Very charismatic

down to earth guy

he's a good guy.

sings songs, dynamic, progressive, excellent writer

Progressive, clear, and VERY approachable. Highly recommend Labour Studies!

Awesome prof, great discussions in class

Awesome prof, very nice + humourous, good marker

fun interesting and aware. I really enjoyed this class and his wisdom

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A fun, dynamic class. It felt more like "story hour" than a lecture. I enjoyed his singing and slides.

One tough demanding prof, but FAIR! Mark is the sort of professor that forces you to be the best that you can possibly be. Leier for PM!

The most democratic professor alive, Mark is by far the best in the school. He listens! And he is fair! And he understands students priorities. Take every course he teaches because you will learn a heck of a lot. And he plays the banjo.

Great prof.

Great teacher. Extremely knowledgable about working-class and radical history, leading authority on IWW in BC. Assignments were interesting as well.

Holy crap this course was hard. The average is typically C+/B-. It's not a requirement to give A's. Three hundred students, maybe 3-4 A's, at most. Take it if you have excellent critical thinking and writing skills and you want a challenge to your gpa.

sorry that should say hist 102, not 103

The most entertaining lecturer on campus, without a doubt.

Mark is entertaining and fair. The TA's however are not, I never even bothered to learn my TA's name cause the tutorial was so horrible I didn't even show up (-20%) As entertaining as he is, Mark is still unable to make Canadian History worth learning. Mark is good, the course is not.

Assigns TONS of reading along with tougher essays and exams than most first-year courses, but it felt more like a challenge than a burden. Lectures were not only the most entertaining I've had, but they made you think too. Probably best thing about this prof: he's not trying to teach you facts so much as make you think.

Mark was an awsome prof, he was entertaining and passionate about the subject. he made me care about canadian history. his last lecture of the course was amazing and inspiring. besides all this he has a wonderful singing voice and a cool banjo!!

This guy is great. Entertaining. Thoughtfull, and though provoking. Too politically influencial, if you ask me. The employers aren't always our enemy. But he is the best professor I've ever had in my university experience. Highly recommend taking a course with him.

Mark is the best prof ever! Anyone who has the opportunity should take a class with him. Will make you care about things in a way you never thought possible. While he may be a little disorganized at times, his passion for both history and his students more than make up for it.

really like him, lectures are very engaging. found assignments interesting but very challenging, especially last paper. they involve a lot of critical thinking, and he doens't really cover the information you need for them lots of reading, courseware is huge! i think he uses the same ccw for all classes, try to buy off someone. very good prof

he was aweseome! info was passed to students in a very understandable way and he plays the banjo, electric guitar and sings in lecture! no midterm, 3 papers (that are easy writes) and a final. best hist prof i have ever had at sfu!!

Dr. Leier has changed my view on Canadian history for the rest of my life. I respect and admire a man with opinions who isn't afraid to share them. Despite appearing a cynical man, he has a deep faith in all those who choose to committ themselves to an uncertain future, committ to fight for the unjust, to TURN UP THE VOLUME ON THE QUIET REVOLUTION.

I really was not thrilled about taking this course, but was very pleasantly surprised. Mark Leier is one of the very best prof's I have ever had - interesting, controversial, and fun! Explores history from a humane angle. I am now signing up for other history courses.

Just a test

Any Canadian history class that can include an electric-guitar/banjo rendition of the House of the Rising Sun is alright in my books. Lecture material was dry (obviously), but he delievered it with enthusiasm and humour. ("I want my gyrocoptor!") Paper assignments were really boring and easy, but may be okay if you're actually a first year.

Wasn't pleased with going to a Canadian history class, but banjo playing Leier made the topic passable. Has a great presonality which is evident in his lectures which he tries to make as interesting as possible (although he it is a losing battle given the content). Was an easy course, especially since the class made up the exam together!!

His lectures are interesting, although the banjo playing and other gimmics can be a bit much. It would have been nice to see a wider range of views in the readings.

