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The man does not stutter; He pauses between thoughts in an attempt to properly convey complex ideas to stupid frat kids. He was intelligent and helpful if you had the mind to ask for help. Excellent teacher.

Baer is awesome! I took the midterm, and was so suprised at how easy it was. I got an A, but did spend a few hours studying for it. There is not too much work for this class, just make sure you study. If you go to lecture, the midterm is just like what he talks about. However, quizzes can be hard.

This class was easy. As long as you really listen in lecture everything makes sense. The exams are all essay questions, but it's not bad as long as you study... but that's the same with every class. What he talks about in lecture had everything to do with what was covered in exams

I do not know what everyone is talking about. The essay exams have everything to do with what was discussed throughout the semester. Overall, the class was easy, however, he does get a little boring with his "uh" and "so on and so forth." With that aside, professor baer is one of the best.

1988- Economic Development in Lat. Amer. Excellent class, great mentor, and even in a large lecture he was concerned about his students. I just wished that I worked harder for his class because I could have learned even more.

He's really into what he's teaching...and if you are interested, it will be fun. Grading is par.

class wasnt too difficult, as long as you go to and pay attention in all the lectures and discussions.

Go to lecture, take good notes, study hard, and get an A. He is boring, but unlike gottheil, he gets to the point and actually TEACHES in his lectures instead of telling stories. Essay tests give the option of you telling what you know instead of guessing on mc exams.

He isn't exciting, but if you go to lectures and take notes, you'll get an A. He doesn't tell you long-winded tales or confuse you with random side comments, he's very straight-forward. And unlike Gottheil's class, students actually get A's in Baer's!!!

Lectures are all talk and very boring, and most of the stuff you need to know is covered in discussion. He says "Uh" every 5 seconds or so, but otherwise a very easy class.

Definitely a naptime lecture if you want to. Friends of mine went to his lecture just to experience how he gets really into what he's talking about and pulls Elmer Fudd style stuttering. Very helpful if you go to him.

Really nice man. He's a decent lecturer (a little boring at 10 AM, but what isn't), his tests are fair and cover everything you learn in class, and discussion sections in my opinion were really good. I learned a lot in this class. The tests are essay. The quizzes are multiple choice and the practice quizzes help a lot. TA's websites are good.

If you go to class & pay close attention to his lectures, you won't have to read a page of any of the material he assigns (Pay attention, and this will save you a lot of time). Only a midterm, a final and a paper determine the entire grade. Grading was leniant. Usually dismissed 80 min class in 55-60 min. This is a good advanced ECON class to take!

Pretty easy class, in my opinion. If you go to lecture (I stopped going all the time eventually) and take notes, you should do fine, the tests are pretty fair. He does stutter a bit though, which can make him a little difficult to listen to.

Latin American economics, specifically Brazilian economics, is his specialty and he is one of the most knowledgeable sources there is on the subject. You have to put effort into this class. You cannot slack off the whole semester and expect an A. However, I feel like I learned a lot in this class and consider it one of the most valuable I took.

He's a nice professor, but you can skip every lecture if you read the book and go to discussion...EMPHASIS on going to discussion, although i heard it may differ from TA to TA.

overall a good class, you could definately miss some lectures as long as you go to discussion. tests were very fair and straight forward

very good teacher. although lectures are not clear, if you go to class and to section, you will be fine. exams are blue book essay exams but arent that hard. he goes into detail for what the answers should be and if you study your notes you should be able to fine an example of how to answer the exam question. no practice exams though.

Really easy class. You don't need to go to lecture. Just show up for the TA section and read the book and you'll get an A.

Prof. Baer has a terrible rep on here because of whinny freshman who took him for ECON 103 a few years ago. If you're taking him for international or Latin American, he's fine. You HAVE to attend his lectures and memorize everything he says, and you will get an A+; it's that simple. He doesn't use the book at all...

I agree with the post below regarding whinny freshman econ. 103 students -- they do bad in the class then blame the prof. for their poor grade. Anyways, I would recommend Prof. Baer. He really knows what he is talking about. Doing well in his class is not hard: go to class and take detailed notes and memorize them.

