Can't believe you all don't like him - one of the best - and easy

very good teacher however if you disagree with his viewpoint research yours!!!

classes are interesting and controversial

I thought Derek Cook was one of the best teachers I've had. Helpful &challening

very interesting, definately knows his stuff

interesting opinions, makes you think. A good politician...will twist your words

thought-provoking, engaging, didn't let people get away with stupid comments

I really enjoyed this class

Very fun, interesting, intelligent and you learn so much. He is a little arrogant but it's too funny to actually detest the guy. He is great and it was a really interesting course! I'd take it again and again and again!!!

Sure he might be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but he makes you think, and that is his job isn't it?

He is an awesome instructor!! I liked his style of teaching and look forward to another course with him.

good lecturer. Easy to be passionate about the topics. If you can't defend your opinions, then probably best to agree with an expert don't you think? Lots of reading, but can get by with net notes. One of the best poli sci courses I will ever take.

its not the globe and mail you should read its the financial times! he is an inspiring man....i think he is quite hot! he is very passionate and if you don't listen to his "bias" we will end up with the liberals agian!!! and tuition hikes

Had Derek as my first poli prof and he made me want to minor in it, READ the Globe and Mail. Lots of reading, can be hard on his students who can't defend them selves but it makes you study so you can!

DEREK COOK IS GREAT. HIS MAIN GOAL IS TO OPEN YOUR MIND TO NEW POSSIBILITIES. HE CAN BE BRUTAL, AND THERE IS ALOT OF READING BUT IT'S WORTH IT IN THE END.

He was not the easiest and is very intimidating especially if its your first year. Spelling counts and his essay questions are difficult. The readings are awesome and totally make you think. He makes you think and the course is a good challange. You will learn something from this class.

best teacher i have had in my life

I had this professor in 1993/94 before going on to UBC. He was the best professor i have ever had hands down. He was inspiring and challenging. Yes he is intimidating, but he does it in a way that makes you like him and respect him even more.

He pushes you to find who you are and then teaches you to defend it. Don’t take this class if you don’t wish to challenge yourself.Derek is the best Professor I’ve ever had.I’ve always said that I’m a passionate person who believes in humanity.In Derek’s class I found the truth behind that passion.Thanks for the inspiration!A committed student

Derek is an excellent instructor who encourages his students to excel. He definately has a great knowledge of the subject matter which is reflected in the passion with which he teaches. I think Derek is the best instructor around. Follow his instructions, defend yourself, and read everything assigned...and you're good to go.

okaaaay

Derek Cook provides copious amounts of knowledge regarding the everyday world. His lecture style is chill and the man loves his job. His class is interesting and insightful. My best professor yet by far, I highly recommend his class so that you too can one day be a "cookite"

engaging, wants specific answers. wants exam answers single spaced. a very unique person.

I'm surprized he has a low rating, he's very good.

If you wanna get a good mark take this class. His test and exams he gives u just essay questions that are very easy and then marked them easly... loved this class.... lots of book readings, but very interesting boooks

Derek is the best prof I have had so far. He is passionate and teaches a massive amount of interesting info. Know your opionions, why you have them and be able to defend them and you will do well.

Incredible lectures. He really knows his material and is willing to share his knowledge with others. He's approachable and as long as you're willing to support your opinion, he will listen. Hands down the best class I took first year.

Derek is a character thats for sure, a little shocking at first even but you get used to him teaching the class as though hes Trotsky. Oh and be prepared to get a subscription to the Globe and Mail

he is a great teacher. I must say he is one of the best that i have seen in my University life

Derek is there to teach and not hold your hand-so if you aren't interested in the real world, drop his class to make room for others who are. I have much respect for the time he must put in to bring relevant issues to class. In other words-if the frying pan is too hot-get out of the damned kitchen!

Derek is a no BS prof. He encourages political debates in class, and he is probably the best professor I've ever had. He knows what he's talking about, and he knows that he's only there to teach you, not to hold your hand through politics. He encourages you to form your own views and find things out first hand.

While he is very knowledgeable, he has an extreme left wing view. I like the fact that he uses original sources on his reading list (rarely a boring textbook), but his choice of required reading reflects his biased views: most of the readings espouse an extreme left wing view and are very critical of anything slightly conservative. Unbalanced.