He plays the banjo in class FFS, what more could you want? Great lecturer, though don't let his charisma get to you: the class is bit difficult due to all the writing you have to do.

the best

Good teacher, seems to work for most people here. For me however, this did not make me like history one bit more. The shenanegans made me feel distracted and as if I were back in elementary school...too much. I can see how people might like it though. Papers marked by TAs (get a good one)

Great, have not had a better professor my entire undergrad. Made canadian history interesting and fun. Loved the singing. THe only way for someone to not enjoy the class where if they forced themselves not to

Great teacher...very amusing...making boring material as interesting as possible and teaches outside the box

One of the easiest classes I've taken this semester. Don't bother getting the text or doing the readings, he gives you all the terms before the one & only exam. Make sure you come to tutorials though, with in-class assignments & participation, they're worth 30% of your grade.

This guy made me look forward to Monday afternoons! He literally changed my outlook on Canadian Hist & I will try to emulate him (if possible) as a high school history teacher.He's best summed up as the Patch Adams of Canadian Hist.Only down'er was his perspectives of Can Hist was negative & VERY left wing..but that's SFU'istan for you comrade.

An excellent prof. He manages to make history more exciting and hopefully more memorable. He is taking a few semesters off to write a book, he will be missed. The only downside was that there was a ton of reading to do for the course and the books were over priced especially the one by the SFU press, it was a really low budget print job.

Great prof! Dont bother getting the text book (or the place mat). Take good notes in lectures for studying the exam questions (which he gives you in advance). Remember to go to your tutorial and talk because participation is worth a lot!

Leier is not just a professor, he is an entertainer. He brings a banjo or electric guitar to class and sings (relevant) songs. Absolutely incredible...I don't think I missed a single class. Take this course with this prof, you will love it.

One of the best profs I've had. He made CANADIAN history my favourite class of the semester. He plays songs in class and gets you to sing along, he really engages the audience. He got a standing ovation at the end of the semester.

Amazing prof! If you ever get the chance to take a class with him do it! Makes any subject interesting!

Funny!!!

An amazing prof and great guy. And handsome, too. Great lectures and always interesting. Take a course with him!

the best prof ive ever had, made canadian history extremely interesting, loved his banjo playing, i took this course for the writing credits but ended up loving it, highly recommended to take a class with him

Amazing Prof, the assignments are a little strange and you need some imagination to complete them. Textbook is only nessary for preping for the final otherwise not needed. Takes a boring subject and makes it interesting.

awesome

Real funny and very engaging. However, it seems like he's telling a story and the TAs are the ones teaching everything.

Funny and engaging. Not an easy marker but very helpful. The subject is boring unless you take it with Leier. Plus I give him a hot pepper for personality and looks;)

Good class but alot of work. Leier will lecture for the full 3 hours it wasn't boring. Lots of interesting stories and he plays the banjo. He is a hard marker but you can tell he puts a lot of effort and preparation into his class and expects the same in return from his students.

A well-structured, 'must' course for those curious about labour issues. Dr. Leier educates in various modes: film, stringed accompaniment to period lyrics, lecture, dialogue. The result - insightful sensitivity for early Canadian struggles and protests for better working conditions. Leier is accessible, approachable and his marking is realistic.

Mark is an excellent guy who really tries to make class interesting and exciting for everyone. He's a really fair marker who gives students what they deserve. Plus he's always available for extra help when needed so that's always a bonus.

Prof is very cool, he has passion and tries his best to make the class fun, The TA is the bread winner for this class, where if you have a good TA, you will get good marks, Prof has almost no relevance to marking. Text book has no use, but must buy the custom course booklet

He is one of the most interesting profs at sfu. I hated history before this class and ended up looking forwards to his lectures. The TA marked so hard. Don't bother getting the textbook, you'll never use it. bad tutorial, but good prof.

Prof was awesome! He's willing to help when you need it, so don't be afraid to crash into his office when you need to see him. However, your grade will heavily rely on your TA's marking, and my TA marked ridiculously hard so I found it hard to get a mark that I'd be satisfied with :( but overall Mark is an awesome prof, enough said.

I absolutely LOVED prof Leier! Your mark really depends on your TA but lectures were so much fun! Best lecture ever was when we sang 5 songs! he even gave us a stretch break during the final and sang to us. Prof Leier made Canadian history fun to learn =)

Great prof. Lectures are fun and educational. He is extremely left-wing, but manages to keep the lectures fairly unbiased. Lots of reading, but the textbook is barely necessary. Participation in tutorials is worth 20%, so your final grade very much depends on how comfortable you are with public speaking. Marking depends on TA, but can be tough.

