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Though some think that he isn't funny, or his lectures are boring or diffucult, you need to grow up. The range of topics to which geog123 is relevent to is amazing, and it's very interesting. He only reiterates things because they all interconnect with eachother, and because it is complex, that helps the learning process.

Sparke is a very nice professor. There is a quarter long research project for this class, including a 7-page paper and a poster presentation. Not that big of a deal. He wrote his own textbooks that basically regurgitates what he just lectured about. Overall, I thought it was an easy 5 credits.

Readings are the same as the text. Not terribly boring but not exciting either. Nice guy, British, no homework asides from the research project due at the end of the quarter. Easy class, easy tests (essay), easy 4.0.

Very knowledgable in his subject, good humor.

I REALLY like him, but HATED the class. He's is sweet and funny, but lectures and the topics were very boring. It definitelt helped me understand how things work in the world though.

great guy, likes to keep things entertaining and interesting. good use of other media, whether it was videos, maps, and other guest lecturers. really easy to approach after a 500 student lecture, goes out of his way to make himself available with coffee sessions at suzzalo. easy class, learned a bit.

Found the subjects in this course to be very interesting and useful. He keeps things fun during lecture with movies, music, live performances, and jokes. Be sure to get a good TA that can explain and review topics well. Tests are very, very easy since he practically gives you all the answers and questions that will show up on them ahead of time.

Sparke is a great professor. He really got me interested in a whole new field and i appreciate how he puts his ego on the line to make the class interesting. I actually looked forward to his classes.

Great prof - highly recommended. He was always helpful to me. This class really opened my eyes to the subject and how our world is so interconnected on an economic level as well as social level.

Geography 123 was a great class and Matt Sparkes is an amazing professor. I was captivated everyday and the lectures were always interesting. They are even podcasted if you don't feel like going for a day. The lecture were 1 hour and 50 minutes, so the person who said 2 and 1/2 can't even count. The exams were resonable, just read the text!A+ Class

This professor is awesome. You learn alot of stuff that applies to everyday life and the kinds of things going on in the world. He's a really funny guy and if you listen to lectures and read the book this class is easy. Professor gives study guides for tests which makes it less stressful. I would highly recommend this professor!

Prof. Spark is the best. He always prepare for class. He is so intusiatic in the context he teaching, and he always look like he love to teach! If you like to have great experience in class and learn things that actually apply to the real world. I am totally recommended! Go Prof. Spark!

Professor Sparke is a great lecturer and tries to keep class interesting with fun anecdotes. His tests are straightforward, and his textbook is very well written. I learned so much from this class, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about current events and the world today.

Professor Sparke was really engaging and was enthusiastic about what he taught. It was a really interesting topic but could get somewhat boring and tedious at times. The tests were straightforward and he gave us the essay prompts before hand. Overall it was a decent class and it is pretty relevant to what is happening in the world right now.

All the other people here are right, boring lecture, boring book, but the material is so interesting and fascinating that it is truely worth it. Some of the extra credit lectures really enlightened my sense of the world and how the actions we make here affect others worldwide.

Sparke makes lecture interesting by adding in his own humor into it. Be ready to keep up with the reading and articles about issues pertaining the material throughout the course. Midterm and Final are extremely short and cover the most discussed material.

Professor Sparke for geog 123 was great, very interesting class.

Well versed, relevant and brilliant course. Worthwhile for all.

Professor Sparke is an exceptional teacher who engages students not only in relevant and interesting lectures but also one on one by making himself available. Excellent teacher.

I disagree his lectures are boring.Freshman were nodding off b/c they either drank too much or didn't care about relevant social issues. Sparke is a distinguished intellectual & Geo 123 is extremely informative. Workload/tests were fair.I recommend Sparke and Geo 123!

Matt Sparke was one of the few professors at UW who made an effort to learn the names of students in his class of over 100. He always emails back promptly and is very interested in helping students realize their dreams outside the classroom. Negative? He never had enough time to finish his lectures. UW is lucky to have him.

Super interesting class, text book really reader friendly and conversational, what is expected is unclear, challenging term assignment, study guides went up late, good class overall, english comp class linked with it is really helpful.

I really enjoyed this class. Gave a great overview of world events and what has lead up to and contributed to said events.

