Good prof, but hard. Have to buy 5 books for his class though.

Excellent. One of those teachers who never has to say um . Very clear and knowledgeable.

He is a great lecturer, class is interactive and Chris is seriously clever.

chris is clear and concise, its really hard to find profs that can actually lecture these days and he is one of a handful

Chris' lectures got me to class. That's really saying something. His Soci 350 course was one of 3 or 4 courses that I took over 5 years that I actually enjoyed. Excellent lecturer, knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. What university should be about.

great prof, holds a discussion based lecture that keeps your attention, very helpful and clear in his lectures

amazing lectures. it was a night class and man, i looked forward to it every week. it was more than i ever expected from a mandatory theory class. interactive, intelligent, and totally engaging. thanks chris.

pretty good class, liked the discussion style of it, but hard marker.

I took the course because from the ratings on this site I thought he'd be spectacular. He is good, but I've had better profs.

good prof, but horrible textbook. so much readings to do.. reading the notes can help w/ the exam greatly

Chris is an engaging lecturer, but a brutal marker!

Good lecturer... makes an 8am class bearble.. really wants us to be able to apply theories to real life.

Great discussions and obviously an interesting topic. The midterm was brutal because we were tested on irrelevant information from the 2 textbooks, but the final was fair and our papers were graded fairly. Definitely recommend.

3 hour class at night was brutal, do not take a long class at night. Really good lecturer, fairly helpful, but brutal tests with very specific criteria, hard and too general questions. I'm torn whether to recommend him or not.

I really enjoyed this class, he made a 3 hour class seem very interesting and engaging. However, exams are pretty tough and, as a third year, I was shocked that a first-year class had a paper due over 10 pages long. Pros and cons balance out pretty well.

Very articulate and engaging. He brought in a lot of relevant real-life examples and from his research. Loved his book on fringe parties. He's very helpful and knowledgeable when it comes to politics. 3 hours classes are the best with him.

Good prof. Very helpful and knows his stuff. Exams are fair, based mainly on lecture notes.

he is an excellent lecturer. He was born to be a teacher. The midterm was fair. I will warn you that there is a lot of reading. Don't just focus on Lecture material when studying for a test, cause lots of the test material is from the text.

Great discussions and a very interesting subject (criminology) made a 3 hour class go faster than some of my one hour classes. He's funny and an excellent public speaker. Tough marker though, especially on essays.

even if you've never been exposed to SOCI before - you'll like it from the scratch. he is perfect for 1st year students - i see how adorably they look it him, he is very inspiring for those who just begin to discover soci as a field of study. and for those how continue (like myself) - he is a treasure! i admire this person & his manner of teaching!

Chris is an amazing public speaker. I don't think I have heard him say "Um" once. He is very clear, will answer questions, uses the projector to highlight important points. Speaks slow enough that you can take good notes, but not too slow that you feel lulled to sleep. He uses current events to illustrate his points. I highly recommend this prof.

His lectures are fun and easy to listen to because he speaks clearly and slowly. However, his tests are rather hard. Study from notes rather than text books.

he adds fun stories to class and makes the class genuinely interesting. always around to talk after class or respond to emails. very approachable. great great prof.

Interesting class and the 3 hours go by so fast. he talks slow enough so you can write. Good class discussions and tests & paper are fair.

A marvelous teacher!! His lectures engage students in remarkable ways and allow students to be able to think critically about a topic in the class. We learn to be critcial thinkers before we make any judgement or conclusion on the things around us. Attending every lecture is very crucial, not only to the grades, but arouse thinking.

This guy knows his stuff. Its sounds very loser like to say but i actually enjoy his class a lot, everything is straight forward and his lectures are great and easy to follow. Rather than just a course i feel what u learn is actually relevant.

Lectures were really entertaining, although his exams were a little tough overall I still really enjoyed going to class-tests were tough but straightforward with little surprises. You MUST go to class-no webct notes and he covers lots not in the textbook. Really got me interested in the subject.

