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excellent professor, good in-class simulations. very thorough and enthusiastic

Tierney is enthusiastic and teaches Comparative Pol and IR very well.

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he is very knowledgable and an interesting lecturer (even at 8am!)

Great teaching style, very approachable

Kind of challenging, but excellent lecturer. Take his class.

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Tierney is a god. He really knows his stuff and makes lectures interesting. A little vague about readings at times, but is amazing nonetheless. Grades pretty strict, but fair.

a little intimidating at first, but only because he's brilliant at what he does. worth getting up for at 8 am. a lot of reading, but extremely interesting lectures. witty. fair grader. just don't diss the miami dolphins.

He is a really tough grader, but his lectures are fairly interesting. Don't do the reading since he goes over it in class, but make SURE you know current events because he assumes you do.

Tierney is the best. Take a class with him, it's a must.

Great professor. Fun, interesting, very interested in the topics. 204 is not too difficult if you study what is on the study guide for the exam, 301 just read and write your paper and you'll be fine.

One of my favorite professors at this school. Really knows his stuff. Lots of reading, and it helps if you can keep up with current events. Never returns stuff because he's got about a million projects going. Ask him stuff in person though, he's nice.

Nice guy, okay lectures - never returns any assignments though. Thought the class was pretty good, but a lot of people told me this guy was absolutely amazing and I didn't see it.

Interesting class, but don't expect to ever get any assignments back.

I really liked this class, think he is very interesting and a good lecturer. The assignments thing got on my nerves though. Really helpful with questions in class, and tries hard to make class interactive.

Tierney is a good lecturer. His assignments are fair. He is very approachable. He vastly improved my writing skills. He was busy with his diss. so he couldn't return things as quickly as usual. Grades medium-hard, esp. on papers.

Great class, made me decide to major in IR. Lectures involved and interesting. I learned a ton. Only bad thing is that he took like six weeks to return our midterms.

Never get any feedback on assignments - if you ever get them back. Tough but not killer grader. Good lecturer. Will tell you when he doesn't know something and tell you where to find an answer. Pad your grade with map quizzes.

Very smart, which is usually great, but sometimes gets so into a topic he becomes the only one still interested after beating it to death for hours. Extremely nice guy though. Can be very helpful except when he loses your papers in all the crap on the floor of his office. Likes to lose bets on Miami

Interesting lectures, enthusiastic. Never hands back graded work.

Best professor at WM. Changed my life.

Love this class, and I'm going to be an IR major now becuase of it. He gives clear and insightful lectures and also gives extra credit for attending outside speakers. He's very responsive to questions, but gives a lot of reading. He doesn't ever turn stuff back, but he rocks.

Very smart, so his personal expectations are high even if his grading isn't that harsh. The reading load is utterly sadistic. However, he is very nice (albeit blatantly honest), entertaining and enthusiastic, and I highly recommend him for those not afraid of doing some work in order to learn a lot.

I pretty much just remember that I thought he was hot and I liked his lectures, mostly just to look at him.

It is hard to get me excited to come to class at 8am. This guy does it every time. Clear and interesting lectures. Gets good discussion going. Heavy on the reading, but worth it.

Extremely interesting to listen to at 8 am in the morning.

The last comment is from my room mate. She is lusting. He is a great lecturer, but needs help with his hair and his clothes. I took him last semester and did not like my grade either, but learned a lot.

fantastically smart and cool guy. lectures are interesting on some days, boring on others. but that's probably because much of the material is theoretical. kind of an edgy class atmosphere for some reason, which sucks. 2 written/essay tests are kinda rough, but the study guides help. a few other small group-paper projects aren't bad. rad prof.

I think he's awesome! Really funny, sarcastic lecturer, his grades are fair. The group project gives you a chance to pull up your grade. I didn't do the reading and therefore didn't do so hot on the pop quizzes and I got a B+ easy. If you do the reading, you'll get an A.

Well-liked professor deserving of his reputation. When illness caused me to miss about half of the classes he was extremely understanding and accomodating.

I loved Prof. Tierney as a person - funny, interesting, knowledgeable guy (good for an 8AM class). A *lot* of reading, a lot of material... I got more out of his lectures than 95% of the reading, but read anyways. Kind of a hard grader, and the group projects were a bit frustrating, but overall, an enjoyable class. Take him or Dessler if you can.

I couldn't figure out what my grade would be because he took the whole semester just to get our midterms graded, but other than that, he is a great guy and an amazing teacher. Ok amount of reading. The exams are not too hard and the map quizzes and extra credit help your grade.

Really cool guy, easy to listen to. Papers get handed back months after you turn them in, but he's a fair grader. Lectures were kind of long at eight in the morning. The tests seem really hard, but again, he's a very fair grader -- don't stress too much. Be prepared for a LOT of reading.

Very good teacher. Seems harsh at first, but is really reasonable.

Just started class but excellent so far. Great simulation. Very clear and interesting lecturer. I love this class.

The class is difficult, but Tierney is a great professor and you will really enjoy this class. DO THE READINGS, take good notes, study your world map before every class and you'll be fine.

great prof. wish i could take him again next semester. almost all reading from coursepacket-really interesting stuff. Great lecturer, lots of humorous analogies that actually help. good discussions. slow to grade but assignments fair and not impossible. LOVE THIS CLASS. try to not do a backtoback because he can run a little over. Just take it!