Prof Sparke very passionate about the study of globalization (both big and little g) and in turn this makes the class interested in his lecture. He is very knowledgable and makes a complicated subject like this easy to understand. Would definitely take him again.

Sparke is an interesting person, and it is clear that he fully understands what he is teaching. Some sections of the curriculum are harder than others, and the book is surprisingly dense. Although, he does offer a lot of extra credit and resources outside of lecture. Overall a good class but harder than expected.

The class is very interesting. However, there is a lot of reading for the class. The quiz section is very helpful but there is only one section for each week.

Professor Sparke is really funny, and clearly really smart. The class was harder than I expected though because the some of the concepts are pretty complex and can be hard to grasp and the textbook gets really hard to read in the later chapters, especially after the first midterm. There are a lot of extra credit options, though.

Great professor. GEOG123

jokes from time to time

Professor Sparke is very knowledgeable in his subject. He gives his opinions and viewpoints in lecture, challenging your own. Great intro class for freshmen.

I absolutely loved this course, and I'm a econ major so thats saying a lot. Watch the movies! they were on the midterm and is also on the final. Read the book and go to lecture and your almost guaranteed a 4.0...

A Sparke class experience is sprinkled with stories and straying personal tangents, engaging even with the 200+ class size. 100 level, he makes a serious effort for the class to be challenging with his 10-12 page paper, but don't fret, there is plenty of support esp. for freshman. Be aware, social realities of Neoliberalism are strongly bias

Cool dude, like his accent, textbook online is pretty helpful, lectures are screencasted so if you miss a day you can still catch up

Nice person with tons of knowledge whom you can learn from, but the test is really not as easy as it was claimed

I really liked this class. I thought that it was very interesting & Professor Sparke is really knows his stuff! He does offer the textbook online & screen casts so you don't have to go to class although I would really recommend it. If you read the text and watch the screen casts or go to class then I think that the class is pretty straight forward.

There's a lot of required in-depth reading (about 40 pages a week)...if you haven't done the reading for the week then lectures might be difficult to understand.

Ask questions, if you ever have a question ask professor sparke or your TA. Prof. Sparke is really good as answering questions and he tries his best to answer them for you. The content of the class can become confusing therefore you must try to attend class as much as possible. Overall I enjoyed the class and I think Prof. Sparke is a great prof.

Good teacher. Very intresting class. Worth all the time you spend in the class. Can be a bit hard to understand what's going on in the class content if you don't have much backround information though.

I took this class because I'm considering International Studies as a major. The content is very fascinating, although be prepared to memorize a lot of lists and watch several movies on your own time. Professor Sparke seems to be very passionate about what he does, which makes the class very enjoyable (although anticipate tangents).

The class content is very interesting, but all the information can be a little overwhelming. A lot more outside work for the class than I expected, the chapters of reading are tediously long, but very helpful and fascinating nonetheless. Having this class at 8:30am was very hard to show up to, would suggest it offered later in the morning.

Pretty good teacher, I liked his lectures. His book is a little long-winded and rambles, but is full of good information that he dicusses in class.

The subject overall was a boring one to me. I think that he was passionate about the subject and knew his stuff. The book was written by him though so you don't really get a chance to even think for yourself because he is telling you what his book says. I felt his TA's were very helpful.

I like Professor Sparke. He is nice and passionate. His lecture and book are very informative and useful. But I think his lectures are a little confused since the ideas are not very well organized or explained.

A very fascinating class and intriguing content, although not always crystal clear. Professor Sparke is very enthusiastic and erudite. I thought the tangents proved to be helpful in some points, but the length of them was the problem. Great professor, great class, love his British accent!

This professor was super nice and very enthusiastic. He definitely knew what he was talking about. The lectures could be a little boring but other times were interesting. However, the chapters get longer and longer as the book goes on, and it gets harder to understand.

Prof.Sparke is really nice.

Sparkes is overall a fantastic teacher. He is very enthusiastic about the subject he's teaching and is very knowledgable. He's essentially a walking encyclopedia when it comes to governance and politics! There's a lot of information presented in this course, but as long as you keep up with the reading, the class shouldn't be too hard.

