3.9
Quality2.3
Difficulty70%
Would Retake102
Reviews70%
Would Retake
102
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
46
4
29
3
13
2
8
1
6
What Students Say
“Beware, this class is not graded easily”
UGBA107 - 5.0 rating“The speakers were great”
POLSCI179 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
47%
Textbook Required
65%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.15 avg changeRatings by Course
PS170
5.0
(1)BUSINESSLAW
5.0
(1)UGBA107175177
5.0
(1)UGBA175
4.9
(8)UBGA175
4.8
(6)Difficulty by Course
UGBA175
4.1
UBGA175
4.0
179107175
3.0
P198
3.0
BUSINESSLAW
3.0
Reviews (102)
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An annoying Ray Ramano. Lots of noise, little substance. Terrible sense of humor...
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107: Professor Ross is an excellent lecturer, but the reading and tests had speed bumps, I got a B.
In the class I had him for he did not lecture he got guest lecturers every week. it was pretty cool.
Great professor, even though I've never actually heard him lecture. He just presided over the weekly guest-speaker lectures. Good course or political science junkies like myself. He's really funny too.
He didn't teach this class, just scheduled guest lecturers. He's funny but a jerk to students. The class is pretty easy.
I've never heard him lecture either, but he's really funny on the 1st day of class. The only thing wrong with him is that he doesn't think he has to use a microphone to introduce the guest speakers in Wheeler auditorium, with 700+ students...
Roster of speakers was ok this semester. I liked Larry Tramutola's passion and anti-Stanfurd spirit (he's a Stanfurd alum.) I can't bring myself to call Alan Ross "Professor Ross." He's like your bully of an older brother.
Probably one of the worst professors I've had in my three years at Berkeley. An egotistical jerk who has nothing better to do with class time than insult students. I wouldn't touch another one of his classes with a ten foot pole.
Aside from the hilarious first day (he takes potshots at students), he lets guest lecturers do the work. Funny guy and easy class though -- final exam is 50 T/F questions.
Funny guy, but immature the way he makes fun of students. Set up guest lectures, about half of which were interesting. Easy final.
This is obviously a no brainer class but Ross is a major tool. Too bad he actually thinks he is funny...
gsi rider is a great help. you can get away with not doing the reading. essay exam, understand the basics well. emphasis on balanced arguments. yes, ross pot-shots students like crazy, but fun. cold calls. the class provides a deep and meaningful look into the ethical nature of business and politics. i liked this class a lot, made me reconsider CSR
Ross was one of the best professors I have had at Berkeley. I took it over the summer, when the lectures were 2.5 hours long. But going to lecture was more like going to a show - everytime I went to class, I was prepared to be entertained. The way he taught the class made a seemingly boring subject matter become very interesting and worthwhile.
I can't believe this moron was allowed to teach at the university level. I can see how 9-year-olds can find an idiot like him funny, but college students? The man is a complete and total dolt. The first day of class, when he made fun of several students, I wanted to get up and beat him with a billy club. Yes, he was that lame and annoying.
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Cracks tons of jokes, but just facilitates guest speakers.
Prof Ross actually manages to grab your attention and make you think about what's really going on in the world. He lets students have a lot of freedom with the research paper topic (a big plus). He enjoys joking around to keep students on their toes and awake; just don't take it too seriously or personally. The 0 dollars you have to spend on textbooks is a nice plus (he uses a free electronic reader instead). Fun class and worthwhile. Exams are not difficult question-wise, but GSI's do the grading.
I've had all 3 of his classes. Great classes if you have a sense of humor and a thick skin. His Business Law class is GREAT prep. for law schol [Currently in my first year]. His teaching method is representative of how they teach in law school. He is very nice outside of class.
easy easy easy :)
Great class--easy one unit. Alan Ross is humorous and brings in interesting guest speakers.
Haha, this guy is crazy for giving T/F final and only needing 60% to pass. Basically, a good test taker can pass without ever going to class. :)
I thought this class was very boring. As long as you have other friends who go take notes on lectures you dont have to go to class. There is a T/F final. Its not like Ross actually does any teaching...he just finds people to do guest lectures. If you arent interested in Poli Sci you will be bored.
