Totally freaked me out bc he just chooses ppl at random out of a huge assembly, but his lectures are so full of discussion, it really helps. He always wants to make sure you really understand too. PLus he has a fantastic voice, and is really funny.

SO good! Take a class with him if you can! He is really energetic and engaging..you can tell that he wants his students to do well.

Very fair marking. His lectures are engaging and provoke thought.

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not easy on marking, actually on of the hardest in windsor!!! But... you will learn sooo much about international conflict!! we miss you Dr. Spears!!! u of W crew...

Awesome teacher

Down to earth and brilliant, Spears really taught like a master. The readings were current and interesting, but the essay was marked very hard. Midterm was easy as pie. I loved the course.

Great teacher, but is a hard marker. I can't complain about the Final though. I got a 90%.

WOW! Let me just say I never wanted to miss one of his lectures! He is engaging and you can tell he loves what he teaches. My best prof yet.

Best professor I have ever had in my three years at Guelph. Most engaging, encouraging, challenging, and great sense of humour to keep me interested.

Personality - a little on the wacky side - kind of a cross between Kermit the Frog and Jack Nicholson. Still, he loves what he teaches and it shows in his enthusiasm. I don't see him as intimidating, just a little *intense*. He's a very fair marker - to the point that you want to yell and rant.

Good lecturer, enthusiastic and involved. Little rough on some of the grading, but overall fair. Quirky and interesting to listen to. Definite thumbs up.

One of the most enthusiastic and engaging profs I've ever had. If he doesn't make you think no one will.

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hes the greasteST professor out there, you guys will love his class, and guelph is lucky to have him!!! THE midterm was easy

I fail to comprehend the harsh comments displayed here recently. Dr. Spears is extremely charismatic, articulate and humourous. His evaluation is fair and his reputation for redundant rigor is unwarranted. He is definitely one of the best, if not the best professor I have ever had the privilege of taking.

Yea This guy is deffinatly one of the best teachers at Guelph trust, he reiterates the important points, answers questions fully and doesn't side step them and is extremly enthusiastic and helpful, highly reccomended

Spears rocks. He is hilarious and so cute. I love the way he lectures and interacts with the class. He is a hottie- dresses well too.

Although everyone sees things differently, i think everyone in his Fall/05 Pols 2200 class would say that he was well liked, easy to approach and a fabulous. he is caring about each individual student but doesnt go over board and crowd his lectures with meaningless babble. He is by far the best Prof i have ever had.

awesome prof! makes you like the class because hes so enthusiastic about it...funny and cute!

AMAZING! I love this prof. He was so approachable and his ways of explaining theories to the class were done so clearly and stated so simply, it was hard not to understand. And it was so nice how he actually thanked us for comming to class... best looking prof ive had since ive been @ Guelph too!

Great professor I would recommend taking a class with him if you can.

Got to be on your toes with this guy as he challenges you to be extremely prepared for seminars. Encourages independent thought and not just spitback of facts and theories. Is developing a cult following within the CIDS program.

BEST PROF EVER. He has changed my life

Very entertaining in class. Must go to class and keep up with readings but it's worth it.

I loved this class...it was soetimes a little dry but spears was always enetertaining...YOu have to be prepared for his exams... I would definetly take one of his classes again

Very good prof, makes going to lectures enjoyable. He doesn't post notes so you need to go to class, but its easy to pay attention!!! Midterms, exams and essays are fair, but you need to do work in his class.

really good professor, ive never had such lively political science class in my life, even with half the class being theory.

Greatest professor at the university

Excellent Prof! One of my faves in the politics department.

I Loved this man! He was so funny and really cared about all of us. Not to mention he was pretty hot so attending was definitely not hard! Ask him to tell you stories about africa

He rocks!

Quite simply one of the best professors at Guelph. If you ever have a chance to take a course of his, do yourself a favour and take it. Very enjoyable lectures, very down to earth guy, you will learn a lot!

My favourite prof at UoG! I learned a lot. It wasn't my best grade, he's hard but I learned a lot and he consistently engages the classroom :)

this was an amazing course. spears is the best prof at guelph, he's hilarious and his lectures are fantastic.

Had him for international relations... he is BY FAR the most engaging, interesting, passionate and hilarious professor. He is very well attuned with what he is teaching, and more than willing to help students. I majorly bombed the midterm (I suck at multiple choice) but he offered a lot of breathing room with an essay, and a good prep for the exam!

