2.6
Quality4.2
Difficulty33%
Would Retake108
Reviews33%
Would Retake
108
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
29
4
10
3
8
2
12
1
49
What Students Say
“Clarke to be very accomodating to the needs of students”
POLI327 - 3.0 rating“She enjoys calling on people when they least expect it”
327373 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
96%
Textbook Required
25%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.28 avg changeRatings by Course
POLI210327373
5.0
(1)Poli322
4.8
(4)POLI317
4.5
(6)POLI373
4.2
(6)327373
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
POLI323
5.0
POLI327
4.5
POLI217
4.5
MULTIPLE
4.3
POLI210327373
4.0
Reviews (108)
Great professor. She is always excited, which makes you pay attention. She explains things very clearly, which also helps. And, she is always available to answer questions. Possibly the best prof/class I've had so far.
Interesting class, lovely prof- esp during her office hours. One thing that always bothered me though- Dr. Clarke clearly does not have a very loud voice, and overextends herself in class to the point where she's straining/screaming while lecturing. Hard to describe, but a bit stressful on the ears. I think I microphone might be a good option?
Found this professor's lecturing style insanely patronizing, choice of textbook was absolutely dismal. Her comparative politics class just didn't seem like it was university level, or even political science, really. the course material was almost entirely descriptive, rather than theoretical, seemed like a here and there repeat of history 12
Great professor. Gives you tons of info during lectures, and plenty of opportunity to ask questions and have them answered. If you attend all the lectures you're golden. Fair marker, if slightly on the tough side. She's fair and reasonable and remembers we're all human/students. Would take a class again with her for sure.
Dr. Clarke is a very clear a precise lecturer. She gets her point across in a very organized manor, which means you always know what she expects of you. I have taken 2 of her classes in the last year and liked both. I would never shy away from taking one of her classes.
I have had Dr. Clarke for two classes now, and I have to admit that she is growing on me. I found her marking in 210 to be a bit harsh; however, I very much enjoyed 317 with her. She is extremely passionate about politics of development and would strongly encourage the course to anyone interested in learning about development.
Fantastic prof! Lectures were very clear, and she was more than happy to explain something again if needed. Asked questions and involved the class despite the large class size. Extremely helpful in office hours. Not necessarily "easy", but a fair marker. Overall, highly recommended!
There are a lot of negative things I could say about Clarke's teaching ability and personality, but I will keep this short. Avoid taking classes with her if possible.
Avoid her. She is condescending, her lectures are dry and not helpful during office hours. If you ask her anything, her immediate response is, "what do you think?" I asked you first for a reason...Numerous times ridiculed students in front of class. Never taking her again. Made us buy $160 txtbook for ONE chapter, bcs old version didnt have it.
Dr. Clarke is an absolutely fantastic professor. She explains concepts very clearly, and never tries to fool you with exams. If you take her courses, you will get the mark you deserve. She has a vast amount of background knowledge for all her courses and handles questions well, and is extremely friendly and very helpful. She's a joy to learn from.
Why does Dr. Clarke not have a chili pepper? Come on people. Also, she is a pretty good prof. Extremely nice and has a lot of background experience/ stories. She knows a lot about what she's teaching. I didn't enjoy the class very much but it wasn't because of her. More of the one perspective course layout.
She is phenomenal. Held me to a high standard out of respect for my intelligence and it paid right off. Takes a personal interest in her students future and would do anything to see them succeed. Great, great woman and professor.
Fairly average professor. The course itself, and the material she taught were interesting enough, but she frequently falls behind in lectures (normally a day behind), and rushes through a lot.
Amazing prof! She really cares about her students, and does everything she can to help you do well. Lectures are very clear and interesting. Best prof I have had at UVIC!
I found Dr. Clarke to be very accomodating to the needs of students. However, I found her lectures to be very disorganized - and she often reads off her slides in a very theatrical tone. She's a very tough marker but gives good feedback. She is super picky about the choice of wording you use and if it doesn't satisfy her, she'll correct you.
I really enjoyed both classes that I took with Dr. Clarke this semester. I find her to be engaging and found the material to be highly interesting. Her marking is a bit tougher but fair. I didn't really use the textbooks in the 327 class, kind of regret buying them.. but I really did like her, she is sincere and caring!
