Looking for a gentler semester? Start with courses where students have earned higher grades.
Highest historical GPA first. At least 100 letter grades over the five years through the selected term. Grades reflect past outcomes, not workload or a guaranteed result.
26 courses
Ranked courses have at least 100 recorded letter grades.
Legislative Internship provides practical experience in a legislative office, focusing on policy research and readings in legislative process.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Amy Gangl
Expect around 3 hours per week for assignments like discussion posts and occasional projects. One student noted the extra work added to their internship schedule.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026This course examines the formation of opinions within and among political publics and their role in the development and practice of governmental policy.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Historical examination of American constitutional thinking on individual rights and civil liberties from the founding era to the present, covering the Bill of Rights, Civil War Amendments, federal courts, and federalism.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Howard Schweber
The course was difficult, with exams requiring advanced constitutional law knowledge comparable to law school level. One student found the material challenging but rewarding, noting the online format allowed for frequent lecture re-watching.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Examines the role of alliances in contemporary and historical international political systems, including formation, dissolution, and relations with war and political integration.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026A historical and analytical study of U.S. foreign policy since World War II, covering policy evolution, institutions, and 21st-century challenges like 9/11 and foreign aid.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Jon Pevehouse
One student described the course as having a high difficulty level due to a significant volume of assigned readings.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Public Management examines the role of administration in American government, focusing on organizational problems, bureaucracy, control mechanisms, and how public policy emerges from the administrative process.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Selected Topics in Political Science is a topics course for exploring current issues in the field.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Katherine Cramer
Weekly readings seemed daunting at first but were described as accessible for political science journals.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introduction to public policy covering major issues in economic management, welfare, education, health, energy, and environment, plus constitutional provisions and policy-making approaches.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025A social science analysis of judicial decision-making theories and how law is made in a political context, focusing on the Supreme Court's operation in an interdependent political environment.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2025Topics in Political Science is an umbrella course for variable credit topic offerings like summer forums and intensive or half-semester courses.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Andrew Trexler
One student reported that coursework was manageable if they attended lectures and paid attention, and noted that the reading was optional and not tested.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Political Data Science covers basics of applying data science to politics, focusing on computing/programming tools for managing and analyzing political data and conceptual foundations of analysis methods.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Jack Edelson
Reviewers felt the material was too difficult for an elementary level, with R concepts rushed and a final project requiring application of all taught material.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introduction to race and ethnic politics in the U.S., examining mutual influence between race/ethnicity and the political system.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Marty Davidson
The class was term-heavy and repetitive, though students noted that the material became more interesting toward the end of the year.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Introduction to politics and governance in the Middle East, covering regional political economy, Islam and democracy, authoritarianism, and political Islam.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Survey of international law focusing on states, organizations, and EU actors; provides tools to understand how international law works.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Andrew McWard
Andrew McWard's course relied on three papers and two exams, with participation credit in simulation and discussion sections; readings were sometimes tough but supplemental to the lectures.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Analysis of International Relations uses game theory to study strategic interactions in world politics, covering military choices, trade barriers, and environmental agreements with informal and mathematical methods.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Lisa Martin
The course included three online exams and problem sets, with students advising to start assignments early to allow time for help.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Multidisciplinary and historical survey of East Asian civilizations (China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, and Mongolia) from prehistory to the present, covering philosophy, economy, governance, social structure, kinship, and geography.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Anatoly Detwyler
Attendance was mandatory and a big factor in the grade. Quizzes were straightforward, testing whether students read the assigned material.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Examines First Amendment cases and literature, focusing on basic principles, purposes, and assumptions within historical and contemporary controversies.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Craig Fischer
The course required heavy reading before class and three challenging papers. Some students found assignment instructions vague and difficult to navigate, leading to frustration with grading expectations.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2025Introduction to Latin American culture and society from an interdisciplinary perspective, covering historical developments from pre-Columbian times to the present.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Kathryn Sanchez
Lectures delivered a lot of information quickly, requiring diligent note-taking to succeed on tests. One student noted that multiple-choice questions often targeted small details mentioned only once during class.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Explores core problems of political life, including obligation, justice, and the relationship between equality and liberty, using ancient and modern sources.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Michelle Schwarze
The course is reading-heavy with dense texts, but exams are mostly multiple-choice and generally easy. Grades rely on two in-class essays and two exams, with essay revisions allowed to help manage the workload.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introductory survey of African society, culture, polity, and economy from prehistory to contemporary developments, covering nationalism and social change.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · James Delehanty
The workload included a heavy reading load, but exams and a five-page paper were considered manageable if students completed the assigned work.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introduction to International Relations covers post-WWII issues including war, trade, finance, globalization, and international organizations, developing analytical tools for world politics.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Andrew Kydd
There was no homework, and exams were noted to be much easier than AP exams, requiring only that students complete readings and attend lectures.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introduction to Comparative Politics covering comparative analysis of political institutions, processes, and outcomes at the national level, including how governments work and power is organized.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Nils Ringe
The class was not easy, but students found it manageable if they attended lectures, paid attention, and completed the readings.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Interdisciplinary seminar on current policy debates integrating concepts from philosophy, political science, and economics.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Michelle Schwarze
The course was considered difficult, with biweekly readings exceeding 60 pages and two tough papers. Students were also required to purchase all assigned books for the class.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026The American Presidency examines the President's roles as chief administrative leader, political leader, foreign policy initiator, commander-in-chief, and head of state.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Kenneth Mayer
The course required significant reading and involved three papers. While the workload was manageable for some, others noted that the paper prompts could be confusing and the assignments tough.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Examines causes and consequences of the Russian invasion and war on Ukraine using comparative politics and international relations concepts.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2024–Spring 2026Introduction to American politics covering basic institutions, constitutional structures, parties, interest groups, elections, and policy formation.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Kenneth Mayer, John Coleman
The course involved a lot of reading, which one student found overwhelming, while another noted that the tests were really hard and advised taking the class with someone else.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026