too. Lastly, you also have to turn in video explanations of a few exam problems. The videos were quite manageable as we were given the answer keys for most of them. You also have to turn in one video where you come with an explanation for a situation that happens in real life, a movie, a video game etc. using one of the concepts taught. It doesn’t have to be long though. (note: The exam video explanations requirement might be different in later quarters since our class managed to get in video explanations for most of the past exam problems already. )

There is a cut-off for getting an A- (doing all the 12 exam problems, 8 homework sets, 8 video explanations, 1 personal video) and B- (doing most of the work). So you are guaranteed an A- if you do all the work. To get an A or A+ or B or B+ etc. is a little subjective based on the TA and Professor discretion but there’s a lot of ways to get it like participating in class/lectures a lot, or doing extra exam problem(s), or doing extra video explanation(s), or doing video explanations on difficult problems, etc.

I would definitely recommend taking this class ( at least while it’s online) because the material was very interesting and the grading policy was excellent.

My advice for this class is don’t procrastinate on the problems and don’t hesitate to contact your TA or Professor Chwe if you’re confused!

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A+
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
March 4, 2021

Professor Chwe is easily one of the most knowledgeable, helpful, kind, and caring professors I have ever had the pleasure of taking in my 6+ years of college throughout multiple colleges. Professor Chwe emphasizes the importance of actually learning and understanding the material rather than getting everything correct. He is funny and extremely understanding of personal struggle in which he remains completely accommodating in any way he can. The workload is quite a lot, but given the load upfront, students are generally free to complete it at their own pace and shouldn't struggle as long as they don't procrastinate and put it off until the last week. Lecture is very friendly and informal with a constant openness for discussion and questions. These lectures are very engaging with interesting material that bolsters/explains the required homework. Homework and projects are graded generously and allow for redo's for full credit. Professor Chwe also has no issues staying after class and working out problems from homework and projects that students do not understand or are having trouble with. Overall, if you're dipping your toes into poli sci or are a poli sci major well into your degree, I HIGHLY recommend taking Professor Chwe at least one time. He is easily one of the most kind-hearted, smart, and generous professors of all time and it is an absolute pleasure to be a student of his.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Jan. 3, 2021

Amazing class and professor, one of the best I have ever had. He was super helpful and extremely approachable if you had any questions at all. Chwe really cares about his students and wants to see everyone succeed and will make himself available to help you do so. The material is fascinating and truly makes you look at the world in a different way so that's another bonus. I highly recommend taking this class with Prof Chwe if given the opportunity.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: A+
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Jan. 15, 2024

I've never been in a class where how much effort you put in directly mirrors your grade, but this is one in which that's the case. Professor Chwe guarantees that you'll get at least an A- if you do all the homework assignments, the 12 end-of-year exam problems, three videos on those problems, three videos on past exam problems, and a video on a problem you make up yourself. You can get an A or A+ by impressing your TA and professor in some way, including doing extra problems or videos or producing very high-quality work. There's a final that you can distinguish yourself with, too, but it's optional. Only about an eighth of the class took it. Yep, that's just how this class is. This class is supposed to be the most "mathy" of the 10-60 political science courses, but it really doesn't require much beyond basic algebra skills and logic. Homework can occasionally be time-consuming but isn't ever conceptually challenging. Section attendance is tracked and goes into the professor discretion part of your grade, so you should go. Just know that absolutely nothing meaningful is done there. Even lectures seem pointless, and you can do those over Zoom or watch the recordings. Professor Chwe is a nice guy and helpful if you're having any problems with the content, but his lectures are boring and often skippable. If you're a poli sci major, this should absolutely be a lower-division class to target if you're seeking the path of least resistance to A's.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Dec. 5, 2023

This class should just be renamed "Game Theory" because that is all it is. The concepts are all very self explanatory which makes it very easy to grasp. I appreciated that Professor Chwe values effort over being correct so I never felt too stressed doing the homework. He is also very helpful during office hours and will work out the problems with you. He asks if your class would like a final exam or project, so it is a very flexible class. Lectures are zoomed and recorded so it is a very low effort class. Highly recommend

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2023
Grade: A
Oct. 18, 2023

I found this class to be very enjoyable. There are two big tests that determine your grade. The first one was difficult but the second one was pretty easy. If you go to class and watch the videos you will do well on the tests.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A+
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Feb. 21, 2023

Easy yet slightly boring class to take. Professor Chew is as absolute sweetheart who takes student feedback into account and does his best to accommodate to individuals. There are no tests although there are many project to balance for the class during finals week which is doable when spread out.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A
Jan. 9, 2023

prof chwe is an absolute king of a man!!! pls pls take this class if u can!! he is a real one <3

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A+
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Jan. 4, 2023