Arrogant, pretentious and has a only my opinion matters kind of attitude. The material was interesting but her teaching was just dismal to say the least. She enjoys calling on people when they least expect it. Avoid at all costs.
Marlea is an excellent prof. She truly cares that students absorb what she is communicating. Participate and do the readings if you want to do well. Those hating on Marlea likely did not take advantage of what she is offering, and failed to rise to the task she was setting out. If you want to develop your analytical skills Marlea is a must.
I learned a lot about Africa that I would never have in other classes, and appreciated when she brought in personal stories to illustrate points. She is very specific about language used - critical of others assuming expertise (which unless you cite she'll call you on). Some major reservations about the fact that she isn't African and teaching it
Best work was in South Africa. But what a chance was missed in Durban but still the best cofacilitator I ever did meet .
I had Marlea for 3 classes at UVic, and I have to say she is one of my favourite profs at UVic. I have enjoyed every class I took with her, and her passion shows in her teaching. Extremely fair marker on papers ( you have to watch your choices of words). As well, she gives clear study guides for exam questions (no tricks). Fantastic prof and woman!
Great professor. Her lecturers were really interesting and she talks at a great pace! Remember not to text in her class!
Her study guides are great, committed to setting students up for success. Very caring and approachable. She tends to be a bit redundant in lectures and her slides sometimes lack context. Don't text in her class!
good lectures but very difficult marker and the class overall was very tough
Had an incredible time taking this class. Marlea is FUNNY and she actually inspired me to care about a topic I couldn't of cared less about in September. She will probably yell at you if you take your phone out which is decently irritating but its probably for the better because you may actually be inspired to do something with your life.
Found her to be an extremely tough grader. Went to her office hours multiple times and attended every lecture and still ended up with a 74% in the class. Spends a lot of the class rambling, which is too bad because the course itself is interesting. Would avoid if you have the option.
Interesting course material, but Clarke spends class rambling and wonders why we are behind. Encourages discussion, but the way participation and attendance is marked is ridiculous. Marks based on writing style and not your ideas. Went to office hours and was ripped apart for half an hour. Not afraid to call you a bad writer.
She is very enthusiastic about the course material, but gets all her slides from the textbook. Strongly recommend doing the reading to pass the course. She has a tendency to inject her own opinion into most of her lectures.
Dr. Clarke is an engaging lecturer and caring professor. She provides excellent feedback on papers and clear and helpful information about the content of exams. She is accommodating and well-organized and clearly cares about the success and experiences of her students. Lectures closely follow the textbook, which makes it useful for review.
Dr. Clarke is one of the best lecturers I have encountered. She is incredibly engaging and can make even boring topics compelling. Her knowledge on the subject is incredible and she has done a lot of interesting research. She is a hard marker and expects a lot but it's worth it if you want to learn a ton. Make sure you read the textbook!
She gave an exam where she was knit-picking the most stupid and random things instead of focusing on main concepts. No preparation sheet was given and we were told it will focus on main concepts but it didnt, so that was a lie. Every question was a trick question. She is getting on my last nerve tbh. Avoid.
Do not take her. Nobody likes the class. Avoid at all costs.
Marlea Clarke is not on the side of the student. She tells her class that certain things will not be on the exam and then proceeds to put them on the exam. Her class had a failing average on the first midterm and she said it was to be expected. She never gets through her slides as she talks about her personal accomplishments instead of teaching.
Every student in 217 is complaining about her
she lies and tells you that what's important is to understand broad terms and, theories. you go to the exam and she asks for dates and specific details. Overall group average for the exam was a fail in the mid-term and she replied with that is to be expected at this stage... avoid her at all cost.
Dr. Marlea Clarke is a liar and throughout her class, I never had any idea what I would have to actually know or do. She states specific things will not be on the exam and make promises that end up as lies. What she told us and what our TA's told us was completely different. Often I found that passing her exams was based more on luck than anything.
She made us cite our sources during our timed exam essay.
She just released the grades for POLI 217 today and I added up all the grades. Basically almost half of the class (about 40%) either failed the course, got a D or a C. In other words, if you want your grades to be marked by a delusional grader, join her class.