The class is hard as hell, make no mistake about it. But Ross is amazing. He will try to scare you with his sharm comments and may single you out for his jokes, but if you tough it out, you will learn a lot. He is great in person. He actually cares about students. He is my favorite professor at Cal. Take him, but study hard for UGBA175.
one easy p/np unit. if you have a decent understanding of polisci, u don't necessarily have to go to class. Final is about 25 true/false questions and it takes about 15 minutes to finish. he supposedly makes the final harder than usual if the class is disrespectful to the guest speakers.
Yep, it's true: a super-easy course (has anyone ever flunked it?) graded entirely on one short T/F quiz at the end. Guest speakers range from very good to ridiculously bad. Ross is the MC and you can tell he's a frustrated nightclub comedian. He is fairly funny and amiable, if a bit sarcastic. Go ahead and take it: It's an easy 1 unit of credit.
Indeed, the class was harder than I thought. Much harder, in fact. But I learned a lot from it and I love Ross. He is an amazing professor. Here are the tips that will help you do well: do NOT take his sometimes abrasive remarks personally. In reality, he likes most students, just relax and study hard. He is also extremely empathetic in person.
Funny, animated... but kind of don't understand how he grades presentations and tests. Put it this way, people probably like him because of his personality not his course or materials.
Great teacher! Keeps you thouroughly engaged and exploains the topics in depth. Keeps the class entertating while being informative. I got an A but some people were dissappointed with their grades; this is because you need to be a critical thinker who can think abstractly about any topic, do that and you will get an A.
Very easy course if you can write. Ross is a basically love him or hate him type of a professor - but one thing that he's good at is being entertaining and incorporating humor into lectures. If you're somewhat prudish, you might not like his sense of humor. If you're open-minded, like to laugh, and are interested in politics - you'll love his class
I love this man. Cute personality...sarcastic in a good way. once he pulled a kid from the class (aka-audience) and tried to find him a date. I would recommend this class to everyone, easy 1 unit p/np!
Alan Ross is a shame to the Haas Business School. I wonder how he got in. He is so lazy, does not prepare a good lecture, in fact, he does not prepare a lecture at all, instead, he spends the entire time telling jokes. He is a great entertainer, but if you really want to learn, do not take his ethics class.
He's an awesome lecturer. Some might find him harsh, but I personally enjoyed his brand of humor. And though the lectures supplement the tests very little, they're very interesting and make you think about ethics/politics a little differently.
He always looks for an opportunity to make a joke. Is funny but can sometimes be harsh. The final was surprisingly difficult with precise questions that you wouldn't remember even if you took good notes and paid attention. He supposedly makes the final harder if the class is rude to the speakers. Maybe he thought we were rude?
Like everyone says, a funny guy and a very amusing course. Never had him for a real class, so I don't know what he's like as a teacher. PS 179 was a blast, though. Quick easy credit point for your transcript, some good (or just plain wacky) guest speakers.
How often do you take a BUSINESS class that makes you reassess the way you view the world you live in? Professor Ross is an entertaining, inspiring lecturer, and I think it's fantastic that business undergrads have to take his class as one of their first courses in Haas. Don't fall asleep or say something stupid if you don't want to be made fun of.
Professor Ross's PolySci 179 class is a pretty good class - it's easy enough to pass the final without much stress - however I didn't enjoy his attempts at "humor" - he's still a big kid
Just take the damn class you know you're gonna.
He didn't really teach us anything because all he did in class was to make fun of individual students with really crude humor. Pete the GSI did most of the discussion and teaching and grading that gave us the grade. He grades hard but fair. If you do the readings and follow his guidelines on tests and paper then it's manageable.
His class is hard but it really prepares you for law school. He always dumbs down the difficult rules to make it easier to understand. Ross is very intelligent and knows his stuff. He lets you know how law operates in the real world. Don't take his insults to <3. Best law professor in berkeley. Never fell asleep and class was always entertaining.
PS179 - "The extra unit." Just take the class, it's a good way to spend an hour on wednesday afternoon.
Ross is very intelligent, and extremely knowledgeable about Business and Contract Law. Going to lecture is entertaining, but if your not prepared get ready to be made fun of. Great intro to what Law School is like. This is not an easy class-- if you think you've studied enough, study more!
