Great professor who knows the subject very well. Has a great sense of humor and makes the class fun.

He's a comedian, he makes the class fun and interesting!

Very hilarious... it keeps class interesting in what could be a boring topic. If you are lucky, he might bring his dog in for class!!

Good lecturer. Makes class interesting. All multiple choice tests and no papers or essays.

Not a bad class. Understand the readings in the reader and you'll be fine.

Great professor, lectures are very interesting. He is also a very funny man.

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Man this class is easy. entertaining lectures; i often feel like i'm sitting in the audience at Jay Leno rather than in Poli Sci. Do the readings and this class is an easy A.

AWESOME Teacher, the best!! He is so funny and keeps class very interesting. Tests are not toooo hard , but test good knowledge of course work. He is VERY qualified to teach this course and teaches many other good ones as well!!

This guy should have his own talk show, he is so funny. His class is something you actually look forward to. If you do the readings and pay attention, you'll have no problem.

A really great prof. He really knows his stuff, you just have to put in the time.

great professor, makes power lectures able to stand for the most part. He has a great sense of humor which makes him KINDA sexy.

Absolutely a great professor. He's so funny you could ****yourself, partially cause he's funny and partially because you are so engaged you don't want to leave.

He really knows his stuff! Lectures were always interesting (my favorite was when the kindergarteners visited and got to ask us questions about college!), and tests were fair. Poli sci's not really my thing, but the class was quite enjoyable!

Great professor! Don't listen to some of these blond girl comments...KINDA SEXY! What kind of crap is that!? Those are the same ppl that complain and whine; stop focusing on alcohol, drugs and ass and instead pay attention in lecture! Otherwise, I recommend Mayer's courses. Dont listen to these kids

this teacher is amazing, i dont stop laughing in class and yet at the same time he really stays on topic. i HIGHLY recommend it

Mayer is funny. And his humor with the subject matter helps the student relax in potentially unfamiliar territory.

He was hilarious. I took this class during the election, and he was a very fair guy to both sides. But he was very intelligent on the material, and made the class very fun. Very easy in my opinion, and his TA was more than willing to help. This is a great poli sci class for a fun easy A.

Mayer is too much fun, I was constantly cracking up! His tests are multiple choice and can be difficult, but you have to love having him in class; I actually looked forward to lecture.

Prof Mayer is the most fun proffesor I've had here at Madison. Not only is he funny and interesting but he really knows his stuff. Also, and this is why I love Madison, Mayer still works in Politics. Now I don't know specifics but he was interviewed on Fox during the 2004 election. THAT'S AWSOME!

Mayer is one of the best professors at UW Madison. Tests are extremely easy if you do the readings(which are short). His lectures are awesome. It is the only class i haven't missed and the only thing boring about some of them are the material. One day people began to fall asleep, so he let us leave.

Great prof. Tries really hard to be funny and pulls it off for the most part. Is sympatheitc toward students needs and very fair in grading his easy tests. Has interesting viewpoints on politics from an intelligent, nonpartisan perspective.

Great class. Pretty easy, boring material, prof is a character (in a good way)

Take this class, with this prof. He is one of the best profs i've had, really funny and very fair. Tests are extremely easy, and the material is interesting.

One of the best classes and professors on campus. A+ would take again.

Very good professor. He keeps you entertained throughout class and has very easy tests.

He is such an entertainer! Class was never too boring. On exams, just go for what seems like the obvious answer...he doesn't trick you.

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awesome prof

Very easy tests. I didn't do any of the readings and got an A. He is very interesting in lecutre so make sure you go.

It takes ALOT to make campaign finance interesting and he did it! I loved him and the class. I would take another class from him in a heartbeat! He's hilarious and makes fun of everything. Take home exams and fair grading also a plus! Readings are not necessary but compliment class very well.

Very clear teaching, very popular class. Impressive attendance

Great professor, knows what he's talking about. Clear about what will be on exams.

Mayer was a great professor, he was always cracking jokes which made the power lecture go by a lot faster.

