Very inspiring and thoughtful professor who led interesting discussions on relevant topics. A good class with motivated peers.

Lectures are extremely boring, and you must be present for all of them.

I thought this would be an interesting liberal studies credit, I was wrong. His lectures are boring, slow, and almost always completely unrelated tangents. Lots of reading. Tests are just graded on how well your opinion matches theirs. If you get sick, you are basically screwed, and he will not help you make up work. Do not take.

I wish there was a lower score than 1/5 to describe this man who is genuinely the spawn of the devil. He gave me a 30% on the midterm and stood up mid-conversation when I tried to discuss this. There are 8 essays in a 3 credit course on a topic that he teaches horribly and nobody has any prior knowledge on (Chicano nonprofits)

Ben cares about his students, but does require a LOT of reading and writing. 8 books (200pg+) and 5 analysis papers + a 25-30pg final research paper on topic of choice. Participation matters. Small class in book club setting. Unclear grading criteria w/o feedback to improve. Open OH. Favorite course though. Brought food/snacks to treat us.

He is a very nice person but not a great professor. Everyone else is correct, the lectures are random and hard to follow. The textbooks are about 250 pdf and the essays are 2000 words, assigned about every two to three weeks. This was excessive. The class was interesting in the first half but not the second

Prof. Marquez is a nice guy. However, his class is poorly structured. You cannot miss lectures. As tests are determined by a set of terms that he selects, though there is no study guide, you just have to hope you have all the concepts down. Overall, wouldn't recommend.

Just lecture the whole time, no slides. Talks a lot, says nothing. Unclear what the curriculum was. Nothing on canvas, miss class=miss everything. 3 tests=90% of grade, final=40%. Test=1 take home essay + 5 short essays in class. Never get rubric/guidelines to know expectations so grade is a surprise. SO much reading buying the books is around $200

Literally told us the night before our final it would be handwritten and we had to write over 2,000 words. Enough said. Really does not teach much and tends to go off on random topics and his grading depends on if he likes you.

Don't even get me started on this man. I got sick for circumstances completely out of my control, and had to miss class. He straight up told me to drop his class instead of making up the midterm, because his class is so poorly structured that it sets up sick students to fail. He records none of his lectures, no textbooks, and no skill in lecturing.

This class was a mixed bag. 100% of the classes content is dictated by what he says in lecture, sometimes he is monotone and you fall asleep in, other times he is passionate and you take good notes. Most of the learning I did was in the participation required discussion section, of which of TA managed to teach more than the professor.

Professor Marquez's lectures are so poorly structured that sometimes you will spend the entire lecture talking about absolutely nothing related to Poli Sci. His grading is arbitrary and superficial and your entire grade will depend upon how much you include details he discussed once in lecture. Please don't take this class. If you do, good luck.

Professor Marquez was a decent lecturer and passionate about his course. Don't expect to be able to rely on any form of Canvas material at all: Canvas was kept at a bare minimum (no lecture slides -> fun sick days) and would post assignments days before they were due; expected students to constantly look at syllabus for assignments coming up.

Prof. Marquez seems like a really sweet older gentleman with a lot of experiences relevant to the course matter. As a professor, I dislike him immensely. No slides, little notes, just rambling for 50 minutes. Very strict no electronic policy, even for note-takers. I've never had a disjointed course, lectures are a waste of time, essay prompts worse

This professor has taken some heat I see, I took his class during the 2020 fall semester, during the height of the Covid pandemic, he was by far the most caring and respectful profs during this hard time. His class is hard and he will make you write numerous long papers and read a couple books, but he has a heart of gold. Not many like him.

He's honestly the worst poli sci professor I've had at UW-Madison. The criteria for grading are not clear and the discussions aren't even remotely related to the lectures. Even worse, all he does is lecture at you without any lecture materials at all. The lectures are insanely long, are totally anecdotal without any substance, and super boring.

If you want to take a class that is strictly based on the words that come out of someone's mouth and basically no other material like powerpoints or study guides then boy do I have the class for you. Lectures aren't recorded.

Professor Marquez is a very nice person. However, if you have any conservative bone in your body, or have ever considered voting for a Republican do NOT take this class. I didn't think he would be as biased as everyone told me, but I was disappointed to realize he is. Our final paper was about why America needs to get rid of conservatism.

Literally the most boring and worst professor Ive ever had. I hate him as a person and a teacher. Expects you to be as passionate as him about stupid topics. Doesnt post lecture slides online, doesnt answer questions very well, and will never ever ever take anything he teaches again. AVOID HIM HE IS THE WORST PROFESSOR IVE EVER HAD AT MADISON.

Lectures and reading were not cohesive. Canvas was not used and zero feedback was given on assignments. If you had questions about assignments, you had to come to office hours, he would not discuss them in class. The day of the final exam a 20 page research paper was due, which was 60% of your grade. This was the worst class I have taken at the UW!

