Great teacher, most of the learning experience consists of discussions about the readings in class and connecting concepts to real life. The class has strong liberal undertones so if you're not open to hearing about liberal views, I wouldn't recommend. I missed several assignments and classes but got A's on all the tests and essays.

Professor Ponce is a great at what he does. Even though it was the hardest class I've ever taken, I really enjoyed it because it challenged me. He gets a lot of crap from some students on here, but I really recommend it for any Polsc major or anyone really into politics. Just be prepared to read, learn, and participate. You'll come out better.

Mr Ponce is a very good teacher, and a very good man. If you put in the work, and show your effort, he will reward you ! I never tought @ the beginning of semester that I would finish with an A, but I did. Just be prepared to work and show up.

if you didn't got A in 120 from him, then I am 100% sure you didn't participated well

I just wrapped up my summer class with Dr. Ponce. I'd never had a professor so passionate when he teaches. He really cares and wants us to feel comfortable and learn. Glad I decided to take my vladd at DVC.

I had to work to get an A. Do your work, read, ask your questions, and you will do well. He always encouraged us to ask questions and to not hesitate to see him for help. I feel he really prepared me for my future classes. If you are a Poli Sci major, you will really love his class.

His class is not an easy A, but if you read the material and pay attention to his lectures in class, you will do well. I repeat, read the material and pay attention in class to do well. I learned a lot from this professor.

I have only had a couple professors that I can honestly say I have enjoyed learning from. Mr. Ponce is one of them. I had never learned about court cases and how laws were created and shaped. He uses actual cases and studies to teach us and I find it all so valuable. Never would I have imagined myself saying that I now 'like' political science.

Doctor Ponce holds much wisdom and knowledge. While this is not an easy class, I feel more than willing to put in the work because I am actually LEARNING and not MEMORIZING material. Thankful that an educator like Ponce is present at a community college level because he could easily be teaching at UCLA, Berkeley, or any ivy league.

Dr Ponce's class I have to say, is one of the best classes I've ever taken and he's one of the best instructor's I've ever had. His class is very thought provoking for every student. If anyone doesn't like it, I can see they quickly label him. They are incorrect and just disgruntled. Not fair to him. I plan to take another class with him.

I really like this online class by Mr. Ponce. He is always accessible if we have any questions and provides video lectures that are helpful and easy to follow. It's a very interesting class.

No textbooks. And Prof. Ponce gives us all our readings for free, which is great for us students. It's a theory class and we learned how theory affects today's politics. We did a survey dating back to Plato ending with Franz Fanon. Prof. Ponce is very knowledgeable. It's evident that he loves to teach and he cares about his students.

He is certainly knowledgeable about political theory, and his extracurricular lessons are attractive. Except that, he provides bunch of readings to students for comprehend, and his actual lectures are board and tend to be off track. For the test, it is inevitable to understand the philosopher's history and its thoughts to get ready for his tests.

Great teacher. Long essays but he gives great feedback.

Knowledgeable and clearly enjoys teaching. My theory class covered Plato, Socrates, Locke, Hobbes, Marx, Fanon, etc, and we had lots of discussions. The class encourages you to think critically. You will only like this class if you can think about ideologies other than your own, as evidenced by the brigading on this page. Highly recommend.

awesome teacher

The best professor and class I've had at DVC. Be prepared to have your preconceptions challenged every day in class. Every day we started with a discussion of the news and transitioned into how we can apply the knowledge and philosophy of our readings to understanding the world today. Read everything critically. All contain worthwhile knowledge.

Wow. Best DVC professor. The academic prestige Ponce brings forth makes it feel as if you're taking a course at UC Berkeley/UCLA/ivy league. Gained so much knowledge and insight!!!

My favorite DVC professor. He honestly changed the way I see the world. The experience he brings to the classroom is unique, and if you go in with an open mind you will learn so much. He is radical, but never irrational. More than any other professor I've taken, he confronts and challenges the issues at the very heart of our society.

