A difficult graduate course on Rousseau but Prof. Abizadeh is extremely knowledgeable thus making Rousseau's philosophy intelligible and interesting. Overall a good professor.

Challenging class, but prof was engaging and made material interesting

one of the best profs i've had. good feedback, entertaining lectures. not easy grader.

A difficult prof, not for the faint-hearted. If you judge a prof by the breadth of his knowledge and vision, and his intellectual integrity, then you would do well to sign up. If you are looking for a spoonfeeding session you had better go elsewhere.

hes great

The rest of you are complete losers. Just because a course tests your peanut brains doesn't mean a prof is bad. Rise up to the challenge people. Excellent prof.

Of course, this teacher might seem presomtuous firsthand, but he's a very good lecturer given his age, and probably the clearest and fullest of my classes this semester. Has a pretty impressive academic background too.

i'm not sure why there's so much negative opinion about him. he's a really clear, focused lecturer with a superb grasp of the material, and he's totally amicable and approachable. what up?

good prof, definitely knows what he is talking about. interesting and engaging lectures, even if he is somewhat full of himself.

arash is HOT!! he turns me on in class...i like his style...come to this class ladies!

great prof, really knows his stuff. he's very helpful even though the material can sometimes go over my head.. plus he's hot!

i could only hope to be that smart one day.

Wonderful AND handsome.Really there for the students and teach how to answer in a brilliant way

he is the best prof i've had at mcgill

He is truly amazing, great prof.

One of my favorite classes, I really reccomend it. Don't be intimidated by the reading list, it isn't that bad.

if you take a look at his CV, he's like an insane overachiever, and he really is a good lecturer, clear and precise. his only downside is that he dumbs down the material too much... it's interesting stuff, but he's a bit too straightforward with it.

lectures=not so interesting, readings=really interesting, his looks=holy crap, so distracting!

very good lecturer..course readings a bit dry....but was extremely helpful in going over the material....mmmm lol the only downside to taking the class was he was so distracting to look at...hootttt...very hot!!!

i agree with everyone- he's very good looking. i love the little remarks that he makes during lectures. he's too adorable!! he's a pretty clear lecturer but sometimes the material can definitely get dry.

um..I dont know what everyone is talking about but Prof. is NOT hot at all. But I must say he is incredibly smart and his lectures are clear and organized. The readings are interesting although I wish we could devote more than 2 classes to each one. Interesting class and interesting prof.

This prof is fabulous...TAKE THIS CLASS! Don't be intimidated by the reading list, he goes over everything necessary in class. Perhaps its repetitive at times, but at least when you finish you will for sure KNOW what he's been talking about. He is engaging and bright, very charming and approachable

Lots of reading! Participating is difficult, as he insists on questioning and parsing every one of your comments - but this does make for a much higher level of class discussion. His explanations are interesting and revealing. Three hours was way too long to sustain interest though.

One of the two best teachers I've had. He doesn't spoonfeed anyone, but is enthusiastic and challenges you to do your best. Can be intimidating at first, but is actually very helpful. Good feedback, but a bit harsh on grades.

He IS hot, which may be helpful to some and detrimental to others... More importantly he knows his stuff, incredibly smart and by far the best political theory teacher i've taken so far

If you're a political theory nut, you'll love this class. Very good, broad introduction to important political philosophers, and Arash is an excellent lecturer. He gives no notes on webCT, but his lectures are interesting enough, if you like the material. He's intimidating, but a very good teacher. He is very serious about what he does.

Great lectures, u dont want to miss them, u learn so much more and u know what is important and what u dont really need for the exams. Clear and passionate about the material. Read the books, its worth it. Go to conferences to get some things explained, Nina is a really good and nice TA. ooo ya...and he is a pretty to look at too ;)

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Arash is absolutely brilliant. He takes students very serious and listens well to all comments.

Smart professor who reaches you to see things in a different light. He listens well to his students and an interesting moderator for discussions. His classes are only worth going to when you've done the readings properly. It's a challenge, but well worth it.

ego through the roof (justifiably so). lectures are very helpful. conference attendance and participation worth 10%. material very interesting, but a lot to think about and digest.

This class is hard. He marks papers very hard. Avoid this class if you're like me and you don't like political theory.