Ya he is an entertainer, but just because he can crack a few jokes does NOT make him a good prof. This class is not difficult, but it is NOT and easy A like others have said. Go in expeting to learn something and not just to get a good grade...This class will not boost your GPA

He's funny, so it's much easier to stay awake during this power lecture. He puts outlines of the notes online, so you're rewarded for going to lecture and his tests are fair. The textbook is not necessary. Just read the Faultlines chapters and you'll be fine.

he is hilarious and really knows how to relate to his students always makes jokes about being hung over but really knows what he is teaching. his exams are very fair and he gives you study guides before all exams which are very helpful. overall he really knows what he is talking about, is hilarious, and is very fair in the exams, grades, and curve

Mayer is a very good professor. The people saying that he does not teach political science are out of their mind. PS104 is the introduction to american govt and he is effective in showing the factors and principles that influence and shape american govt. A fairly entertaining lecturer that runs a class that is worth taking.

Great professor. Keeps class entertaining. Focus on reading from Faultlines for exams. Tests not too difficult--study his notes and the Faultlines book really well. Usually multiple choice and a little short answer. It's good to skim the textbook to get the main points from each one. With a little work, it's a very manageable A.

Mayer keeps a boring topic interesting. Power lecture can get long, but with his humor and inventive applicability, its not too bad. If you pay attention in lecture and keep up in the reader, you'll do fine.

Mayer is a great professor. He always tries to bring a little humor into the lecture and although its a power lecture, he's rarely dull.

First of all he's pretty damn funny. I thought the class was going to be more interesting, but it's still not bad. The readings are very dry, but he does a good job in lecture, so not to worry.

He works hard to keep the material interesting. The textbook isn't very exciting but he ties in current events during almost every lecture to help you understand how what you learn ties into the world. He also has a pretty good sense of humor which helps keep power lectures from seeming too long. Know the 'Enduring Debate' readings!!

He's actually very good - keeps the lecture moving, and interesting, despite the dry material. Beware of the Enduring Debate, which can be very, very dry - as he says -"torturing undergrads for over 200 years" Would totally take another class taught by him.

Pretty good class, very easy if you've ever paid attention to politics. Lots of reading, sometimes gets old and dry, but if you go to class and stay awake you can pull off a pretty good grade.

This class requires a lot of work to get above a B. Chapters in the textbook are extremely long (40 or so pages) and one chapter is assigned every week along with several chapters of the reader (40-50 more pages). The exams required knowing tons of small details and current events, but having a paper as a big part of the final grade helps.

I had Political Science 408 (American Presidency) with Mayer. Top-notch professor. He is funny, smart, and a clear lecturer. Although PS is one of my areas of study and I am naturally inclined to enjoy it, I was still impressed by his ability to make me want to go to lecture. Definitely one of the better profs out there.

Comparative Electoral Systems. Four short (5-7 p) papers, one longer (15-20 p). Focuses on electoral law more broadly. Only compared US/Australia, though he may change that. Can be a bit unorganized, but he's a great prof to have a seminar with - approachable and helps you think deeply about electoral issues. Recommended!

Enduring debate and text book chapters can get to be a lot, however overall the class isn't that hard to do well in. Exams are multi. choice with 3 short answer at the end. If you took any poli. sci. style classes or even a history class, this class will be a breeze for you

Very, very good Professor. Lectures were interesting and kept your attention. Prof. Mayer cracks some jokes, so that's always fun. Class material wasn't remotely difficult if you took a Gov't class in high school. Enduring Debate sucks, just wait for the review guides and study the one's he says are on the Exam. Its only 10% of whats assigned.

Such a funny guy, loved this class! It wasn't always the most interesting material, but Mayer made it bearable. Tests were not that difficult if you read and paid attention, overall not a hard class! Definitely would take a class with Mayer again.

Mayer is very passionaite funny teacher. Lectures were always fun. Only three exams, no papers. Although the exams were pretty difficult, deticate lots of time memorizing lectures. Says to read the text book, dont waste too much time doing so.

Taking campaign finance w/ Prof Mayer and loving it. He makes such a potentially boring class entertaining. Exams aren't easy, but very fair. VERY well organized lectures and powerpoints. He loves making random/cheesy jokes that keep you awake. The one annoying thing is VERY strict ban on non-class stuff on laptops/cells. CLASS FUN/RECOMMENDED!

