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good guy

very cute.

Interesting class, he's into the class and explains it all pretty well. Not too hard if you study a little

He's so nice and really interesting and enthusiastic about politics

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Looks like Patrick Dempsey. Good class. Pretty easy if you read the book. Lecture notes are all online. He takes attendence through PRS but you can still miss 5 classes. Lectures go over the book and do PRS survays which all really fun. Good Class.

Very good class. Great professor. Very motivated.

Amazing course, gotta love the hair!

good class, i would def take another with him. and hes a nice guy, got to sit next to him one class, and he was really interested to meet students and find out if they like the class or not.

Very nice guy. unorganized. didnt explain in great detail what would be on tests. however, gave a generous scale. he was a d.i.l.f. u know what i mean.

He is a really nice person and he is well organized in the way he teaches class. I voted him for some teacher award thing.

Internship facult sponsor-I got so very much more out of my internship because of him.

He made everything very clear, and tried to make the students interested in what was going on. He was the best professor I have had so far.

The subject matter was so boring to me that I couldn't return to class after the third week. I'm sure he's a good professor.

Gets involved, tries to make subjects interesting. Definately makes you want to know more about politics. No excuses kind of guy. Great professor.

Easy. Easy. Easy. On top of that its a fun class. Hes cool. If you study and make a lil cheat sheet to study..ur golden on the exams. Attendance isn't a must really.

He always stimulates class participation and shows excitment about teaching. He is very helpful outside of class, and is also nice to look at in class!

Great class

Fairly involved class, alot of reading and remembering tidbits of information for the exams. Grading depends on the TA, and the discussion section is not very much fun.

Good class, pretty easy if you go and pay attention! La Raja is easily one of the best political science professors at UMass!

Pretty easy class, if you go to lecture you don't really need to read much. Grading can be pretty good depending on your TA.

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Having had a good number of poli sci professors, I can say La Raja is the man. He's funny and spawns thought while teaching you the basics. I definitely recommend this class if you are into elections.

Attractive man. Very organized and clear presentation of material. Easy class all around. Supplements regular facts with current events, making the class more interesting. I liked getting to see other students' opinions from the PRS polls... unfortunately, the PRS also means attendance is taken.

Really good class I recommend it for as a gen ed.

Pretty Easy. Mostly just discussions and you dont really take notes. Do the readings and the paper and you'll do fine.

The class is intersting, he always gets excited about all sorts of things. Makes the class interactive with PRS and asks questions in class. Make sure you know who your US rep is in the house!

I love this guy! Just read your notes and going to class helps but you can def. teach yourself. His notes are awesome and tests are easy!

I LOVE Professor La Raja. Everything was interesting all semester and the PRS questions were eye-opening. Loves politics, does a great job interacting with students. Extremely intelligent and great Poli Sci professor for a GenEd! Strategy paper was close to impossible, but he had good intentions...it's all good

easy class. could've gotten a B+ if i showed up to discussion or wrote another paragraph, settled for a B though. just go to class and pay attention, prs required.

had him last semester, good guy, watches the sopranos so you know he's a cool cat

He's definitely a good guy. Took him spring semester. Class is easy, just go to lectures, they are at least somewhat interesting. Watches the sopranos so he must be a cool cat.

This guy makes politics fun, his lectures are awesome, and his polls which he puts up on the big screen are hilarious. He makes you take a survey in the beginning of the year on WebCT and goes back to it nearly every lecture. He interacts with his students before class.. great profesor, great guy.

Loved this class, I actually looked foward to it. He is very good at getting people into poitics. He makes the political process fun!

My favorite class of the semester. Had to go because of the PRS but the lectures were interesting and based a lot on current events. A lot of student interaction and some random heated debates between students. Def reccommend this class

he's the man good class

He's a really great professor and he always starts discussions in class and lets people have different opinions no matter what they are. If you love politics you'll love him as a teacher.

Excellent Teacher. Lots of reading homework but not many people I know actually did the reading and still got an A or B. La Raja is very enthusiastic about his teaching. Funny guy, easy to listen to. Tests are one essay and definitions. One or two papers. I highly reccomend this class to anyone.

I liked how he starts every class with a short discussion on current events. The tests aren't bad at all, and you only have to write two papers for the entire semester. A great class to take if you want to learn the basics of American politics. PRS is required.

Tough to say. Definitely a great teacher. Tries to bridge the studies to the real world often. I felt he didn't prepare us enough for the requirements of graded assignments. Class was a little loose but there was about 300 of us so what can ya do. A+ for effort A- for achievement. Tries very hard to get feedback and improve.

