I came into UVA thinking I wanted to go into law/government, so I took this course. This course pretty much made me not interested in it at all, not sure if it was because of my TA or because how boring and hard the class was. This was my first C I have ever gotten. Tests were incredibly hard and the papers were graded pretty harshly. Again, this could've just been because of my TA (Nicholas Jacobs). I also feel like I never knew what to expect on exams. We were never really given a clear outline of what to really know about. They just threw a bunch of irrelevant knowledge at you pretty often.

The TA saved my life in this class. James Ceaser is very clearly knowledgable (he has a PhD from Harvard) but his lectures are quite unstructured and boring (there are no powerpoints). Also, because there is a lack of structure, it’s difficult to study for the exams, but the TAs in discussion definitely help. I wish this class was more “politics” focused. I thought this would be focused on policy and such, but it’s basically your IB HOA class. Take it if you want, but eh.

Do not take this class. Skip over it and take the more specific and interesting politics classes. This class is not fun, and it is a much more difficult abstract version of AP Gov.
The Professor is VERY smart, but lectures can easily get off topic and it is impossible to study for the midterm final because there is NO WAY to pick out what is important and what is not. The professor and the TAs give NO guidance whatsoever on how to study or prepare for the midterm or final.
Papers were not bad but your grade depends entirely on your TA.

The class is mostly focused on the history of American politics, not so much on contemporary politics. Professor Ceaser tends to ramble a bit and his lectures are confusing because he doesn't use Powerpoints. Going to lecture is necessary because everything is tested on exams. 1 midterm, 2 papers, 1 final. The midterm was very specific, and the final was also but to a lesser extent. Read EVERYTHING and understand it. Also, for your own sake, keep up with the readings and don't wait until the exam to read all of it...that's what I did, and I suffered through reading more than half of a textbook in 2 days. That being said, it's not too hard to do decently in this class (B+/A-). I would say it is pretty difficult to get an A though. The class is worthwhile if you've never taken a politics class before.

VERY DRY. He's really nerdy cool and funny, but it goes often unappreciated because of how dry he is. Lectures are not worthwhile and wholesome. Textbook is informative and the way the course is structured is well done, just not how he teaches it. I'm currently sitting pretty at a B-. Not worthwhile.

Ceaser is a very interesting man to talk to, and seems to have a genuine love for the subject matter. That being said, he tends to ramble during lecture.

Professor Ceaser is quite a dry lecturer. As others said, he tends to ramble and doesn't use slides or anything, so it's quite difficult to follow his point and pay attention for the whole class. Readings are relatively easy, as are the midterm and final, but I didn't leave feeling like I had really learned anything. It just felt like a rehashing of a high school government class. I had Anthony Sparacino as my TA. It was his first time teaching a section, and while he was a nice guy, discussions were awkward and pretty pointless. I would avoid taking this class with Ceaser if you can.

Class isn't too hard as many have already outlined, two short papers that are fairly easy to write, a midterm and a final. Reading is usually 50-60 pages a week and not too bad if you have a passing interest in politics/civics.

There are some general things one should be aware of though. Both the midterm and the final are multiple choice (the final also has two essays).
The midterm especially, will test you on EVERYTHING, if you haven't done the readings or come to lectures, it won't be a pleasant experience. I found the multiple choice for the final much easier, and I knew most of it not because I took the class but because I have a general interest in politics. Essays were straightforward and included stuff that was discussed in sections, to the point where if you had studied your section notes well enough, it was hard not to do well on those.

Lectures can be a bit dry. Ceaser actually cracks quite a few jokes but a lot of them involve current events stories that students don't always pay attention to, so they might not appear all that funny to everyone, I personally thought he had quite a few good ones.

Also, the general theme of this course is American politics as it relates to The Founding of the country (Declaration of Independence, the ratification of and debate over the Constitution). A lot of people may not like that and it took me until the end of the course to understand why Ceaser places such emphasis on the founding. It finally occurred to me that that this is the "why" of American politics, why the system looks like it does, why there is conflict and lethargy built into the governmental structure, why the states were granted certain powers etc. In most college intro classes to politics you would get the "what", basically, this is what the government looks like. Ceaser gets to that part as well, but by going back to The Founding, he gives students an understanding of why the political system in the United States is set up the way it is and what the results of this is.

So for this reason, I recommend the class, if only because it does a very good job of explaining the "why" of American politics, on top of that it isn't very hard and doesn't involve too much work.

This class was a stereotypical college class; Professor Ceaser lectures without slides or much interaction with students. Even though the class can be quite boring at times, Prof. Ceaser really cares about his students and makes a lot of witty comments. Not the most riveting class but you leave feeling like you learned a lot, especially about the American Founding and American politics from the perspective of the Founders.

Ceasar has a boring lecture style but I thought he was very amusing and I found myself laughing at his jokes regularly. DO THE READINGS and attend section and you'll do fine. 2 papers, 1 midterm, 1 final.