Hey, he seems boring at first but honestly, I'm starting to like him. About 35 minutes into lecture, he will crack a minor joke, stay awake for that. Follow along with chapters because he covers graphs and explains concepts, thebook does definitions. He knows what he is talking about and I'm starting to like econ because of it

If you attend lecture and section, you'll be just fine. The material on the midterm and the final is what he talks about in lecture, he very rarely refers to the textbook. He is a bit boring, but he knows what he's talking about, unlike Gottheil.

He has a genuine enthusiasm for his subject, but I still felt lost in many of the lectures. Does not take questions during lectures. I also found the all-essay exams to be painfully hard.

He was very useful in class, somewhat interesting. The lectures were not mandatory, but he gives alot of information in lectures that the book did not contain. The midterm and final were both essay, but as long as you study the material, you will be fine. There are no surprises on these tests. Overall, really good teacher.

Um...he lectures are interesting but um he has a way of um talking you to sleep. Still, um the subject matter isn't bad, and he explains it um fairly well. Great class for naps :)

His lectures are really interesting. He has a very good sense of humour.

This was a fairly easy class. You need to attend class because the test was basically straight from class notes. Also, he rarely changes the test from year to year so if you get a hold of old tests, you should be golden

Prof. Baer is a unique teacher who doesn't try to trick you on exams. He genuinely uses tests to see how much you know. If you go to class you dont need to read and you will end up with a good grade in the class

He goes over stuff in the lecture that is not in the book so go to class and take good notes. Exam averages were low.. like 70%. He doesn't seem very friendly. I tried to go in to him for help once and he told me to go see his TA.

baer's the man!

Easy Class. Theres no hw and you get like an easy 6 question quiz every month. Make sure to write down all the notes because they will definitely help for the midterm. Only time to worry is for the midterm and final but if you understand it then ur fine. Most people got Bs and As for midterm.

Not the most interesting speaker, but he does cover everything pretty well. The difficulty of the course rests entirely on what TA you get. Mine was kind of hard. She wanted the exact wording from her explanations on the midterm and final.

lectures were extremely boring. do not sit in the balcony of foellinger. you will fall asleep. try to pay attention and you should do good. there is no homework and your grade really relies on what TA you get. also i only used my book once while writing a paper for the class. you do NOT need the book for this course.

Really boring, but he only has two tests in which he tells you exactly what is going to be on them. Just study the graphs and know the concepts and this class is a breeze

I thought this class was quite interesting. It's definitely heavy on the history and pretty light on econ. This is Professor Baer's area of expertise, so this is a great course to take with him. Grade is composed of a midterm, paper and final. Go to class if you want a good grade. Baer's a nice guy and very helpful.

Baer is boring but he knows his stuff. Sometimes, I found his insight actually interesting. He doesnt teach from the book, but I read most of the chapters to better understand the material. You MUST go to lecture or borrow someone's notes, because they are ESSENTIAL for the exams. If you study the notes, you'll get an A! The quizzes were a pain!

You can tell Baer loves teaching this class. His sense of humor is charming. Just go to class and take detailed notes and you can get an A. The exams aren't tricky but you need to know your stuff.

I took 420 and 452 at the same time. I went to class almost every day but never opened the books (Do not get them! You don't need them if you go to lecture). If you can, get your hands on the old exams. They are almost EXACTLY the same - if not, then you at least know what concepts you need to study, as those at least stay the same.

Professor Baer is a professional teacher, unlike most UIUC professors. Macroeconomics was thoroughly explained, and his notes were easy to take down and understand. Compared to most engineering related subjects, econ 103 was interesting, broadened my understanding of the world, was well taught and had fair exams to top it all off.

Goes on many tangents, but still gets to the point.

Professor Baer is the man. I believe he is one of the best professors at the University. He really cares about his students and, as someone else on here said, he doesn't try to trick his students. He just wants to make sure you know your stuff. He doesn't care if you go to class, but for intl econ you really need to go to class and study the notes.

Baer is the best.

If you're an econ major at U of I, you owe it to yourself to take one of Baer's classes. He's incredibly knowledgeable about subject and if you take the time to go class you will learn a great deal. He is one of the most friendly and relaxed professor's at the university, and not to mention he has a good sense a of humor. Take the class.