Definitely take his course. Lectures are entertaining and filled with cheesy jokes. He brought his dog into class one day, which was cool. Midterm was fair, final is take-home. He made a course entirely focused on Campaign Finance entertaining. No, really, he did.

This class was great! It seems boring, but he somehow makes it entertaining. Everything is very fair in this class. Readings are not very relevant, so listen in class. One thing is that he does not let you go on the internet during class, so if you're addicted to facebook during class, don't take his class

Campaign Finance and American Presidency. Excellent professor. Fair exams with questions that allow some wiggle room if you've not read every single word of every assignment. Funny (if corny) jokes. The no phone/internet policy is something you'll probably find you actually like if you buy into it. Highly recommend for either class.

Prof. Mayer is someone all students love to listen to--his lectures are about 1/2 jokes and personal stories, 1/2 subject material. That said I don't think he taught us that much in the class that isn't relatively common sense about the presidency. Suggested class, but do all the readings if you want to actually learn anything. Fair exams, too.

Best prof I have ever had. Very knowledgeable and easy to talk to. The he made the material interesting, and you don't have to read the boring readings until he assigns the take home midterm & final. All around a great guy and professor

Lectures are very amusing, he does spend a good portion of class on jokes and other things often with relating them to current events. Three tests total, last two were essentially take home papers. Highly recommend.

He is interesting and enjoys shocking his students by what he says. He like the reaction of, "What did you say?" when he is lecturing.

Mayer is awesome, super funny-pretty easy too, I really enjoyed going to class even though the content was a little dry, he made it very interesting.

Oh how I hate this class. It has nothing really to do with Professor Mayer. he is friendly and funny and engaging and really great. It's just the class material. It's so boring and... and.... and I just hate this class. DO NOT take this class unless you are a hard core political science geek.

Prof. Mayer is great. He cracks jokes often and keeps people listening. Do attend section and lecture religiously because his tests are 90% based upon those things. Overall and average class. Hard to achieve and A

Professor Mayer is a great guy and a great professor. Lectures can get a little boring, but overall, entertaining and Mayer is really funny which helps keep people engaged. Even if you don't like political science, I would still recommend this class.

Maybe it's just me but I think a professor should be present during an exam. It displays a sense of caring for the students and makes the students feel more confident. Professor Mayer wasn't present for any of the exams. He relied on the TAs to give the exams and provide help.

Super funny guy. He makes a boring subject interesting and uses current events to teach the subject matter which I liked a lot. I wasn't looking forward to taking this class but I am super glad I did. I would recommend this class to anyone...just make sure to read and go to section!

He is an entertaining person so made lectures somewhat entertaining. Missed quite a few classes for an unforeseen circumstance and TAs were never adequately prepared to lecture for him which was annoying. Put a large question on the final based solely out of the textbook which he said he wouldn't do. Participation 25% of grade.

Very good professor, made everything clear. Interesting guy in lecture. He also send useful emails frequently

Professor Mayer was a great professor. His lectures were interesting and he is very clever, knowledgeable, and funny. Tests aren't bad if you go to lecture and study. I would definitely recommend any class with Prof Mayer.

Great Teacher!!!

Very Funny, and understanding. He was very helpful when I had problems.

Very entertaining, intelligent, and passionate lecturer. Tells lots of jokes, sometimes disorganized. One in class exam, two take home essays. Lots of reading but very interesting material.

Discussion is mandatory for a participation grade. You read about 100 pages a week in two books. He is a funny and interesting professor. His tests are rather confusing though.

Great teacher, keeps lectures interesting. Tests are easy if you do the recommended work

Like everyone said, he is a funny, interesting guy. However, the lectures are a bit disorganized and you don't really know what to study for on the exams. Easy to get a B, but since I didn't know what to study for the exam, it's tough to get an A

Prof Mayer is awesome! I made sure to take a poli sci course during my time at UW and I definitely picked the right professor and time to do it ('12 election). He is funny, easy enough to understand, and a great guy. His material can get confusing, but if you study up you should do okay. Tests are somewhat difficult, but that's poli sci for ya.

