his class was the easily the best one i took my freshman year

Super Duper!

Extremely clear, confident and effective lecturer. Mercer doesn't just sit up front and lecture; he walks around the room and encourages student involvement even w/ enrollment at 100+ students. An asset to the UW, would def. take another course from him again, A++++

A bit opinionated at times, but willing to admit his biases. Encourages student expression in class. Glad I took the class. Mercer is popular for a reason.

Fantastic! Third class I've taken from him, would recomend his classes to anyone. Be prepared to work, and think, but that's what you're in college for right?!

Great Professor... Actually cares about what he's teaching. Felt like I learned a lot from him. (Be prepared to read the NY Times ---it's gospel to him!)

He and I learned a lot from each other.

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He is easily my favorite prof at UW! Have taken two classes with him and while they're hard, they're also some of the best classes I've ever taken! Brilliant man who will teach you soo much!

The greatest course/Professor EVER. Note: Not "easy" by any means, but you'll get a lot out of the material. I'm not completely certain but I do believe that he did his doctoral thesis work in non-lethal weaponry & their effect on warfare - best lecture week ever. Be prepared: opening day song = "War (what is it good for)", and watch Dr Strangelove during Nuclear Strategy lecture.

Amazing professor, best lecturer ever. And I never once fell asleep!

If you know a lot of IR, you'll be disappointed. He has superficial knowledge, but is cocky about his opinions and will tell you that what you think is "cute." His tests don't ask for your analysis--just repeat exactly what he put in the notes. All he talks about is his psychology crap, War in Iraq, and how he hates US foreign policy.

Hands down one of the best professors at UW, especially in the Political Science Department. The class is hard, especially for an intro level class, but it is well worth all the work.

Best class I have ever taken!

One of the best lecturers. He makes you laugh, think, and concerns you about the world you live in today.

Easily one of the best professors at UW, very funny and the class offers a lot to learn about. Lectures are well-planned, he provides an outline for every single lecture which is very convenient for typing notes because you can copy the outlines from the class website. A great class!

Amesome class! He's funny, lectures are interesting and it's pretty easy and you learn a lot about the world.

He is one of the best professors in the U for sure, I've learned so much in his class. Funny, nice, clear lectures, definitely try to take his class.

excellent prof. his notes are already in outline form and easy to follow. he integrates current events into the theories presented at the begining of class, which is really helpful on the tests. tests were all essays and not easy. you deffinately have to study. all the previous test questions are online. take this class

Excellent professor! He's really interested in the subject and expects you to be, too... Don't slack off; lecture's worth going to.

By far my favorite teacher so far. His class was just awesome, there is no other way to explain it. I made sure to sign up for his upper-level class when I got a chance. TAKE FROM HIM IF YOU CAN!

Best. Teacher. Ever. Highly interesting and articulate with a sense of humor. Lectures worthwhile. Take good notes. Tests are short answer and essay so its easy to miss short answer questions by tuning out in lecture. Quiz sections are also great forums for contemporary political debate.

He is amazing! I would have to say he is my favorite professor ever. He makes class so interesting, and I am taking the prerecs for his other class that he teaches, just so I can have him as a professor again. He is an awesome professor to have, is very clear, and pretty easy, especially for freshmen.

LOVED IT! MERCER IS AWESOME

Prof. Mercer is amazing. Seriously - I'm a senior, and his political psychology seminar was the best class I've taken at UW. He's brilliant, engaging, and well-organized. I learned a TON in this class, and I credit him for that. Be prepared to read and participate if you want a good grade.

AMAZING.

He is an AMAZING teacher! I have had him for a couple classes!! He makes the subjects he is teaching super interesting!! His notes and outlines are very helpfull! As long as you dont have a jack ass TA the class will go easily

great lecturer! a lot of material is covered so its important to attend. quiz sections didn't help but the lectures do.

Prof. Mercer knows his stuff and presents clear and comprehensible examples of the topics covered to help students' learning. Great sense of humor and organization. Laid back guy and enthusiastic about IR. Highly recommended for anyone who wants an intro poli sci class.

Enigmatic and charismatic: funny, loves IR, and compassionate. His tests are similar to his old ones, so just check those out and chances are, some of the questions/IDs are going to show up on your test.

Great teacher. Is very passionate about the topic and it shows. He is very organized in the way he presents his notes and makes lectures interesting with random, impromptu jokes or song. Just don't walk in late- you will be called out for your tardiness.

