Great professor. He’s intimidating at first because you really need to take good notes and do the readings and online quizzes to get an A. But I liked the class so much I’m thinking of switching my major to sociology. And he’s the only BCC instructor who posts his slides and past A term papers on moodle!

Yeah he's a bit strict but I kinda like that Mark doesn’t tolerate rudeness like web surfing, coming to class late, or chatting in the back of the class. But if you want an instructor that knows his stuff cold and makes the material interesting with lotsa videos and studies he’s your man.

Another great BCC Professor! Take him if you get the chance. His lectures are clear and packed with interesting information. The exams primarily based on the lecture, with some reading. He also provides extra credit opportunities.

Great Class. Great Professor. Possibly going to double major or at least minor in soc. All you have to do is attend class, take notes and skim read the assigned sections to earn an A. He even gave out extra credit and curved the exams.

Mark skillfully used history psychology and sociology on a weekly base to show why we do gender like we do and how it shapes the world. Great course if you like big ideas but not recomended if you just want an easy elective (although there's plenty of extra credit if you really need an A)

Wow, he's great at calling up the perfect news article or study to respond to student questions. And if you go to his office hours he'll show you how to take good notes and study for the exams. I started out with a C and ended up with a A. I definitly recommend him.

Interesting lectures, provocitive slides and videos, grades on a curve, and various ways to get extra credit.

Within a month of taking this class I switched my major to sociology. Swiencicki's an amazing prof who knows how to make the material real for his students .I liked all the pop culture and funny but relevant videos. Highly recommend his class.

Not a good class for people who just want to chat in groups but a GREAT class to learn about how gender class and race effect society. I even used his slides for an essay on strat at Cal (thanx mark)

Soc 2 is a real eye opener. He seems to enjoy teaching difficult topics in a way that pushes peoples comfort zone but he backs it up with lots of data and he'll even find new studies for the class if u arent convinced. I often find myself talking about the material outside of class. Enough to have annoyed my boyfriend!

While in his class, I was often frustrated, as his slides were informative and he had good examples, but sometimes he would talk about his personal life/tangents. I did the extra credit essay and paid attention in class, and I got an A. He really knows his stuff. He is a difficult teacher to get along with, but is good at teaching the subject.

Good instructor. Class is very structured and you get to see cutting edge social science. But you defiantly gotta read and come to class if you want to pass.

One of the best classes at bcc. U learn the history and practice of racism and discrimination against all kinds of minorities and see how much of what's happening today happened to different groups in the past. Great videos too.

He's friendly but very structured, so not for everyone. But getting an A is very doable if you do the reading and take good notes on his slides (especially the videos & unnumbered slides cuz he includes them on the exams to see if your paying attention). And do the extra credit paper, it's really interesting.

Vast knowledge of subject, actual experience as an activist, and documentaries that made me want to learn more about the movts. He'll also help you revise your paper if you get to him a week early. Take this class!

Great class. He's intense, sarcastic and his lectures are eye opening. 5 stars if he had more group projects.

Good instructor, well organized, and he drops the lowest of your 3 exam scores. Not a hard class if you take good notes and go to class.

His lectures are straight up lit, and he even plays music at the beginning of every class. Nice elective.

Marks class can be a bit frustrating because he likes to play devils advocate to get people to think critically but he knows his stuff and managed to keep the course interesting enough.

This class could change your life. Youll learn how sociology applies to your life by discussing catchy videos studies and current events. And hes had lots of different jobs and been an activist so his stories are interesting. Not much busy work, but you do have to take good notes and put real work into your paper to get an A.

Great lectures and I liked how he managed to find (usually) funny videos to show how the class concepts apply to the real world. However the hybrid 8 wk version of the class moves almost as fast as a summer school course so I higly recommend that you take his reg 15 wk version instead.

You can tell hes excited by the subject and its nice how he makes the class relevant by dealing with lots of current issues. But the secret to doing well is spend more time studying the lecture notes than the book cuz more exam questions come from the lecture notes. I know I learned the hard way.

Not the best for people who want mostly small group discussion but its a great introduction to how to do social science and use data so 'recommended for soc majors.