He was my Prof whilst I was on exchange from England. Very interesting however you have to rely only on the readings. He will not take on board your own opinion in class or in assignments. Having said that he was extremely helpful and I'm happy I took this class.... and happier that he passed me. I recommend this class!

Awesome professor, readings are imperative, he makes you work for it but he keeps you engaged.

Had him for international relations and conflict resolution and he is a great prof. He marks hard on his papers but it is possible to do well. you MUST do the readings if you want to do well, he relies heavily on it. Overall a really funny guy and if you need help he is more than willing to give it to you. He genuinely cares about his students.

he made internation relations actually interesting. he's definitely one of the best profs i have ever had

He is one of the most engaging professors I have ever had. He challenges you to think for yourself. You have to work for your grade, but its worth it. Best professor I have had in university thus far. Thanks for finally making showing up worth my time.

AWESOME PROF! It was a difficult course, and you really had to keep up with all readings (which was like 3 a week). Midterm and final were hard, but I got an A on the paper. He is a true inspiration and an awesome speaker. I do recommend this class to other people if they are willing to read a lot.

The best professor I have ever had. He is an amazing lecturer, is very clear, a great speaker and is passionate. He tries to get to know his students even in a class of 300. Extremely helpful and truly wants to engage students and watch them succeed.

Best prof ever! I have taken all the classes that he teaches. Is engaging and entertaining which makes class worthwhile! Hard marker of papers but if you work hard you can get a good grade. Take a class with Spears whenever possible!

An amazing prof. You come out with better knowledge of the world, and in this case Africa. Very helpful, very approachable, a tad eccentric/goofy in a funny way. Even though i dont get the best marks with him, i come out knowing I have a better understanding of politics then I did before. Something alarmingly non-existent in someuniversity classes.

very nice and engaging person, really wants students to be interested and succeed. That being said, if you have a full semester it is very very tough to keep up with all the reading and do well. You have to be ready to work hardest in this class.

i really liked him as a prof. he's very engaging.

THE BEST PROF IN EXISTENCE. He is extremely engaging in lectures and makes sure you know all of the information! I loved that he got to know everyone by name. Extremely approachable and helpful. The readings are crucial- he does mark small details such as quotes (know authors!) but I learned so much in his International Relations course!

Ian Spears....VERY engaging, really wants his students to succeeded, and truly cares about your success and will guide you. VERY hard marker, exams are very tough, READING ARTICLES IS A MUST! you HAVE to put the effort in with Spears or else you will not do well. You must keep up with the weekley readings, and trust me there are tons!

Such a great Prof. The most engaging lecturer I have ever witnessed. Not an easy marker.

Changed my life. Super engaging and extremely supportive. Take a class with him, you will not regret it.

He taught an excellent class that completely changed me. The most passionate professor I have had and will probably ever have. I am so sad that this class is over. If you have the chance, take POLS 3000. I cannot overemphasize how fantastic it was

Note that I am a business student not a politic science student. A FANTASTIC professor. He is the one professor I respect 100% out of my whole undergrad. He gave me a great perspective on the world, and I truly believe the money I paid for this course was finally worthwhile.

great prof, so interesting and helpful! so worth taking the class, changes your whole outlook!

Fair evaluation, not too difficult of a course. Good intro type class but incredibly boring if you are already somewhat knowledgeable in political science/history. Would prefer more "current news" type analysis rather than just constant referral to "authority sources" i.e. textbook author(s).

Spears is easily the best prof I've had throughout my undergrad. The lectures and articles were very engaging and interesting. Do the assigned readings (all of manageable length) and you'll do well in his class. I've recommended Spears to everyone I know in Political Science. If you have the chance, take a class with this guy!

Best professor I have ever had. Makes you want to go to lectures. Makes you study material in a way that makes you understand, internalize and remember it. Amazing, amazing prof. I just wish he taught more classes :(

Best prof ever! Lectures very helpful. Readings are interesting and relevant to course content.

I could say a ton about how great Spears' classes are, but I won't because it would take too long. He is the best professor I have had and made my time at UoG amazing!

He's incredibly passionate about the subject material, and a fantastic lecturer. Despite the huge class sizes he learns most people's names. There are quite a lot of readings, but they are manageable, relevant, and very interesting. Best professor I ever had at UoG, an unbelievably nice guy. Do everything you can to take one of his classes.

