A ball of contradictions. Very caring and nervous. Cares a lot about students. Also brilliant and condescending. Will diss u publicly for questions & being late. I've taken him for a whole year (most ppl do), but it's a love hate relationship. Short answer hw, dense & hard readings, not mandatory but highly recommended lectures. 10/10 lectures.

I really loved Norris. He is an engaging lecturer with a great sense of humor. The class was hard and there was a lot of reading, but most of the reading is decently easy to understand. He was very kind and accommodating whenever I emailed him or went to office hours. Essay prompts were clear and easy to write about. He is clear about expectations.

Genuinely an awful professor. Super condescending when questions are asked, gets sidetracked easily in lectures. The prompts on his essays are very complicated and confusing, and when you ask questions about the prompt he gives very vague answers. I very very rough grader, and his tests are so difficult. Honestly this was the worst experience.

Take this class if you hate yourself and you have an unshakeable sense of self-esteem when it comes to political theory. Initially, I loved this class but because Norris is a tenured professor he doesn't give a flying fadoodle about whether you stay or go. People who love theory hate this class, that should say enough.

Norris is a great professor. He cares about his student if you care about the class. Heavy read them and go to office hours a lot. If you try, you will succeed.

Norris is a great lecturer but presents confusing prompts regarding the papers. He expects a specific argument from the student without clearly stating his expectations. He is also a condescending professor. If you want more structured lectures, I recommend Norris, as he only uses the blackboard and gets sidetracked with questions.

Norris is a great professor because he instills the material in his students. With weekly reading quizzes theres no way to avoid the readings. If you like to work hard and think critically this is the course for you.

Most brilliant professor at UCSB and amazing lecturer. He holds his students to the highest standards. To get an A you have to do ALL the readings (and read them critically). If you actually want to learn, take his classes.

One of the best professors I've had at UCSB. Has a little bit of an ego, but if you don't take him too seriously it shouldn't affect your experience. Demands a lot, but values students who work hard.

Norris is brilliant, assigns awesome readings, and is a very witty lecturer. But he demands A LOT from his students. Tons of critical reading. If you don't spend the necessary time on readings you will get a horrible grade. He demands precision and high level writing. Also, lots of cocaine references in lecture.

So many babies on here. Norris is a genuine intellectual and an incredibly talented lecturer. His depth of knowledge and ability to communicate ideas is one unmatched by other professors I've had. His classes are hard, hence the B+, but this is how college classes used to be. Holding students to a high standard isn't “condescending.”

I've taken a couple of classes from Professor Norris and he honestly gets a lot more flack than he deserves. He's very passionate about what he teaches and makes his lectures very engaging. There is a lot of reading and most of it is very dense but he does his best to go over the main points. He's also always accessible outside of class.

ppl say hes condescending but he lowkey isn't. hes goofy asf and anxious about being a good teacher. He answers questions super well and thoroughly. Honestly if you do the reading and pay attention it's not super hard, but sometimes grading is tough. Makes difficult content fun & made me actually enjoy political theory classes. love him!

Prof. Norris is passionate about what he teaches and genuinely wants students to succeed. The readings are dense but usually make sense after lecture. Norris created an optional discussion section when students expressed need for more clarification and keeps class interesting with his jokes. Definitely recommend taking his classes.

I literally hate this man. Thinks he is one of the great thinkers and is super mean. Calls you out in front of the whole class if you get a question wrong even if you're trying. Grading criteria makes 0 sense and the TA's he provides are even worse than him. Not understanding in the least. HW is super hard and 0 credit if wrong. Don't take him fr

I LOVE Professor Norris. He's such a great dude, and his passion for philosophy is awe-inspiring. He's also adorable!! In his class, you'll work hard, learn a lot, and get a solid foundation for political philosophy, which has helped me in life areas other than politics. He's the best!!!!!!!

Prof Norris is such a nice guy and a great lecturer. Graded on weekly assignments that are not hard if you do the readings, midterm, final paper, and participation. No iclicker but he elaborates on everything in lecture so you should def go. Easy to stay engaged with his lectures, he is really funny. So glad I took his class!

Professor Norris is amongst my top 2 favorite professors at UCSB. No PS1 isn't easy, but it's enjoyable especially because Norris is so good at political philosophy. His lectures engage with the material enough to understand the material perfectly.

Norris is such a caring and funny professor!The readings are heavy so if you do not understand make sure to attend every lecture because he goes over the reading in detail! Midterm is free response based entirely on the readings and lectures. FInal paper is very hard! Just make sure to not skip class and you will pass the class.

Political science 1 is not an easy or fun class. However, taking this class with Norris made it bearable. He clearly cares about students and is willing to accommodate all students. The class material is decent as it explores many different ideologies and perspectives. There is a homework assignment each week, a midterm and final paper.

Dr. Norris is indeed a difficult professor, especially for the PS major. However, his method of teaching is meant for mental participation and constant inquiry. He is a great scholar and professor because he will drop his own subtle opinions about politics, life, and other subjects within his lecture but you have to pay attention to get the most.

Great professor! - go to class - do the readings - do your homework Norris is a precise teacher who tells you exactly what he needs from you, and gives you the tools to do it successfully. Not sure why he has bad reviews, overall 10/10. (Funny as well)

Norris is super knowledgable about what he teaches and makes sure everyone knows it. I think he's a decent guy but he did not have to make this class as hard as it was. Lectures were basically unbearable to sit through and the readings were super dense and sometimes hard to understand. Only take this if you need it for ps, otherwise, avoid it.

There is a reason he is notorious for teaching one of the hardest classes in the entire major. The other reviews are accurate in their own assessment of him. He is a "true scholar" and so to well in this class you do have to fully immerse yourself in this course. Very heavy on the readings and quizzes. Definitely not a class to d*ck around in.