2.3
Quality4.3
Difficulty23%
Would Retake106
Reviews23%
Would Retake
106
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
21
4
9
3
12
2
11
1
53
What Students Say
“Tamara Small's is one of the worst profs I have ever had to deal with”
POLS2300 - 2.0 rating“The most uninteresting class i've ever taken”
230001 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
53%
Textbook Required
44%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.06 avg changeRatings by Course
POLS01
5.0
(1)POLS4910
5.0
(1)POLS4140
5.0
(4)POLS6950
3.3
(3)230001
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
230001
5.0
POLI2300
4.7
POLS6950
4.7
POLYSA
4.5
POLS2300
4.3
Reviews (106)
Great prof, I finally understand politics! She makes it very interesting and easy to understand. 3 quizzes, one paper and an exam. The multiple choice questions really make you think... they're hard but its to test your understanding. Overall, great prof!!
Found her lectures beneficial. She does a good job at clarifying what otherwise could be some monotonous reading. She's willing to help you out if you ask.
Great prof, always willing to clarify concepts. Really enjoyed her lectures.
condescending. speaks as if you don't know anything about politics.
Condescending and very intimidating to approach.
Terrible at making multiple choice. I spend half the time trying to figure out what she’s asking. I usually do very well with multiple choice. I study and can’t do good on her quiz’s cause the wording is not straight forward. He answers are not straight forward, I now hate this class. If you’re trying to get a 70% pick another section.
sooo bad. dont study cause her mult choice are Ridiculous! good lectures, terrible testing material
Talks too fast, makes you feel stupid. Marks way too hard
No matter how hard I study for the quizzes I always do poorly. she speaks WAY too fast. lectures are somewhat interesting however her quizzes ruined the course for me- way too hard and poorly worded
To the people below: Try harder. I haven't gotten below 85% on any of the quiz's and no one else should either. If you print of the powerpoint b4 class you have plenty of time to write down what she says. Also, if you don't understand how she words questions...go to her office hours! She's explained that her MC questions are unorthodox...
Makes everything unnecessarily difficult, from the lengthy wording of quizzes, to the guidelines for writing the paper. Attempts to act approachable, but her online responses are short and unhelpful. Avoid if possible.
A brilliant professor who clarifies concepts well and knows what she's talking about. Other ratings' statements about multiple choice is silly - the quizzes in this course are online and open book, so to expect easy questions is ludicrous. Good grades are perfectly achievable in this class.
The students complaining about her in lecture got ridiculous and annoying. Student who complain about her honestly look unintelligent for doing so. She is super smart and expects a certain amount of knowledge from you, it was nice to be treated as intelligent. Extremely helpful in office hours. I understand Canadian politics way better now.
She is a good professor and honestly, the people complaining in class and on this forum sound so dumb. To get below 80% on the ONLINE quizzes is beyond me. Maybe you should try studying. If you can't get a good mark in this class, you don't belong in university
EXCELLENT!
Great prof, I'd take a class with her again in a heartbeat. She's sharp and knows how to explain concepts clearly. Very engaging lecturer. Expects you to know the course content on tests. She's not a "cuddly" prof - she won't coddle you. She treats you like an adult and expects you to be an adult, but is available for help if you need it.
She uses the choose the best answer not the right answer approach. Her quizzes are unnecessarily difficult for a class that you supposedly didn't need a prerequisite for. I personally found her to be not a interesting teacher which in turn made the class harder.
To whoever said that we shouldn't be in university if we cant get good marks in her class... I have an 88 GPA and this is the only 60 I got in my entire university career so far. Maybe SHE worked for YOU but don't judge people who share their opinions. Thats what this forum is for I agree her quizzes are impossible and shes very uncaring.
Amazinf prof! Passionate about what she teaches and has a lot of knowlege. People may find her rude, but thats just her sarcasm- its jokes. Shes actually really helpful and very CLEAR. made me actually way more interested in politics than i ever was and furthered by understanding a lot. anyone complaining should try listening in lectures!
She is a very good teacher! Her lectures are exactly what is based on the text and she is very good at making you understand politics if you are new to the subject area! Overall great prof as long as you go to lecture you will do good
About the worst prof at the university of guelph. She's a smart woman but cannot teach. Very rude, ridiculous quizzes, and definitely thinks she has something to prove. Also to people who are telling us to "study harder"... I have an 88 Gpa.. pretty sure I deserve to be here. Were allowed to have opinions. She's awful.