Very good public speaker. Made a topic very interesting (even though I wasn't interested to begin with). He expects a little more in 2nd year than in 1st year courses, so be prepared. Tests are a bit challenging. Take notes or get notes for every class and study a lot. Also, read the textbook and study parts that are directly related to SOCI!

i have to admit hes an amazing public speaker. His m/c on tests are impossible and hes not the easiest marker but the class is really chill and you get to talk to your friends about at least for half the class.

The professor is great at getting the material across. That said, you need to be great at taking notes, and be great at being a great student to get anything near an A.INSANELY tough to get a good mark.Be prepared to read most of the text and treat it as a 300, maybe 400 level course. you must study.and go for extra clarification on everything.

Sounds like a movie announcer! He's pretty funny too.. Enjoyed his class a lot.

A good prof from a lecture point of view, but will most definitely NOT help boost GPA. Tests are impossible to ace; absolutely does not care for student's academic well-being. TAKE IT IF YOU LIKE SOCIOLOGY. DON'T TAKE IT IF YOU WANT A GOOD MARK.

Excellent professor, lectures are hugely entertaining. He's got great speaking and delivery skills. He covers a lot of material in class and his overhead notes only provides the outline. He provides verbal detail that DO come up on the exam. Exams are mainly drawn from lectures so take really good, detailed notes. Exams are quite difficult

Very interesting prof and course. Chris is knowledgeable and presents information in a light, quirky sort of way. I've been reading a lot about how his exams are difficult ... they are, but if you study the details, it's actually not that bad.

My favorite teacher so far. I had him for two 3-hour classes and I could pay attention easily the whole time. Is a great speaker who makes the material interesting and is very funny. Grading is fair, attend class and take detailed notes though!

really entertaining and enjoyable lecture. term paper was a good mark booster. the christmas exam was pretty tough. i thought i could get by through minimal studying and common sense...that was only enough to pass. definitely need to take time to study for exams but if you do, you should do alright.

He is a good professor, he makes the class very interested he explain the theorists and concepts very well but you will not pass his tests are so hard (short answer and essay question).

Monotone, dry humor, very boring professor, just likes to hear himself talk. However exams and essays are easy to do well on, except for multiple choice (rely heavily on names, theories, details). Sociology 100 is such a broad course that it is hard to learn about anything in great depth, thus the class becomes very stereotypical.

Outstanding

A good prof. Makes the class interesting even though it's a 3 hour class! A bit difficult to score though but it is possible to get decent marks.. About 80.. But don't hope that you can get too high like 90s as his tests are rather difficult to score. Worth to attend his class. and his notes are necessary to fare in this course

His standards are extremely too high for a 100 level. He is a caring and dedicated prof who seems to love teaching. Then again, he makes his students work hard to earn their grades.

Found him to be a excellent lecturer - he made the class material enjoyable and interesting. Would help a great deal to attend every class because he draws from the lecture notes a lot during the exams. Also found him to be very accommodating when asked for help. Fair marker.

He was a great lecturer. I've had good lecturers, well one other, however he was more personable. Really interesting course that made me consider a degree in sociology. You need to attend class, if you do not you will do very poorly. Attend class, do the readings and talk to him if you have troubles and you'll do well.

Really great prof! Very engaging, I just loved listening to him lecture. He's very clear and made me very interested in sociology. Seems to care about students. Must attend class and take good notes for the exams, he doesn't use vista.

great prof! never boringg

This guy is awesome! Really eloquent speaker and he shows some pretty cool video clips. He does a good job of engaging the class too. I recommend!

AWESOME GUY! Really cool, speaks on a student level, and seems to be able to relate. He makes WONDERFUL examples, and is VERY ENGAGING!! This fascinating course influenced me to do a SOCI minor, and I hope I get MacKenzie for a future course! Never boring, TAKE GOOD NOTES, and STUDY HARD, there is a lot of material to memorize / understand.

Very hard to keep a three hour course interesting. Professor MacKenzie is the man for the job. He opens your eyes to society at large and makes you think! Great prof

Great prof loved him, made me want to do a soci major. Very interesting and engaging, made me want to go to his classes, hard MC, short answer, and essay questions, but if you study hard it will be fine. Highly recommended!