Class was great, I definitely recommend taking it. Grades were based on homework, P problems, X problems, and an M problem. Almost every week there was a homework assignment based on the strategies and game theory we were learning in class. The homework could be a little difficult at times, but for the most part if you took notes or utilized the professor's slides and recordings, you will do well. P problems were us taking a flipgrid and walking through past Midterm and Final questions. We were originally required to do 3, but due to the TA strike he dropped that down to 1. There was no "real" midterm or final either. The professor had these things called "X Problems" that were essentially problems we had to turn in for a midterm and final-like grade, but we had them in advance and just needed to turn them in by the due-date. The grades we received were also mostly based on attempts over accuracy but professor Chwe was always willing to walk us through the problems so there really was no reason for you to struggle through it. I believe that COVID-previous years there were actually in-person midterms and finals, so just beware of that. There was also an M problem where we used what we learned in the course and applied it to a movie scene. Here you would record a flipgrid again and submit. Overall, I really enjoyed this class. Professor Chwe was so accommodating in regards to the strikes going on and even dropped the workload for us after expressing our concerns. He was also super helpful in office hours. I was initially nervous due to the aspect of math and strategy that I had never learned before, but the class turned out to be really interesting and I'm glad I took it. A great pre-requisite to take for Political Science!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A
Dec. 22, 2020

Professor Chwe is literally a KING. So sweet, and always engages with the class. Very patient and willing to help when people were having difficulties with material. The course itself was overall good. Some of the material was tricky, but again, he makes himself very available for any questions over email, slack, or office hours. In response to zoom learning, he restructured the course to where we just had to complete a certain number of problems (correctly or mostly correct) for an A, instead of traditional exams. My TA was Soonhong and he was super helpful. From what I've heard, the other TA's were fantastic as well.

Helpful?

3 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A+
Dec. 29, 2020

Professor Chwe was easily one of the best instructors/ teachers Ive ever had. He’s funny, nice, and is always willing to answer your emails or questions, even before and after class. All the lectures and most of the office hours were recorded and posted which was extremely helpful in learning the content (you could still attend the lectures live if you wanted to). Overall the work load was very manageable. Sometimes the homework and material was rough but my TA was willing to give extensions if I needed it. The professor and TA were also very helpful in explaining the homework problems and course material during office hours. The lectures are also very organized and he usually started it off with breathing exercises and fun things like pet show and tell.

Fall 2020 Grading Policy:
The grading policy during Fall 2020 (online) seems to be much different than the reviews for when this class was in person, so keep that in mind. This is how the class worked in Fall 2020: You are GUARANTEED an A- or better if you turn in all the work. There is a weekly set of homework problems that you have to do (excluding the midterm week) which can take half an hour to a few hours to complete. If you make minor mistake(s) you still get full credit. If you make a major mistake you will be told where your error was and you can resubmit it for full credit. There is no real mid term or final, all you have to do is turn in 12 exam problems by the end of the quarter. Like the homework, if you make minor mistake(s) you still get full credit. If you make a major mistake you will be told where your error was and you can resubmit it for full credit. You can always email your TA or professor about an exam problem if you’re confused, and we went over some of them at the end of the quarter too. Lastly, you also have to turn in video explanations of a few exam problems. The videos were quite manageable as we were given the answer keys for most of them. You also have to turn in one video where you come with an explanation for a situation that happens in real life, a movie, a video game etc. using one of the concepts taught. It doesn’t have to be long though. (note: The exam video explanations requirement might be different in later quarters since our class managed to get in video explanations for most of the past exam problems already. )

There is a cut-off for getting an A- (doing all the 12 exam problems, 8 homework sets, 8 video explanations, 1 personal video) and B- (doing most of the work). So you are guaranteed an A- if you do all the work. To get an A or A+ or B or B+ etc. is a little subjective based on the TA and Professor discretion but there’s a lot of ways to get it like participating in class/lectures a lot, or doing extra exam problem(s), or doing extra video explanation(s), or doing video explanations on difficult problems, etc.

I would definitely recommend taking this class ( at least while it’s online) because the material was very interesting and the grading policy was excellent.

My advice for this class is don’t procrastinate on the problems and don’t hesitate to contact your TA or Professor Chwe if you’re confused!