The most uninteresting class i've ever taken
She is somewhat interesting, and knows what she's talking about, but is an extremely annoying lecturer. In an attempt to add emphasis to her speaking, Professor Small moves her body in-sync with every syllable she pronounces. Also, she compares fight club to caucus entirely too often, at least once a class.
I must admit that she is a very intelligent women, yet that does not mean she has the ability to teach. Her online quizzes are next impossible and she can be extremely rude in class. If we are looking to take this class i advise you to consider another prof.
Small knowns what she is talking about but unless you have a strong political science background you do not want to take her class. She motors through everything and speaks to us (second year course) like we are third or fourth years. Quizzes are very difficult, paper is relatively fair and (apparently) the final is ridiculous. I advise otherwise.
I loved Prof. Small! She is really passionate about the class and I felt that she pushed me to do my best. If you go to her lectures and do the course readings I don't understand how you could not get a good grade.
Amazing prof. She isn't easy, but this is the first class that I received a really high mark where I felt like I earned it. Print lectures in advance, ask questions, go to office hours, do readings. Everything in the class is reasonable, paper, exam, etc. Thank you prof small, best prof I've ever had!
Fourth year classes with Small are different than the second year. As mentioned, very intelligent and amazing at expanding your knowledge and examining different perspectives. One of my favourite profs in the POLS department. You will definitely enjoy the fourth year courses she teaches. Do not compare to second year courses.
Very passionate and intelligent woman. However, unless you have a strong interest and/or background in political science, this class will be very difficult. Her quizzes are next to impossible with the class average at 50%. Made me feel I should have already known all about the material she was teaching for the first time.
Tamara Small's is one of the worst profs I have ever had to deal with. She makes what could be a quite easy course incredibly hard just to prove herself and make you work for nothing. Her online quizzes are insane, you could study and have all the notes and still got get better than a 70%, her paper seems straight forward until its marked. AVOID!!!
She's extremely knowledgeable about the material she teaches, however regardless of the effort put into the course it is exceedingly difficult to get a decent mark in her class. The class average for the quizzes proved them to be absurd. The final essay was marked brutally, and regardless of the importance of the issue; she never replies to emails.
Very helpful, and very knowledgeable on the subjects discussed. Smaller classes with Professor Small are organized and structured really well.
I vey much enjoyed her class. She is very straightforward and honest about your papers... do not always expect flattering comments on your papers. She is very understanding and helpful when it comes to the term paper/project. If you are interested in learning about digital politics (grad or undergrad), you should take her class.
Prof Small is honestly the best professor I have ever had. Her lectures are engaging and interesting, and she does her best to give you assignments that will help you in the real world. I adore her, and if I could be half the political scientist she is I would feel lucky.
Professor Small is seriously my favourite prof in the political science department. Took one of her classes in third year and again in fourth and they have been my favourite in my entire undergrad. She expects a lot but in a respectful way, she just wants to see her students live up to their full potential.
An e-mail from Professor Small essentially accused our class of plagiarizing on the final, online exam. Overall her class was not too difficult, however at times the material was far too dry. I also was not a fan of the peer-review system she used for assignments, nor did I find her group work project to be relevant to the course.
Small was a good prof. Her assignments were a little strange and the weighting seemed odd though. Some of her grading seemed tough to unfair at times, but she was willing to regrade if asked. She is a very funny woman who managed to work humour into the somewhat boring topic of Canadian elections and political parties. Would take her again, maybe..
Subject is very boring but she doesn't make it unbearable. She's pretty tough though and expects class participation. Her three hour lectures killed me.
Professor Small seemed as if she was going to be a great prof. She is extremely passionate about politics which is great but tends to go off track and talks to her students as if they're a graduate class and expects you to already know everything. Her quizzes are also very difficult, she doesn't make good MC tests & her exam was difficult.
Took POLS4140 with Prof Small and it was one of the best courses I have ever taken. She's a hard marker and challenges you to think but in a respectful way. She has very clear grading criteria and tells you what she expects in order to do well. She clearly is passionate for politics, loves what she teaches, and is just an overall great prof.
Tamara Small is a professor that does not set you up for success. She is a tough marker, does not reply to emails nor questions asked in class. Instead of clarifying she says to google the answer to your own clarification. I DO NOT RECOMMEND taking her class unless it is mandatory. Tests and assignments are hard and set up for failure than success.
prof is the hardest marker I have ever had and my grades have never been so low. Every student I have talked to about this class has been shocked about their marks as well. This class doesn't seem to work online, as we are just dumped with an unrealistic amount of reading and teaching the course to ourselves. Tests are extremely specific.