Smart + sexy = AMAZING

All in all a good professor. I'm not very into political theory, but still enjoyed the class. Beware, theres a lot of material that we have to learn, and the TAs aren't that great

Hard professor with hard TAs, but at least he teaches interesting stuff.

Abizadeh is awesome. The best ever.

Great prof, lectures are organized and interesting. Exams are mostly essays.

Incredible, incredible, prof. Best I've had at McGill. He is completely brilliant and a captivating lecturer. I didn't want to miss a single class all semester..highly recommended. Not the easiest class though but 100% worth the effort.

CHARMING AND SHINING BY HIS INTELLIGENCE!

This professor is one of the best I've ever had. Brilliant, charismatic, quick to find a flawless answer. His lectures follow a very easy-to-understand outline, and his explanations of the complicated works we read are crystal clear. If you have the opportunity to take his class, do so without hesitation.

Such a smart professor! His lectures are so well planned and really helpful when it comes time to write papers. He is a little intimidating at first, but stick with it because you'll learn so much from him. This course has A LOT of reading, so make sure to keep up with them.

This prof is AMAZING!!! he explains the material really well!! he is very engaged in his class!! i learned so much this year!! however only take the course if your are willing to work hard and read a lot and go to all the classes cuz otherwize ull b screwed!!

Excellent professor! coming to class is like going to a guest lecture series with a top mind in the field, readings are books everyone should have under their belt!

awesome prof! love his old school style of teaching! just don't show up late! really clear lectures, and really good answers to questions (good and bad)

TAKE A CLASS WITH THIS PROF! He's a really good teacher, very fair when it comes to grading. If you put in the work you'll learn a LOT and you'll get a good grade. Talk in conferences, and use the TAs.

One of the best classes I have EVER taken. TAKE THIS CLASS. professor abizadeh is amazingly eloquent and each lecture blows my mind. he doesn't use boring textbooks, instead we read texts by gandhi, socrates, and even some plays! not to mention that he is absolutely gorgeous, young, INCREDIBLY SMART and witty. Our class is in love with him.

One of the most amazing lecturers I've ever had. A fair amount of reading, but it's worth it if you want to keep up with the class. Grading is fair and the TAs in my section were very helpful. Definitely recommended.

TAKE THIS CLASS!!! Abizadeh is an amazing lecturer: even the most obscure concepts you could think of appear crystal clear when he explains them, and he has a good sense of humor. Great choices for readings as well. Your grade depends on your TA, but if you work, you can get a B+ not that hardly. Conferences were awesome, full of debates! :D

Amazing professory, really hard class. Readings are fair. Conferences are helpful, my TA could've been better (but he was the new one)

Even if you don't like polisci or philosophy, he is undeniably an engaging speaker. Completely brilliant, too. Take this class! Not easy by any means, but this class was so good that I found working hard for it came naturally. Be prepared for challenging essay questions on the exam.

Signed up for the class as a challenge. The students who found this difficult are merely illiterate simians - I was able to get an A- by going to class and wiki'ing the readings. Essays are more about style than substance, if writing's not your strong suit I'd suggest taking something else. Eloquent prof, crystal-clear lectures. Cam was a good TA.

Really, best prof. He himself is a VERY fair grader, it's unfortunate grades depend on the TA for the most part. Don't be intimidated because he really is a wonderful professor, and just generally a great person. The class is tough and very subjective - go to lectures, he explains everything you need to know; readings are good to know however.

This Prof was amazing! The class and all the reading were really interesting. Essay graded fairly easily. Most eloquent spoken prof and really engaging. You will not regret taking his class. He is also not bad on the eyes :)

Absolutely amazing class & Prof! Best lecturer I've had so far at McGill. Not an easy A but if you actually want to learn a TON from a renowned prof take this class! Such a friendly guy, and SUCH A GENIUS-- he doesn't come off as condescending whatsoever. Seriously take this class if you want to attend the most interesting lectures EVER

Best Prof by far I've had so far at McGill. Very interesting lectures, he makes material enjoyable and understandable. Reading material is stimulating and grading is fair.

As a Biology major, I signed up for this course because I was looking for a challenge. Course was not easy (grades depend on the TA), but the readings are essential literature everyone should have under their belt. Lectures were a pleasure to attend - Abidazeh is a legendary lecturer. Brilliant!