This class is very easy, attendance is counted only because of the PRS clickers, LaRaja loves polling the class which is always interesting, good lectures.

He's an all around good teacher. The class required attendance with the use of a PRS. Two tests that were multiple choice and short essay. A medium level of studying is required.

Really good teacher seems to really enjoy what he does. Attendance is mandatory because of PRS but going to class is helpful to do good on tests. Also helpful that he puts his noted on SPARK.

Real down to earth guy, pro teacher, passionate smart knows his material everything i could ask for in a teacher. Highly recommended. I think you learn the most by your effort with this guy.

fun classes, lots of interaction with students

His lectures are fun and entertaining, but his tests are hard and he provides very little help with them.

Laraja is one of the most fun professors I have ever had. He makes a class of 400 feel like 40. He really engages the class and cracks alot of jokes. Seriously this guy could be a comedian if he wanted to. Tests are all written, but it is VERY clear what will be on them. The final exam essay topics are in the syllabus course description. Very nice.

good teacher. really funny and wants you to understand material. attendence is mandatory because of PRS. a few easy online quizzes and some reading. tests require some studying because its all short answers, but its fair. he really helped me understand politics. i recommend it.

Excellant teacher, lectures are fun and interesting. He's smart, involved and knows what he is talking about. Funny and good looking guy (babe). Always tries to get students involved during and outside of the class. PRS mandatory. Read the book and tests/quizzes aren't bad at all. Veryyyy liberal, don't let him brain wash you. And like I said, he's

La Raja is awesome! Attendance mandatory but class was fun. Hes always cracking jokes and is great eye candy. legit. Tests are a bit hard because they are short answer go to class and take notes and you'll be fine. If he talks about something alot it will be on the test. Learned a lot would recommend to everyone.

Great teacher but difficult subject. Exams were short answer and had a lot of definitions to know, so if memorizing something isnt your strong suit take notice. Papers were manageable but difficult and the different TAs grading schemes seemed very different from one to another. PRS Mandatory

LaRaja is amazing. I dont know what people are talking about, the tests are easy and he hands you the final exam essay topic (its in the syllabus if you read the description). I took it my first semester in the USA and I knew nothing of the political system here and got an A no problem. He is awesome, and tells you EXACTLY what to do for HW/tests

Great professor and really keeps the class involved and entertained for a big lecture. Exams are fair. Funny guy and always starts the class off with current events.

Funny guy who knows how to keep a big lecture entertained. Fairly simple concepts that he continues to apply throughout the course assignments to help reinforce. Tests aren't bad if you do the work an study..not something you can skate by on but nothing to stress about either. Cool guy.

Awesome Professor. Lectures are interesting and he always starts class with current events and relates them to what we're studying. Attendance is by PRS and only worth 4% of final grade, so usually the people who show up want to be there. Generates interesting discussions. Tests are totally manageable if you study.

Very approachable guy. Always keeps lectures interesting, makes lots of jokes, especially about sports. There are lots of different kinds of grades so it's easy to earn points somewhere. Not a college-professor type, very down to Earth guy.

Incredibly interesting class. Ray was genuinely interested in the subject and often brought students opinions into the class for discussion. Not to difficult, not too easy. Lots of good info if you like politics at all. D

GREAT PROFESSOR!!! He was the only professor I had this semester where I learned ANYTHING!!! Such an awesome, approachable guy, and his class is fair. He gives you study guides to review for the exams and his class is great! Take this class!!!!!!

He is a good professor. His lectures are good. He does this group schedule thing to meet in smaller groups every 2 Fridays and it works pretty well. The exams are ok, the only bad part is the online blogs, and the strategy paper that should be for a 200 level course instead.

Taught everything well, reasonable clear. Not much work, mandatory lectures. Friday classes were only every two weeks. Def take a class with him

La Raja is the man! I loved his American Politics class. The exams are all blue book open response and there are some outside papers, but the class isn't too hard and it's great information. Take it!

The best professor I have had at UMass. I always looked forward to going to class and his lectures were very thorough and interesting and he reposts his powerpoints online for you to review later. Good attendance will only boost your grade not kill you. Readings were interesting. He´s very engaging in class. What you learn will stick with you.

Great professor!!! He keeps the class interesting by bringing up a lot of current topics, and he promotes a lot of in-class discussion. I had him in the experimental class, so you learn the information before class. The tests and quizzes are straightforward, and he's really easy to talk to if you need further clarification. The TAs are awesome too.