Professor Sparke is a nice guy. His lectures are effective,but he always has too much to teach. Reading is extensive and dense, though informative. This class would be MUCH more enjoyable were Sparke to introduce fewer topics. He touches on a million different things and it's tough to tell what one will be tested on, even with a study guide.

Professor Sparke is real walking encyclopedia and his lecture is really awesome. Acutally I am an international student so before I take this class, I had some worries about this seeming difficult class. But I have tried to keep up with the class materials so I could learn many thing about the real globalization. Thank you Professor Sparke.

It's about globalization. It's fun for pure interest, but not a grade booster. I really wish I could have understood more. Watching his SCREENCASTS is mandatory, since his text books are so long and even if you read them, you forget. TAs covered what to write for essay questions. All in all, this will be my last GEOG class at UW.

Really nice guy, funny jokes and britishisms make the class a great environment. He is an interesting guy! But it was definitely hard for a 100 level class, and it could be a bit hard trying to keep up with his textbook because it is long...

Super enthusiastic, this class prepares you quite well for future SIS classes. The readings were a bit rough, but otherwise it was fine!

This class is way to hard for it to be considered an entry level class. Should be 200 at the lowest. Great teacher who cares about his material. Has a cool accent. But if looking for an intro class, you might want to look else were. If you love the subject, this is the class for you.

This class is not recommended for writing credit class because the research paper we had write here was a long hard one. It killed my 3 weeks of the quarter. Plus, the final that I'm preparing for right now is too hard. I don't even know if I can get at least 60% on it.

everything learned in this class can be seen in daily life/news. its a really great class! but beware! just because it's a 100 level course doesn't mean it's going to be easy.

Do not take this class. Way too much work for the 100 level class. The information is too vast, being that this is an introductory class geared toward Freshmen. The midterm was ridiculously hard, as well as studying for the final. The only easy part was the excessive 10-page paper with a random google map attached (you ask me).

Over all it was a good class and well worth taking.

Sparke's class is awesome but don't look at the 100 level and think easy. If you're motivated and willing to read his great pdf "textbook" (buy it as a course-pack or you'll go blind staring at the screen. best $20 you can spend) You will do well and expand your worldview. The downside of this class is the BIG school feel but that's UW for you.

Brilliant. Covered pertinent issues that any college student should know about. Professor does all he can to help students succeed:, helpful study guides, movies, screencasts, extra credit. You just have to put the work in. If you take advantage of the opportunities in this class, you will walk away a smarter student and better-informed citizen.

one of the few prof's i've had that show real interest in the material, its implications in the real world, and the students. TAs were also super helful.

This professor is very passionate with his teaching and subject. I find it enjoyable to go to his class, he does his best to make it engaging as possible at the same time push you to your full academic potential. Although many complain that his class is a bit tough, it isn't too bad if your a diligent student keeping up with reading and attend clas

This class did require some work, but this is college, and I actually studied more than I really needed to. The professor is a great guy and funny, and is really passionate about what he teaches. The movies and information we had were interesting and gave us a chance to learn with different methods. Can't wait to have this professor next quarter.

Professor Sparke is a very nice person but his class is extremely hard for 100 level. If you read all the reading materials and watch all those videos you will be fine. However, they take you forever to finish. For people who are looking for easy class this is not your best choice. If you don't worry about grades, this class is very attractive.

Fascinating and relevant material but badly organized course. Tried to cover too broad a scope in too short a time. Exams were ridiculous - highly focused on testing memorization of names, acronyms and lists rather than understanding concepts. Respect Sparke's expertise but more thought needs to go into what he wants students to get from this.

I found the class very interesting. The amount of reading assigned is A LOT, so don't push it all back till the midterm or finals. Professor Sparke is actually a great professor and is approachable if you have any questions. Overall, you'll be fine if you read and pay attention to his pictures.

Professor Sparke shows great passion for the subjects covered in his lectures in Intro to Globalization. He does a good job of explaining concepts, and he is available and approachable for students seeking clarification. Decent amount of reading required.

Professor Spark is an excellent teacher. He tries to learn your name, and wants you to really understand the lecture materials. If you don't read or listen to lectures the class will be very difficult. Sometimes Spark rambles, but I felt educated after taking this class, and would recommend it if you want to learn.