He's a good teacher overall, definitely very interested in political science. The class material was kinda bland, especially the readings, but Mayer is a really funny guy and does a good job at staying in the middle of the political spectrum for class. He's not biased one way. The tests were fair, I got a B in the class mainly due to lack of effort

Great class. Fun, interesting professor. Exams are very fair. If you go to lecture you can get by without doing most of the reading. Definitely take this class if you're interested in US government/politics. Especially interesting because he always discusses important current events in US politics.

Mayer is another winner from the PS department. Very good lecturer and honestly hysterical...his comedic timing is spot-on. Super smart, fair exams, incredible guest lectures. I would highly recommend this class to Poli Sci majors.

Prof Mayer is amazing! He knows how to teach American Govt. without inserting his own political agenda and opinion into his lectures. I genuinely looked forward to class every week! Tests are very fair and clear. If you put in the effort of going to lecture and discussion, you will do well. This was by far one of the best classes I took at UW.

Prof. Mayer is a wonderful member of UW's Poli Sci department. Although the begining topics of the class are slow (constitution and foundation), his lectures become increasingly interesting as the topics become more contemporary. He often places little side jokes into lectures and even exams. He has oreos at office hours and occasionally his dog.

I found his lectures to be very interesting and he relates the course topics to current events very well! He teaches the material in a fun way and without showing his own political opinions. If you go to lecture and discussion the tests are not too hard. I would definitely take another class with him!

Good professor, but lacks passion and relies too much on power point slides. I most enjoyed hearing him speak on current events, and his "I'm trying too hard to be funny which is more funny than I" attempts at inserting humor into lecture. Do Enduring Debate readings that appear on study guides, skim text chapters, read Politics section of WP.

Fantastic teacher, really funny makes lectures interesting

Lots of reading, material can be dry as bone sometimes, but he helps to make it interesting during the long lectures.

Good teacher. Lots of boring reading. He has a bad habit of taking drinks in the middle of his sentences. Tests were kind of hard. You only have a short time for the 3 quizzes you take during the year.

Very funny and knowledgeable teacher. Lectures can be long, but he talks about current events which is interesting. Seemed rude and off-putting when I tried to talk to him after class, so go to your TA for that.

Mayer was a decent teacher but could have been a lot better in several areas. His tests are very subjective, his lectures are boring and dry, and the readings he assigns are very lengthy. It will require a lot of work to get an A but the class overall is not too bad.

Professor Mayer is a great professor who is passionate about what he teaches. Be prepared to spend a significant amount of time discussing current events and for plenty of corny jokes. The readings for this class will take a while but tests are significantly based off of what is discussed in class and discussion.

The class was composed of 3 online quizzes in place of the first midterm, a 12-week exam, and the final. Professor Mayer himself was a good lecturer (be prepared for quite a few corny jokes, though!) and although the tests were tough, they were doable if you pay attention in lecture, at least skim the readings, and know some current events.

His lectures can be dull and long but overall he's a great professor. I learned a lot from his class. His readings are long but his lectures cover the main points so they're not a complete waste of time. He gives 1 in class essay exam and 2 take-home essay exams. They're open ended, argumentative essays that are fairly easy if you're into politics.

Ken Mayer is widely respected in the political science community around the world and is brilliant, but he doesn't act pompous or superior. He makes hilarious jokes and comes off as very accessible. His Campaign Finance course really made me think and definitely reached one of its goals which was to change our minds about something. Take it!!!

Had him for 204 and took him again because he is absolutely amazing. I look for classes he teaches so I can have him again. Smart, up to date, articulate, funny, I can't say enough about him. 466 is a little boring at times, but his lectures make the boring readings worth it. He lightens them up and ties it all together in a very concise manner

I had Prof. Mayer for 466 and loved that class, so I jumped on the chance to take 408 with him. He's one of the best in his field. If you're interested in the American presidency, you'll love his lectures. Very informative and mixes currents events in as well (especially this semester). Hilarious guy and one of the best professors I've had at UW.