Mark, is a great guy! Had class with him in undergrad and grad school.

My TA gave me a low mark and I even asked Mark to proofread my hw. I was forced to keep the score; I used an outside source on my assignments, yet he claimed I'm supposed to use the materials only from the textbook when this wasn't even clarified in lecture or the outline to begin with. I found it unfair to give me a low mark just because of that.

Mark Leier breathes and lives the Indian culture. He is like a walking Indian dictionary! Amazing prof with amazing amount of knowledge, and his lectures are pretty darn clear. MUST attend lectures because everything is based on what he talks about! Highly recommend this professor!

Very engaging. Managed to actually make Canadian History somewhat interesting. You must be very good with your readings in order to not fall behind. Not the easiest course but I could easily see it being much worse without this Prof.

It was apparent that Mark was interested in the course material, however he often rushed through lectures in order to cover everything, thus not explaining things properly of leaving things unclear. I was very disappointed that he spent the first two or three lectures discussing Canada before Confederations and ended the lectures in the 1970s.

Mark is a great prof b/c he tries to help as much as possible. However, the content is very dry and is only entertaining when he sings about it. Textbook is useless and he does not dictate what is important in lecture. Look at the final exam outline before taking notes in class and you'll realize that you just need some key definitions.

I've taken both HIST 102w and HIST 327 with him. He's funny and jokes around a lot. Also sings and plays the banjo in lecture. Emphasis placed on paper writing and discussions in 327. No need to read HIST 102 textbook except for glossary terms. Must attend lecture but moves along pretty quickly. He provides a left-wing perspective on Cdn hist

Professor Leier is clearly very passionate about his area of study and his students. He was incredibly helpful during his office hours and was always willing to go with the flow of what our class wanted to talk about each week (like the SFSS/CUPE shenanigans) which I really appreciated. Professor Leier don't beat yourself up about missing a class!

Professor Leier is clearly passionate about his area of study and his students. He was incredibly helpful and willing to go with the flow of what our class wanted to talk about each week. But he differently provides a left wing prospective

Funny, enjoyable, interesting, knowledgeable, helpful.

amazing prof! he is awesome and made a boring subject interesting!

He's a really great prof and lectures were interesting. However the TAs are the one to decide your grades and the one I had was a very hard marker.

this class is all writing. papers are extremely, more fun papers than academic. although you can take them the academic route and the TA's really don't care. as long as its well written you get a good mark. lectures are pointless, although the prof is great and interesting. easy class if you can write a decent paper. which you should..

BEST PROF! He's so funny and makes the class super fun! It's clear that he's really smart and knows A LOT but he teaches in a way that any normal student can understand. The material is clearly laid out and assignments are fair and easy. I never fell asleep in class! The only downside is that tutorial participation is 20% so be prepared to talk.

He was very interested in the material. Very funny and amusing. Sometimes jumped around a little but it was okay and I still learned and remembered a lot. DO buy the textbk to study for the final exam and for the big assignments. But I didn't use it for weekly readings. The Coursewear is more important for tutorials. Assignments not too hard.

Since this is a W class there is a lot of writing which should be expected. If you have a good TA you will do fine. I took this class for the W and expected to be really boring but Mark was great he made me enjoy the subject. I learned a lot and his class was always entertaining because of his singing. If you need this class take it with him.

Mark Leier is a great professor! He made Canadian History somewhat interesting. The assignments were easy.

He's not your ordinary prof, he brings light to the dry course material. It's one of those classes that I would actually feel bad when I skip the lecture. If you have Ivan as your TA, he's great at giving you feedback that would actually help you improve your next paper. Make sure you attend the tutorials, they are helpful.

Very out-there prof. Made the lectures interesting, but sometimes rambled a little too much. All of the TA's were on completely different pages so our assignment criteria and grades differed greatly which was very annoying.

Go to lecture, they are entertaining, helpful, and he sings and plays the banjo. He is a hilarious and amazing professor, I'd die to take another class of his.

