nice guy, ok lectures, stupid group projects

FANTASTIC guy..... very interesting class

really great guy, but lectures are hard to follow and tests are hard

Hard grader... but a great guy and an interesting class

Really nice guy, don't have to read the book, but helpful, tests aren't bad

powerpoint slides VERY helpful, talk on blackboard, don't really have to read

Not a hard class if you do your work. You dont really have to read, and if you ask him alot of questions, he will remember you and help you out on your grade

If you're into theory, you'll like this class. Professor is pretty laid-back, but a hard grader. I found the readings to be very interesting. A worthwhile class to take.

I love this man. Such a cool guy and a great teacher. The tests are hard and sometimes the material gets a little confusing, but it's worth it.

Spear is a really cool guy and I recommend a class or two with him, preferably a class in the 200 level. When you get into the 300s assignments begin to get a little more vague then I like and harder to figure out.

Cool teacher, just go to class and read the online notes and you should be alright. Very helpful and the reading are pointless, so you do not have to read.

Excellent teacher very cool forget the course schedule he never sticks to it. Class was very interesting however.

Dr. Spear is a great professor, one of the best I've ever had. He is extremely initelligent, and very helpful if you see him outside of class. He does require a lot out of his students, but it's worth it.

He's very smart, and tough but if you go to his office he tries to make it easier. You have to go to class or you will be completely lost.

I heart this man. Really, a great teacher, totally laid back. Some of the material can be thick and the tests aren't easy but I have loved this class, thanks to Spear.

Smartest guy around. willing to spoonfeed you if you go to his office, but its really not neccesary. honest about the final paper, which is basically your only work, and can be done in three days.

You can't not love this guy- he's too cute, intelligent and just cool. The workload is pretty intense but if you a)go to class b)print and MEMORIZE all the blackboard notes and c)participate/talk to him you will have no trouble.

Ohhh Spear. The more I've had him, the more I've warmed to him. He's such an intellectual so sometimes it's hard to wrap your head around his lectures. It's fun when he goes off on tangents. It keeps things interesting. Memorization is key on his exams. Memorize his wording and you'll do fine.

Spear is a lot of fun, but his tests are not. Difficult class but he does everything he can to help you pass. Classes are interesting most of the time and his off-the-wall tangents are the best. Take his class!!

I love Dr. Spear! He is a very intelligent man and knows his stuff. He goes off on tangents quite often, but that just makes things more interesting. You do have to work hard in his classes, but it's worth it.

This man is great! His class is really interesting and he uses modern example to help students relate to the material he teaches. Abstracts arent 'off the wall,' in fact they are incredibly simple. Tests are challenging, but its not like the material on them isnt covered in class.

this man as A-mazing...loves his chapstick and long hair, knows everything...the class is interesting, very fast, lots of reading but just don't get behind and you'll be fine.

While I could never get an A for all of the work I put into this class, I loved going to this class every day. He's a genious. Made me realize more and more why I hated this world and my life, in a good way, by being critical of just about every aspect of society. To be enlightened, take this class.

Extremely intelligent man - you will learn a lot. If you keep up with the readings and come to class, you will not have a hard time with the exams. His lectures are really interesting, he's pretty funny, and not bad to look at, so coming to class is never a chore. :)

This class was so enlightening. Dr. Spear is very smart and funny. The tests were not too bad, just study the old exams he posts on blackboard and you should be good to go for the essay portion, and know the meanings behind a lot of the terms for the definition and multiple choice part. He is by far my favorite professor my entire college career

Absolutely take this class. The man is as smart as he is gorgeous. Extremely enlightening. You get out of tests what you put into them. He really wants you to learn. So helpful inside out outside of the class room. A must!

I found the material a little dull but Dr. Spear is a great guy who is willing to answer any questions and explain anything you don't understand. Read everything he tells you to and you should do ok.

class seems impossible at first bc his lectures are disorganized in the beginning, but by the end i absolutely loved this class. you will learn sooo much from spears. I still use my notes from this class to review for my current soci classes. it is pretty hard-i had to study a ton for my B+. Take him if you really want to learn, not for an easy A.