I learned so much from this class and it helped me realize, as a freshman, that the transition to college is a difficult on. However, if you are willing to put in the work you can still get a good grade while simultaneously learning a lot. Be prepared to put in a lot of work but get a lot out of this class.

I LOVE Professor Sparke. He is my favorite teacher I have had at the University. I have had him for multiple classes, SIS 123 and GH 101, and he is always willing to chat and help. His lectures are a bit confusing sometimes but he is enertaining to listen to and it is easy to sit through his classes. The tests are fairly easy.

Class had a lot of reading and work. I don't think it should be a 100 level class. It should be a 200 or 300 level class. You'll learn a lot, but I would not recommend taking this for an easy class.

I thought he was a pretty good teacher, and SIS 123 was an interesting class. Studied a few hours before each test and did well.

I think Professor Sparke tries hard to make a boring topic as interesting as possible. He wrote the course himself, so going up to him and asking questions for clarification will make things much easier. Pay attention to his lectures and read the book. For this class, it is necessary to study for tests. Its not a class to take for an easy A

Professor Sparke is incredibly invested in his discipline and puts a lot of effort into his role as an educator, which is so refreshing coming from high school. Very intelligent man and capable teacher, I felt like I learned a lot. It's not an easy class though, really try to pay attention in lectures

He was definitely very passionate about what he was teaching which in turn made what should have been boring topics interesting to us students. But a lot of difficult reading. About half your grade is weighted on a final research paper. He posts all lecture power points online which is helpful! But wouldn't take this for an easy A.

Professor Sparkes was very entertaining. He's helpful, can lecture, and is clear about homework or tests. Everything you need to know is posted on the online website or sent through emails. Reading is heavy, but go to lectures, review notes, and fill out the review guide. It will reward you with a good grade. Effort is required to get a good grade.

Very enthusiastic teacher. Really cares about his students. Easy grader.

Professor Sparke is very nice to us. Although sometimes the material in class is a little bit boring, he always tries his best to make it fun in lecture.

He is so devoted to this class that we were all inspired by him! The class is a little bit hard, but this professor claimed everything well!

He's a really really nice professor! But the class material was really hard so it's understandable why explaining information wasn't very clear. Do study groups and you'll do fine. Although it was hard, totally worth taking!!!!!

By far one of the most engaging and best teachers I have ever had. For my first quarter at the UW, this class was a pleasure to be a part of. Prof. Sparke actively engages the students with an interesting lecture and actively tries to maintain interest through other activities.

Sparkle has unique views on the influences of globalization.I certainly benefited a lot from his class.

Dr. Sparke is a phenomenal professor for a number of reasons. He is very knowledgeable and experienced in the topics he teaches, and approaches his job passionately. He isn't shy about admitting his own perspectives on things, but he also goes out of his way to balance his views with others, in teaching and in assignments. Overall great!!!

Professor Sparke is well informed, interesting, fair,and funny. He's able to explain concepts clearly, and often uses aids to express things in new ways. There are some boring subjects covered in class, but the professor does his best to keep things exciting and often plays relevant youtube videos. I would definitely take another class by him.

GREAT teacher. Very passionate about alter-globalization, he really makes you think about the repercussions to only having a pro-business mindset. In no way is he biased though, just presents a side we don't often get to learn about. Material is very relevant to the world, I advise you to read the textbook to know your stuff, its worth it though!

I really liked professor Sparke. Sure, many people thought that he would push his opinion on people, but the way I see it is it would be impossible to teach this class without having a strong opinion. As long as you work hard, read, study and participate, you will succeed!

Professor Sparke really loves what he teaches, and I think that enthusiasm can overcome any shortages. But then again it really is your fault not wanting to participate or clarify things. So if you aren't self disciplined, don't come to this class, and please please don't whine in the end blaming everyone but yourself.

Interesting class, great guy with a great British accent. He was very knowledgeable in the field of study which made learning easier.

GH101 is one of my favorite classes at UW! Great subject matter and new concepts introduced each lecture. Good course to get overall understanding of the field and professors keep it fun and interesting!