Amazing prof! He shows that he really cares about the students which makes the class easier to engage in. He is a great lecturer, never been bored in his classes and keeps the class engaged by doing group discussions. He's also a slow talker which makes it easier to take notes, but not slow to a point where you will be sleepy.

A very awesome prof! I went in, not really expecting a lot, but he made it super interesting. Very easy to sit in his lectures, do group discussions, and go see him for help. He is extremely understanding of first years, too, and only wants the best for his students. Highly recommend his class and definitely taking another class of his.

I really enjoyed his class. He's a great lecturer, cares about his students, and is very open to questions. A heads up, however, is that he doesn't post his notes on VISTA, so attendance is mandatory. Study a lot from the textbook for the midterms, and participate in discussions. If you attend class, and keep up with the readings, you'll do fine.

Great prof! Would recommend to anyone who is interested in majoring in sociology.

He is a super dope guy, took his class first semester on thursdays 6-9 pm. that was rough but i always enjoyed his class.Would seriously recommend him, always an interesting fellow.

Rad Prof. Super chill and tries to make things as interesting as possible for an intro class. He lectures like he's chatting with you so note taking can be difficult but he puts his main points on the projector (super old school) and shows pictures/videos to get the point across. Quizzes are easy, exams are less so. Papers are reasonable.

Haters only hate b/c they use common sense. Treat this like any other class. Chris is a great prof, engaging, clear, helpful, etc. Exams are very fair as long as you take and study his notes - he practically spoon-feeds what he wants you to know, so it's a very fun and fair course. Highly recommend!

Chris MacKenzie is an amazing teacher. I found his lectures extremely interesting and engaging. His tests are specific and ask some questions on seemingly random or minute details from the text, but if you've done your readings and made good notes you should be fine. I highly recommend his class.

Lectures are easy to understand and follow along. His pace is perfect, not fast or slow. Doesn't give iclickers. Doesn't post notes online so attendance is a must. Quizzes are fair. Tells you what is expected. Very good at explaining.

I took Prof. Mackenzie's class in the summer of 2012. He not only gave me loads of confidence, but also gave me wise advice in regards to pursuing a law degree: that it's a worthwhile endeavor to learn the rules of a given society's game. I've now completed my JD in Hong Kong at CUHK, in part thanks to this excellent teacher.

Makes you really think about society and provides a clear explanation of how to do well. Make sure you write good notes and read through all the assigned readings as the tests are challenging.

I think he is a great prof. He is very clear and nice.

Although there is no attendance in class, there is for discussion group.

Chris is truly a first-rate teacher. His classes are extremely engaging, especially for a rather broad, year-long intro level class/subject. 3 hours just blows by. He does the difficult balancing act of teaching textbook terms and also teaching the subject in a manner that is relatable outside of a classroom setting. Defs one of the best at UBC.

Mackenzie is a very engaging speaker. He is caring & understanding if you have a problem, don't be afraid to talk to him about it. He grades papers a little tough but tests are fairly straight forward if you memorize the lessons and text. I found multiple choice sometimes had very trivial detail questions which was annoying. Doesn't use connect.

He is pretty funny in the class, well at least that's what I found. Just read the textbook thoroughly and you'll do fine on exams. Multiple choice questions come from TEXTBOOK(!) and lectures. Bit tough of the research paper, but a fair marker. JUST READ THE TEXTBOOK.

Chris is a very engaging speaker and creates an interest in the topics covered. His lectures are well paced and interesting, yet the midterm and the final consist of mostly questions forms eat textbook and are fairly difficult. Very large emphasis on reading the textbook, keep up with the readings! The lectures and readings often didn't line up.

Made my 3 hour night class go by easily, interesting guy and quite funny. Doesn't post anything on connect so you must go to class or know someone in class. Only graded on a midterm, a paper and a final so grades will suffer if you do poorly on one of them. However, really enjoyed his class and would definitely take one with him again.