Awesome class with a very knowledgeable man teaching it. Obviously loves what he teaches and is always willing to have a down to earth convo with anyone. His work is challenging but because the material is interesting it is fine. Tons of reading but no point in doing them unless you want to elarn more. HE TYPES ALL OF HIS NOTES FOR YOU.

This class is very hard and requires a lot of work on the students end. Go to class because if you read and actually try to review material on your own time, Spear will talk about the readings in class and everything will make more sense. Like I said, VERY hard class, however, Spear is a great professor and a very laid back and interesting man.

I really enjoyed this class and although I found Spear to be a very hard grader on the papers I still feel that I learned a lot in the course. He is very interested in the material and gets very "deep" at times, which can be very entertaining. Laid back personality and he rolls his own cigarettes, worthwhile professor to experience.

chill af. he's super laid back & comes off kinda intimidating but knows what he's talking about. pretty clear on what he wants you to know. if you read & take good notes it's honestly not that hard w/ minimal/good effort. interesting material

I took this class for a degree requirement despite the reviews that said it was too hard. I am so glad I did. It gave me a new perspective on life and helped me to understand myself better. I even added sociology as my minor because of it. It's not a hard class if you do the readings and study. Take him! It will be worth it!!

Dr. Spear was my absolute favorite professor last semester. I read the reviews about him that said the class was difficult, and it was, but when you put in the time and effort it pays off. I stayed up studying til my eyes bled but it was my hands-down favorite class. Take this class.

Love this guy. Funny and so inspirational. He wants an "A" to mean something with academics so do some thinking and try to see the big picture of things because he doesn't care for unnecessary details. Abstracts are annoying, but there are only 6 of them. Study HARD for the tests (you'll need to). Enlighten yourself and take this class!

If you want to actually learn something in college, take Dr. Spear. His classes require effort, but so does everything else that's worth doing. If you're a lazy student who wants to skip class homework and still get an A, go take a professor who doesn't care... or just drop out of college because there's no point in you being there.

Professor Spear is AMAZING and makes you really think about life. He knows a lot about sociology and is extremely smart. There are three tests, one of them is the final. Tests are challenging and he gives abstracts that help your grade a lot. It's a lot of work but you get a lot from the class.

This was one of the hardest classes I had to take. I had taken SOCI200 with him because it was a required credit, but by the end of the semester he was my favorite professor. He is very friendly and loves discussing thing with you. Just make sure your questions have thought behind them and you aren't expecting an easy automatic answer!

By far the best professor I've ever had and one of the best people I've ever met. I felt so much more intelligent and just like I'd become a better overall person after this class. His lectures are worth your tuition money, and you're missing out if you don't take this class before you graduate. Not an easy A by any means, but it's so worth it.

If you want to learn something real in college, take this class. It will probably change your life (in a good way). Spear is amazing!

Professor Spear is awesome! He makes his lectures very amusing by adding in his own commentary to everything. We didn't have any tests, but there are four essays that are supposed to be between 4 - 6 pages. He is very thorough when grading the essays, but put in the effort and use material learned in class and you can easily pull off a high B.

I was not a big fan of the textbooks or even the material, but Professor Spear made it all very bearable. He is absolutely hilarious and definitely puts in his two sense, but in a good way. There wasn't any tests, but there was four essays that required 4 - 6 pages. He is a tough grader, but put in the effort and your grade will reflect it.

Spear is really funny and dry and pessimistic, but in a relatable way. Soci of Organizations is a REALLY INTERESTING class. I don't recommend waiting to start your papers, though, and you've got to keep up with readings. His grading isn't super clear but he definitely makes you think for yourself, which is a really useful skill. you will learn TONS

This is a college class and Spear treats it like a college class, I personally loved it and find him hilarious. Sociology is abstract and he makes it more relatable. Super smart guy, never uses powerpoints. If you read and care about the material you will do well.