Global Health 101 taught by Matt Sparke was one of my favorite classes I taken thus far at the University of Washington. This was the class that made me want to be a Global Health minor. The professors in this class have real first hand experiences making their lectures interesting and intriguing. It is also not an extremely hard class.

Global Health 101 was one of my favorite classes taken at UW. Matt Sparke is an enthusiastic, passionate professor making his class intriguing and interesting. The professors have first hand experience in the stories they tell making the lectures very interesting making you want to attend lecture. The class is also very manageable.

Professor Sparke's classes are incredibly engaging and informative, however you have to willing to actually do the readings and ask questions if you want to succeed.

Global Health 101 was one of the most eye opening classes I've ever taken! Professor Sparke is very intelligent, well rounded, and keeps class entertaining with his jokes (intended or not)! I would recommend this class to anyone, even if Global Health isn't in their major/minor.

Matt is an AWESOME prof, and I only have good things to say about him! GH 101 was a very interesting class, and he kept us all very entertained. Definitely taking more classes from him next year.

Sparke genuinely cares about making material matter to his students, a unique quality for a professor with such prolific publications and outside involvements. He has a genuine passion for teaching, learning, and student involvement. His humor and fervor are also refreshing for students accustomed to typical professors with hackneyed attitudes

Very Deep Thinker and very engaged with his classes. has an excellent sense of humor and explains concepts very well. He does present his own opinions on the subject matter, but they are well-thought out and logical.

Simply the best, funniest, most engaging prof I've had, in 5+ years of college. True, the class (aka GH 101/Geog 180) is taught with 400-level expectations, and it should really be at least 2 quarters long, but if you're actually interested in public/global health, you couldn't find a better (or deeper) "introduction" to key concepts and history.

Remarkable professor! Enthusiastic and knowledgable, he brought passion and energy to every lecture, A great, engaging class that will actually teach you about how our world works.

Sparke's entertaining accent was not enough to counteract how atrociously disorganized his class was. His knowledge and ambition with the material is unreasonable for a survey course. I found myself memorizing lists and acronyms for tests that were infuriatingly specific. Overall: Very enthusiastic, doesn't understand that his students aren't.

Matt is helpful and the class is interesting and engaging if you have interest in Global Health. The beginning of the course focuses a lot on economics and politics, which are important foundations for understanding current Global Health issues, so don't zone out! The study guide is more vague than the midterm and final expects, so study more!

This class is very engaging and practical. Professor Sparke and Gloyd did a good job teaching and switching up the materials so it does not get boring. They are both very friendly and knowlegable in the global health field. Overall, this is a good class, I recommend it if you are interested in learning a basic understanding of global health

I thought the class was well organized and the lectures were interesting. The global fund project takes up a lot of time, but I learned a lot. Prof. Sparke seems to really enjoy what he does and teaching. I thought he was very friendly and approachable.

Matt Sparke is absolutely fantastic. He is one of the best professors I have had at UW. Go to his office hours and talk to him, he is so willing to help students that are interested.

He's a good professor, and if you email him something he will email back quite quickly, and address it to the whole class as well. Sometimes lectures are a bit hard to follow, but you'll get used to it, he is also really funny and kind.

Professor Sparke truly cares about Global Health and seeing that his students succeed. After not doing well on the mid-term, I visited his office hours and he was incredibly supportive, encouraging, and helpful! He is able to use countless examples until you understand the content and makes it fun to learn too! I highly recommend him :)

Very spirited and clearly invested in the material presented in the course. Approachable, office hours are helpful.

His British accent keeps me from falling asleep during his lectures, and he's super passionate about his work. Sometimes lectures are long, but he makes sure to give the class a break. Also his imitation of a Scottish accent is hilarious. He made the two hour lectures bearable. He is very open to ideas and activities to benefit the class.

Makes the long classes bearable, and has outside work to tie into what we are leading. Very informative, would take again!

Sparke & Gloyd taught this class together. The subject is interesting, Sparke tries to make it fun, but lectures were long. Slides are somewhat disorganized which makes it hard to take clear notes. Weekly writing assignments that lead up to long report at end of quarter. Reading textbook helpful for tests but not necessary. Overall good experience.

He is pretty fun and tries to relate material with relevant things going on in the world at the time as well as referencing the game of thrones a couple of times. Overall nice and loves participation and students dropping in during office hours.