Watched videos online, but I loved his lectures because he engaged the students and asked questions and made it interesting and relevant. A lot of assignments, but they are small and you don't have to do all of them. He is very approachable, and actually begs people to come chat with him. Very clear expectations. I would take another class with him

La Raja's American Politics course is fantastic! Although there is an unnecessary amount of busy work, you really get the contents of the course drilled into your head. He also has a really interesting strategy memo assignment which serves as your second (and last) paper which is not only fun to research but it also provides applicable experience.

Prof. La Raja is a great guy, very informative, and smart. He posts his lectures online and that's where I got all my information. In lecture, he clarified some slides from his online lectures and then just talked about current events. I didn't really ever pay attention in lecture but there were clicker Qs almost every class that counted attendance

Great Lectures, grading is more up to TA's. But overall great professor and great class. Highly recommend to PoliSci majors and non polisci majors

La Raja is the man! The class has busy work but nothing to be worried about. He posts his lectures before class so that was where I took the notes and in class he had great lectures with a lot of student involvement. He's funny ad actually wants to talk to his students. Ideas are driven into your brain without realizing it and the tests are easy.

Was my first Political Science class of college and sealed the deal for me that I wanted to continue with the subject as my major. La Raja is easy to understand and not boring to listen to during lecture at all. Prepares you very well for both the essays and in class tests. Go to class and you will get an A.

Cool professor! makes you learn a lot of things. Interactive class, never boring. Go for it, even when you are not a political science major.

La Raja is incredible. He is super knowledgable about American Politics (he has a masters in Public Policy from Harvard and his Ph.D. from UC Berkley) and he really cares about his students. His class is really straightforward and his expectations are clear. You watch lectures online, then come to class to talk/ review material. One of the best.

I had a really good time in this course. I loved hearing him talk about anything. He was incredibly easy to listen to and learn from. I actually enjoyed doing the assignments and studying the material in this course. This course is a perfect introduction to political science. I'm very grateful to have taken this course!

Smart guy, and really makes you invested in the subject he teachers. His lectures though, are online and watching them can be a bit of a chore. That being said it never exceeds 45 mins of video, and its pretty much all the homework that he assigns. Great class, brought in lots of guest speakers so that you could see the theory in application.

Very smart professor, and loves to meet students. Pretty easy class if you do the readings

Ray is the best teacher in the Poli Sci department. His teaching is clear, he explains things well, answers questions thoroughly and clearly cares for his students. His exams are straightforward and papers or other assignments are fun and well explained. I took 101 with him as well and loved both classes. Talks about current events which is great.

This is my second class that I've taken with Professor La Raja and he truly is fantastic! He is a funny guy, very smart, and very caring. The two papers for this class were very fun, and they helped me learn skills that will be useful in the field. Everybody should take a class with Professor La Raja before they graduate!

I've had Professor La Raja for both PoliSci 101 and 208. He is a great teacher with a very clear understanding of the subject. I enjoyed both classes, but liked 101 better because of his discussion-oriented take on a huge lecture; he also handled presenting basic information objectively in today's political climate extremely professionally.

Raymond La Raja, loml. I went into college as a psych major wanting to go to law school. After taking his 101 class first semester of college, I declared my double major in polisci-- it was the best decision. Going to class was always so exciting. I even took my bio major bf one day to watch and he left wanting to contact congress. changed my life.

actually the sweetest guy ever. hypes you up no matter what your opinions are. doesn't expect you to know much about politics coming in. people talk a lot in class if they know about politics, it gets heated sometimes which is kinda fun. he helps your grade sooooo much, legit drops lowest 4 everything.

American Politics with Professor La Raja was fun and engaging. He does grade on attendance, but he gives you a solid allowance of absences. The class size can be huge, though, so work is graded by TA's. As such, it's hard to know how you'll score. Big exams and essays account for most of the grade.

This is a blended course: you watch recorded lectures online and do supplemental readings before the class lecture (textbook reading is good for online quizzes). La Raja usually kicks off the class with some discussion about current affairs and then starts his discussion-style lecture. If you're interested in politics, you'll get an easy A.

LaRaja's Political Science 101 was good even in the pandemic.

A great lecturer, with charisma intellect and the energy that transcends into the crowd to get dialogue going in large lecture groups.

I could not recommend La Raja more! I have taken his class twice as a PoliSci major and both times he has exceeded my expectations. He is very neutral in class discussions and great at facilitating them. He goes out of his way to find great guest lecturers who have taught me very memorable lessons and information. He is very easy to talk to!