There are audiocasts--so what more could you ask for. SOme speakers werent very good. but there were others that I learned alot from in a short 50mins, and guests provide a different type of learning than regular lecture curriculum. My only comment about the Professor himself is that I found his humor mean
Ross is a knowledgable teacher with practical experience. Keeps class interesting. Likes to make fun of students, but then again they keep giving him material with which to work. Tests are not easy but not too hard. Was enjoyable overall.
It's a thought-provoking class and he's great at lecturing. Good amount of humor in class and laid back attitude, but a lot of conviction, particularly on last class. Paper is manageable and tests are blue-book style. GSI does all grading, and grading is subjective, yet seemed fair. A lot of reading, but interesting material.
Interesting lecturers; test could have obscure details but on the overall, the class is an intellectual time pass in the middle of the week
HOTTIE - I JUST LOVED HIM AT FIRST SIGHT!
worthless course. funny to laugh at but not so funny when final exam has nothing to do with course but is a question of how well u can bs for 3 hours.
I think the best thing to do is to attend all the lectures, but not bothering to take notes. Then, the weekend before the final, have a marathon of replaying all the webcasts. Easy-peezy final
What a wonderful professor!!!!!
Go to lecture. It's worth it. Listen to the podcasts before the final to review, and take notes during lecture. No assignments. Reich and Lessig were two of the best speakers among others. Very interesting class. Worth taking every semester.
Easy course; I sat near Professor Ross during lecture, as we listened to our guest speakers, and I took notes only when he wrote down material too. Reviewing for the final can be tricky, especially if you don't/didn't take solid notes. There are podcast to assist in going over everything. Highly recommended to all Cal students, regardless of major.
half the students never came to a single lecture. two of the lectures weren't podcasted but just listen to everything else the week before the exam and you'll pass.
Overall an easy pass, as long as you either attend all the lectures and take decent notes or listen to the podcasts (most are put online afterward) and take notes. However, some speakers can be a hit or miss and I was overall disappointed in the Fall '11 turnout.
Class is lecture only with guest speakers every week. No homework, only a final exam. Show up to the lectures, listen, take notes, review for the final, pass. Pretty simple and easy.
Great course!
Great guy! A little obnoxious but he definitely cares about his students. You just need to be able to take a little humor. He always provides a lot of relevant connections to current events. Very engaging lectures, section just requires quite a bit of participation. Not much work - just one research paper, a midterm, final, and weekly journals
Got to attend every lecture. Only one exam (the final) nothing else due. Easy 1 point class if you attend all the lectures.
I've taken all 4 classes this man has to offer at Cal (ethics, bus law, & the two guest speaker classes). They've all been worthwhile: always gave me a good laugh, mind provoking information, and just generally interesting. You definitely need to be able to take a joke. He's like a friend and very approachable in office hours. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Really enjoyed lectures. He cracks decent jokes throughout and has fun with the students. Allows you to write the paper on a topic of interest. Focus on the paper and don't stress too much about the MT and final. Great experience overall.
If you're considering law, I'd definitely take this class. He'll definitely help you figure that out. Witty sense of humor. Class is so much fun, but you do get a lot out of it.
This was his guest speakers series. Here's the thing. The speakers were great. The final was RIDICULOUS. It asked about the most nit-picky points about the speakers, instead of the actual themes they talked about. You would have to transcribe on a laptop what the speakers were saying. But he doesn't also allow laptops at all.
His business speaker class. An absolutely fantastic class with very interesting speakers. The grade is based entirely on the multiple choicetrue-false final. The questions on it are fairly straightforward but definitely harder than you might expect (kind of specific details) so be sure to go to lecture. But he picks on people and is kind of rude.
Mr. Ross is an incredible orator. These were the best lectures I've ever attended, I would come to them in my free time. Do not underestimate the difficulty of the research paper or the importance of going to class, it is mandatory for your success (you'd be cheating yourself if you didn't anyways). Expect to be cold-called, so be prepared.
This class affects how I still think about my decisions and values today. Great professor (he's hilarious just take his jokes with a sense of humor). Recommend to students who are non-business majors as well, if it can satisfy any requirement for you take him!