The lectures and discussion section topics are entirely different. All the readings (of which there are many) are handled in section, and the lectures are an entirely different topic. If you skip lecture, you are in big trouble on the exams, and you have to take incredibly good notes because he doesn't use PowerPoint (just verbal presentation).

I would not take this class if you are looking for an easy ethnic studies requirement, so many better options. Lectures are very one sided and based off his own personal opinion which I found annoying. You do learn a lot though which I liked. The TA's make it worth it, they are phenomenal . I would recommend going to your TA's office hours also.

Prof Marquez is the biggest joke of a professor. Readings don't at all relate to class. His lectures are dependent on his personal opinion. Not sure where he pulled his information from. Terribly boring lecturer, and stutters a lot. He would write an outline on the board of what he was going to go over and not go over 80% of it. Do not enroll.

Prof. Marquez is by far the most passionate and interesting professor that I have had. He connects the material to his research and experiences that he has had and his lectures always kept me intrigued. One comment is that the exams, which is all your grade depends on, can be very difficult. I would recommend going into office hours to help.

Prof. Marquez is an erratic lecturer that is often difficult to follow. Some of his policies are not based on logic which was clearly reflected in his TA's opinion of him. A lot of what he lecturers on in 231 is common knowledge and his lecturing skills are subpar. Grading was not timely and few grades were given. Easy class but quite infuriating.

He's the worst professor I've had at Madison. I never go to his lectures because they're all over the place and the most boring things ever. It genuinely pains me to go in the mornings. The reading is fast paced but not difficult. He never discusses it in class, they're only talked about in discussion with TA's. Really would not recommend.

I absolutely loved Professor Marquez. His lectures were always interesting and he is a genuinely wonderful human being. I highly recommend taking this class, especially if you are like me and are from a small town where many of the issues he raises do not exist. I found this class to be eye-opening and led me to pursue a new certificate.

Marquez is very passionate about what he teaches, making him interesting to listen to. He is very clear about what you should take away from his lectures although sometimes they're a little random (really loves to talk about farming and thomas jefferson). However, this class would be hard if you did not agree with Marquez's politics.

I thought he was ok. The final was ridiculously hard and a large percentage of our final grade (40%) but he's actually a really cool guy and even though his lectures were kinda old school he found little ways here and there to keep it interesting. All in all pretty average professor but very interesting class and awesome TA's make it worth it.

Marquez is a great professor. He is super quirky and awkwardly funny I honestly loved it so much. He doesn't have a presentation of sorts, he just talks for his lectures instead. He is a really hard grader, in order to get an A you have to know exactly what to say. I really enjoyed his class and I hope I get the chance to take another!

The material made this one of the best classes I've taken at UW to date. If you're even mildly interested in Latino politics, take this class or a variant of it with Marquez. His teaching style is a bit old school (lectures w/ few visual aids) but if you take good notes, read the books thoroughly and form study groups for exams you will do well.

I do not recommend this class. It is super difficult and the tests are unfair. Professor Marquez has a lot of personal interest in the topic and he is a very nice man, but he is not a good professor. Lectures are disorganized and boring, tests are hard, and there is no textbook. Do not take this class unless you absolutely have to.

This is a terrible class. I went to all lectures and discussions but when using what we discussed in class in my papers I was told it was incorrect. The class is very disorganized and completely based on how well you can guess exactly what they think.

Terrible professor. there's no organization whatsoever to his lectures. He just stands at a podium and stutters his way through 50 minutes. I would't go to lecture at all except there's no textbook to get the material from so I have no choice. Further, this class is the worst class I've ever taken. Consider yourself warned.

This is NOT a poli sci course. It should be classified as sociology. Nonetheless, it is a pretty easy class and you don't need to attend lecture that much. You won't want to either as his style is super disorganized. The paper prompts reflect this and are horribly disjointed. Some interesting things learned though.

Professor Marquez is a pretty quirky guy. But once you get used to his style he is actually a great professor. He is very knowledgable and can teach you a lot. The class isn't well described. It is a course on ethnic mobility, really not political science. Overall, I really liked Ben Marquez

This class ended up being more civil-rights/minority oriented than expected. Marquez sometimes strays from the outline but gives a good lecture. WAY TOO MUCH REQUIRED READING. The material isn't hard to comprehend but there is too much of it, and 5 5page book critiques and a 25-page research paper are required. No late papers allowed. EASY GRADING.

Took this for my ethnic studies requirement because I thought it might be interesting; I was wrong. He's a poor public speaker, very biased, and the material he covers in lecture was not even close to enough for the tests. Even reading all the books, I could never write enough to appease the graders. Big emphasis on the length of your answers.

Other than the Obama book which was shameless propoganda, the reading material was thought provoking. Lectures were disorganized and hard to follow, but I had an amazing and knowledgeable TA who salvaged the class for me.

Horrible teacher. The books he makes you read are liberal propaganda. I wouldn't recommend the class.