Dr. Clarke is by far the worse professor I have EVER had! She often rambles, covers virtually none of the material tested on exams, and expects 10min quizzes to be completed in 10mins (even for those who are not native English speakers and need a little more time to read the question.) Without a doubt my hardest class even though it was supposed to
Mutual respect between an instructor and pupil is essential BUT the instructor did not demonstrate respect. The instructor COULD improve in the area of marking, providing feedback to students, and being more polite. Taken together, these are the building blocks for student-teacher relations. not taking a course with her again.
What's up with her attitude? Her exams? Her rambling? By far the worst online course on my list
I have had to edit this review from a positive one. The instructor gives some leeway in terms of grades (letting you have the highest grade from quizzes), but is unusually harsh when marking. Unrealistic expectations for a 200-level course, promises generous marking but DOES NOT deliver on that promise at all.
This course needs much work before its offered in the spring. Course logistics in general. Also, there are major issues in the course, but i wont mention here. just wont take it again.
She is self-absorbed, unprofessional and really unlikable. I would not recommend anybody enroll in any of her classes.
Clarke is very intelligent, clear, and on time.
It is very, very, very hard to talk to Dr. Clarke This cannot be ok Students shouldn't feel scared to talk to their professor The department needs to look further into some profs and determine whether or not they should stay, Dr. clarke for example
She was really nice during this time and was very generous with extensions and extra time on the quizzes, yet she is such a hard marker. You could follow the exact criteria and she'd still mark it wrong.
She will make you cry. Trying to have a conversation with Dr. Clarke will make you feel extremely belittled. Have never seen such disrespect and unprofessionalism from a professor before. Avoid at all cost!
hUGE mistake taking this course and waste of money time and energy Let us say that everything is one hundred percent good but the prof gave me an incredibly hard time to the point i lost sleep please please please steer clear from this person
Would never recommend to anyone! Dr. Clarke is an overrated prof, not only is she rude, but she questions students as if everyone has a PHD in her field... The course definitely needs to be improved and possibly even taught by someone else...
This professor must be evaluated There are several instances in Canadian politics where high profile politicians have been investigated An investigation into this professor's conduct, based on university collective agreements and regulations to which instructors are held accountable, shall reveal shocking revelations HORRIBLE PROFESSOR
I had to drop this course after realizing that it is impossible to find common ground with this individual will make sure my friends in poli know about her and steer away far away
Based on her attitude she is far from a gem and based on her teaching she is not a professional but someone who may have grown up in a household that exploited a climate of negativity As a psychologist with over 15 years of experience, I do understand why this teacher behaves the way she does
i HAVE put C because this is probably my current grade Do yourself a nice favour and dont take this course with Dr. Clarke
Clarke is an extremely unlikable professor strictly on a personal level It's her attitude that ruins everything, especially ignorance Like take a deep breathe please
Ive taken several classes with Dr. Clarke including 217, her African politics class, and 327 (fast fashion) which was online. I go out of my way to take her classesshes brilliant, passionate, and cares about her students. Yeah, she marks tough, but fairIve gotten a range of marks in her classes, but a B+ with her is a good grade. My fav prof
I was shocked when I saw Dr. Clarkes rating. In my opinion, shes the best prof in the department, and she certainly had the best online class experience. Tbh, I think people have been coddled by UVics easy-A markingClarke will push you not just in content but in how youre able to articulate yourself and your ideas. She made me a better writer!
Should have read the ratings
I am a mature student whose experience moves beyond political science to physics, chemistry, and biology I am a retired lawyer with years of experience in litigation From the very standpoint of a mature student, Ms Clarke is NOT an effective educator in principle and practice
Im like crying right now Please dont choose this course and prof
Dr. Clarke is my absolute favorite professor. She is very passionate about what she teaches and is always ready and willing to help her students. She cares a lot about the people in her class and genuinely wants everyone to succeed. She's a bit of a hard marker, but will teach you how to write better and think outside the box. Highly recommend.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS... potentially the worst prof I've had in my 5 years at uvic. She has a terrible teaching style in its entirety but it has felt like as she gains knowledge of students not grasping the content, she creates tests to prove her suspicions. Thought id take this class for an easy mark but ill be lucky to pass.
Professor Dr Clarke deviates from the positive ratings about her In my view these ratings are not accurate Sure you can study hard write with nuance and visit her office hours but sadly this will not suffice You will be very stressed if you enroll in this course so you should consider selecting another second year course Take this from a 4th year
Professor Clark was amazing. she cared about the content and her students. readings and lectures are required for the midterms and finals. if you're struggling in her class just talk to her she will help you.