Mercer is an amazing teacher, the is some reading, but not anything that most students wouldn't love to know. He renewed my love for political science and students are completely tuned in the entire time. TAKE THIS CLASS

Mercer was amazing. Lecture was not boring. He didn't go over what the readings said in class, so all of his material was new and interesting to hear. He didn't read off a powerpoint either. Such an AWESOME lecture!

Professor Mercer is my favorite professor at UW. He is engaging, inspiring, interesting, passionate about IR and has a great sense of humor. He got to know our whole class and was readily available for help, even after the quarter had finished. Attendance and participation are important in the seminar but trust me, you'll want to go.

AMAZING class, AMAZING professor, Interesting Readings and Class Materials. Professor Mercer totally has a passion in this topic and the entire class is just AWESOME!! I really enjoy in his teaching-best professor I had so far-the tests are a bit hard but not that bad :) TAKE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Interest class but if your looking for a 4.0 class, this isn't it.

Mercer is an awesome guy. He cracks jokes and is really laid back. He knows his stuff and wants students to work hard. That said, with really hard work, the class is do-able. Either way, by attending lecture and reading the course packet and lots of current events, you'll learn a lot. Top 3 teachers I've ever had for sure.

This guy is great. He's very clear, interesting and makes you engage the material. He doesn't just hand out A's but if you put in the work and give his class the proper attention it deserves you'll do just fine. Study his practice tests! Overall awesome, was one of the main factors that inspired me to go on to major in Political Science.

Mercer is an awesome dude and an even better teacher. He is the best teacher I have had thus far, and probably the best, most enthusiastic professor in the Political Science department. He knew his stuff, and he taught really unique things. He isn't biased and always provides many views on each subject.

Very enthusiastic about what he's teaching. Mainly tests on the bigger picture, which is great when there's lots of details in wars & such. 2 written midterms and 1 final. Final has 1 cumulative essay question. Great class, highly recommended.

He's a good teacher. He was very clear and easy to understand. Not a hard class, as long as you do the readings and attend lectures.

Mercer is a great teacher. The grading techniques that his TAs use bug quite a few people. The tests are 50-minute sprints. I have found the more that I write, the more likely I'll mention what they are looking for on the rubric. The lectures are very interesting. You need to actually go and take diligent notes. Best teacher I've had at UW so far.

The very best prof I have had here, hands down. He is pretty funny, but also gets you the information you need to know and supports all of his points well to make it easy to understand. Readings are pretty vital, but if you have a good section you won't miss anything in them. I would recommend this class highly to anybody, no matter their major.

Amazing professor!

Fantastic teacher! loved the lectures! Great class! Cant wait to take a class from him again. Made the material so interesting and students could see his passion for teaching.

Mercer's into to IR was my 1st college class. While his tests were like 50 minute mind sprints to write as much as possible, it was really all about hitting the key words. Attending lecture is the key to success in this class. In terms of reading, the difference between a 3.0 and a 3.8 is doing the readings. He will call you out for being late!

Also took 203 with him. He's very funny and very knowledgeable, and is open to student opinion. Class is like one giant entertainment show, except a lot better because you get to learn useful things. Go to class, do the readings, and look over practice exams--he often uses similar or even the same questions from previous exams.

intro to ir was one of my first college classes, couldn't have been luckier. lectures were super interesting and flew by. there is a lot of information to know for the exams, but you can choose which topics to write about. definitely do the readings for section bc TAs only have one section each so they WILL remember if you participate or not

Professor Mercer lectures will leave audience captivated from start to fisnish.

Wonderful class! I enjoyed it thoroughly. Mercer teaches the material well, and is very clear at explaining things in class. I would recommend going to class every day, if you go to class and pay attention, you should be fine on the tests. They are challenging, but not too difficult.

Extremely engaging professor who explains concepts clearly and adds just the right amount of humor to lectures. Exam questions ask for author arguments/views, so doing the readings is very important. Lectures aren't posted online, so going to class is a must. But since Mercer teaches so well, you'll want to go anyway. One of my favorite classes.

One of the best I have worked with at this school. He makes complex international concepts fun and engaging while leaving out none of the rigor. Excellent use of examples. He seems to genuinely enjoy chatting with students after class. If you like international relations or think you might, get Mercer!

Great enthusiastic professor. He takes dry material and gives it a common sense spin on it with the help of well-known historical examples. Exam questions are clear & kind of funny. "Bismarck, Marx and Foucault are at a cocktail party..." Remained neutral while explaining different positions.

Mercer presents international relations in a very comprehensive and entertaining approach with a moderate liberal bias. The class as a whole is good; the reading is not too demanding and all online. Tests are more challenging than the standard entry level course so be prepared to study a lot and attend lecture and quiz section.