Huge bro of a professor. Very funny and energetic, and you can tell is just in general a stand up guy. He's the type of dude you want to get a couple of beers with and play pool or something. While I personally despised the course material, he made it as manageable as possible for someone who was scoping out interest in global health. I liked him.

Whoever wrote him a bad review needs to suck it up and read the book. If you read the book like you are told to and then his lectures really work off of that and it all makes a lot more sense. He is a fantastic professor with so much experience and really speaks with passion about the content of the class.

Major bro. Learned so much and it is clear he is very knowledgeable about the material. Funny and interesting lectures.

Although this class does require a quite a bit of work for the final project, the quizzes are all online, untimed & allow two attempts. There is one midterm and one final, which is all multiple choice. There's also a lot of reading. Even so, the material is really interesting and the professors do a great job of keeping it interesting! I Recommend!

Very interesting topics covered. Readings may seem daunting but once you start you'll find yourself much more interested than you started out. Use a lot of cool videos as well to explain concepts.

The lectures may cause you to doze off, but it is crucial to listen and understand the material presented in them. Sparke does an amazing job of trying to keep the audience's attention, however, it can be a bit dry. If you plan on taking this class show up to each and every lecture!

This class wasn't what I expected coming into it, but I love doing the coursework and getting to know my TA and Professor Sparke. The lectures can be long, but that's to be expected with an hour and 50 minute class and Professor Sparke tries to make it more interactive.

Professor Sparke is passionate about global health. He is very knowledgeable, caring, and hilarious during the lecture. The two main parts of the course are the global fund project and the tests. For global fund project, you need to do a small section each week, it does involve research. There will be study guides provided before tests.

Pretty funny & awesome professor. Makes a real effort to explain concepts to students. To succeed in GH101 be prepared to pay attention in class, read, complete assignments, and review info off the slides. The workload is manageable! Just do the work + readings, ask questions and you'll be fine :)

Prof Sparke gives well planned lectures covering a wide range of interesting course content. Sparke makes effort to make the 2hr long classes bearable offering a short break mid-class and encouraging discussion and participation. You can tell he is passionate about the subject and I think he is the best lecturer of all of mine this quarter.

Prof Sparke gives well-planned lectures full of interesting and relevant course content which help in assignments a great deal. He puts in considerable effort to make the two hour long classes bearable by offering a short break mid-class and encouraging discussion and participation. His humor and use of videos/visuals also make class enjoyable.

Global Health 101 with professor Sparke was just amazing, I would recommend everyone to take this class as it opens your eyes up to the issues and from where the issues started relating to Global Health. He is really passionate about this topic and will help you in any way possible. One of the best professors I have had so far!

He is one of the most interesting, amazing professors I've ever had. He is engaging and has so much experience. It is an absolute honor to take a class from him.

Eye opening but takes a lot of work. The nearly 2 hour lecture format is challenging, that said, Sparke makes real effort to be engaging throughout. There is a major project which runs throughout the quarter that requires a huge amount of time and effort. If you have passion for global health, I strongly recommend!!

Sparks is fantastic! He's got a great background and a ton of knowledge, which I think makes it hard for new students to follow his lectures (very high diction). But he's super accessible and seems to genuinely enjoy working with students and unpacking topics. Great professor and person to network with.

Very interesting topics. Made me wish I would've been a global health major. This class took a lot of time, but the material made me WANT to put the effort in. There are participation activities for each lecture, but you don't have to attend lecture to do the activities (on Canvas). Great guy who is always looking for feedback on his teaching.

Best teacher at UW. Britain English accent. Cares about students. Clear PPT, final exam review are useful.

Was just watching an online lecture for GH101 where Sparks says he looks at these sometimes and is usually depressed after. Made me sad because I love his lectures and he is super awesome!! Wanted to put in a good word becuase I had him for a globalization and global health course and he is amazing! Super smart and fun to listen to!

This class was so interesting and eye opening that I ended up switching my major to Public Health. Sparke is so engaging and knowledgable about the material. The class is alot of work but it teaches useful skills. If i could take this class every quarter, I think I'd still learn something new each time. He is a great contribution to GH.