Dr. Clarke is the kind of professor who would deduct marks if you've got the wrong date on a citation just so that she can feed her superiority complex. Pretty sad to see so many students emotionally impacted by her behaviour over the years and the department just turn a blind eye. I guess that's just how the cookie crumbles.
POLI322-be prepared to receive no marks the entire semester. 14 days out from the final and I currently have zero idea as to my grade in this class. We only had 3 assignments the entire semester. She acknowledged her lack of marking in class many times but has done nothing about it. Feels super unfair.
POLI 322- Only received one grade at the very end of the semester prior to the final, it is unclear how she will grade our final projects and exam. No idea what grade I should expect in this course. She's kind and passionate about the fashion industry and labour markets but needs to provide feedback to students prior to the last week of the course.
I'm not sure why she has so many bad reviews I loved her! Her tests are based off of readings so if you have time to skim through readings again I would recommend it. She is extremely understanding and flexible and I enjoyed her lecture style.
Avoid
Do yourself a favour and read the reviews here. Clarke is an awful professor. Her lectures are difficult to follow, she belittles the knowledge of her students, and she will grade you VERY harshly. She marks on an extremely arbitrary rubric - you will only get a good grade if your viewpoints align exactly with hers. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
The fact that to do an honors program you had to work with her but I don't think any students in the department wanna do that is insane. Thankfully it is now a different professor but it's far too late for me
Listening to her talk literally stressed me out. it's unfortunate because I think the content is interesting.
Avoid. Even when topic was interesting she went off topic so much and confused me. Designed like a second year course but marked super harsh and gave bad feedback. Her lectures and voice stressed me out so coming to class ruined my day, but she took attendance randomly for marks in lecture and always in tutorial. I wish I dropped it right away.
Was looking forward to taking the course, but ended up dropping immediately after the first lecture. Prof was arrogant about their achievements and how they were different from other profs. Strongly opinionated and doesn't seem to like it when others disagree with her. Topic is good but prof makes it not worth taking. Dropped and did not regret it.
As a prof she is a very hard marker and lacks a sense of compassion that is often wanted within academic settings. Her lectures are heavy and filled with a lot of information.
Marlea is not an easy grader and cares about precision in language. However, she does an incredible job presenting material in a way that actually makes you knowledgeable about a subject. If you actually care about the subjects she teaches you will appreciate her. If you want an easy A & to never think about the class again, she is not for you.
The WORST prof I have had in my entire life
Emotionally deranged
Literal Witch
Is unclear in directions for assignments, literal witch.
Professor gives circular lectures that dont flow well. Poor grader. Again, lectures are BAD. Spends half the time recalling badly. Very condescending at times. Very kind outside of class but somewhat difficult in class.
She is intense, but great
Awful. Just awful. Most disrespectful and entitled professor I've ever been in contact with. I heavily suggest avoiding classes with her unless you like mental torment.
She is very kind, and she is quite bubbly. She loves to engage with the material she teaches and loves questions. She is an excellent prof and very understanding around test season. She extended deadlines for the whole class and gave us an extra long reading break without even being asked. It was her idea. Excellent professor for sure.
She is intense but very knowledgeable and understanding. She wants you to learn. If you are looking for an easy A don't take this course but if you want to walk away with a new perspective on development and care about the issues, I recommend taking this course.
She is a very nice person, but not a great lecturer. Takes attendance multiple times a week (she even took attendance the Friday before reading week). Rushes through lectures often and tells students to refer to the textbook or readings during lecture instead of answering their questions. Quite strict
Unclear instructions for assignments. Very condescending when students answer her questions incorrectly. Gives terrible lectures. I learned the course by reading the textbook. Attendance is worth a lot and she takes it multiple times a week. Doesn't explain concepts well, the TA's had to essentially re-teach the material.
I would rather take POLI 201 with Mara Marin again than have taken this class and suffered the consequences of taking Marlea's class POLI 217/GDS20. As a third year student, this was hands down the worst course I've taken at uvic due to the professor.
While she is a tough grader, she will take the time to try to help you during office hours. At times she is a bit 'sharp' in how she addresses students, but again its only to make you a better student. I would take this course again, but don't recommend it to students who want an easy class or easy A.