Mercer was fantastic. His class alone was enough to get me (an art major) to decide to minor in poly sci.

He is my favorite professor at UW! I have had him for two classes and he is always fantastic. Definitely the most engaging professor that I have had. You can tell he really cares a lot about what he is speaking about.

Awesome

A really interesting professor that keeps you engaged throughout the whole lecture. Quiz sections are useful and the 10 mins you spend discussing the current NYT stories is both interesting and useful. Biggest problem was the test was very rushed (50 mins for 2 essays and 4 short answers) and primarily focused on memorization.

He has strict rules during his lecture, and hates people coming in late or talking or not paying attention in class. His tests are difficult and some of the lecture material is confusing if you don't do the readings. But he's an amazing lecturer overall, very passionate about international politics. He is really nice and humble during office hours!

Best professor I've had at UW, definitely want to keep my eyes open to see what else he's teaching. His lectures are so engaging and he keeps them interesting, so you almost want to go to class. If you attend section and the lectures, not that muhc outside effort is necessary. AMAZING 100% No textbook, also super awesome.

A really good lecturer. I was deciding between majoring in political science and another subject I loved. His lectures made me so intrigued. They got me so interested in international politics that I ended up choosing poli sci over the other subject. And he's pretty good looking too.

Mercer was great. The class is challenging in that it really pushes you to think. Unfortunately if you do not attend nearly every lecture your work is cut out for you. Readings are required weekly, but if you are good at BSing readings, you can get away with skipping a few and reading them before the midterm. His lectures are really good, go!

LOVED his lectures. Very entertaining and thorough + He has good humor. Would definitely take his class again.

This class was a very interesting and fairly easy course. What makes it all the more better, is that professor Mercer is a humorous and engaging lecturer, who clearly understands the topic materials in the course, and is very willing to help out with any outstanding questions. Would completely recommend for majors and non-majors such as myself

Mercer is incredible. He delivers the information really well and is funny in the process. You can see his passion through how he teaches. Great class and amazing professor!

Hands down my favorite professor of all time. His lectures are spectacular and his sense of humor makes learning fun.

Mercer could slay a dragon with his bare hands while simultaneously riding off into the sunset with the beautiful girl. Seriously though, this guy is a gift to the Political Science department. His lectures are always super engaging and his passion for the material is second to none. The class itself is a bit tough but with Mercer, you'll be fine

Amazing professor, solidified my interest in becoming a poli sci major. Definitely one of my favorites at UW

Mercer is the greatest, his class is so interesting and he is interested in what he is teaching. He will come around and talk one on one before lecture which is great, plus he cracks a lot of dad jokes. I love him, probably the best prof yet!

Really one of the best lecturers I've had. Super nice guy. I've taken two courses of his now and they've both been stellar. Just don't be late unless getting called out in front of a lecture hall is your thing.

This Professor is my favorite I have had at UW. He gives interesting lectures and makes them relevant. Furthermore, if you just engage with the material, you will definitely get a good grade. He focuses mostly on learning rather than grade grubbing. Take his class, you will not be disappointed. He's pretty cute too.

I like his lecture so much ! He is so sexy :3 he conveys the contents so well. He speaks quite fast but he is humorous and also an expert. You can get a good grade if you try hard. TA section I had was also helpful. Had happy quarter !

He's a really good prof and his lectures were always interesting and funny. Make sure you do the readings and go to all the lectures (or at least get the notes).

Audited thus class .He pauses a lot which can be less engaging. Crystal clear outlines, I'm sure tests must be straightforward. I liked the discussion of current news. But no wow or memorable factor

There are no slides; simply a word doc with talking points so you have to be able to absorb content through his lecturing. We are graded on 2 midterms and a final. Mercer is a great lecturer but he stops when people coming in late and it wastes time. You have to be able to take good notes and highly recommend a study group for those tests.

Prof. Mercer is a good lecturer, if you are into the military/ war/ history stuff, you will be fine. For someone who is not, it's definitely going to be hard. You have 4 exams which are supposed to be in essay format and your grade really depends on who your TA is. I have yet to take his class w/o TA's, so we'll see how his grading will be.

Prof Mercer is great! He's a chill guy who is very interested in what he teaches and tries his best on zoom and makes sure students succeed. There were 4 tests and an optional essay. They were graded by TA's, not the Prof so your grade will mostly depend on who they are, personally, mine was very tough. it was a fun class though and very current!

Professor Mercer is honestly one of the better teachers I've had throughout college. He makes an absolute bore of a subject pretty interesting and fun to learn about. The only problem is that you must attend quiz section for participation and is a bit rough because you have to contribute also with about 40 other people in the same call.