Spears is a gem. He is the most amazing, wittiest and committed professor I had during my undergrad.

Great professor, very committed to the content and the subject.

Really smart and funny, made me love political science! You must go to his lectures or else you'll be lost. He can go on and on about topics but he makes things very clear. He wants the class to participate. If he repeats something/quotes someone it will come up on tests. DILF!!

Ian Spears encourages students to form their own opinions not by forcing his own down their throat but by providing opinions of scholars and writers who have been influenced or themselves have influenced the issue. Spears is a hard marker but its only because he expects excellence and if you attend his lectures and do the reading it is possible.

Fantastic professor. Cares about his students, our success, & making us think. Was incredibly understanding when I needed extensions and the amount I learned in his class astounds me. Lectures mostly coincide with the textbook & he's great at teaching so you can get good marks. Do your readings, take good notes, come to class, & you can get an A.

Many call him Ian "the ratface" spears

Spears is amazing. Super passionate about what he does and encourages each pupil to have their own opinion. Really values your participation in class and likes to show you ALL perspectives in order to equip you for the actual world where there is no one answer to anything. Absolute favourite prof at UofG.

Best prof I have ever had. Hands down.

One of my favourite professors at Guelph. He truly makes lectures enjoyable to attend. I believe he is an extremely fair marker and creates good exams, but his classes are not easy.

My favourite prof. Makes lectures interesting. Always there for his students, helpful, & approachable. Wants you to learn & grow. Presents contrasting arguments to really make you think. No textbook. Content can be challenging so you have to make effort. I like that he encourages class discussion but sometimes he lets people drone on for too long.

Spears is one of those profs that has an almost legendary reputation among students. He's incredibly engaging, friendly, intelligent, and helpful. His classes are not easy. The readings are fairly long, but interesting. He expects high-quality essays, and his examinations require thorough knowledge of all the readings. And yet you'll still love it.

Spears is a really great prof! His course is very focused on the readings but he lectures very well and is really funny.

Ian Speers is a amazing prof, he's the reason I'm considering to be Politics prof in future. He's really inspiring and helpful in class. However, he encourages to read and attend to classes a lot. So if you're not interested you might have a hard time.

8:30AM 3 hour seminar. Quiz every class. 100+ pages of reading/week. Tough marker. That all being said, it was genuinely a privilege to be in Ian Spears 4th year class. It is the most eye opening, provocative and inspirational course at Guelph. He cares about his students and wants them to think critically about every reading. Take this class.

Spears was an amazing prof! He genuinely cares about the students and tries to remember the names of all of the students in order to develop a more personal relationship. He'll go out of his way to help you and definitely makes lectures interesting. He's always up for a discussion during class which allows students to gain more knowledge.

He's a great guy. Just impossible to get 80+ in. Class average will be around a low 70 no matter what. You will get no higher than a 75 on the term paper. He's an amazing lecturer, that's it. Final is extremely difficult too.

One of the BEST professors & truly an EDUCATOR. He makes your standards of other prof's go higher! He cares for your learning & success. Intelligent, funny, approachable, and he makes you THINK. Not for lazy people obviously, welcome to University! He's one of those prof's that changes people lives for the better! TAKE HIS COURSES!

he is a very tough prof, probably the toughest I have ever had but he is by far my favorite. he is a hard marker for essays and has high expectations, but It makes you a better student. He is great to just chat with about issues in class. Overall amazing guy. Totally possible to get 80+ if you hustle all year.

Hilarious that people complain about the amount of readings in 4340. It's a FULL credit course. What did u expect? Gives away 20% of ur mark in weekly quizzes/participation. Much less writing than other full credits(3 essays, 18 pages total). Tough marker for essays, but fair & gives good feedback. Great course, fav prof,interesting, learned a lot.

Prof. Spears is by far the BEST professor/instructor/teacher I have had in my entire University experience. He was always so excited to start the lecture and actually cares about what he is teaching students. I've taken two classes with him already and plan on taking any more that I can in my last year. Highly recommend taking any class he teaches

Professor Spears is not the easiest marker and I will not be receiving an extremely high mark in his class, but he is caring, passionate and insightful. He loves the material he teaches and loves to discuss it. The Essay was super fun to write. The class needs a lot of time devoted to readings though. Overall, would take again.