Best class I have ever taken. He made me into a morning person! I really looked forward to this class every day. He knows his stuff, but he expects a lot. Just take it.

Prof. Tierney is a very engaging person who is obviously extremely interested in International Relations, as seen in his lectures. However, he skips around. Lots of reading, but its best just to skim for the general ideas-after all that's what you'll be tested on. Not much work, a few map quizes, group papers, and two exams. A fun class all around.

Tierney is great once you get to know him. He is very passionate and helpful when you make the effort to reach out. His class is kind of disjointed but you will learn a lot and the exams are not hard. Go to the review sessions, extremely helpful.

Took him last semester for IR 300. He was open minded and good lecturer. Inspired me to do research.

The only things that are bad about this class is that he takes attendance and is serious about people being on time at 8am. Other than that and him being slow about giving grades back, he's a great professor, lecturer, and person!

The only things that are bad about this class is that he takes attendance and is serious about people being on time at 8am. Other than that and him being slow about giving grades back, he's a great professor, lecturer, and person!

He's got a great sense of humor AND of teaching. There's lots of reading, and tests are no joke, but he is a good person and tells you exactly what to study. He has the gift of keeping people awake and interested at 8AM. You learn a lot but still have a pretty good time. A great guy and a great class.

Interesting and fun lecturer, kept my awake at 9 am! definitely learn stuff if you are interested, and he tries to be non-baised, and succeeds pretty well. really unorganized and takes forever to get your stuff back thought, and assignments and tests can be a little confusing and hard! not too many of them though

Dude is stone cold awesome....a cross between Denzel Washington and Richard Dreyfus with a cold shot of Slash from G&R thrown in for good measure.

Very good lectures. Interesting topic. Useful in office hours.

Excellent professor! One of the best I have ever had. I learned so much in this class.

This course confirmed my desire to study IR. Outstanding.

Extremely helpful, great guy and awesome to talk to. encourages great debates and discussion in class. Brings forth a wide range of perspectives in IR theory. stays unbiased for the most part. You won't sleep through lectures even at 8am, he keeps you on your toes and interested. Be sure to do all the readings (a lot ) or you'll sink.

Overall an awesome guy. He acknowledges that you go to W&M and is very fair - but expects a lot from you and demands perfection, giving it right back. Lots of guest lecturers that talk about a variety of subjects to keep you interested. I would take him in another class in a second.

Tierney is a great professor. The course itself is rather boring and a bit of a hodgepodge of information. That being said, do the readings, take it seriously, and come prepared. The guest speakers are knowledgeable and engaging. Tierney is fair and knowledgeable, not to mention a cool dude all the way around.

The class was excellent. I am Government Major. Engaging lectures and a great simulation. The exams were fair. If you do the reading you will do well on the assignments.

Took two courses with him. Best I had in four years

He is simply fantastic. Explains things clearly. Helpful in office hours.

He convinced me not to transfer and then got me involved in a research project that changed the way I thought. He changed my whole approach to learning.

Tierney is a busy guy who heads many research projects at the school. As such, he grades slowly and doesn't have time for too much outside-of-class interaction. While this may be bad if you need help, it also means he gives out few assignments and evaluates more on if you had an interesting answer rather than if it was a perfect paper.

Professor Tierney knows a lot about the field of international development. Expect a lot of reading and writing for his freshman seminar, but it is very rewarding. I think everyone in my class learned a lot about not only International Development, but also critical reading and thinking. I would recommend this course to anyone.

Tierney is a very intelligent professor with extensive research experience. International Organizations covered a variety of topics with a research paper, group presentation, and final exam. There are also some unannounced reading quizzes and participation matters. He's respected, caring, and reasonable.

For those with no gov't or econ background, its a bit jarring to jump into the readings, but you get used to it quickly. Mike understands that COLL classes are meant to improve writing skills & grades with that in mind. He also provides great feedback on assignments and gives unique opportunities for students. If you put in effort you will be fine

Probably one of the harder COLL 150's you could take, but I found Intl Development to be pretty interesting. It's a small class and there are plenty of group discussions so can't really get away without doing the readings. Super knowledgeable and caring Professor, tough grader but you are rewarded for putting in work. Worth the 4 credits for govt.

I took his 8 am this semester, and despite not being a morning person this class was definitely worth it. The class content is super exciting and Professor Tierney is a fantastic teacher who really cares about his students. There is a lot of reading so you do need to put a decent amount of time outside of class.

Loved this class! Wasn't sure about studying IR but he really made it worth it! He gets the best guest speakers too!

Tierney is a solid intro teacher. He synthesizes complex theories and case studies well. 6 total papers (3 guest speakers + movie analysis + midterm/final). Exams were half essay and half exam format. Lot of content here, but manageable if u work with ur peers. Also, he offers extra credit on both the exams and for watching 6 outside speakers.

Tierney is very interesting lecturer. He brings guest speakers to the class to break things up and to provide more real world perspective on all the IR theory we were learning. I would probably be better in person but even on Zoom this was my favorite class the year I took it. I wanted to take another class from him but he mostly teaches seminar.

This was the best class I took last semester. He is smart and he actually listens to students. Also, he helped me get an internship!

Wished I had received feedback/grades throughout the semester. Other than that, he's great. Challenged students, productively, to analyze texts and readings. Stern, yet reasonable and accommodating of personal problems. Responsive to emails. Well-connected at W&M and beyond. I recommend understanding the readings well. Very funny and personable.