This was honestly not an enjoyable class at all.. extremely hard markers, tough prof, and the way the discussions are marked is absolutely absurd. Not much engagement and final exam short answers worth 30 marks. Extremely heavy reading, and no accommodations. Sadly would not take this class again..
Honestly, one of the hardest and most unreasonable markers I have ever encountered. She marks every single thing as if it is a final paper, there are no easy marks in this course. To an extent, her marking is unfair, and you require 10 hours of research for a measly 250-word discussion post. You are essentially guaranteed a mark lower than a 70.
Honestly the worst class I have taken since the start of university. The course was literally just reading the textbook and watching extremely tedious and often long news videos (although this may be in part due to the online format). This class is also the worst mark I have ever received and I found the tests and discussions unreasonably difficult
Had her for an online class, didnt need the textbook and did fine. Quizzes and assignments werent too hard, pretty easy to find info on google and a lot of it was basic politics stuff. If you have a base understanding of politics this class shouldnt be too tough
Took this course as an arts elective (eng major). Prof Small had very engaging lectures that made a topic that could otherwise be a bit dry quite interesting. She always tried to bring in relevant current events. Not a bird course, but if you actually want to learn something and be challenged, a great instructor.
Quality lectures and good feedback and good answers to questions outside of class
Probably the worst prof I have ever had. Her feedback is unhelpful and irrelevant. I would not be surprised if my paper was graded by throwing a dart at a dart board and seeing what grade it sticks on. After taking her class I believe she wants her students to do as poorly as possible. Also half of the exam is short answer. Her lectures are boring.
This course was unreasonably difficult. This prof made it absolutely impossible to succeed, or receive a decent mark. Her feedback is not helpful; she is very passive-aggressive. Marks papers extremely hard, and makes tests/quizzes almost impossible to do. She also speaks as if we are all political scientists, she has a very poor way of explaining.
this was the HARDEST course i have ever taken. Professor smalls is a hard marker and gives discouraging feedback. She talks a mile a minute and maybe its because of covid, but she is hard to understand even with the mic.
Dont bother with this prof. For some reason she makes the course harder than it needs to be. When confronting the feedback (this might be specific to the TAs), they like to change their reasoning after providing proof that contradicts their arguments for giving you a poor grade. Genuinely never hated a class more. Very condescending.
Unreasonably difficult. No matter how much effort you put into this class you will somehow manage to do poorly. Seems as though the profs and TAs do not want you to succeed and their feedback is passive-aggressive. AVOID!
Such a tough grader, she expects you to do everything. If you have solid average in other classes and you study hard, I am sorry but your average will still be around 70 or less with her, no matter what. Take this class with a different proff.
Worst proff ever, never take this class with her. She sets you up to fail and gives horrible feedback. Extremely hard tests and exam. Her multiple choice is insanely hard, you can only do good if you are like Einstein and have an IQ over 200
From reading other reviews on Professor Small, Im not sure why it seems as though Ive had a completely opposite experience in her class. I found her to be caring, sweet, funny, give good feedback, very fair if not easy tests and assignments, though the TAs were a little tough but thats not Professor Smalls fault. Got a good final grade.
This prof marks hard and is mean in my opinion... good luck
decent lectures and grading was straight forward. But she doesn't care about her students in any capacity.
Poor communication skills, non-accomedating, tough grader, does not offer good criticism, reading reflections are forced, not much freedom given to graduate students, does not offer lots of extra credit opportunities, discussions can be self-taught with not a lot of contribution from professor.
doesn't accommodate at all no matter the circumstances, isn't understanding, doesn't have her students best interest at heart. Isn't helpful when it comes to course content and isn't nice.
Hard marker, does not care about who students or have there interest at heart. Must attend every lecture. Does not post slide show. She has a hard mid term and an impossible final exam. She marks incredibly hard.
Literally the worst prof I ever had. Doesnt care about her students. Teaches you like you already know everything. Alot of yapping less actually helpful stuff.
AVOID. Best advice I can give
Prof Small is great in teaching her lectures and making sure students understand instructions and are prepared for exams, however I would not take this course again due to how heavy the lecture material was. You do need to attend every class as material on exams is explicitly from lectures. Amazing professor but difficult material.