Class is taught through lectures but he includes his notes online. As long as you show up for lecture and do the majority of your readings you'll be fine

Don't be afraid to take Spear. His class is hard but you really learn a lot. Attendance isn't mandatory but you should go because his exams draw heavily from lectures. 2 exams, about 5 2-page papers, in class discussions that count for participation, and a final. Just read, go to class, and you'll do fine. He's also a really funny and nice guy.

If you're not passionate about making a change in the world before this class, you will be after. Even though Spear can be a bit dry and pessimistic, he encourages educated, positive thinking and is more than willing to give advice on papers (no tests in 311) if you go to office hours and make an effort. He's a smart, quirky guy. HIGHLY recommend.

Ignore the negative reviews, Dr. Spear is the best! I had him for 200 and 361, and yes he's a tough grader and going to class is a must if you want to do well, but the material and his lectures are so interesting and funny that I was excited to go. If you have the chance to take a class with him, DO IT, you'll learn so much

Spear is a cool dude and I enjoyed taking his class. That being said, quizzes are tough and the only other grades are the essays and he is a very tough grader. I would take him again but just be aware of his tough grading.

Its a hard class but Spear is a great guy. Show up to class and hell like you and maybe take it easy on you

Participation matters & come prepared to class and do all of the stuff he says to and you'll at least get a B! Tests are hard and he grades abstracts not the easiest. He expects and takes pride in quality work, as should you. The best professor I've had . Would recommend to literally everyone! I learned so much & really enjoyed going to class!

This class was definitely challenging but if you go to class and put in the work, getting a good grade is 100% possible. Abstracts can be challenging but he was always great at giving feedback on them so you knew more what he wanted. Take notes in class and use the lecture notes posted online to study for exams and youll be well prepared.

I've never been compelled to review a professor before but Prof Spear really saved me this semester and he really deserves the 5 stars. He is very understanding of students' personal circumstances and makes an effort to check up on people if he sees them struggling. His class was interesting, discussion-heavy, and had 4 short reflective essays.

Dr. Spear is a good professor. If you come to class and pay attention then you will do fine! There's a discussion board almost every week that's based off of the content, but it's more like a reflection so it's not bad. One reflection paper per test (three tests total). The concepts are hard but he makes them easier to understand!

Dr. Spear is a great prof, I really enjoyed the class. Weekly canvas quizzes that are easy if you actually do the reading. Tue were lecture (zoom option or in person) and Thurs were mandatory online discussion board. For the essays, Spears really wants to hear YOUR ideas on the issues, steer away from summarizing what he's taught.

Professor Spear is an amazing professor who not only is very educated himself but does a great job at making sociology interesting and clear as a whole. Prof spear takes the time to touch on matters that most teachers would not, and he 100% wants to hear from his students and appreciates feedback! his soc of org class is great bc he wrote the book)

Professor Spear is really chill. I just found the material hard to focus on with it being online. It can be kind of complicated but all the materials are there for you. Grading criteria is NOT clear/standard so you won't know your grade the whole semester, but it's pretty easy to do well.

Professor Spear was a great professor, I learned so much from him and he made a class that sounds boring really interesting! I would definitely take one of his classes again and I would recommend any sociology major or business/econ major to take his class.

Professor Spear was really nice, but he would make lectures super long and talk about random things. Attendance wasn't mandatory, but since it was online for me, I made sure I attended because it would be hard to understand and remember lectures if I didn't.

Had Spear for 315 + 200. Both easy to manage. Discussion board posts every week, reflection papers 3x a sem. Lectures are pretty boring and most people stopped going. Overall an easy class and Dr. Spear is a nice prof, take him! Only thing was cumulative grade on Canvas is disabled which is annoying. :(

Dr. Spears was good. He's a really cool guy, and his lectures are really interesting. The only problem I had was with the speed at which he taught, and I guess that's more of a personal preference rather than teacher error. If you prefer learning at a faster pace without filler conversation, I suggest looking for another teacher. Otherwise he cool.