Mark's class was great: lectures were lively and you can do an extra credit paper or online quizzes to raise your grade, He even drops your lowest eam if your attendence is good. What's not to like?

Glad I took this class. Exams are not the easiest but I learned so much about how minorities are marginalized and find ways to escape it and it even satisfied the AC requirment at UCB, But the secret is to copy down what he writes on the board - he loves to put that stuff on the exams to see if people are coming to class.

I took Marks Sociology 1 and Soc 6 classes. He is a very lecture-focused teacher, and most of the material on the exams you on is based on his slides, which he provides for you online. He also provides opportunities for extra credit, and he will also sometimes drop your lowest test score.

Professor Mark Swiencicki is the one of the best professor that I've encountered in community colleges in the United States. He is very knowledgeable, interesting, and very caring for each student. Inclusive and very fair. If you are a student who wants to know what is really going in American society, likes to laugh during lecture, HE is the one!!

I came to his office hrs after bombing the 1st test and Swiencicki spent a lot of time showing me how to take the right kind of notes on the slides and make flash cards for exams. After that I did much better on the tests and now I'm not afraid of MC exams. Go see him if your struggling he really wants to help people who put in effort!

Marks class is built around a series of powerpoint lectures but he breaks them up with plenty of videos and discussions to help you grasp the material. He also likes to analyze current contraversial events so this class is not for the easily offended but it did make me see the world in a different way.

Liked how the class wasnt just about racial minorities but also lgbt, elderly, women and the disabled. And do the ec, it really helps your grade.

One of the best teachers I had at BCC. Great story teller, funny flims, lots of ec.

Soc 1 with prof Swiencicki was great. The material was very interesting and eye opening, and his teaching style is engaging. He also sets up his students for success. The lowest of your 3 test scores gets dropped if you have good attendance, and there are two opportunities for extra credit. Office hrs are very helpful too. Would highly recommend

Dr Marks very informative, personable, and makes it pretty easy to pass if you take good notes and use the study guide. You do need to come to class because most of his exam questions are from the PP slides, but he makes his lectures really relevant to the real world so you will learn a lot about what causes social problems.

It was my second class with him, very knowledgeable and kind as well, English is my second language but he did great job to explain everything in such a way that I was able to understand a lot. Very expert in academia He is very respectful to all students equally I will take class with him again in future

Professor is an easy going guy, when youre confused he gives you good real world examples to give you predictive, as long as you take good in class notes on the slides, study the slides at home on your own time, study the study guide for the tests, show up to class, and study the notebook, youll get an A. Your approach to studying is key.

Professor is really good at explain the topic. Prepares his students for exams by proving study guides. Please use study guide to Ace the exams. Exam questions are based on the study guide given. Also attendance helps with exams. Making sure you known the examples and the reason why (they show up in exams). tip: download his slides to take note!

Nice class. He knows a lot about sociology and he made the transition to Zoom really easy. And while its lecture heavy he breaks it up with enough videos and breakouts to keep you engaged.

This was my favorite GE at BCC. The material can get a little dark at times but the class really opened my eyes about what causes SP in this country. and Mark was really good about staying on zoom after the classes finished to make sure everyone got the material. He really wants you to do well!

Dr Mark is an informative, kind, and dedicated teacher. Participation is a must in class to get the full experience. Pay close mind to lectures and videos, it will be in the exam. Very available to email for help, he goes above and beyond to assist. Great class if you actually want to learn and ask those hard questions about society. 100% recommend

This is the first blended class i took and i like how the class works. You watch the recorded video lectures when ever you want and then meet on zoom for discussion groups and videos. Much better than a regular 3 hour class and you still get to ask questions live. Def recommend.

Extremely fair instructor. I liked how the book discussed a topic, but the lectures were different and not reverberating the book. The weekly quizzes keep you on a schedule. The recorded lecture videos were my favorite cause I could rewind and play again. Intro to Sociology was the most interesting class Ive taken in the last x4 years.

The way he covered the material is good. Take good notes, and don't heavily rely on the study guides he provides. The way the class is structured is also good. Do the EC assignment, you can get 10 pts from it so do it. And if you attend most of the classes, he will drop one of the lowest midterms. Just do your best, and you will pass, and get an A.