Prof Mercer is a great lecturer that ensures the class is not all doom and gloom. You will be lacking in your understanding of the Realist, Marxist, and Liberal if you you fail to follow assigned readings. But, his lectures were a great way to decompress after reading and ask questions about things you don't understand.

Overall he is a great professor. Im not even sour that I didnt get a 4.0 - but yeah, he really makes you work for it. I have taken literally 100 pages of notes over a summer period, completed the tests to my best ability, but still have yet to get a perfect score. That said - hes a great lecturer. Its a compelling course and he genuinely cares.

Prof Mercer is super sweet and has interesting classes about war at UW. His tests are not hard, mostly consisted of essays online during covid time. He had good lectures and posted his outline of his slides online before class so it was easy to take notes. I plan on taking another one of his classes in the future and I would recommend 349 with him!

This class is difficult for an introductory level POLS class. If you can stop yourself from obsessing over your grade, you'll enjoy it. Mercer is good-natured & a wonderful lecturer. There are 3 exams, they almost require an elusive understanding of the material, and are based on difficult readings (get ready to spend 10+ hours/week on them).

Professor Mercer's POLS 203 class is test-heavy, but he none the less shows great passion and enthusiasm for what he teaches. Professor Mercer is extremely knowledgeable in what he teaches and is able to explain his knowledge very effectively by using lots of current events and humor. He keeps you entertained. Be ready to read and take tests.

Hands down my favorite class and favorite professor; fun lectures and good readings. Do the reading questions, they really help you understand the content and only a few of them are dull. Focus on current events that he mentions in class, especially if he talks about them more than once. It's a lot of content and it happens fast.

Best lecturer in the department. The class itself is very test heavy, with an unclear grading criteria. If you have prior knowledge of history/current events you'll do fine. Wouldn't recommend for non poli sci major. Overall, incredible course.

Mercer is a masterclass lecturer. He paces them really well, tells jokes, and answers questions well. Test grading depends on TA, but every staff member for this class was very caring and accessible outside of class. The average test grade for this class tends to be a C. Doing the reading is recommended: makes the class easier and more interesting.

Hands down the best lecturer at UW. Professor Mercer is hilarious and wise beyond his years! The class is graded on 3 in-class papers (4 short answer qs/2-3 essays) and participation in section. Those grades depend heavily on the TA you get, so choose wisely, you can always switch sections if needed. Amazing class overall, reading heavy though!

Mercer made dense subject material fun. His lectures are easy to listen to and you actually learn from them. You can tell he cares about the subject and his students. Exams aren't too hard if you rly know the material, my Quizlet is lilylilylilyy and I made study sets for all of his lectures plus the readings. Include explanations on the exam!!!!!!

Prof Mercer is amazing! Such an engaging lecturer, makes the material available (during in-person covid times), and really cares about the students. This class was graded on three exams and participation, no busy work, just lots of reading. Definitely do the readings and HIGHLIGHT the key thoughts, test studying will be so much easier.

Would recommend. Great lecturer and very clear expectations. The course was very interesting and engaging.

Professor Mercer is the greatest professor I have ever encountered. His lectures are interesting, well planned, and perfectly organized. I would absolutely take his course again and any other he teaches. The TA I had was a really hard grader though, nobody in this class got an A. But even still, it was well worth it to be in this class.

Prof. Mercer is an absolutely great lecturer and a gem of a man--incredibly nice and makes even the dullest lecture topics at least sorta interesting and fun. He lectures at a breakneck pace tho and has no slides--just an outline, so be prepared to write fast and be forced to rewatch recordings. No HW, so the long-answer q. exams are serious.

Mercer is amazing I enjoyed going to lectures a lot. Tests can be difficult but the TA I had was super helpful, if you're choosing sections Megan is super chill and gives great worksheets that are really good study material! Section is only 50 mins but required for a 15% attendance grade but are really helpful.

Mercer is an amazing lecturer I learned a lot in this class. But it requires 60 pages of reading weekly and has unclear exam grading standards. From week one, go to OH's and ask how TA's grade/what specificity is needed for each type of question and study the reading author's arguments/POV's before exams.

The lectures were always engaging and outlines were provided to guide note-taking. (lectures are also recorded so attendance not always necessary!)

A fun course, great professor. If you are familiar with some 20th century histories, it's gonna be easy for you. GET READY TO READ ALL THE STUFF and rely on his reading questions to succeed on the tests, make sure to say at least something in TA sections, participation matters.