He's a good Prof. He gives good feedback. Go and visit him during office hours. He's easy to talk to and will consider your input. I would read as much of what he assigns as possible. The more you read, the better off you'll be. Has a tendency to play devil's advocate, even if you say something that you know he agrees with.

I am on the opposite side of the political spectrum as Albert Ponce. But despite his politics, he is a very deeply-thought and well-educated teacher. He forwent a prestigious college payroll to teach the average income learners. Lots of respect for him and the environment he creates. You will be booted if you even GLANCE at your phone! Good luck.

Dr Ponce was great. But the class online sucks. If I were to take this class again, I would take it in class instead of online. The tests were poorly made online. All multiple choice answers, but some would have a word changed. He is easy to talk to and there are extra credit opportunities.

Professor Ponce is one of the most intelligent, inspiring,and brave, instructors at Diablo Valley College. He could be teaching at world-class institutions, but instead recognizes the significance of instructing at a community college. His Political Theory class developed my critical thinking skills to new levels and I will be forever grateful.

Dr Albert Ponce has been an amazing example of how a professor at DVC should teach. By far one of the best prof in the polsci department. His readings tie in well with today's political climate and they have helped expand my appreciation in the course even more. He is very knowledgable and truly cares about his student's success in the course.

Ponce is really a terrific Professor, he takes a great amount of pride in teaching at a community college when he clearly could be teaching at any prestigious institution. He cares about the content he teaches, and offers a great educational experience for those who want it.

His online class is fairly easy. About 10(?) discussion posts total, 2 short papers, and 3 exams. I definitely recommend taking him, as the class goes by smoothly and he does seem to care a lot about the subject.

I have no idea how DVC was lucky enough to get Dr. Ponce. This man cares so much about his students and inspires his pupils to be more active in a world that has become so divided. I can not emphasize enough how incredible of a teacher Dr. Ponce is. If you want to learn how to change the world, take a class from Dr. Ponce.

Online POLSC-121 was straightforward. There were 8 discussion board posts, 2 analysis essays, and 3 exams. Professor Ponce grades very generously and frequently posts interesting articles in the announcements. I especially enjoyed the class because of the choice of textbook -- it had a modern outlook on US Government that made learning engaging.

Professor Ponce Is An Amazing Professor & By Far, One Of DVCs Best Politically Science Professors. His Passion As A Politcal Scientist Is Admirable & His Ability To Encourage His Students To Think Critically & Not Settle For Complacency Is Amazing. You Will Definitely Read In This Class So Stay On It! He Will Work With You.

I honestly think he's a very helpful professor and has given me good feedback on all of my assignments! Gov is very hard for me to understand and he makes it easier!

I took professor Ponce's online Intro to Govt course. He had clear grading criteria and stuck to the syllabus. If you don's do the reading and keep up with the pace of the class, you won't pass, but this was a good class not too difficult.

Professor Ponce provides a free pdf of the textbook for you. It's a short class so there is a lot of reading for each week, but it is manageable. As long as you put in effort and go above the minimum, you'll do well in the class. There are 3 exams which he provides study guides for and one essay. His class isn't bad and he wants you to succeed!

Ponce works hard to make sure everyone has their time to make a comment. He knows who is and isnt doing the reading. Critical thinking is mandatory. He wants you to develop your understanding of the text and build analysis from there. Weird that some think he teaches his opinion, when he told us all the time I dont have the answers. Great class

Prof Ponce is a very passionate teacher in every field he teaches. For Political Theory the class starts off a big unorganized but if you can power through the readings you'll do fine. A lot of the readings are really long so just searching up a spark noted version of it will really help with understanding the in-depth text. Only 3 easy tests

For an online class with a lot of material, Dr. Ponce does a great job providing many additional sources to help you understand. He provides powerpoint lectures as well as video lectures and states clearly what is expected of you. Super organized and gives great topics of discussions. For political science it is hard to be unbiased but he does good

This is the first time they offered a Latinx Politics and American Government Class at DVC that fulfils the POLSC 121 requirement. This class opened my eyes to many things and I was able to develop a sense of agency, community actualization and cultural perpetuity. I highly recommend this class if you're latinx.