Prof Mayer has such an intense love for political science, and he really knows his stuff. Going to lecture is necessary, as is discussion. His lectures are interesting and really help with clarification. Grades are based on 3 fairly difficult tests and discussion participation, so you have to work for an A. It's hard, but the class is great.

Professor Mayer is an amazing professor. I always enjoyed going to class with him. The course consists of lecture and discussion and is graded on three exams that can be very difficult even after studying a lot. However, Professor Mayer makes up for it with the humor he brings into class. As a poli sci major, I would definitely recommend this class

Really great lectures in which he makes fairly dry topics seem very interesting. But be prepared to study hard for each exam as the class only has 3 exams which are considered for the grade.

Tests are definitely lecture based--go to lecture. Textbook essentially irrelevant, but reader is important.

Professor Mayer is a great teacher who does his best to make a lecture full of dry topics interesting and engaging. Exams aren't overly difficult, but he asks some super specific questions, which can be annoying. He posts lecture notes online so you don't really have to go, but I would still recommend it. Would definitely recommend.

Professor Mayer is funny and his lectures are interesting. Readings were too heavy and tests were extremely difficult even when you have studied a lot. His liberal views were fairly clear in lecture as well. I learned a lot from this class and like Professor Mayer, but I wish my grade was a better reflection of how much work I put into the class.

Awesome professor. Even though he sends you all of the notes, you want to go to class because the way he explains things is really helpful. He was really funny and made so many classic dad jokes I loved it. I'm going to try to take more classes with Professor Mayer.

He knows what he is talking about and keeps it interesting. He assigns a lot of readings that you have to discuss in your sections for participation credit. If you go over his lectures and stay up to date on current events you should be okay. He has semi-hard exams, but curves them.

Poli. SCi. 104 is a basic American Government course and can seem boring at times if you have a solid grasp on U.S. govt. already. Prof. Mayer is sometimes funny, but his power lectures can drag on at times. The content is easy to understand, but it does require a lot of reading from the debate reader. The exams are all multiple choice and easy.

Kenneth is an excellent professor. His current events discussions are always very great and his lectures keep you interested. Make sure you read everything he assigns and don't get behind. He was always available outside of class and he wants students to succeed and is very genuine. Reading is mandatory though!

He's incredibly knowledgable and makes lectures very interesting. His intro to american gov class is the reason I'm a poli sci major today. Literally don't have enough good things to say about this class. Must take!

Very funny lecturer and knows his stuff, but the power lectures do feel very long when covering such basic topics. Asks current events questions on tests that he does not include in lectures. Tests are hard but curved. Asks trick questions so pay attention to lecture slides. Skimming the readings and understanding main ideas will be okay for HW.

The tests are very fair if you go to lecture and take good notes, plus they are curved. He also puts study guides online that are very helpful and outline key ideas. Be sure to keep up with current events because they pop up on every test. Questions can be very specific so pay attention in lecture, and you also don't need to buy the textbook.

Professor Mayer is a funny guy, and definitely one of my favorite professors. The class is pretty easily just make sure you read the debates and skim the textbook, you can get through the class without doing either like I did, but you will mess up on the tests since he will have 2 answers that are right but the correct one is specific to the books

I found the class to be somewhat difficult but Mayer is one of the BEST professors I've had at UW-Madison. He's an amazing lecturer and if you miss class (which I did) then the class becomes more difficult. There's a lot of readings and he definitely makes you work for an A. Really want to take another class of his!

Professor Mayer is the best! He is very knowledgeable and has you think outside the box. He remains unbias and discusses both sides of the political spectrum. Some may find his NO LAPTOP policy a bit harsh but all you got to do is print out his lecture powerpoint the day before, and you'll be fine. Exams are curved, and the DIS section is worth 25%

Professor Mayer is an amazing teacher. He clearly knows what he's talking about, and his humor makes the class enjoyable. He makes the subject easy to understand. His class is relatively easy if you show up and pay attention and you're willing to put in an average amount of effort. You definitely don't need to read the textbook.