Took his pass/no pass lecture class. The guest speakers were great at times, boring at others but interesting nonetheless. Your grade is completely dependent on the final exam and it's easy as long as you show up to lecture every week and take concise notes. Not too hard, only an hour once a week and Ross himself is pretty funny.
His Poli Sci 179 seminar is advertised as fun and easy based off a final examination. However, the final examination is ridiculous because although it is intended to be based off lectures his questions are stupid and ask particular phrases that a lecturer has stated or a very specific topic and not the overall general theme and message.
Good Business Law course but you really need to work hard on it !
Loved Mr. Ross. He is an EXCELLENT speaker. I have never had a teacher that is better at lecturing than him. He is captivating, funny, witty, and smart. Definitely recommend taking his classes.
Very chill class. 2 hr lecture once a week and 1 hr section. Laid back, relaxed, and Ross is absolutely hilarious. But be warned, the only way you can get an A in this course is if you're an amazing writer. Easy to get a B+ in, but grading criteria is extremely tough. Research paper, midterm, and final are your only assignments but their not a joke
At first I was intimidated by Ross. He loves cold calling and will ask you questions about your life and ethics on the spot. However, I grew to love him for his real talk during lectures. Just be sure to not take yourself too seriously if you're called on. Practice your writing now - your whole grade is essay based! Also took 194 with him.
Alan Ross was an extremely rude professor. He mocked many foreign students and when they didn't know certain things (stupid things like certain type of shirts). Makes inappropriate jokes regarding race and sex while he is teaching about ethics. I felt extremely uneasy attending his class and many of my peers also expressed anger as well.
Its ethics and if it was anyone else that taught it, the entire class would be asleep. Ross is hilarious and a straight-shooter, the type you don't find at Berkeley and the type that can aggravate people who are thin-skinned or can't take a joke. Beware, this class is not graded easily. Easy for a B+, hard for an A-, near impossible for an A.
I really enjoyed Alan Ross' lectures. At first his cold calling can be intimidating, but you get used to it and it's not that bad after awhile. I learned so much in this class and the content was really interesting.
I don't care for him as a person, he doesn't seem like a very friendly person. There's zero online communication with the class whatsoever, so you have to hear from his mouth when and where the final would be (no syllabus). It's one unit so really low pressure, but the Scantron final (50 q's T/F and multiple choice) asked pretty specific questions.
I liked this class, but got frustrated that he did not grade anything. Most work was done by poorly trained teaching assistants who took 2 months to get back to you and refused to talk about your grade. Ross was wonderful, but very distant from his students.
Go to class and take good notes, even during Q&A. Your final grade in the class is determinant on the final and final only sooo
PS179 was perhaps the biggest disappointment of my collegiate career. I was told that this semester's speakers would be all of the gubernatorial candidates. One person running for Governor came and spoke, and her campaign was a pipe dream. Speakers weren't special people; they just knew or worked for special people. Final was full of trick Q's.
Come to class ready. Read the chapters, you really can't skip the reading. Participation is important. His sense of humor can offend the thin-skinned and "snowflakes". Seriously, don't take offense. He is very helpful during office hours and very flexible about OH by appointment. Even if it's not for your major, Business Law is very applicable.
The class is basically graded on only 3 things: midterm, final, research paper. This makes it difficult to get an A in the class. Ross is funny and his lectures are entertaining but he is intimidating if you are sensitive. He makes fun of people so you can't get offended. It was still an easy class you just have to listen & ask questions to ur GSI
I do like Alan Ross, his class is humorous, and you can learn a lot of his class and never fall asleep, I am an exchange student from China, the law is difficult for me, Alan helped me a lot and his class is interesting, if I have a chance, I would like to take his class again
In PoliSci 179 there is no online communication (no emails he sends out, no syllabus, and no bcourses). However, he is an amazing lecturer!!! Very engaging! Sometimes he is too harsh and calls students out in a rude way. However, I once had my backpack stolen and needed notes. He was very very approachable, understanding, and helping.
Class has literally the easiest content ever, but it makes the curve very hard to get an A. You gain marks for your creativity. Without Ross, the class would be soooo boring; he is the only reason I went to lectures. Sensitive people might get triggered because he makes fun of people, but it brings positive vibes to what would be a boring class.