Chris was an extremely inspirational speaker, he made even the most boring of subjects interesting. The only fault of the course was that the textbook readings were monotonous and long, and the midterm and final were largely based off of the readings. 2 papers (one part of the other), doesn't use connect for notes. Overall great prof.

chris is an engaging prof, and extremely caring about his students. he is happy to answer questions, and was very nice to have given me an extension for an extenuating circumstance, but was really nice and laidback about it too. he is easygoing. I definitely recommend taking his soci250 course. take notes as a lot is from his lectures.

I found it difficult to prepare for the exams and felt that the term paper (worth 40%!) probably should not have been due in the first month of class. Nevertheless, Chris is a great professor, and I learned a lot about criminology by taking this course.

Professor Mackenzie's lectures feel like a ted talk and are always filled with humour while still very informative and interesting. For the tests it is important you remember the sociologists/criminologists that were discussed in class and the dates that they were significant. Overall great class.

Overall a great prof. :)

Great lectures! I think he really tries to find ways to connect sociological theories and ideas to our generation (he uses examples like social media). He also uses examples that are applicable outside of the classroom. I think you'll only get the actual benefit (not just marks) of this class if you really pay attention.

I took SOCI 250 with him in first term, and he was absolutely amazing. His lectures are so engaging and interesting that it almost feels like a conversation, rather than a one-way lecture. Although his notes are a bit unorthodox, everything comes together in the end, as long as you pay attention in class. His grading is very fair.

The lectures were absolutely amazing! He really knows how to keep your focus on the subject and is very knowledgeable. He literally says facts from his memory. My favorite professor in UBC till now! You will need to go to the lectures because he does not post slides online but if you pay close attention during his lectures, you're good.

Readings are separate from the lecture, so you need to go to class and read. Lectures are a combination of discussion and him talking, but interesting either way.

Really interesting lecturer and fair grader. Only thing is he doesn't post anything from lectures online so you HAVE to go to class

I've never written a review for a prof but Chris MacKenzie deserves one. I have never met a teacher/prof who is more understanding, caring, and actually looks out for you. Soci 101 is a really interesting class and having a prof who can accommodate to your needs, and is a genuinely caring person when you talk to him, made this course better for me.

Chris is a great prof and such a nice person. He seems very passionate about the topics discussed. This class is very textbook heavy! He does one sentence notes on a projector so you need to go to class, although I found the notes not useful and a bit disjointed. With that said his lectures were enjoyable and made time fly!

Chris is an amazing lecturer and prof! His lectures are engaging and easy to understand. Attendance is really important though because he doesn't post his lectures online. But overall, he's one of the best professors I've had!

Mackenzie is an awesome and engaging lecturer. Very clear and actually cares about his students - very understanding and a good guy. You need to go to every class because he doesn't post any notes. However, what gets you is the very tough marking on the very few assignments. Very textbook heavy, make sure to review everything for the exam

Chris doesn't post lecture slides online, but his lectures are very engaging; he makes three hours go by fast! Hilarious and is constantly encouraging conversation. Very easy to talk to and is helpful with questions. Tests are very textbook heavy - lots of memorizing names.

An awesome prof! I loved going to his lectures and they were really memorable and interesting. But its really important to do all the required textbook readings and know them by heart if you want to do well on the final and midterm. Also none of the notes are posted online so dont skip class. Really makes you work for the grade you want

Extremely caring; go up to him if you need something! Great lecturer, doesn't post slides online but you will want to go to class.

Professor Mackenzie is very accessible, and accommodating if something unexpected happens. Not the prof to fail you because of something beyond your control. Lectures are a must- he doesnt post notes online. But do the readings and youll be all set. He encourages discussion so feel free to engage with his lectures in his class.

AMAZING PROF!! Chris was definitely the best prof that I have had so far at UBC. His lectures are very engaging and exciting - he makes you want to actually come to class. He is a tough grader but it is still definitely worth taking a class with him, you won't regret it!

Lately, it seems like some don't like Chris. He's just not for everyone. But I'm liking the class. It's been said that exams are all about readings (holy there's a LOT. TWO textbooks). But please attend lectures! Or if I didn't go to the online lectures, "important" parts were left for 36hrs

Dr. Mackenzies lectures are engaging and he's a funny guy. I do resonate with other international students' complaints, though. Course wasn't very accessible to intl students. SOCI101 is INCREDIBLY textbook heavy and most of the exam content is textbook stuff.