TERRIBLE CLASS WITH A CRAZY PROFESSOR! Marquez is really strong in his beliefs and will make you learn them,lots of unfounded claims. Most of the books are entirely propaganda filled and poorly written (he even admits it!). Be very careful about taking this class, wouldnt recommend it for Ethnic Studies requirement.

I loved that he was so energetic and interested in what he was teaching. Really great lectures, fun to listen to and went at a good pace. Talked about Obama a bit. Exams took forever to prepare for (essay format, get 3 questions ahead of time and he picks 1) but at least you have good notes. Get a study group together for exams

Useless. Until this class I had no idea what a bad professor was. He spews opinions and forces you to learn them. No organization for lectures. I wish I had never met this man. My life would be better without his haunting memory in my head.

He is a very weird guy. But I liked his class over all, it wasn't easy or hard.

There is a lot of material and it's not a class to take if you're looking for something really easy to take. Exams are essay format where you get the questions before the exam and then he picks one of the three. You HAVE to study.

He teaches the Latino History Course...I think they are calling it PS 422 next semester. DO NOT BE FOOLED. Drag your mouse to the student center and hit [drop class] next PS422 (seriously!) I am a poli sci major and I know a good class from a not so good one. This one is by far the worst one I have a taken.

The Latino course is extremely demanding: a book every week and a 5 page critique every week. In addition, you will write a 15 page research paper and take an in-class written exam. Two professors teach the course and they act as if their class is the only one that matters and thus, you are burdened with tons of work outside the classroom.

Professor Marquez is extremely disorganized and incoherent. Coming into the course I was very excited and was very eager to learn about Latino History, Marquez quickly dashed those hopes of learning and smothered my interests. Before enrolling in the course..STOP and THINK.

Would not recommend taking classes with him.

He doesn't even know Spanish. For those who say he is one of the best, I'm sorry cause you clearly haven't had good professors yet. Marquez doesn't know how to lecture, he just rambles. Don't take his class unless you have to especially when he's with Scarano.

Can't follow an outline to save his life. Not at all clear about what he wants on the exams. Passionate but occasionally confusing. At least the readings and general topics were interesting. There are probably easier ways to get your ethnic requirement.

Professor Marquez is one of the best that I've come across in the political science department. He is extremely passionate and intelligent. I would recommend his classes to anyone willing to learn. Earning an A took time and effort.

The class was interesting, but his lectures were bordering on incomprehensible. Man is passionate, no doubt; but he rarely follows his own outlines and is rather unfocused. Not a bad ethnic studies class, though.

very fair in grading. pretty interesting but can go off on tangents and be hard to follow for notes. also really energetic lecturer, has students answer questions. fair amount of reading but no other work

Not fun to listen to. Lectures are all over the place, and he doesn't relate the reading to the lecture material at all. My TA was really helpful though. Find another ethnic studies class with a better prof.

Professor Marquez is hands down one of the best professors in the political science department. I've taken two of his courses and while his presentation style can be at times a bit disorganized, he definitely knows his stuff. His tests and papers are incredibly easy yet formatted in a way where you actually have to learn something. He's great!

Very intelligent. Assigns a lot of reading and papers.

Great teacher. If you actually interact with him, he'll tell you exactly what's going on, and even read over rough drafts of your papers. A very nice guy, and he knows a lot about his subject.

Really interesting and passionate about what he's teaching. Lots of reading. Gives the essay questions out ahead of time for exams. I would highly recommend working in groups to study for the essays.

expects a lot on tests but not in the class. stutters and says the word um until your ears bleed. very passionate about what he's teaching, doesn't follow his own outlines, talks too fast and then expects details from lecture in your essays. subject matter is interesting, but the books he assigns make it boring. mediocre at best.

professor is summed up in one word: ARROGANT!!! he is very full of himself and therefore does not help his students. he basically wants his students to fail and doesn't do anything to help them get better grades. lectures are boring, readings are horrible for a political science course, don't take this class! there are better ethnic studies classes

i feel bad for the TA bc ol ben can't do anything for himself, like work the document camera or change the battery in his mic, so TA has to do all this for him in the middle of class. The essay questions on the test WERE NOT straight forward. Not a lot of facts in the class. im pretty sure he makes up words durring lecture. If you actually listen in class you'll find it difficult to not laugh out loud at what he says and does. It's ridiculous.

Kind of dismissive of student input, even though he CONSTANTLY asks for it. He'll ask a question, someone will answer into the microphone, and he'll barely give it another word. Decent enough class, but very clearly liberal. He tells you as much.

Boring and hard to follow. You want to sleep.

Students can never be correct, have to do things his way or else...

The guy was not a bad lecturer, but the essay questions on the tests are very hard and not at all straight-forward. We had to buy and read 7 books, not a one of which did I find even remotely interesting.

not cool

He made the class very interesting and he is NOT hard, it's all a matter of your essay writing skills.