Lectures were less boring than I thought they would be, as he's very enthusiastic and funny. But at the end of the day, the TA is the one that decides your marks. I didn't do any of the readings (except for those pertaining to the written assignments) and I got a B+. You can tell he loves what he does - easy humanities credit.

Leier is a really solid prof. Very funny and entertaining. His HIST 102W class, as of Spring 2015, doesn't include tests or quizzes. The grade is mostly based on four papers around 1000 words each & tutorial participation. You could get away with not reading the textbook since assignments are based on specific readings. Marking will depend on TA.

Very passionate but i felt like his lectures were not well coordinated with the lectures. So you cant really go back to your lecture notes for the assignments. The assignments are sort of weird for a history class. If you are good with history and writing it would be an easy A

Funny and approachable. Clear on concepts, not on assignment descriptions, so ask. (Seriously, a slight misinterpretation can result in the difference between an A+ and a B-.) If you have previous experience with tougher history courses, you can put in one day to do one of the assignments. If you're new to history, put in 2-3 days.

Mark is still one of my favourite professors. He makes Canadian history interesting, fun and enjoyable. Lectures were interactive and insightful as he would include interesting visuals and play the banjo. The papers, believe it or not, were actually fun to complete (many were creative writing pieces)!

One of the best profs, very engaging, and a great course for a manageable Humanities credit, whether you're wanting to study History or something else. He doesn't do exams, instead there are (fun!) writing assignments. Get clear on assignment expectations, put in a decent effort, and you've got an A.

Mark is one of the BEST profs at SFU! His lectures are super interesting; he makes them funny and engaging by playing the banjo. There are NO exams in this class. Instead there are 4 short and fairly easy papers. 10/10 would recommend! :)

Hand down the greatest Prof Ive had!! The class consists of 4 assignments and no final exams. The prof sings in class and makes the content engaging. I would defiantly take a class with him again.

Mark made the course content very engaging! There were 4 assignments that involved you to read a few articles but, they were easy assignments. The content can be a bit dry but Mark tries to make it interactive by singing. There is no final exam for this course, so just make sure you attend tutorials because they are a chuck of your grade!

His lectures are outstanding. It would be great if other professors would take note and put in the effort that Dr. Leier does. There were 4 main written assignments and weekly readings.

Leier is awesome! Very engaging and will play his banjo and sing! Leier will really make you think critically about Canadian history. Excellent lectures. Assignments were short and formatted in a way that would allow you to succeed. I strongly recommend taking this class. You learn a lot and will enjoy the lectures.

Mark Leier is a super engaging professor. Be prepared to read, there are between 1-5 readings per week. I found the marking was extremely harsh and my TA gave poor quality feedback. The assignments were clearly stated in the syllabus but there was a discrepancy between the profs expectations and the TA's.

My favourite course throughout my undergraduate career at SFU! Shame I took this class in my last semester. Leier is great at teaching history in an engaging way. I was expecting to be memorizing dates and names, yet ended up learning about history in a completely different perspective. I appreciate the time he puts into prepping each lecture :)

Mark definitely translated HIST102W as the perfect first-year course for students who just started post sec. no finals, 3 main papers of 1200 words, tiny tutorial assignments. be ready to participate as it makes up a big chunk of the overall marks. papers are usually based on readings and what he says in lecture

Mark's lectures were always so fun, especially with his singing! He clearly knows the material is dull and tries to make the best of it, which is great. At times the lectures and reading seemed unconnected. Clear grading on assignments - easy to get good grades even if you miss some classes. Mark is also constantly available for help if needed.

He knows how History should really be taught (i.e., critical thinking, not memorization of facts). He might have appeared one-sided at times, but the focus of the course is how one's perspective changes the interpretation of history, and he did a great job of presenting his own perspective. Funny and honest prof :)

He plays the banjo in class. HIST102W is an easy writing class because there is a lot of guidance from Mark and he makes the assignments fun. I would definitely recommend taking this class with him.

Awesome prof! I highly recommend taking a course with Mark (especially HIST 102W). He's super nice, organized, and really approachable.