Great professor! There are a lot of readings but he explained the content well and used current events to illustrate key concepts (while being relatively unbiased and funny). Discussion is 25% of the grade and two midterms and a final make up the rest. If you go to lecture then you should have little to no problem getting at least a B.

Loved Prof Mayer and this class. It's easy to tell he really cares about his students and loves teaching. Textbook is unnecessary, there's test questions on another book but the assigned readings you can read the summaries at the beginning of each article. Tests aren't bad, just study a little. Highly, highly recommend taking this with Prof Mayer!!

Professor Mayer is awesome and hilarious. He makes the subject super interesting. PS 408 is the best poli sci course I've ever taken. Exams are actually papers, and the final is a paper too. Graded by few things but if you do the readings you will be able to write good papers. Great lectures and content, but he doesn't let you have laptops out.

Very good class

Grade was made up primarily of two essays and discussion participation so almost entirely based on who your TA is. Prof Mayer is a great guy and kept content relevant by relating it to current events. Textbook, supplemental readings, and lecture overlap a lot and a basic understanding of them is enough to get involved during discussion.

Prof. Mayer did his best to apply the class content to current events, but this meant we were behind in the actual textbook content. Class is very dependent on your TA. Exams were essay-style, so you don't need to do a lot of memorization, just be able to apply the concepts.

Prof Mayer was super chill- especially online. His lectures are long but are necessary for passing. Depending on your TA you might have a lot of work or none at all. Mid term and final for Fall 2020 were essays

Played ukulele during the last lecture for the class at my request. Hardly any grades, only readings that weren't graded. Good professor, funny and smart. For sure take this class.

Lectures were just covering current events and reviewing the textbook most of the time, so I would generally either read the textbook or go to the lecture, but wouldn't do both. Professor Mayer was very nice, and loved to answer questions.

Professor Mayer was incredible! He's super knowledgeable and definitely knows what he's talking about, but makes it easy to follow in lectures. At the time of taking this class, it was an election season so I feel like we did more talking about that than anything, but it was still a great class.

Prof. Mayer is a great professor and cares a lot about his students. The class is really interesting and dives deep into the presidency and the issues surrounding it. The papers can be tough and there is quite a bit of reading, but I think it is worth it.

He had great intentions and the lectures were not boring. Get weekly readings that are on the midterm and final so make sure you read those/ get the textbook. The exams were curved a lot because everyone did so bad, but work load is easy. I got a 65% on my midterm but curved to a B+.

Professor Mayer was very knowledgable and genuinely cares about what he teaches. He did not portray political/partisan bias. He made sure to highlight empirical facts versus normative claims, which are often overlooked in political science classes. I would take him again in a heartbeat!!

Sometimes he could be a bit dry but other times he got a good laugh. He can get on tangents really easily and drone on about the material on the slides but does not fail to convey the material clearly. He may not be the world's most interesting lecturer but he is a really good teacher. You will undoubtedly learn something from him.

Professor Mayer is a great guy! you can tell he is passionate about what he teaches and very knowledgeable. He posts his lecture slides on canvas which is very helpful. However, your grade depends on 3 papers and the prompts are often confusing.

Prof Mayer does an awesome job taking a very boring and complicated topic and making it somewhat interesting. I really loved him and often felt like I wanted to give him a hug at the end of lecture lol. CF is definitely boring but Professor Mayer makes up for it. Wish I had more time to take another one of his classes!

Dr. Mayer gives very clear lectures and cracks many jokes along the way. He is very willing to take questions and readings are a major aspect of this class.

Prof Mayer is clearly passionate and is a very engaging lecturer. The readings can be long but mostly are worth while and interesting. If you come to lecture consistently and pay attention you will be fine. The course is test heavy but if you fill out the study guide provided and attend the review session you will be fine. He is a good prof and guy

Long readings every week, from two different books. Make sure to do them since they are usually not covered in the lectures. Very few assignments outside of tests.

Professor Mayer is engaging and clearly passionate about the material. The readings can be lengthy but are generally worthwhile. If you attend lectures and use resources like the study guide and review sessions, you'll do well. Unstuck ai was a helpful study tool alongside the textbook.