I think Mercer is an amazing professor, lectures could be extremely dense and complicated at times but he always made it interesting and talked in a clear and concise way. Your grade is based solely off of three exams which are all Short Answer and Essay questions so be prepared to write. Lots of reading, but it was interesting and relevant.

Mercer is incredible. Lectures are always interesting and engaging, and he's funny. The class can be difficult if you miss a lecture or a reading, but if you do what you're supposed to, the tests aren't bad. TAs are good, and the class was fantastic overall. I'm looking forward to having Mercer again in the future.

With the exception of Mercer, this course is awful and will only serve to lower your GPA. Given the course only has three exams, it is incredibly important to perform well in them, though the exam grading criteria is not clear whatsoever. Weekly readings are long and dense, and there is no study guide given. TAs grade EXTREMELY harsh, be careful.

Very reading dense, but very worth it. Professor is so amazing it will make you wanting to go to lecture.

The class is graded on three essay-based, in-person exams along with 15% of your grade coming from participation in your TA led section. The participation points are difficult to receive as there is a gross lack of time allotted in the sections for all students to participate and get their points. Exams are unpredictable and extremely tough.

Mercer is an amazing lecturer whos very smart & kind! Besides learning about ideology its very history based so be aware of that! The exams are straight from the reading questions so readings are crucial if you want a good grade, I slacked on them and didn't do as great as I could. Section is helpful but depending on the TA the grades can be harsh.

I loved this class. You can tell he's been teaching the content for a while because his lectures are honed in, on-point and engaging. I was always excited to go to class because the content interested me. He keeps things relevant by tying in current events which was a nice touch. My TA was fantastic as well.

Professor Mercer is an AMAZING lecturer. He fits a ton of content in such a short class, but he manages to make everything easily understandable and he is really great about pausing to answer any questions. Even if you aren't interested in International Relations, I would highly recommend taking his class. I absolutely loved it.

Most amazing professor I have had. So knowledgable, amazing lectures, clear on what's needed to know, and takes a topic that may be boring and makes it entertaining. Grading is hard but he gives you information you need to know throughout the quarter. Would take every class he offers if able to. 2 midterms, 1 semi-cumulative final, participation.

I really loved his lectures, I never had to make myself focus or recenter my attention when it was drifting, I was always zoned in on whatever he was lecturing about. He cracks a few jokes somewhere between dad jokes and political nerd jokes, with a sprinkle of dark humor. His history recaps were great and tests/assignments seemed really fair.

He has a really high overall rating for good teaching and lecturing for good reason! He's amazing, although material in 425 is challenging. I took 425 with him and was happy and fulfilled every day by the group discussions, challenging (yet rewarding material), and strong ability to engage students. Would give him 6 or 7 stars if I could.

Such a great and engaging professor. Like all college courses though in large lectures your TAs do matter so just make sure you attend TA office hours to specifically understand what they like to see on exams. Mercer is awesome and will have you excited to go to lectures.

mercer is by far my favorite political science professor i have taken class with. his lecture format is very easy to follow along with and his explanations are thorough and help a lot with understanding the content. despite there being a lot of assigned readings, i found them all very interesting and the reading questions help with guidance too.

mercer is ok professor, he doesn't tell you what he expects from you or how to pass his class, also absolutely no study guide. the "study guide" is reading questions for each reading and we do at least 8 reading before each exam and the reading question are like a alot he uses past exams as example and they're are on the new exams so be aware.

Professor Mercer is the best lecturer I've ever had and the course content was really interesting (he incorporates a lot of psychology). Be warned the class is graded on just two tests (with an optional paper to alleviate the weight of the tests). The tests are hard, two essays and five paragraph responses in under 1h30. My hand hurt so bad lol.

One of my favorite profs I've ever had. Tough class- blue book exams graded harshly and lots of studying required, but Mercer helps you understand the content really well. Easy to see that he cares about the topics and wants you to learn. Entertaining and worthwhile lectures.

Professor Mercer is by far the best lecturer I have ever had. His lectures were incredibly interesting, funny, and engaging and I was always excited to go. While tests were tough and you were essentially graded on three I still cannot recommend him enough.

Professor Mercer makes a dense subject engaging with his insightful lectures and dark humor. While the readings are crucial, using tools like unstuck study alongside the textbook can help prep for tough exams. Attending class and participating in discussions is key to succeeding.

Best lecturer you will ever take a class from. Concise, engaging and humorous lectures. lovely to listen to. grades harshly so don't stress if you get a bit lower grade than normal. super nice as well, answers questions well. Assignments are simple, just a couple exams with an optional essay to have a cushion for your grade.