Very good at encouraging participation in class (in fact this ends up taking up most of the class often, and this may sound like a bad thing, but its actually really helpful for actually understanding the text book and will help later on in your essays). Always makes sure the discussions are politically balanced (which is a rare thing at UMass)

I took this class because I'm an immigrant, so I wanted to learn about American politics. Prof La Raja knows his stuff and is happy to explain anything you need to know. He lets the debates that occur in lecture happen without inserting his opinion, which I appreciate. He is respectful of everyone's contribution, even if he obviously disagrees.

I took Political Parties and Elections, LaRaja is an amazing prof and actually cares about what you think and doesn't discriminate based on personal views. Thr work is interesting and fun and the final research paper is very interesting. If you like politics and course description, take this class 100%, im taking another course with him in spring

La Raja is the best professor I've ever had. Actually cares about the subject matters that he's teaching and cares not just about students succeeding in the class but also becoming politically active/aware. I now read the news everyday because of him. Blogs and papers were fun too, and coming to class for open class discussion was fun too.

AMAZING professor! Had him for American politics fall 2021 and his lectures were great. He is really passionate about the subject and wants everyone to get involved. Provides lots of opportunities for grades and gives you a few chances to miss assignments. Approachable and loves talking about current events, which was the best part of lectures!

Took in Spring 2021. Very fascinating class with effective lectures and interesting readings. A good amount of discussion too though its positive effects were severely mitigated by covid. Teacher was very helpful outside of class and an incredibly thorough expert and lecturer on the subject. Highly Recommend!

Professor La Raja is one of the rare PoliSci professors who doesn't show political bias, which I think is great (even as a left-leaning person). His lectures are held discussion style, which made the lectures super interesting and engaging. This is a great class to take as a gen ed, La Raja really cares about his students and what we have to share.

This class is great and very informative for people interested in politics and how the American government works. The professor is kind and engages his students. However, I would not recommend if you are looking for an easy gen ed, as there is a short essay and 5-6 page strategy memo that are somewhat difficult and are graded harshly as well.

This professor is great! I really liked his lecture style where it was more conversation based and less talking at the class. It was very interesting and I learned a lot. There is an in-person midterm and final, as well as two papers, so be prepared to put in a decent amount of effort.

Professor is accessible and can be easily contacted. Office hours are often empty and there is a surplus of resources for students to use to study. Open discussion format of class means that anyone is allowed to share their opinions. Midterm and Final Exam have several places to earn extra credit. If you come to him, he will help you.

Great professor, super caring, well spoken and intelligent, the work load can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, the long essays are usually within walking distance of exams which can be a bit much and overwhelming, there are quizzes on chapters and its a good booster for your grade

Fantastic professor, stay on top of your work and you won't have a problem, the essays and exams can be slightly difficult but always study and check in with TA, he's funny, smart and accommodates, he usually always extends deadlines, he's extremely fair and always accessible, I hope I can take another class with him in the future

I took Professor La Raja for 208: Parties and Elections. Professor La Raja knows how to really keep a class engaged! There was 2 papers, some textbook quizzes, 1 midterm and a final. There is a textbook but you can find it online. You don't need to read everything to get an A in this class, listen to the lectures, keep up with the news and discuss.

La Raja is very smart & passionate about the class. He does well with challenging students' responses to discussion questions & plays devil's advocate to get us to think critically, unbiased and respectful. Class had 6 chapter quizzes (textbook needed, could take for highest grade), midterm & final exams, and 2 papers, everything spaced out well.

Professor La Raja is an amazing professor who consistently demonstrates that he truly cares about his students. He's very knowledgable, approachable, and an excellent lecturer. Professor La Raja remains unbiased and objective, which is especially beneficial at a school such as UMass Amherst. Take his Classes!

Prof LaRaja is definition of a great professor, he's the kind of professor you would see in a movie that would drive the main character to being the best he can be, take his class he's amazing

Funny profesor. Took for a gen-ed as a STEM major so not as interesting to me but those invested seemed to love course. There is a textbook and required readings-I did not do them and did fine. Not hard content don't need to watch all his videos to understand. Online pre-class questions and blogs each week where slightly annoying. Overall easy

Some of the best lectures I have had at UMass; he really values everyone's opinions on current events. His readings are concise, and the study sessions are invaluable for understanding what is on the test. As long as you regularly attend and read the textbook, you will do well on his exams.

Raymond La Raja is simply an amazing professor. Although politics can be a heavy subject, he carries and explains it well. His lectures, both video and in-class, are concise. Overall a great introductory gen-ed course. The class is easy to understand and, as long as you pay attention to lectures and do your assignments, you should do just fine.