Professor Ponce is amazing. I've taken two of his classes and would definitely take more. He definitely has strong opinions but gives time for everyone to voice their thoughts. Most exams are based on readings and your interpretations. All in all a great class. He is so insightful and inspires us to think outside the box

Professor Ponce is extremely knowledgable and it is clear that he loves what he does. He is open to all opinions and discussion is a very important part of class, he really wants his students to learn not just memorize facts. As long as you do the readings and take adequate notes you should pass as he is very specific on his study guides.

Dr. Ponce is a great teacher who really cares about his students. Hes very accesible outside of class and really makes the effort to help you the best he can. Always has a positive attitude and has great lectures. I would definitely make the effort to get to know him and ask for any help.

Great teacher and Great lectures! You will learn something! He is also really nice and as long as you put some work into the class, you can easily have a good grade - Lots of extra credit possible

Really great professor. Excellent attitude towards education.

Not the first time I take one of his courses, despite what many say hes very helpful & tries his best to see his students succeed. This class consists of a lot of reading but if you read it a day the exam it's possible to pass (not recommended but possible), his comments on papers are broad but he's more than happy to clarify. Pros: Extra Credit!

I don't normally rate my professors, but I felt I needed to for Dr. Ponce because he's not your usual lecture giving instructor. For the first time, after taking his class, I feel inspired to continue my studies in Political Science. He's a very caring, enthusiastic professor who really respects each & every student & wants everyone to succeed.

Loved his class! There is a lot of reading and video watching but it is all pretty interesting! Overall, there is not a lot of work other than the readings and videos. I would definitely take his class again!

Awesome class, inspirational professor! I think this was either the first or second semester this class & this degree program was offered, so definitely still a few things to work out, plus this was taught right smack in the middle of COVID, so there's that. But I still got a lot out of this class & learned so much from Prof. Ponce. Solid teacher!

Definitely a class I recommend to everyone

Professor Ponce truly takes on and discusses important issues and taking his class opened my eyes to a lot of things I didn't know about in our history. Besides all the weekly assignments, the class is easy to pass with an A as long as you show effort into your work, which he also may provide extra credit for. Ask questions during office hours!

Not very difficult class, as long as you read the readings and show effort in discussions the class is manageable.

Mostly readings from posts. we were graded on discussion posts, exams, and a political paper. He is an easy grader and wants the best for his students. We also had two extra credit assignments. He is great! I would love to take his class again.

Dr. Ponce is FANTASTIC! I learned so much & how to navigate/understand politics/government- about everything that is going on today & the history behind it. Read what is assigned, put in the time & effort, & you will pass very easily. He waived a discussion post (25 pts)as long as we completed our paper (75 pts)to help alleviate pandemic stress!

I almost didn't take his class, but I needed it so took it. I never review professors, but I learned so much in Dr. Ponce's class. I left that class inspired to learn more. Every single class was engaging and I just wanted to keep going. It also was so refreshing that he was very approachable and happy to help I asked for help on a paper.

Can't complain. We didn't have much in the way of homework, but that meant the remaining discussion posts and tests were point dense. Prof awards being verbose in the DPs. A real understanding guy who does his best to be approachable, esp. if you show effort. His class has an Ethnics and Social Justice approach to it, if that piques your interest.

Although I took his online class, I was still able to learn by the lots of readings posted. The discussion posts are just based on that so as long as you read and do your work you'll pass the class. The final was a 7 page research paper and presentation. If you make time for his assignments you'll definitely pass. Very nice and accessible professor

Ponce is a great poli sci teacher. Hes available, just reach out. Text is free. 3 test and 3 Discussion Posts, he likes long posts. Use study guide for tests, some multiple choice tests questions are obscure, but with the study guides you should get an A or B. The class takes some effort, but the reading is interesting and you learn a lot.