I actually like this guy. He knows what he is talkign about thats for sure. His marking is a little wonky. I think he grades the curve or something. A lot of guest speakers, a lot of books, and a huge final exam. But if you go to class you'll be fine. He makes it pretty easy to pass his class with a good mark.

Excellent class. Has a left wing view point, which many use to suck up to him. Makes you think, encourages debate. TONS of reading, but all interesting and relevant. Cool guest speakers. Good class to work on critical thinking skills.

Amazing! Sooo glad I took his class. I learned a ton. There's so much reading but it's all very interesting. A little bit difficult to approach but once you get past that his class is great. Best class I've ever taken.

Derek is excellent at making people feel stupid, but you'll quickly learn that he does it to everyone, and it's probably not personal. He's a bit of a cynic and some classes can leave you feeling depressed about the state of the world. He marks pretty easily. Overall, he's an intelligent prof and will teach you what others don't want you to know...

Lots of reading, but very interesting and he has a lot of knowledge and is much more approachable than he appears at first.

I had prof Cook last year before transferring to a larger university's Poli Sci dept... lemme just say I really miss his style of teaching and he presents all sides of the story while still always letting you know what he thinks. if TRU had a poli sci major I would have stayed and i regret having to transfer

Derek is a very opinionated man with highly extremist, left-wing, NDP political views. He will dismiss any opinions from other factions whatsoever. However, a fair man with an incredible love for the subject which is reflected in his lectures. Very interesting class to take. Don't believe everything he teaches you, its not all credible.

took two classes with him in one semester= mistake! combined total of 16 books to read and multiple essays. :( although it feels as though he is giving a biased approach, i felt that he was simply encouraging us to get the facts and challenge our minds. enjoyed his class and will for sure take another in the future

He is one of the best profs!!!!!! I recommend to take his course if u want to understand at least something in this world!!!!

Took two classes with Derek, then transferred to polisci at a larger university. He is the best polisci teacher going! Yes, he has strong opinions, but you don't have to agree with everything he says, you just have to THINK about it, and isn't that the point? He does assign a crushing amount of readings though, but they are mostly good.

He has very strong opinions and takes care to express them on a regular basis. He is a fair marker as long as you put some effort into you?re assignments and provide a coherent thesis with evidence. He does provide the exam questions in advance, and while they can seem overwhelming, he is very reasonable in his expectations. Enjoyed the class.

He knows what he is talking about. He teaches you to know what you are talking about. An excellent teacher that ensures that you learn something from the class rather than go through it feeling forced to memorize and regurgitate material.

Oh man the hardest class I have ever taken. This class is way harder than 3rd/4th year poli classes at this uni. He expects you to work hard! The papers are terribly difficult, but I learnt so much!

A no BS prof who won't pull any punches, but genuinely wants his students to learn. If you take his Poli 1210 class, expect a lot of books (13 in my case), but don't think you have to recite everything in them. People miss the point: he's just trying to give you a first-hand & uncensored view of each ideology in lieu of watery textbook definitions.

At first he was extremely intimidating but he really grew on me. He's genuinely interested in what he teaches and is fair unless you're being a hypocrite. My only problem is the amount of books he adds to the course.

Both the course load and the prof could be very intimidating to some at first, however he is a great prof for people who actually want to learn something. The books are far more in depth than a textbook, and in the long run more valuable because you can keep them and use them for later courses.

Cook is awesome if your there because you love politics, he assigned a ton of actual books instead of a textbook and in the end your getting your moneys worth. I like the class and the lectures he knows what he's talking about and is super wise in these matters.

Derek is a nice guy. He cares for his students and he is the definition of what an instructor should be like. As with any other course, you need to read and study, but if you invest in the time and effort, you will definitely pass. Would take him again.

One of the most interesting courses I have taken. The books and articles given in class were interesting and you could read and he could help you understand it. Cook is a fair grader, makes the class interesting and emphasizes what he wants you to know.

A wonderful professor, defiantly a university level professor. If you want a class with a lot of discussion opportunities he is a prof for you! You will feel like you really learn in his class. He assigns a multitude of books but if you understand the main concepts of each you will do fine. Not a harsh marker but, do not slack off. Great guy!