UGBA 107 with Professor Ross will easily go down as one of the best courses I've taken at Cal. He is entertaining, knowledeable, versatile (he is a former lawyer, a passionate ethics intellectual, and current Haas business professor-- doesn't get any better than that), and a great guy. Truly loves his students and makes it known that he does.
Ross tries to act like a hardass but he is actually one of the most caring professors I've ever had. Do the reading and show up prepared to participate and it will be one of your favorite classes. Especially useful if you're interested in going into business or law but good things to know regardless. I'm extremely glad I signed up for this class!
Ross is a great teacher and his GSI selection is AMAZING. However, my issue with this class is the READER hired by Ross that grades your research paper. He takes SO LONG to grade them - grades out after finals. Everyone in the class complained that he grades unnecessarily strictly. Take this class for P/NP while you still can and save your GPA.
Love Professor Ross's teaching style -- his cold calling keeps a 2 hour afternoon class engaging. He incorporates a lot of real-world examples and has a dry sense of humor. 10-page research paper, but grading was disappointing. I worked really hard in this class and ended with a B+ because I couldn't finish the midterm in time.
Alan Ross was an okay teacher considering that the only thing he really did was go over slides. The GSIs did pretty much everything else. If you had a question, chances are you would ask the GSI instead of him. He's a nice guy but you should always be ready because he won't shy away from picking you.
He mainly just did lectures and his GSI's would take care of writing assignments. He cold calls which is annoying but it keeps you engaged. Keep up with reading assignments to answer his questions!
Easiest class I've ever taken. Your P/NP is determined by your final, but you have to lack common sense to fail. I didn't go to a single lecture (optional). Instead, I searched the speaker names on Google and Youtube, learned their beliefs, and made educated guesses. I passed with flying colors.
Hilarious and engaging teacher with an abrasive sense of humor that hides the fact he's actually a big softy. He'll poke fun at people in class so beware if you're sensitive, but he's a genuinely caring person and everything he says is a joke. Brutal tests - the main challenge is issue-spotting, not just memorizing the chapters.
Prof. Ross is one of the best professors I've ever had and his classes always makes my day! He is always hilarious and has that awesome sense of humor. Attendance is not required but I've never missed a class! He cares a lot that everybody learn something from the class. However, if you are too cute you'll be intimidated as he will poke fun.
Pretty interesting guest speakers in class, but professor doesn't allow computers which makes taking notes unnecessarily hard. Entire class grade is dependent on the final test, but it's pretty easy to pass even though questions are specific sometimes. I think it's a good class for the speakers and doesn't require much time investment.
This class is very overhyped. It's an easy course if you need that one extra credit for L&S but that's really about it. He doesn't allow electronics in the class to take notes, but you can sit in the back and he'd never know. He claims to care about "both sides" but he brought in only one speaker that wasn't left-leaning, so it got repetitive.
Class was pointless and had a no-device policy when it came to notetaking but you can sit in the back. First day of class he kept asking a girl "why do you look like that" when she had a rbf and was just listening to him speak. Hes genuinely rude and the class is uninteresting.
Lectures are optional but some terms came up during the final that were discussed in lectures. Bulk of grade is midterm, research paper, and final (the GSIs will tell you the structures of the exams and what you should write to get full credit). Research paper depends on your topic and mood of the grader. The one we had is inconsistent and rude.
Most overhyped class of the century :/ Nothing really interesting happened in lecture, didn't really learn much. Exam was true/false, but the questions were insanely specific so generally understanding speakers' views was not enough. Make sure to attend lecture and take good notes because he references specific quotes and details.
Kinda mean but in a brat way
Lowk funny, dont listen to the haters
Super funny professor, lots of people think he's mean but he actually cares a lot and is super sweet. His tests are quite difficult though so this class does take a lot of work to pass. That being said he is super supportive and will help you out if you need. You definitely need to have a sense of humor and check your ego at the door every class.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
47%
Textbook Required
65%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.15 avg changeRatings by Course
PS170
5.0
(1)BUSINESSLAW
5.0
(1)UGBA107175177
5.0
(1)UGBA175
4.9
(8)UBGA175
4.8
(6)Difficulty by Course
UGBA175
4.1
UBGA175
4.0
179107175
3.0
P198
3.0
BUSINESSLAW
3.0