Mark is the man who fights 'the man'. Honestly one of the best profs I've had at SFU. He explains things in a way that everyone can understand, and made the dry subject of Canadian history a little more interesting. Again, he's pretty left, which, depending on your views will either be a blessing or a curse. Either way, you wont have a tough time

One of the best and most passionate professor. He puts a lot of effort in trying to make the content interesting and cares for his students. No exams so class is not stressful but the essays rely heavily on the TA. In general, great professor and definitely should take.

Mark is one of the best teachers that I had in SFU so far. His lectures are interesting and awesome. Also, he puts all of his effort to make the content as much easy as possible to understand. There are no exams in this course, you just have to write 3 papers and some minor assignments during the semester. Awesome class and an awesome teacher!

I took this class in my last semester of my undergrad and it honestly was one of my favourite and memorable classes. He changed my perspective on the interpretation of history. His classes were hilarious, engaging and inspiring.

He is the best prof I've ever had. I love that he sings in lectures with his banjo and makes the content interesting. His lectures are never boring and are always interesting. For the papers, it is recommended to show up to lecture as well and use the textbook. Most of the content in his lectures are not in the textbook. No midterms/finals for me

Professor Mark Leier is a brilliant educator, very caring, passionate about the very important lessons we must all LEARN from History, with a great sense of humour, and amazing tenacity for never giving up on the human race, no matter how long it takes for we mortals to learn to avoid repeating our past mistakes. Mark Leier is a true humanitarian.

Knowledgeable and caring prof that wants you to understand the material. One of the nicest/funniest profs I have crossed paths with. Recommend!

Dr. Leier is an all star teacher, makes history fun and relevant. He isn't necessarily an easy A, but because he is so engaging you won't find it hard to listen in his lecture. He cares a lot about his students even in a large class and is a super nice and friendly guy. Hist 102 is not the most thrilling class, but he makes it interesting.

Mark is one of my favourite profs at SFU! He is so caring and wants to help his students succeed. He makes his lectures engaging even though the material is sometimes dry by using colorful language and singing with his banjo. He is such a sweetheart and does a fabulous job of teaching the big important themes he wants to get across, no memorization

While the content can be quite dry, Dr. Leier does his best to make it interesting. He's hilarious and my fondest memories include his banjo playing and singing. Kinda hard to come up with what to write for papers but as long as you take textbook/lecture notes you'll be fine! I highly recommend this course! Wasn't exactly and easy A though.

If you have a chance to a class with Mark I would highly recommend it! He is so passionate about what he teaches and I really loved how he set up his class. Best class I've taken so far.

His lectures are very engaging, and he really cares about students. He keeps us updated with his office hours and accommodates for students when need be. Course was assignment heavy, out of 13 assignments, you have to do 9 of them. Though the content of assignments were not difficult, allowed you to answer in writing/pictures/poems/etc.

This man legit whipped out a banjo mid-lecture... The course is solid, and easy to follow along with bc of the prof's teaching style. My TA Andrea was really great, and she marked everything fairly. Overall, would highly recommend as a GPA booster, so long as you do at least some of the readings and strive to understand the course content.

Dr. Leier is wonderful! Super passionate about what he teachers and gets you to think of history from a different perspective. He also loves to whip out the banjo and bust out a great tune. You can tell he really cares about his students and he makes every lecture pretty awesome. Readings aren’t awful and assignments are easy. Great class!

Dr. Leier made Hist 135 very fun! I recommend this class as it is very interesting.

Awesome prof with a background in labor studies so his lectures tend to focus on the historical events from worker's perspectives instead of cookie-cutter textbook material. HIST 102 and 135 are both great classes with no tests, only weekly writing assignments. He is also a fun lecturer, will play the banjo!

Great prof. No midterm or final exam, just 8 assignments out of 13 that you have to complete. Assignments are easy to do if you complete the readings. Prof is a great guy and even brings a banjo and sings in class. The song will be related to the course. First history course and it was a great experience. 10/10 - Highly recommend!

Dr. Leier is an amazing prof and his lectures are great! The readings he assigned were interesting to read! No tests or quizzes, just 7 essay assignments based on readings.

His lectures are entertaining (he plays the banjo) and he's really passionate about the subject matter. Assignments and grading are fairly easy. Some heavy topics. The purpose of the course is to broaden your knowledge of history and encourage you to develop your own perspective.