Best prof this year. His video lectures kept me interested, he adds to the book instead of just repeating it and he'll remind you if youre about to miss a deadline.

Glad I took the class. Professor was well organized and I liked how class was a mix of video lectures and live discussions instead of just wading thru tons of dry text and writing assignments like most online classes. And people were really active in the discussions and it satisfied a CAL requirement, so all good.

Great class. The video lectures really helped and if you take good notes on the slides youll do fine.

Easy class if you watch the videos and take notes on the slides.

Professor Swiencicki is the reason I got into Sociology. I would highly recommend him as a professor as he is friendly, funny, had really helpful office hours and seems to genuinely care about students grasping the material. The assignments were fair and encouraged you to think critically about the material which was fun. 10/10 would recommend

This was a very interesting and thorough introduction to sociology, and I recommend it. If you follow his advice about note taking and put forth an effort, you will be in a position to learn the material and do well. Dr. Swiencicki is quick to help and great at explaining the material.

I greatly enjoyed taking Dr. Mark's class, he is a very organized teacher. I learned greatly from his teaching style -- he makes sure you can grasp a concept. You can watch lectures and rewatch live discussions at any time, just make sure to watch them before there's a test on them. Take notes on your slides and you will be good on tests!

His video lectures made getting thru the material more fun. his feedback on the posts was really helpful and he emails you quickly. A must take.

Just rest the textbook and take notes on lectures

I thoroughly enjoyed this class with Professor Mark! The lectures were interesting, about an hour or so for each, with course slides printed out to follow along. It was very interactive. I was able to write notes that allowed me to do well on the exams. The discussions prompts are clearly written, if you follow instructions you'll get a good grade

Dr Swiencicki's teaching style is great for someone like me with ADHD. You get all the slides on day 1 and they're all numbered which makes it easy to take notes on his video lectures. Glad I took it.

He's one of the best instructors at BCC. All you need for a passing grade on the weekly posts is to show him you read the materials but his live classes are more fun than his online ones.

His Intro Soc was so good I switched my major to sociology. Secret tip - take good notes on his video lectures and it's easy to pass. that's where most of his exam questions come from.

I treasure him giving honest feedback, does he let you challenge his lectures? Yes but be mindful, he does not like a long summary so land your plane but he isn't disrespectful. He is knowledgeable in the subject and uses data, not emotions to support this reasoning. If you want a challenge, honesty and to be prepared for the real world. Take class

Wasn't too excited to take because it was just a required course but his focus on current events made it more fun to take

The prof used different sociological theories to explain how Trump was able to come to power. Iit's an interesting elective.

I enjoyed his class. Yes, the slides are outdated but the data is still interesting. He can lose his train of thought but knows his stuff and gets his point across. If you watch the recorded lectures, take notes, and go to class, you will do well. Those who have complained likely didn't follow these three basic requirements of the course.

Professor Swiencicki's SOC1 class is a solid intro to sociology. While the material can be dense, his teaching style, with helpful video lectures and clear explanations, makes it manageable. Using unstuck AI and the free textbook are key to success.

One of my favorite profs at BCC. Dr. Mark's grading criteria was clear, he grades fairly, and the video lectures made things easy to understand. Funny too if you dry humor. Three MC exams (you can bring notes) short reading quizzes, and an extra credit paper. Easy to pass if you print up the slide packet and take notes on it.

I liked that his lectures were videos instead of long boring text, and the exams are very doable if you take notes on them. And secret tip, if you do everything the post asks for you'll get a guaranteed C on it even if your answer is wrong. Glad I took the class.

One of the better classes I took at BCC - made you think about the material in a challenging way but not to hard to deal with.

Prof Swiencicki doesn't hand out As but if you pay attention and take notes it's a great way to knock off an elective and learn more about why our crazy world works like it does

I think he gets slammed because he won't give passing grades for fluff posts, but since he makes you support your claims with facts and data that def helped me learn how to write like a social scientist. And the videos made the lectures easier to learn.