A good teacher. Really makes you think hard but in a good way to expand your mind and grow. The readers always correlate with the writings you will have to do and his grading criteria is clear. Would recommend.

Professor Ponce provided excellent readings and insight into the world around us through what we studied in his class. Though it's a lot of hard reading, this class is worth it and Professor Ponce makes expectations and grading clear.

Interesting stuff. Could elaborate more on certain topics but is open to student hours. PHD from UCLA, very knowledgable.

This class was great, I loved the material he provided, lots of supplemental frontline episodes and documentaries, that were really helpful in understanding course concepts. 4 discussion posts (350 wds min), 3 50 q. quizzes, and a final project. Gives weeks to complete assignments His guidelines are clear, and he is responsive if you have questions

Good teacher! He was always accessible outside class/gave encouraging feedback, but definitely also had a fairly hands-off approach (though in fairness my class was online/async). He would give short lectures to introduce new content, but for me the other 95% of work was independent note-taking/reading. Content was also TOUGH at times, so be ready.

Really cool professor and class. Ponce is obviously very knowledgeable about political theory and does a good job teaching both classical Western theory and modern critiques that question the hegemony of Western thought.

I took Dr. Ponce's Amer. Govt. course over summer. I was back and forth about taking his class but I needed it. He's been one of the best professors I've had so far. I learned so much. And no books to buy

A couple things that I really liked about Dr. Ponce's class besides his interesting lectures, is that he provides all the readings for free. I didn't have to spend any money which I don't have for any textbooks for his class. I also really enjoyed learning the works from philosophers of color which I'd never heard of before.

You will not find a more passionate professor, I could not recommend this instructor more. Reading on your own is essential to get the most out of lectures for open discussion during class time.Can seem intimidating because of how passionate he is about the subject, but do not be fooled he is very approachable and receptive to feed back

Professor Ponce is very passionate about the subjects he teaches and encourages students to take action on issues in society they believe are unfair. He makes clear points on the history of the material and how it affects people today. He's very easy to get along with. No final!

Online class was basically self paced so beware if you are a big procrastinator like me, otherwise the class is easy if you're willing to put in a little bit of effort. He is clearly very passionate about the subject, easily accessible and understanding. Lots of extra credit opportunities so take advantage! 4-5 discussion posts and presentation

Prof.Ponce really wants students to understand the material and relate it to the world we live in today. He does not assign busy work- only 4 discussion posts &1 project for the semester. You aren't graded on mastery of the content, rather your effort. But don't procrastinate on the readings! I appreciated diverse group of philosophers we covered.

Very passionate professor who cares about his students and the content being taught. Not a memorization based class, you gain a deep understanding of the course materials and your own personal relationship with it. Not a tough grader and easy to access outside of class, would recommend this professor!

I highly recommend taking this course with Dr. Ponce, the kind of pedagogy that he uses is great, and gets you engaged. The coursework is easy to do, and isn't much (just a bit of reading). Gives out a lot of extra credit. He's an interesting and easy person to talk to during his office hours, and you'll learn more from just talking to him.

Professor Ponce uses a textbook for this class, though it was free of charge. He has a different style of teaching than most, but I can honestly say that this was one of the best courses I've ever taken in college. There isn't a lot of busy work, yet this course teaches so much. This class and the professor are one of a kind. Thank you Professor!

Ponce is awesome, chill & nice person he is! In this POLSC123, we're learning to know what's goin on from da world & to have a good experience to learn each other. For da grade, if you want an A then you got a put a lot good efforts & it's not really difficult. There are also another opportunity is there a lot extra credits too. Thank you Prof!

he is an educator

Really simple class, he has weekly office hours and is very accessible outside of class. His discussions are based on documentaries and the free textbook so it takes time (you will need to meet a word req tho). He alternates between a quiz and discussion weekly. And the final is a project and he cares more if you learn the material.