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A+
March 4, 2021

Professor Chwe is easily one of the most knowledgeable, helpful, kind, and caring professors I have ever had the pleasure of taking in my 6+ years of college throughout multiple colleges. Professor Chwe emphasizes the importance of actually learning and understanding the material rather than getting everything correct. He is funny and extremely understanding of personal struggle in which he remains completely accommodating in any way he can. The workload is quite a lot, but given the load upfront, students are generally free to complete it at their own pace and shouldn't struggle as long as they don't procrastinate and put it off until the last week. Lecture is very friendly and informal with a constant openness for discussion and questions. These lectures are very engaging with interesting material that bolsters/explains the required homework. Homework and projects are graded generously and allow for redo's for full credit. Professor Chwe also has no issues staying after class and working out problems from homework and projects that students do not understand or are having trouble with. Overall, if you're dipping your toes into poli sci or are a poli sci major well into your degree, I HIGHLY recommend taking Professor Chwe at least one time. He is easily one of the most kind-hearted, smart, and generous professors of all time and it is an absolute pleasure to be a student of his.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A
Jan. 3, 2021

Amazing class and professor, one of the best I have ever had. He was super helpful and extremely approachable if you had any questions at all. Chwe really cares about his students and wants to see everyone succeed and will make himself available to help you do so. The material is fascinating and truly makes you look at the world in a different way so that's another bonus. I highly recommend taking this class with Prof Chwe if given the opportunity.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: A+
Jan. 15, 2024

I've never been in a class where how much effort you put in directly mirrors your grade, but this is one in which that's the case. Professor Chwe guarantees that you'll get at least an A- if you do all the homework assignments, the 12 end-of-year exam problems, three videos on those problems, three videos on past exam problems, and a video on a problem you make up yourself. You can get an A or A+ by impressing your TA and professor in some way, including doing extra problems or videos or producing very high-quality work. There's a final that you can distinguish yourself with, too, but it's optional. Only about an eighth of the class took it. Yep, that's just how this class is. This class is supposed to be the most "mathy" of the 10-60 political science courses, but it really doesn't require much beyond basic algebra skills and logic. Homework can occasionally be time-consuming but isn't ever conceptually challenging. Section attendance is tracked and goes into the professor discretion part of your grade, so you should go. Just know that absolutely nothing meaningful is done there. Even lectures seem pointless, and you can do those over Zoom or watch the recordings. Professor Chwe is a nice guy and helpful if you're having any problems with the content, but his lectures are boring and often skippable. If you're a poli sci major, this should absolutely be a lower-division class to target if you're seeking the path of least resistance to A's.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: A
Dec. 5, 2023

This class should just be renamed "Game Theory" because that is all it is. The concepts are all very self explanatory which makes it very easy to grasp. I appreciated that Professor Chwe values effort over being correct so I never felt too stressed doing the homework. He is also very helpful during office hours and will work out the problems with you. He asks if your class would like a final exam or project, so it is a very flexible class. Lectures are zoomed and recorded so it is a very low effort class. Highly recommend

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2023
Grade: A
Oct. 18, 2023

I found this class to be very enjoyable. There are two big tests that determine your grade. The first one was difficult but the second one was pretty easy. If you go to class and watch the videos you will do well on the tests.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A+
Feb. 21, 2023

Easy yet slightly boring class to take. Professor Chew is as absolute sweetheart who takes student feedback into account and does his best to accommodate to individuals. There are no tests although there are many project to balance for the class during finals week which is doable when spread out.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A
Jan. 9, 2023

prof chwe is an absolute king of a man!!! pls pls take this class if u can!! he is a real one <3

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A+
Jan. 4, 2023

Class was great, I definitely recommend taking it. Grades were based on homework, P problems, X problems, and an M problem. Almost every week there was a homework assignment based on the strategies and game theory we were learning in class. The homework could be a little difficult at times, but for the most part if you took notes or utilized the professor's slides and recordings, you will do well. P problems were us taking a flipgrid and walking through past Midterm and Final questions. We were originally required to do 3, but due to the TA strike he dropped that down to 1. There was no "real" midterm or final either. The professor had these things called "X Problems" that were essentially problems we had to turn in for a midterm and final-like grade, but we had them in advance and just needed to turn them in by the due-date. The grades we received were also mostly based on attempts over accuracy but professor Chwe was always willing to walk us through the problems so there really was no reason for you to struggle through it. I believe that COVID-previous years there were actually in-person midterms and finals, so just beware of that. There was also an M problem where we used what we learned in the course and applied it to a movie scene. Here you would record a flipgrid again and submit. Overall, I really enjoyed this class. Professor Chwe was so accommodating in regards to the strikes going on and even dropped the workload for us after expressing our concerns. He was also super helpful in office hours. I was initially nervous due to the aspect of math and strategy that I had never learned before, but the class turned out to be really interesting and I'm glad I took it. A great pre-requisite to take for Political Science!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
1 of 4
4.2
Overall Rating
Based on 51 Users
Easiness 3.2 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 4.4 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.2 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 4.6 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Uses Slides
    (25)
  • Would Take Again
    (23)
  • Engaging Lectures
    (22)
  • Often Funny
    (23)
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