The only students I know of who would accuse Profesor Kono of being a poor professor are the lazy students who don´t do their reading and are just looking to slide through. If you want to learn , Kono is a great poli sci professor.

I'm not sure what the prior post was alluding to, but this class was extremely difficult. I know grad students at Columbia who don't even cover the esoteric materials in his lecture. Laziness isn't a factor. (We had a class median of a low D on the midter

Very organized and impressive lecturer. Exams were difficult but I must say that I learned a lot.

His lectures are clear, organized and boring, I might add. However, his tests are very obscure. Make sure to ask what he wants. Kono is a closed-minded person and has fixed expectations; meaning: don't use your mind, just memorize his notes for the test.

He is the best proffessor ever!

like he said the class readings are more intensive than extensive, he knows enough about the material and actually *cares* about us learning then kids whining about their GPA....he actually teaches us stuff. Good stuff. Good stuff. Straightforward via powerpoint, OH seems open too.

going into the class i was not excited about taking it. But Kono really presents important material in a very clear and easy manner. I hate economic/math stuff, but he really made things clear. If you take 124, don't buy any of the reading... it didn't help one bit... He was a great teacher

Knowledgeable, dry sense of humor, great class. Tests were pretty easy if you knew how to study. Looked at broader themes. No one cares about the average district magnitude in post-war Japan.

I can't believe anyone would ever call Kono closed-minded. I must have convinced him to throw out 30% of his exam questions. He listened to every one of my arguments (or at least pretended to). He's busy, but he's responsive and doesn't mind hounding. His classes are difficult, but you'll learn a ton, and his recommendation got me into grad school.

Easy class if you know how to properly cram for tests. Material and lectures are very straight forward with out bs that you won't be tested on. Lectures run a lil long and are a lil repetitive however if you stay for class you will just do that much better on the midterm and final.

He's articulate and sexy, but lectures can be boring considering the content is comprehensive and extremely bland. Good class for students avoiding writing more papers (course consists of 1 midterm, final, and 1 hw assigment)

Wonderful!! Great!!

Lectures are easy to follow and outlined very well on the slides that Kono posts online. He tests heavily on the assigned readings, so make sure you do them.

Extremely organized with lecture notes and PowerPoints...you're fine for exams as long as you review these. If you have trouble with the reading, he reviews all of them in class. POL123 was much more econ and stats-based than I expected it to be, but I was fine since I'm an econ major. Study guides were extremely helpful and exams were fair.

He is a good professor. He explains things in great detail, even providing extra information to make material clearer (which ironically seemed to confuse a lot of people). This is class is not difficult. Going to class = guaranteed A.

Good professor, engaging and is very clear about what he is teaching. Going to class regularly will help a lot.

Turned out to be an incredible easy course; he cut out almost half the syllabus because we were behind. Hopefully he figures it out for the next time, because he's a great teacher and this has the potential to be an awesome class. Or maybe it'll stay easy, either way, definitely recommend it.

Lectures are structured well. He provides great powerpoints and study guides. He may be a bit dry at times, but he's open to discussion and questions at all times. Overall, great professor and an easy A with a little bit of work.

EXTREMELY clear in what he expects from the class. Will tell you exactly which concepts to know for exams. He's very nice, textbook kind of wordy and explains mathematical equations instead of just showing clear steps..I'm quoting directly here, "Khameini knows that the US knows and the US knows that Khameini knows that the US knows, and so forth"

Overall good teacher and good class

Extremely clear, but repetitive and boring. Easy class

This class was interesting.Very low level of stats required in the first half of the class. The midterm and final mirrored the study guide. Just make sure to do the readings. His jokes are actually funny, too.

If you don't like economics or international relations, you might not like this class. But as an IR and econ double major, I loved this class, and anyone who's double majoring poli sci or IR with econ probably will too. You can definitely see conceptual overlaps between them. Kono is very intelligent and his lectures are fascinating.

Minimal reading. There's a clear guideline to getting an A: Attend EVERY class, read materials ahead of lecture and then never again, since it's covered in lecture. Reading ensures that the material is solidified in your mind, which means less studying later on down the road, freeing up resources for your other courses.

Great professor. He was really interesting and funny. Made the class interesting. His tests are fairly easy if you study the lecture slides. He's great in answering questions. There's no need to read the book since it just supports what he says during lecture. Would take him again!

Lectures are incredibly drawn-out, test q's are sometimes open-ended (lose points because you don't know exactly what info is being requested), and second midterm was insanely long but curved to make up for it. Some multiple choice would be nice. Overall, very easy B, difficult A. Don't need to get the book or attend most lectures.