Spears is the man. Makes you work for a good mark, but he a caring and interesting guy. Highly recommend taking any of his classes.

Ian Spears is hands down the best professor I've had in my four years in Guelph. He is engaging, hilarious and very willing to help his students. Although the readings are fairly long, he explains the concepts throughly in class which helps with the by weekly quizzes. If given the opportunity, take any class with this prof. Truly a privilege

The best Professor at Guelph! He is a tough marker and makes you work for it but definitely would recommend. He also accommodates for people who do not like speaking in front of class, you can do weekly summaries! Awesome guy

Prof Spears is by far the best PoliSci professor I've had at Guelph. He is very knowledgeable and cares a lot about the opinions of his students. He calls on students a ton, even when their hand is not up so be prepared for that, although his goal is for them to succeed not to embarrass them. Very funny that makes lectures a blast. Would recommend!

My favourite poli sci prof at Guelph! Makes dry content seem interesting, I personally really enjoyed his lectures. He keeps his students engaged, and is very friendly. Definitely take one of his classes if you can!

Amazing Professor, clearly cares about students. That aside this class is not easy, there are a ton of readings and its impossible to succeed without doing them. Midterm and Final are difficult and the term paper is graded very hard. Class average going into the final was between 70-71. For students not in politics this class will hurt your GPA

Professor Spears is by far my favourite prof I have had at UoG. His lectures are very engaging and his approach to teaching content makes it super easy to learn. There is quite a bit of reading, but for the most part it is pretty interesting so it's not a big deal. I will be taking his courses any chance I get!!

Easily one of the best professors at guelph, always take his courses if you can

Dr. Spears is a really good professor, and his lectures are incredibly engaging. He's also readily available to help with assignments outside of class. However, the final paper is fairly demanding, in that he expects a high level of writing, and marks accordingly.

Amazing professor. I recommend taking his courses if you get the chance. He makes his lectures interesting and is very accessible through e-mail, and very helpful with questions.

so so kind and willing to help you. was more than willing to help me with my term paper which I ended up getting a 90 on. gives amazing feedback

Love spears so much! Such an amazing prof, reading's are not essential if you attend the lectures, he summarizes very well. Best prof ever.

Amazing professor. Nothing but great things to learn and say about him. If you really wanna understand what type of person he is, know that he drinks strawberry milk. Thats says it all.

Ive never met a prof as caring as him. Truly wants everyone to succeed and is willing to take time to help you get good results. Can definitely come off as tough and intimidating first but if you work hard in this course it actually pays off! Quite a bit of reading but I found it interesting.

Prof spears is one of the most caring professors that I have ever had, he truly does care for his students.

Great prof. His lectures were very engaging and he was very clear, making sure we understood the content. Was also available after class to answer questions and via email to really help students succeed when it came to difficulties with time management, essay writing, but without doing all the work for them. Wants students to succeed and learn.

Fantastic Prof. You can tell he not only loves teaching but he truly cares for his students and wants them to succeed. He has some of the best lectures I have ever attended. He makes an effort to engage with his students during lectures and if you participate or talk to him after class he will remember you. He is always happy to help when in need.

Professor Spears is the best lecturer I have ever had a class with, he makes an effort to engage students and he is very passionate about intl. relations. He is a great guy and wants to see students do well. Only downfall is there are few assignments so exams are weighted heavy, if you go to class and pay attention 80+ is more than achievable

I am sad that I did not get to experience spears until my 4th year because I wish I had more time to take every class he teaches. he is so personable and easy to talk to. He answers all emails and questions promptly and is always happy to meet with you to clarify anything or talk to you about your assignments.

Really good lectures, Interesting topics, going to class is super important but if you do the class becomes fun and easy.

Professor Spears is very kind, knowledgeable, patient, and ready to answer questions. His lectures were always fun to attend.

a great prof!! the only 8:30am class i've ever consistently gone to because of his engaging lectures. it's a lot of reading, but if you're staying on top of them and write notes during lecture, you'll do well.

Professor Spears is an incredibly knowledgeable and caring person on all things related to politics of Africa, yet incredibly humble. Even years after I have taken his course, I still use the knowledge gained to this day. I hope learning the map of Africa is still part of his course requirements. Lectures are insightful and progressive. 10/10!