He's amazing. My class was an 8:30am class and I was still awake for most of his lectures. Its like a story time. He is so understanding that morning classes can be hard for his students as some commute or have other classes/events in their life. I am currently looking for different courses instructed by Mark to take in the fall.

Mark is sooooooooo good!

THERE ARE NO TESTS! Mark is one of the kindest, funniest, and most caring profs I have had. He truly does his best to engage students and make them consider real world applications of the subject matter. If you love history, you will love Mark Leier. If you don't love history, he will make it palatable.

great professor and a great person overall. kind, passionate, and incredibly interesting lecturer. would recommend!

Amazing and caring, was very compassionate about the TSSU strike and how it affected students. 10/10

BEST SFU PROF SO FAR! his lectures were fun and engaging despite it being at 8:30am. HE ALSO PLAYED HIS BANJO AND SANG A COUPLE TIMES!! there are 7 writing assignments total and you have to hand in all of them, otherwise you get an N which turns into a fail in the next semester. grades depend on your TA!

One of the best profs in the school and cares for his students. Brings great energy and makes the overall class fun.

Though course material can sometimes be bland, he keeps its exciting. No midterm or final, only 6 writing assignments with no set due dates.

The professor is an excellent teacher. He is engaging, makes the material easily digestible, does not grade based on tests, and is extremely approachable.

Dr. Leier is the most amazing prof I have had at SFU! His lectures were so engaging and the class was simply based on short writing assignments spread out throughout the semester. NO EXAMS OR TESTS! He plays the banjo in class and overall makes it really enjoyable to learn history. If you have the chance to take his class do it you won't regret it!

A super engaging prof who makes even 8:30am classes fun. No midterm/final, just 6-8 easy writing assignments. Textbook required but not too heavy. Unstuck ai was a lifesaver for essay prep!

Professor Mark was amazing. He cares about his students and genuinely wants them to succeed. He made such a broad topic interesting to learn about. I look forward to taking another class with him.

Professor Mark deserves a 5/5. I took this class as an elective as a non arts major and i truly enjoyed this class so much ONLY because of him. He is so funny and he sings in class with his banjo- really makes lecture interesting!!!

This class was good. Assignments were based off readings and tutorials helped understand material even better. Would 100% recommend. PROFESSOR MARK IS THE GOAT!!!!!!

Lectures are only bearable because of him. He plays the Banjo and sings funny songs. Tutorials were helpful in the sense that they made material easier to understand. Honestly, the class was only good because of professor mark. He is very caring and understanding and he appreciates communication if you ever need help with anything.

A one of a kind prof that made every weekly in-class discussion worth going since they were so engaging and agreeable. No midterms/finals, with your final grade being purely based on short writing assessments spread out through the semester. Definitely one of the GOAT profs that the SFU History department should eternally cherish and treasure.

Mark is the best professor at SFU hands down. He deserves everything. TAKE HIS CLASS EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK CAPITALISM IS INTERESTING - HE WILL CHANGE UR MIND!!!

Absolute legend of a history professor. The best one in the department. He regularly brings his banjo to class and makes the whole room be filled with laughter on a regular basis. Each tutorial is interesting and crafted for engagement. Would take again!

Mark taught a very interesting course that was really thought provoking to learn about. At times, his teaching style came across as more performative than explanatory. I found that to get the most out of the course you had to connect the concepts to your own experiences rather than rely on the course material.

Professor Leier was my favourite professor this semester. He is kind and very approachable! He makes the lecture interactive and fun, rather than just us writing notes like robots off the slides, he explains things with real life examples and fun games. I strongly suggest this course to everyone, its very informative and perspective-changing!

Mark is loud, funny, clear and super engaging. The assignments are very easy as long as you show up to lectures and take notes. Tutorials were elementary and you'll get a good grade if you participate. He is VERY politically biased and pushes his ideas on the class, but is VERY open to the exchange of ideas. He won't mark bad if you disagree.

Mark is easily one of the best profs I've had so far. His lectures are filled with silly jokes, banjo songs, and interesting topics. The assignments were super simple and no exams. Tutorials were a little boring, but still worth attending. Overall if you want an easy elective, take this class!