Dear fellow student, this is what you need to know about professor Cook: it is alright to panic at first when he assigns you 13 books to read, when you have other tough courses and you want to have social life, too. If you hate reading and writing papers, this is not a class for you. you are willing to put in some work- you'll get a good grade.

The class was definitely a course load, but the lectures where very interesting as we went over many different topics each day.

Absolutely love Derek, I've never met a more brilliant professor. He literally knows everything, and although his lectures can be all over the place sometimes, you'll a) get used to it and b) be thankful- you learn the world isn't so peachy as everyone makes it out to be.

A professor who is not afraid to be controversial, making for interesting POLI classes. He's quite opinionated, and gives a lot of reading material, but he is a fair marker. He really makes you feel more intellectual and knowledgeable of the world upon finishing his class.

Derek is the most knowledgeable person I know.

Lectures involve a lot of current events and room for class discussion. It is easy to tell that he enjoys teaching. He does push his political opinion at times yet he does allow for you to have a say as well. Cares about how you do as he offers assignments and gives you a very clear idea of what is on the final. This class was very informative.

Cook is a wonderful prof, you can truly tell that he enjoys teaching his course material. I have learned alot from his lectures and i would love to take more of his classes. He is very clear with what he wants in terms of grading & He also marks your work very fast. However get ready to read! He assigns a lot books to read but they are very helpful

Highly suggest Derek as a prof. You have to work hard though. He assigns up to ten books and hands out articles every class, and his lectures are completely verbal... no slides. He is clear with exam and paper criteria. If you are passionate about political science it will be worth the effort.

Took 6 courses with him. Best prof ever! He is not a tough grader. If you read at least half of the resources he gives and just think about the readings, you' ll get an easy B or A. You will learn how to analyze the political events or news from the perspective of different interest groups. Simply saying Who gets What and Why.

Derek Cook might be one of the smartest people I have ever met. He has contributed greatly to my outlook of the world and the books he assigned in his class changed my life.

This is one of the few REALLY important profs to experience at this University. He has a bias and he's not shy about it, but it's rooted in experience, study and knowledge. This man changed my way of looking at the world. LOTS of reading but, you'll be better for it.

Derek was the finest man I ever learned from. I cite his lectures on my daily Political Writings to Government Officials if you are like me you find no studying and passing up 2nd year is not hard despite all the homework I didn't do he accurately covered authors in his lectures and more. Which allowed me to compare authors I've yet to read.

I learned so much from Professor Cook! He assigns a lot of books, but they're relevent, interesting, and you generally don't need to rush to read everything, only the relevent chapters he outlines at the beginning of the semester. For his tests he does mainly in class essays, but he provides the questions for them the week prior to prep!

The best professor in my life. Someone judge his heavy reading task. If you want to be a qualified politician in the future, take his course. Otherwise, read peace and love fairy tales instead. I appreciate he could teach us lots of extra knowledge. He will help you catch the key point of politics, you will not become ideologic foolish.

He made this class amazing for someone who never had any idea about politics. Yes, no tech, and doesn't give you any slides. It's hard to get a good grade in his class. However, the information he gives you is invaluable. He gives you a view of the real world and how politics actually work. Gives you a glimpse of reality.

Wonderful prof if u're passionate about political theory and want key political knowledge, valuable to you for years to come, known by powerful. If u're not used to extracting relevant information from books might be hard to adjust. No hw, no slides, posts essay question 1 week in advance. Grades well if you mention relevant points of authors.

While the workload is heavy, with lots of reading, the professor's insights make it worthwhile. Attend class, use unstuck study for study prep, and you'll gain a fresh perspective on the world.

He is extremely knowledgable about politics and gives an invaluable lens into how the world works. A lot of books yes but all should be read and not one is less important than the others. Papers can be long but he wants you to show that you engaged with and put effort into at least trying to think and if you did then you'll do well.

Derek's class is tough but worth it. I've learned and retained more in his classes than any others. You will need to read many books that can be found at the library or online, but he will often express which chapters are most important to read through in each. Would definitely recommend his courses if you have interest in poli

Amazing teacher! It was an honour to be his student. Has an amazing understanding of politics and is absolutely NOT biased. He grades you well if he sees you have learned the topics. You will learn a lot in his class and you will enjoy every moment! Thank you Derek for such amazing teaching.

One of the best university classes I've ever taken. You know exactly what's expected on day one.