He is one of the best professors I've had in university. He is extremely engaging, and manages to keep you focused in lectures at 8:30 am. He deeply cares about his students and wants them to succeed, he allows a lot of discussion that contributes to learning. His outline is also very organized, and the course is easy to follow. Highly recommend!

PROFESSOR SPEARS IS THE GOAT I love him so much and will take any class I possibly can that he teaches. He is a PRO at teaching, cares so much about students, his lectures are clear but very important to attend (he makes them interesting). He's so accessible outside of class and just loves talking with students. Really inspirational take his class

Professor Spears is a wonderful prof who cares about his students. He always makes his lectures interesting and gets everyone involved. You can truly tell he enjoys his job and teaching students which is important because nobody wants a boring prof. To do well you must attend the lectures and keep up with the required readings which is very easy.

Amazing prof! Lectures were so engaging they'd actually make you want to get up for that 8:30 lecture. No assignments, exams only, and the readings matter a lot for these exams. Overall, you can do well in the course if you can put the time into the readings. Def would take a class with Spears again

Amazing lectures. Very embracing of student communication and participation. Spears can get anyone pumped up at the 8AM lecture.

Ian Spears is by far my favourite Prof I've had so far. His lectures were interesting and engaging. His class was the only 8:30 class I have consistently gone to. Saying this, I found his class my most challenging because it was a lot of reading & philosophy (not my thing), but I loved it nonetheless.

Great professor that actually seems like he cares, remembers students names, doesn't talk to you as if you should already know everything. Would take classes from him again, 10/10

Great prof, super straight forward course that is taught very well. Everything is easy to understand. However there aren't any assignments and 95% of your mark is made up of 2 mid terms and a final. There are also 5 1% quizzes which are easy. Although the class is great the marking is very difficult and it is very very hard to get over a 75.

Professor Spears is an engaging lecturer who keeps the 8:30 am class interesting. While the course involves a lot of reading, using resources like unstuck AI alongside the textbook and lectures can help you succeed. Definitely worth taking if you're willing to put in the effort.

Professor Spears makes all his lectures engaging and enjoyable. The readings he assigns are interesting and cover important topics today. Would 100% recommend taking a class with him. Marking was a bit tough at times but if you put the effort in, you can get above an 80.

Professor Spears is very dedicated to what he teaches and very much cares for all his students. The class is a tough one but going to every lecture and doing the readings will guarantee some level of success. Don't expect free marks, the entire class is test focused so you must put in the work to get the grade.

Incredible lectures both in content and delivery although may feel repetitive from reading content at times. Pace picks up quick but content is not difficult enough that it is impossible to catch up if falling behind. Hard to say anything else besides I loved this class a lot.

Best prof of all time

Professor Spears is one of the best professors I have ever had. He keeps the class very engaged and clearly wants students to feel passionate about the material. You MUST read the readings he gives to do well, but it is worth it as they are often interesting. I would 100% recommened taking a class with him if you have a chance.

My favourite prof at UofG. The course load is demanding and the tests are hard but prof Spears will quite literally do anything to help you succeed in his class.

I found him kind of annoying at first but his lectures are actually really entertaining and he makes the difficult content easier to understand. There are a lot of complicated readings but if you go to class he goes through them in an interesting way. He cares a lot about his students and wants you to succeed.

One of the best professors I've ever had, he is very caring and his lectures are amazing and engaging to the level i was actually excited to go to his class at 8:30 am. Grading is kinda tough and you need to go to lectures to succeed. There is lots of reading in this course, but going to the lectures makes it easy to understand the content.

Dr. Spears has amazing lectures that you should definitely attend. He graded our midterm essays fairly and provides good feedback, which I appreciate. Unfortunately, some multiple choice questions he asks are very specific questions about lecture examples that I, as someone who attended every lecture, had trouble remembering.

Such an amazing prof who really enjoys what he does. Attending lectures is definitely important, but they're never boring! Textbook isn't that important compared to the other readings he gives you, those are extremely important to understand. No assignments, 2 midterms, quizzes, and exam. Really awesome class to take.

Professor Spears explains the topics in this course in great detail with lots of enthusiasm (you can tell he loves talking about international relations). This course is my favourite course that I've taken so far. There are a lot of readings to do, but as long as you have read them and show up to his lectures, you will excel in this class.