His lectures are amazing and very interesting. However, make sure you read the textbook because that's what the tests are based off of. His lectures generally elaborate the most important parts though. If you're somewhat politically aware, you'll definitely pass.

HE MADE ZOOM LECTURES ENGAGING! His lectures were always so funny and on zoom he would get us to annotate or raise hands to keep us engaged. Our midterm was all multiple choice and when our final got moved online he made it open book. I didn't attend his office hours, but he was very engaging!

His lectures are extremely entertaining and I loved every moment of it - it can be confusing though, so would not necessarily recommend if this is your first SOCI class. Very flexible with COVID and assignments are kept simple. Choose a good TA tho that determines the discussion groups. Recorded lecture disappears after 36 hrs is annoying

Mostly essays, classes are interesting, important to attend lectures, not much homework. Prof is funny and ensures to make the class interesting, focuses on ensuring students have everything.

His lectures are very entertaining, and you should pay attention so you know what to focus on in the textbooks. Whatever he doesn't cover in his lectures, you can focus on the practice questions in the textbook. Essays don't take too much time to write. Also, make sure to find a good TA!

great guy, very kind and understanding. engaging lectures as well.

Pretty great prof! Assignments and quizzes are straightforward. Read the textbook and pay attention in class, and it won't be too difficult. Honestly any readings (textbook, lecture notes, other book) are examinable. Don't skip class or else you will miss important topics that might not be in the textbook. Overall decent if you put in the time.

Totally would recommend this course! As long as you're able to keep up with the weekly reading and go to class consistently you'll be able to get a good grade. The term paper is very time consuming but not unrealistically challenging. Lectures were great and the content is taught in a way that is understandable and interesting!

Very engaging prof. If you don't find sociology interesting, then you will not like this class lol but personally the information was very cool to learn about. Term paper worth 35% wasn't great but overall this is a great class

I highly recommend this prof! His lectures are really engaging and the course is well structured. The term paper is worth 35%, final exam is worth 25%, so be sure to put more effort into the paper. The paper was manageable and not too difficult. MCQs in the exam are based on the readings. Do all the required readings and you'll do well.

SOCI 101 is pretty much all common sense and you'll be able to get by with VERY minimal textbook reading and just attending lectures. Prof. Mackenzie is very chill and lectures weren't too boring. Term paper (35%) wasn't very difficult and was graded fairly. Overall a really enjoyable intro soci course and definitely recommend Prof. Mackenzie!

Lectures were very entertaining and interesting, which made going to class easy. This course is reading heavy, with tests being half lecture info and half reading info so make sure you read the textbook. The reading is manageable if you plan ahead. Very enjoyable class overall for anyone to take, just get ready to read.

This was my second time having him, and I really enjoy how straightforward he is with his teaching, and he is funny too. For a large class, he makes sure to circulate and talk to everyone. He does focus on small details on the exams, which are more textbook heavy, but you can get away with reading the textbook before the final. Great prof, hardexam

Professor MacKenzie helped the course content feel interesting in his lectures, but I personally had a difficult time in the course. I'd say if you do readings and really understand the concepts/connect back to other course material, you will do great. Sadly I prioritized other classes this term, but he's great! The term paper was a little hard.

Best prof in this uni

I thought Mackenzie had really good lectures for this class. The content was super interesting and he gave us lots of time to discuss our own ideas as well, plus he's a pretty funny guy. I thought he graded fairly on our paper, but the one thing is that he does test on details from the text for exams. Overall I would def recommend his class!

Chris is hilarious. His lectures are fun and entertaining. I really enjoyed this class! Only 4 things graded in the course: midterm, paper outline, paper, final (worth 40%). His slides also have minimal information, he often just has photos up while he talks, and he doesn't record class or upload slides, so you cant really afford to miss class.