Very engaging, must attend lecture to do well on tests, she is not a hard marker, would 100% take any course run by her again, follow @uofgsteakreviews!
Poor feedback, poor grading, avoid
Listen to the reviews, don't take the class with her. Unbelievable instructions to assignments with little to no clarity, useless instructions on assignments that are repetitive. Boring and Un-engaging aren't even good enough words to describe the lectures. You wanna raise your hand? get ready to get a blank stare after you've asked your question.
All the good reviews are fake, there's just no way.
Ridiculous amount of rules. Discussion posts are open for 7 days but graded based on how early in the week it's posted. Allows bonus marks for a discussion reply, but discussion is unavailable until you post and bonus marks are not accepted the last two days. So unaccomodating, avoid if possible.
Worst professor I've ever had. Gives little to no structure or instructions on her assignments. Exam is worth 42.5% and incredibly hard to succeed with lack of explanation on how assignments should look. You get a week for a discussion though you lose a mark every day that you don't post, even way before the discussion is due.
This could be a very good class with the right professor, but Professor Small is definitely not the right fit for this class. Her assignments are weighed poorly (Final exam worth 42%, so failing the exam will be detrimental). Her slides are not helpful and it is impossible to follow along as she goes from one thing to another unethically.
Very disappointed with her, she does not care about helping her students succeed, and she is very passive aggressive and rude. She has crazy expectations for a second year level course, and she just does not know how to teach! Avoid at all costs if you want to succeed.
Could not rate her lower. Assessments are ridiculous, the exam is worth 40%, and she wont help you with any of it! Have never had a worse professor, like genuinely could not be worse. I think she forgets students are literally paying her bills. Seriously wish she would get fired. Would be a blessing to the poli sci & CJPP departments.
Every class I go into, I end up more confused than before. She should not be a professor if she does not want to help her students succeed. She needs to be stopped, I genuinely pray for the students who get her next because they're in for a big surprise
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH THIS PROF!!! If this is mandatory for your program, it will make things much harder because she genuinely does not have our best interests at heart. We are paying so much for what? Why is she still allowed to teach this course? Ridiculous.
Miss Small does not care about her students! Do not let her teach this course again. Do not listen to the good reviews because they are not being honest!
The exam weight is 42.5% of our entire grade and this is a mandatory course for majority of the students in the class (CJPP/ JLS majors). The marking/ feedback is awful, the lectures are her rambling of topic, and the disrespect she has towards students is concerning. Not to mention assignments are marked late even if you hand in before their due.
For your sanity do NOT take a class with this professor. Please. She has awful reviews for a reason.
This professor has made me so close to dropping out of university. Honest to God she does not care for our best interests. I think she gets a power trip out of making our lives awful. Please go be a jail guard instead. Sincerely the entirety of students at UOfG.
I've had more coherent lectures from teachers that could barely speak English. Get ready to struggle understand they point she is putting across all lecture long. Along with that comes confusing due dates and constantly talking down to some chill older fella just trying to learn. This class ain't for the weak of heart
This class should be used as a torture device for inmates. Ms. Small is a horrible professor, do not take this class if you care about your mental health and well being.
Doctor Small isn't a terrible professor, she has a passion for politics which is why she does yap in class about politics. She doesn't yap about irrelevant material, most of the time its to better understand what she's teaching by relatingit to real-world examples. The class is a tough class assignment wise but if you attend class you will be fine
I fear she is insane. She spends most of the class going on rants that no one understands the context of, screaming and running back and forth across the lecture hall. I'll have to say it's entertaining to watch but not educational at all. Acts like we have been studying government since we left the womb and I think she hates students. AVOID!
Professor Small is one of the worst professors I have ever had. Her deadlines make no sense and you lose marks even if submitted before the deadline. The best class I have ever had was when she gave us a substitute prof, it really showed me how this course should be taught. She is very intense and disrespectful towards her students. PLEASE avoid!!!
if the reviews about her assignments aren't enough to scare you away, imagine two times a week for an hour and twenty minutes your biggest opp is pressing you. she does not give a singular care about anyone in this class, she acts as if it's a personal challenge to see us fail and struggle... she is actually awful to us.
worst class in the world
I honestly cannot tell you what this class is. The lecturers truly do not make any sense, I have yet to miss one and I still do not know anything. I do not believe she is a bad person by any means, she had her moments where she cracks a joke but this is once in a blue moon. other than that there is no regard for students. please avoid
So so so so bad, developed depression for real. Please do not take this class
Gone to every lecture and still couldn't tell you one thing about politics because lectures are very confusing. I want to rip my eyes out thinking about this class. The exam is worth 42.5% and all multiple choice. Avoid this class with your life.
