Reviews of professor Benjamin Gonzalez O'Brien

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Gonzalez O'Brien is one of the best Political Science Professors at SDSU. Not an easy A, but my favorite class i've taken. He is genuine, and his lectures are interesting. Prioritizes group discussions. Gives quizzes often so make sure you read/take notes (you won't do well if you don't). Final was a research based paper. Go to class / take notes!

Rating: 3.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
POLS430: He is personable, caring, & has a sense of humor. Otherwise not my style- grades participation thoroughly (tracks how many times you raise your hand)! All lectures and open discussions, both get very tangential. 3 blue book tests of term defining and a 10-15 page policy proposal. Lots of assigned reading and 6+ hours of documentary.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 2.0/5
OBrien is awesome, he makes his lectures easy going but still make it as informational as possible. You do have weekly shortwrites/discussion posts but you can knock those out in 20 minutes. His midterms/finals have the option of taking the exam or an essay, you'll have 2 midterms and a final. But if you know enough ab gov, youll do just fine.

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
He wants you to find a source from the material and connect it to something that is reported on the news in the last 2 weeks. All the material is about racism and the news is all about Ukraine... Too lazy to answer emails, update the material, and grade things on time. Be extra woke on your paper, it got me the top score which was 87%. hard grader.

Rating: 2.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
This rating is for POL S 430.

Goes off on a lot of tangents but is a nice guy overall. Pretty unclear with assignments and extremely lecture-heavy. Tests are difficult and graded very harshly. You pretty much have to do the readings if you want to pass with a B or higher. Will not be taking again, but not that terrible.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 2.0/5
I have taken this Professor for three courses now and I love him. His teaching style is not for everyone but I find his classes interesting and easy to pass as long as you try. He assigns a good amount of reading but if you can skim readings well you will be fine. His lectures are entertaining and he engages well with his students.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Prof. Gonzalez O'Brien is a great professor. I took his courses 102 and 333, and both times he has been a great professor who makes attendance worth it as he mixes up his lectures with thought-provoking discussions and also humorous remarks. I would recommend him to anyone considering taking 102, 333, or any other of his other courses.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Professor Gonzalez was great for an introductory Political Science class. This was the one class I never missed. His lectures are sometimes long and hard to sit through, however when you are interested in the topic it becomes fun to engage with him in discussion. He gives options on the final and midterm where you can choose an essay or test.