A man I can best describe as a mix of Michael Keaton and Matthew McConaughey - a lecturer straight out of a movie. The kind of prof you'll want to have a beer with. I definitely should've taken more notes, since the slides felt more like a screensaver photo gallery. It doesn't get more 'university' than this. I still don't know what Sociology is...

He is a great lecturer, very inspirational. But exams are somehow difficult and require detailed knowledge. Don't skip class. Things he mentions on class that seems unimportant WILL come up in exams. Great thing is that final is on the last day of class so you can end the term quick.

The professor's lectures are quite engaging, though the course is reading-heavy. To do well, keep up with the textbook and start the term paper early. unstuckstudy can be a helpful study tool alongside the readings. Overall, an enjoyable intro sociology course.

Chris is a very personable prof. He is very specific in his ways, so he does not post lectures and you must go to class, and the textbook is important for midterms, but otherwise he is great. His lectures were engaging and he was good at preparing the class for his exam.

Chris is an AMAZING lecturer. His lectures were so engaging and always encouraged participation and thinking for yourself which is nice. That being said the lectures do not matter at all, he only tests on textbook materials, so read everything he says to read. Also class only graded in a paper, midterm and final which makes everything kinda heavy

definitely one of my favourite classes from the winter term, lectures were generally pretty engaging and he would often take breaks to let us think to ourselves about content and then discuss -- that said, making a friend in this class is important. you're also only graded on like 3 things which kinda sucked? but he gave you ample time to prep

Dr. Mackenzie's lectures are usually pretty engaging as they consist of videos, photos, and anecdotes. The midterm quiz relies quite a bit on the textbook. The final exam will push you a bit. It was 40 or so multiple choice, and a multiple page, doubled-spaced paper. It's not impossible to do well on this, just make sure you know your stuff.

Amazing prof, arguably my favourite I've had so far at UBC. Loved his lectures. He's knowledge and passionate and it shows. Pretty unstructured classes, mostly just him talking, but I loved it and found it so interesting. Classes were engaging and had time for discussions with peers. Super nice guy, definitely chat with him after class if you can.

I cannot stress how understanding this prof is! I missed my exam due to a mixup on my end and the prof still allowed me to take the course and I passed the class with an A. Truly an amazing prof and will take his course again! Course is very textbook heavy - need to read! But the entirety of the course with Chris was fantastic!!!

Took Soci 101 and Soci 250 with Chris, gotta say his lectures are very engaging, many group discussions and interesting questions. He grades fairly, and is pretty flexible with student's requests. He is a serious looking guy with a unique sense of humor, gotta love that.

Such interesting lectures and very understanding prof!

Chris was a pretty good professor although there were many readings, and it was content-heavy, I feel like this class was a good balance between challenging and fun. He is a chill and funny dude.

Overall, Chris was a great prof. He's approachable, and he genuinely seems to be passionate about what he's teaching. He is engaging and humorous. The reading assignments are pretty heavy, and content can be tested from the textbook and lectures. Readings are a must. Grading is only based on a few assignments, so take feedback seriously.

Great and wise guy! The course was very interesting and very easy to understand. The content wasn't heavy or overexplained in a way that would make you confused. Though, slides posted on canvas vs the slides taught in class were not the same. You must show up to class or you will miss a lot of material. Tests were fair, and Discussions were useful.

LOVED this class. Lectures were always interesting and it's clear he's very knowledgeable about sociology and cares about teaching it. Textbook reading was necessary for the midterm and final, but I felt like the multiple choice questions were fair. Also go to discussion! I skipped too many times and attendance matters.

Such a nice and funny guy, honestly one of my fav profs ever. Fair grading criteria and mid term and final were as expected! Definitely gonna take more classes with him!!

Prof Mackenzie!! An awesome guy he made me want to pursue a degree in sociology! I had him for my both soci 101 and 250 and he was great! Lots of text book readings with midterms and exams based on lectures and reading material. Super kind and understanding as well! He lets you think for yourself and is very transparent on expectations!

This class was good, I found lectures to be long (and a little boring) but the content was easy to follow. Topics were interesting and I had fun studying on my own time. Dr. MacKenzie is easy to reach and talk to, and his tests were not too hard, but make sure to keep up with your readings!!