I came into this class very worried because I was terrible at economics, but Kono is very clear about what he's teaching, and if you ask questions, he's very willing to help. I read 12 of the book, and none of the articles and did fine in the class because Kono goes over assigned reading in detail. Attend every class, listen, and you'll get an A.

If you are a good test taker, then this class is a good choice for you. If you are not a good test taker, then this class is not a good choice for you. Final exam makes up 50% of your grade and midterm 40%, two HW make up 10%. Tests are short answer, fill in the blank and multiple choice type. You can get by without reading.

Great professor, lectures cover the reading more than proficiently. Didn't read, got an A+. No paper, two homework assignments, midterm and final. HW is 10% (5% & 5%) total, midterm and final are 40% and 50%, with the lower score of the two being the lower percentage of grade. He gives a study guide well in advance which really helps a lot too.

he's the Best Professor I have taken so far. I felt like I developed a new perspective on the subjects covered in class. The lectures covered almost all the readings assigned, which made them 10 times easier to learn. Your midterm and final are pretty much all of your course grade (90%) but the study guides are super helpful.

Kono is a very numbers oriented dude, so lectures are very graph heavy, which can get boring at times despite his humor. However, he gives detailed study guides before the tests, so if you take good notes and study well an A is very realistically obtainable. Reading is not necessary if you go to class. Only assignments were a midterm and final.

POL 123, 124 You're graded on just 2 tests. Attending class and buying the textbooks aren't mandatory, but will help you understand some of the material better than if you focus solely on the slideshows, which he uploads online. He provides study guides and gives enough time for you to go over them, while also hosting review sessions for each test.

I took POL 124 last year and 123 this year. In my opinion, he is one of the best professors in the Political Science department. He presents new perspectives in class aside from the standard stuff you learn about politics. As an Econ and IR double major, his classes really tied everything together for me. 2 exams: the highest is worth 60%

This class is more number heavy than I expected, but not challenging in the slightest. He is willing to go over questions that you have during lecture and is very thorough. He gives a study guide before each test, and there are no surprises on the tests. He did a great job.

His class is structured around the author of the assigned text BDM. The class is not generally too difficult, but is very number heavy (once you reach game theory). However, the curve on exams is very generous. Study guides resemble material tested on exams. Kono is straightforward with his lectures and clear at most times.

Professor Kono is a respectable professor who involves logical/easy math to IR. He makes the class interesting by discussing real life examples and current affairs. Extremely accessible in and out of class, entertains lots of questions and has non mandatory discussion/lecture. His tests can be aced by studying just from his slides. Take him!

He is a really awesome professor. His lecture is based on the required textbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, and very interesting. Grade is based on 4 exams (20%, 25%, 25%, 30%). Also, he curves the scores really generously. His lecture is very clear, so if you understand the lecture, you don't have to go to discussion section at all.

I enjoyed Professor Kono. His lectures are a little dry, however he's incredibly clear in his presentation of the material he covers. He loves graphs and charts, but he explains them all in detail. I only had two tests in the class for my entire quarter grade. He gives a clear study guide and the TA has study sessions before the exams.

Prof. Kono knows his stuff. He is very intelligent and intellectual which can sometimes make him hard to follow during lectures. Attendance for lecture and discussion is not mandatory, but if you can benefit greatly if you go to both. The study guides are relatively similar to the exams, and the entire grade is based on those exams

Kono is a very clear and explicit professor who thoroughly develops his examples and reiterates the takeaway of each slide. Exams are easy and are based entirely on lecture material; he provides helpful study guides that hone in on major topics. Class revolves around models and formal methods of analysis such as game theory, quite enriching.

This class was pretty easy and straightforward. You're graded based on three exams. He gives study guides that are pretty similar to the test. Lecture and section is not mandatory. Going to office hours was very helpful and I think that's what helped me do so well in the class. Kono is accessible, charismatic, and an all-around great professor.

Kono is one of my favorite professors at Davis. His classes generally involve 2-3 tests . He gives good study guides and provides you with everything you need to do wel in the class.

Prof. Kono gives really detailed lecture and good study guide. Basically if you write down everything in the powerpoint, you won't even have to read! The class focuses more on the economic side of politics, but even if you don't have an econ background, prof. kono will give you sufficient explanation to understand. It was an easy A for me.

Spring Q is differ. because of Corona. I found it hard to focus on this class as it was online, but I took it as a P/NP as I didn't get my desire grade. This class requires more time spend as some concepts were definitely confusing and need time going over. Test heavy but he curves to a B- if it's too difficult, easy no curve as class avg high.