I physically cannot express how awful of an instructor Ms. Small is. I have never had a teacher in my entire life who not only cared so little about students, but acts like she wants you to fail. She will not in any way help you succeed; she will just make your life a million times harder. Cannot believe Guelphs teaching standards are this low.
Worst course layout I have ever seen. Every assignment is engineered to make you fail. I hope the university realizes how terrible she is to her students and how awful her teaching methods are, and save future students from this stress and anxiety. I have never disliked a professor to such a degree, academically and personally.
Professor Small is very passionate about what she is teaching about. This is the only aspect of the class that is enjoyable. It is ridiculous to have one exam worth 42.5%. It is also ridiculous to have to do a presentation, fully memorized, where q cards and slides are prohibited, on a article that you can't even choose. avoid this class.
BOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I am writing this a few hours before the final exam worth 42.5% of my grade. This is by far the worst course I've ever taken and I have little hope on passing. We are granted a cheat sheet, and I managed to put practically the whole course onto it and when reviewing the practice questions still only makes to get 10/20. AVOID.
tamara smalls is my #1 opp. her lectures are unorganized and she goes off topic on unrelated rants. she doesn't answer questions, and does her best to dance around them and confuse you even more. she also talks in a rude tone and passive aggressive. she acts like she's above everyone else and teaches like you should already know everything.
During the exam, I asked if we are allowed to leave as soon as we are done and she looked at me like I killed her family. Never had a teacher who hated me so much when I have never even spoken to them.
Most reviews are just students who didn't put in the effort for the class. This is a mandatory class for CJPP majors, so we must know this material for future careers. She did make our exam 42.5% but allowed us a reference sheet. Assignments were clear, if you didn't understand she would explain to you if you asked, the 3MT was hard but its doable.
She cares about her students and seeing them succeed. I've gone to her after lectures for help on assignments and understanding material better and she is always happy to explain to make sure I understand. The assignment guidelines are clear and if not, she either clears it up in the lecture or if you're still confused she explain better if you ask
This class was difficult and I didn't like the layout of the course because the exam was worth 42.5% and the assignments were marked pretty hard. Honestly I did like Professor Small as a professor. She is very engaging in her lectures even though the material can be dry. This class is hard but if you're a good student you'll be alright.
Doesn't post exam grades only final grade. What professor doesn't post exam grades. Second time taking the course, first time was extremely more difficult, she was too tuff with her assignments and they all were weighted high. You can clearly tell none of the class passed because the second time I took it it was a bird course so prepare to pay alot
Lectures are mandatory if you want to do well. If you go to every lecture and take notes during them, you will do fine. The final exam is worth 42.5%, but I actually enjoyed that because assignments were graded hard. If you studied and attended class it was easy to do well on the exam. The low ratings are from people who never attended class.
The smallest mistakes on your assignments result in huge mark docks, Professor Small is a pretty passive aggressive person when speaking as well. This class was pretty difficult for what it is but with hard work and regular self-tests you should be fine.
Her teaching style is horrible and her exam and tests are so hard
Dr. Small has some pretty bad reviews written about her here, but I don't understand why whatsoever. I loved Dr. Small, I honestly looked forward to her lectures and always learned interesting things from attending. Her assignment briefs are very detailed so every students can fully understand what is expected of them. Absolutely loved her!
You need professors like Tamara to give you a reality check and take things seriously. University is not a bed of roses, and what lies beyond the classroom is even worse. Tamara made my life miserable for a few months, and my endurance was pushed to the limit. Once I was done, I realized it was necessary, and I learned a great deal in her class.
Dr. Small faces unique challenges as a Black professor at a PWI, and that does not go unconsidered. Unfortunately, her capacity for empathy with her students has worn away. She does not care about your well-being or success; she doesn't want anything to do with you. She is here to do research and receive the credit that comes with it.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
53%
Textbook Required
44%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.06 avg changeRatings by Course
POLS01
5.0
(1)POLS4910
5.0
(1)POLS4140
5.0
(4)POLS6950
3.3
(3)230001
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
230001
5.0
POLI2300
4.7
POLS6950
4.7
POLYSA
4.5
POLS2300
4.3