One of the Greatest Professors in the History of McGill.

Wonderful..

Best class I've taken at McGill so far... He knows what he's talking about, and makes every concepts very clear!

He is a top scholar in the field and it shows in class. His lectures consist of his own research and insights into the material. Although, my mark was not spectacular by any means, it was an absolute pleasure to have taken this course.

HE IS AMAZING. Lectures are so clear. He encourages questions and actually answers them. I loved this course even though I'm not even interested in political theory.

A very interesting class, seemed more like philosophy than political science to me: do not take it if you are not interested in reading or talking about philosophical matters. There are lots of readings that are necessary, and not attending lectures will make you extremely confused, as they are not recorded.

Great prof. He is very sharp, and passionate about the material he is teaching. Can't miss the lectures. Make good notes. Make sure to consult with your TA about what exactly they expect from your essays. Lastly, there is a ton of reading to be done. The texts are excellent, but I feel it'd be impossible to cover it all. Seek good summaries.

Extremely knowledgeable professor. Lectures are just amazing; makes you want to go to class, which is good because the reading load is intense and he gives great summaries

Pretty good and knowledgable Prof. Gives a summary of the readings in class, so go to class. Readings are important if you want a deep understanding of what he talks about in class. The essays are really helpful not only to understand the material but for practicing your writing, so do all of them!

Though I struggled through this class, I can't help but recommend it. Prof is very knowledgeable and talented at lecturing. Readings are difficult but necessary. TA's gave harsh grades (c+ average for papers or something like that?) and poor feedback. Don't expect a good grade unless you are talented/passionate about this subject.

I fully recommend this class to students who are interested in political philosophy since you will have lots of readings. The teacher is one of the best I ever had, he is passionated and able to share this passion to his students.

great lecturer, but he also calls people out in class and absolutely hates it when people walk in late. There are no powerpoint slides, so pretty important to go to class. Also he goes over all the readings in depth and explains exactly what you need to know for exams and essays.

One of the best profs I've had at McGill. Prof Abizadeh is great at breaking down difficult political concepts and opening up the class to stimulating discussions. This class teaches you how to construct a logical argument, which is incredibly important in all social science departments. Take it if you can!

Poli231 is an excellent survey class of political theory. You will read texts that every university student should read. One point to make though is the class content is extremely philosophy heavy. Abizadeh is an incredible lecturer though, and he makes everything super clear. Superb class.

Do not take poli 231 for an elective. This class is not about learning the material, it's a lot of thinking, doing papers, ect. If you don't like it and you don't care about stuff like "is doing wrong a bad thing" and "why do I am an human" then don't go for it. You will be ask to write essays which will take you a lottttt of time. Hated this class

Abizadeh is an amazing lecturer. He's engaging and uses great analogies for difficult material to be understood. He answers difficult philosophical questions on the fly and thoroughly covers the material from the reading.

He is an amazing prof! Very knowledgable and passionate about his topic! Would take this class again anytime!

Great lectures

Great professor - very respected and intelligent. Very tough grader - you must read the readings and attend lectures.

An amazing prof! His lectures were extremely interesting and the papers helped in understanding the course material. You have to work for good grades but the course is worth the effort!

He doesn't allow you to have technology in lecture, which makes it easier to pay attention and take solid notes. The readings assigned spark interesting debates in conference and are not too difficult to understand. Grading was fair but encourages you to step up your argumentative writing. His lectures were easy to follow and engaging!

Amazing lecturer, perhaps the best I have had a McGill. Passionate about the material and extremely clear in his explanations. The grade is based on 3 essays (worst grade is dropped), conference, and a final. Hard grading. I averaged A/A+ in the class and then got a B on the final out of nowhere--surprising/disappointing experience in that sense.

Great professor, perhaps the best I've had at McGill. There a lot of lectures, but if we keep up with them, you're gonna be fine. Also, he summarizes them during lectures so no stress if you don't make them from time to time. Great philosophical class. Only criticism: leaves you with so many questions about life and stuff at the end

The professor's incredible but the class is graded extremely subjectively. The TAs are very hit-and-miss so I'd be very cautious about taking this course in general. It's a great introductory course in general, however, and Abizadeh is an incredible lecturer; if getting a high grade isn't the top priority, the course as a whole is very enriching.