I liked Kono a lot. He was my first UC Davis Polisci teacher and I thought he taught well and it was an easy class to succeed in as long as you payed attention in lecture. I never read the textbook.

Outstanding professor. You can see he's passionate about teaching. He says the textbook is required, but I haven't read a page and aced every test and quiz through his lectures. There's a weekly quiz and 3 exams, both extremely easy. I definitely recommend him if you're looking for an easy GE and/or want to learn about International Relations.

Weekly quizzes and 3 exams are very easy if you watch the lectures, you can DEFINITELY get by without doing the readings or going to the discussion. Exams incorporate many examples where you apply the concepts he taught. He talks kinda slow and sometimes the material gets boring, but he does try to incorporate semi-recent IR events.

I have taken 2 classes with Professor Kono. I really enjoy his teaching style & approach. He makes readings accessible (no textbook needed) & explains his lectures really well. The class is based off of a midterm, final, & weekly quizzes (that are not hard, considering you have at least read the slides). I highly recommend taking him! He's great!

Kono is a really good lecturer but classes weren't recorded so you have to attend in person. You are only graded on a midterm, final, and 6 quizzes, so there isn't room for error. The TAs this quarter were pretty bad, graded harshly and didn't seem to know how to communicate or teach the information, this class depends heavily on what TAs you get.

He's good at explaining material and the class was really interesting. Midterm & final was 80% of the grade but it wasn't too hard, it's pretty straightforward if you pay attention. It's helpful to go to lecture, but his slides are very text heavy so material is still easy to understand without attendance. No essays.

The course was graded on weekly quizzes plus midterm and final. Kono is definitely one of the better professors I've had as he's understanding and patient with students. A ton of reading is assigned but one can get through it without having to read it all. Exams are fairly close to study guides plus the final is not comprehensive.

Such a caring and cool professor. The class is well structured. Take notes during the lectures and do the readings each week. I recommend taking notes on the reading as well if you want an A. It's a decent amount of work but you have so much freedom. The grade is 20% quizzes and 80% exams. Quizzes are basically free points if you pay attention.

hard tests but really fascinating lectures. quizzes are easy so its an easy grade cushion. game theory heavy class in comparison to many other international relations intro classes at other schools

I really enjoyed pol003! Professor Kono is an amazing lecturer and made difficult concepts easy to understand. The class isn't particularly easy, but you should be fine if you go to lecture and take notes. There are weekly quizzes and 3 exams.

Please take his class, as long as you take good notes during the lectures you'll do great. Love him

Lectures served as a rerun of the readings. TAs are tough graders but will tremendously help for upcoming quizzes and exams. No need to speak to the professor, spoke to a TA twice, and that was all to pass the class. Readings aren't hard to comprehend either. The class is easy to catch up and is not difficult unless you skip and make it difficult.

This is for POL 12B but that wasn't an option. Easy class. Lectures are boring but you don't have to attend. Easy weekly online quizzes, drops the lowest. Exams exactly like study guide: multiple choice and short answer. No papers. Final is not cumulative. Offers extra credit. Nice Vermont guy who is passionate about climate change awareness.

Professor Kono is super nice and gives all the resources necessary to succeed in his class, as the answers to anything and everything are on the slides. Because everything is on the slides, class isn't super necessary but would still recommend going to get a better understanding (and the occasional extra credit).

Really engaging lecturer who was deeply knowledgeable and passionate about climate change/ politics. Take time on the quizzes. All you need to study for exams is to use the lecture slides and the study questions he provides and memorize concepts and how they relate to each other. Make sure to try for the exams because there are few grades.

Had the chance to take pol 124 and 123 with professor Kono. Great lecturer—makes concepts easy to understand by providing examples. The readings (assigned articles and textbook) complement the lectures perfectly and help you touch base with current affairs. Overall, a really good professor.

Kono is wicked smart and his lectures were a pleasure to attend. Corny but truly left the class with a very informed perspective on inequality. Very nice and open to answering all questions. His exams are very fair and based off of his slides, and on top of that he gives you a list of possible questions he will ask on midterm and final.

The lecture content was very interesting and Dr. Kono is super knowledgeable. The grade is based on short open-book quizzes, one midterm, and the final. The midterm and final are easy as long as you study the slides and practice questions at the end of each lecture. Overall easy and enjoyable GE

A lot of material is covered during lectures to the point that you have to spend time after class taking notes from the slides, and therefore Prof Kono's lectures aren't very engaging. However, the content is easy to understand and is fairly intuitive. Exams and quizzes are easy if you pay attention to lecture content and do the practice questions.