I really liked Professor Ponce's curriculum but I took his class over summertime so it was a bit overwhelming. A lot of reading, some documentaries, 3 discussion posts that were almost like essays, and a couple of multiple choice exams. However, the material was very interesting.

Very few assignments, sometimes I'd forget I was taking the class because of how few assignments there were. The class is intro to Gov, I can only say I learned about the supreme court and that's it. The textbook and assignments focus heavy on race which is a shame. Only gave 9 assignments through the whole semester, 4 were diss posts 350 words min

Overall the class was very straightforward and easy, get ready to read though as almost every assignment is based off of a reading. 4 discussion posts, 2 quizzes, and no exam for the midterm or final, just big projects that are also very straightforward.

We had like two quizzes and then the rest were just four big discussion posts (350 word minimum). Took his class asynchronous and it was easy as long as you turned your stuff in on time. There's also a big project we do at the end. A lot of reading and documentaries but it's a polisci/gov class what else do you expect lmao.

Professor Ponce is very good! Work was simple, and I really did learn a lot. The only issue were the lectures; they often felt pointless and hard to engage with. I don't blame Ponce, it makes sense that people just didn't want to contribute to discussions, though it resulted in awkward class meetings. Overall, a good course and a good professor.

Great professor. Effort and showing up are important, if you don't care for the assignments/putting in effort he will grade harshly. As long as you show up and show that you care/attend office hours it's easy. Exams are online for in-person classes. Easily one of my favorite professors at DVC. Go over the word count on discussions for extra cred!!

Dr. Ponce is a wonderful professor. His lectures were truly inspirational and intriguing. Being in the political science field, many come with criticism against this prof. But he is very helpful and does an amazing job responding and helping students with questions. He is truly passionate about his work and allows his students to learn and grow.

Professor Ponce makes the class engaging with his passion and encourages students to get involved. Use unstuck AI and the free textbook to prepare - you'll learn a lot.

Every lecture challenges us to think critically, ask better questions, and engage with politics as a living, evolving force. The clarity of their argumentation, paired with a fearless commitment to intellectual honesty, makes their class a rare academic experience.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Ponce's lectures, course material, and his passion for Politics. There is a lot to read but if you keep up you'll be fine. If you begin falling behind, he appreciates those who come promptly rather than last minute for support. Speak your mind here, the class only ever got boring when nobody was willing to participate.

Took this as an online course. Grades were based off points. Homework was 3 discussion posts (50p each) 2 quizzes (50p each) and one final presentation, you don't have to present just turn in the slides(50p). Super easy class and you're graded on the effort you put in to your responses.

Amazing professor. Lectures are interactive and engaging. There are 3 discussion posts, a project, and a final and they all have reasonable standards and expectations. Effort is rewarded and there is a lot of opportunity to improve your grade with extra credit. Great class I learned a lot from it!

6wk online class. Provides textbook. Ponce was great, I enjoyed his lectures and he's obviously very passionate. Be very aware of due dates, there is no room for late work! Assignments close the night theyre due. Tests are one-time only, but not timed. Notes are heavily encouraged for this class. Final is a slideshow.

Dr. Ponce assigned readings from a free online textbook and gave very clear instructions throughout the entire course, his rubric was clear and straight forward, and I learned alot. I would highly recommend this class.

Dr. Ponce was a wonderful professor, he's really kind and caring. Even though his class can be challenging it is super worth it. I loved his class so much and the readings. The amount of work he gives is also generous and allows students to not feel overwhelmed. There are 3 discussion post per semester and you are given 3-4 weeks to work on them.

He gives you a lot of time to work on his assignment so it's better to do his assignments when he assigns them. Lectures are very informative but he does go off track sometimes. Other than that he doesn't grade harshly so I recommend him if you want to learn this course while not having a huge workload.