Such an interesting person (look him up), his lectures are clear and cohesive and content heavy, really interesting to listen to. Can get confusing at times but easily clarified with help of TA's or class mates. Exam is a lot easier than term papers but still challenging, grades extremely harsh, really makes you work for a good grade.

His lectures are very clear, he follows the lecture outlines that he posts on mycourses. He's also very open to questions, so don't be shy to ask him about the material that you don't understand. You must attend class because the final exam is based on everything that he mentions during lectures, so prepare to take a lot of notes.

He knows what he's doing. Since electronics' use is prohibited in class, it's important that you take good notes for yourself as he's a fast reader. He is very clear in his lectures and also entertains questions. The paper topics are hard so don't procrastinate with them. His lectures were something I looked forward to everyday. Needs hard work!

Despite the class being at 9:30 in stewart bio, I can honestly say that I attended all but two lectures. This is because they were generally really interesting and insightful and absolute LIFE SAVERS if you're not into reading pages and pages of Locke or Rousseau. I also loved how he included thinkers such as Gandhi or Fanon!!

Prof Abizadeh is an incredible lecturer, who's obviously interested in the works, and philosophers discussed. He critically engages with all of the ideas presented, and truly provides the necessary background that all poli students require

Prof Abazideh is by far the best lecturer I have had so far. He's really interested in what he teaches and I found it contagious. He does not allow electronics in lectures so all the notes are handwritten, but it's really not difficult to keep up as he speaks quite clearly and at a good speed. 10/10 recommend this class!

Truly a fantastic lecturer. Explains well and answers questions. If you don't care about your grade: take this class. If you do care about your grade, be warned: it is VERY hard to get an A. I probably could have gotten a B+ if I had worked a bit harder, but I don't think I could get an A-. Grading much too strict for a 200 level.

Hard, but fair and makes you want to put in work. Just an overall excellent scholar and wonderful gem in McGill's political science department. If you don't take his classes, you are honestly missing out. Do it! Don't fear a bad grade, just put in the work and communicate with Prof Abizadeh - he is very helpful and clarifies all material.

Finally, a university prof that actually knows how to teach.

Abizadeh is extremely well spoken. I had him my first semester of university and found the exams, readings and papers difficult. My T.A. was a tough grader but gave good feedback. He makes the material accessible during his lectures however. Definitely a memorable class in my undergraduate career. Very intellectually stimulating.

THE BEST TEACHER EVER. EASY A AND AN EVEN EASIER LAUGH.

He is a really interesting lecturer and covers the content in a way that really allows you to understand it. Only thing is, he really enforces his "no tech" policy. But I do find this helps me follow along better. Also, you really do have to attend the lectures because he only posts lecture outlines and otherwise you're missing a lot of content.

This professor is passionate, he makes you feel politics more than learn it.

A passionate teacher that makes you feel politics more than learn it.

he is a great professor, he clearly cares about the content he teaches and his lectures are interesting.There are lots of books to read though so its def a harder 200 level class, but overall it's super interesting. Lot of quizzes, final paper (not exam), but he drops your lowest quiz mark. he's a sweetheart, would recommend !!

He's such a sweetheart! It's clear he cares about the content and about his students' success. Don't be afraid to say you don't understand something he says, he's very open to re-explaining, especially during office hours. He was so much more helpful than my TA lol. He's opposed to technology but I got most of my readings as a PDF and it was fine.

The only course this semester in which I did not once get bored. It was intellectually stimulating and his lectures were engaging. Clearly he's passionate about the topics but also about teaching. Some things to keep in mind: he only posts lecture outlines and his quizzes are difficult at first but with help and practice it's possible to do well.

Hands down one of the best professors I've ever had. Although the class was very reading-heavy, he never failed to make the lectures engaging. He is incredibly passionate about what he teaches and truly cares about his students' learning. He didn't allow devices in class, but I ended up really appreciating it and found myself more focused. 10/10.

Would recommend! Great professor and great lectures. No devices were allowed, so pen and paper. 4 quizzes in total, but he drops your lowest quiz (3 worth 20% each). 20% is conference participation/attendance, and 20% is your final paper. Readings are a huge part of the class, but as long as you understand the authors' ideas, they're not mandatory.