She was not as bad as others say she is, her lectures were overall pretty great as she was actually passionate/interested in the material, and tutorials were also fun. She does take attendance and spend over 50 minutes each lecture though
Marlea is a super passionate prof, who cares about what she is teaching. I was always engaged and interested during lectures, which is good because attendance is mandatory. Not an easy A class, but if your a social sciences student, you'll be sure to enjoy it.
Went very fast in lectures, very very harsh marker. Noticed we had a lot of content that she struggled to get through in the semester - overall midterm, position paper and final
Seeing her rating, I was hesitant to take this course, but I was pleasantly surprised. Marlea is kind + devoted to helping her students improve. Her criticism is specific, but it is because she genuinely wants you to succeed. She WILL recognize and reward your hard work. Bad reviews are likely from people who can't handle consequences of low effort
Despite the negative reviews, Dr. Clarke was a passionate and helpful professor. At times her lecture style could be jarring, but she always made sure students understood and reiterated important points multiple times. If you go to the lectures and stay caught up, the class and material is very rewarding.
This prof has horrible reviews and I truly don't understand why, though I know reading them is incredibly discouraging and several people registered in my course dropped out after seeing these. I had a great experience with Dr. Clarke- she understands extentuating circumstances, speaks on interesting topics, and grades/assigns standard to 200 POLI.
Good prof. I didn't understand all the bad reviews. Be careful when raising your hand; she'll quiz you! I went 4:1 on raising my hand and being able to elaborate.
Dr. Clarke is an excellent professor overall. Although I am not a political science major and took this course as an elective, I really enjoyed her lectures. She is highly engaging, and her grading is fair—you get out of the class what you put into it.
Kindly went out of her way to critique my grammar in an email I sent her to my face! She didn't take my shocked silence as a response to that either and waited for me to acknowledge her critique. On an email… confirming her office hours…
She and her TAs grade quite hard. Her lectures can also be very dumbed down to the point where it's hard to pay attention. Overall though, a passionate and pretty nice professor.
i genuinely don't understand why dr. clarke decided to organize the course in the way she has. firstly, you're graded only on two, VERY short and CONFUSING assignments + mid and final. she's an incredibly hard marker, on par with HARD upper level courses, and does NOT give her TAs adequate material for tutorials (they too complain about her).
This class was so difficult. I showed up to every class, took so many notes, only to realize the midterm only covered textbook content. Shes a harsh marker, you will get a 60% on a essay for being “choppy” when you have a word count of 875. The assignments are confusing and brought down everyones grade, shes really funny, but the class is awful.
I took endless notes, showed up to class but to no avail. She is SUCH a hard marker. I did better in my upper 300 lvl courses than I did in this 2ND YEAR course. She nitpicks everything, she does not let a single mistake slide. your final grade is 2 VERY confusing assignments and a midterm and final. Ill be lucky to end with a B-.
this class was unbelievably hard for no reason. your final grade = midterm, final, and two assignments that make NO sense. she is such a hard marker. i never missed a class only to write the midterm and see that it only covers textbook material. this woman is impossible
Dr. Clarke is a very kind and caring professor. She's a tough marker but she tells you exactly what she wants and the criteria is always clear. Her lectures are great however, she often hold you at the end and rushes some content. I would definitely take this class again.
She is a tough grader but is VERY clear with what she wants from assignments/exams and wants her students to succeed. Her lectures are engaging and build on course content in a clear and meaningful way. As someone else said: the bad reviews are likely from people who can't handle consequences of low effort. I will be taking more classes from her.
She marks like she hates her students. The assignments are confusing. I showed up to every class but she only tested us on textbook material. and the ta's are kind of useless. Do not take this class if you love your life
So cruel. Avoid
Definitely recommend despite the reviews! I was hesitant but was pleasantly surprised. She is passionate in lectures and kind, takes time to learn about students and even got us candy :) Reading heavy but gives an accurate final study guide. It seems most bad reviews are from 2nd year course, but would 100% recommend this 3rd year course 👏
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
96%
Textbook Required
25%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.28 avg changeRatings by Course
POLI210327373
5.0
(1)Poli322
4.8
(4)POLI317
4.5
(6)POLI373
4.2
(6)327373
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
POLI323
5.0
POLI327
4.5
POLI217
4.5
MULTIPLE
4.3
POLI210327373
4.0