Great class with a very clear grading system. Total grade is comprised of 4 take-home essays/exams (24 hours to complete), 4 in-class quizzes during the discussion sections, and attendance/discussion post participation grades. I personally thought it was a very interesting and manageable class. 100% would take it again and recommend to anyone interested in International Relations.

Lectures would be on theories of international relations and how to relate them back to real world examples. TA sections were useful to clear up any questions from lecture, take 4 quizzes throughout the semester, and prep for the essays before they were assigned. Lectures can become difficult to follow if the subject does not interest you, but taking good notes helps immensely for the essays.

Professor Arfi is a great lecturer and professor. Attending his office hours are extremely helpful if you’re not understanding something fully. Sometimes lectures go a little off-topic, but it never spirals too far away from the themes we discussed.

Attend every lecture, skim the readings, and take good notes. Write down the examples he gives and focus on his explanations of how they tie back to the theory at hand. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, the professor and TA’s for this class are extremely helpful.