I have had Baer for 3 different classes. He is the best. You can tell he isn't as excited about Econ 103 as he in upper level courses.

great teacher, but you need to find past exams if you want to do well. midterm 45% and final 55%. no homework.

I've had Baer before and continue to really like him as a professor. There is no busy work he assigns, just go to class and take notes and you will find the exams pretty simple. He slightly curved for this section.

The lectures are pretty boring but his class is very easy. His exams are extremely basic, the quizzes are a joke and you barely need to use the book. If you take decent notes in lecture, read the online notes that your TA gives you then you should get an A.

The lectures are pretty boring but his class is easy. His exams are extremely basic, the quizzes are a joke and you barely need to use the book. If you take decent notes in lecture, read the online notes that your TA gives you then you should get an A.

You MUST have the old exams, otherwise, the exams seem to be much harder. He just copies the old exams and changes some of the definition part. Lectures are quite interesting.

notes and old exams are important. extra credit paper is important for your grade..good professor, try to chat with him. he knows a lot!!!!

Good at delivering lectures and explaining concepts. Easy to take notes in his class, aside from the graphs (and I've yet to find anyone who draws econ graphs in an intelligent manner). Study the online stuff that TAs e-mail to you. Read a little bit of the textbook. LEARN FORMULAS. Otherwise, forgetting the income multiplier will ruin your grade.

He's a really good guy. Go to his office hours.

The best professor I've ever had. He shares his real experience of fieldwork in Brazil and continually relates it to the material. He's always interested to engage with students outside class. Exams are relatively straightforward, if you attend lecture and occasionally read the text.

Baer is probably the best econ profesor ever! He makes class interesting with his jokes and grading is easy as well. make sure you get the past exams from someone though, they are exactly the same!! All in all Baer rocks!

Only two exams (midterm and final) in this class. No annoying homework or quiz. But you still have to go to class because the exams are directly from the lecture notes. You MUST get the old exams. He gives almost same exams every year. This professor knows a lot of stuffs and has a sense of humor. Strongly recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this class and the way it was set up. 4 quizzes, 2 exams, and 1 paper. None of the work was too difficult. Professor Baer definitely knows his stuff; I enjoyed attending his lectures. They get a little bland, but they're still informative. As long as you attend lectures regularly, you will do fine in the class.

The third class I've taken with Prof Baer and the best yet. I recommend it for econ/non-econ majors a like, as it is not heavy on econ theory. It's more like a history class and way more interesting than most of the 400 level econ classes. Prof Baer is great. 2 Exams, 1 paper, xtra reading optional.

Proffesor Baer is fairly interesting, but you will do most of your learning from the textbook. He goes on a lot of random tangents that don't have anything to do with the course, and he actually doesn't talk much about what will be on the test. Brush up with the textbook and you'll be fine.

I had Baer for both 420 and 103. 420 is way better Baer actually jokes...I guess it's because freshmen can be inconsiderate and still act like they are in high school. Material gets boring, but he doesn't go off tangent at all. Everything he teaches is pretty much what will be expected on the exam.

Nice guy. Lectures are a bit boring but he attempts to be funny once in a while. Easy class if you read the book.

Baer is the man. Take his class, listen, take notes, get an A or B at worst. Doesn't take himself too seriously.

Professor Baer is awesome. He cares very much about the material and can be quite funny. He is very approachable as well if anything is unclear. If you are interested in Latin America you owe it to yourself to take his class.

I recommend this class to many students. If you are economics major and not sure what to take for elective 400 level classes, this might be a good one. I got A on 452. I also took ECON 420 but I got B. didn't work hard when I took 420; however, I studied so hard when I took 452. In 452, there are two exams and on term paper. No textbook needed

I took econ 103 with Baer and didn't like it. When I took 452 with Baer it was much better! I recorded all the lectures and took notes (when I went at least). Recording most def helped! If you have an Econ background this should be a walk in the park. My friend who never took an econ class before took it and still got a B! So I def recommend Baer.

Exams are very difficult unless you study a LOT. He's not the best public speaker, but you can tell he's passionate about economics. I basically hated the class, but then one day I went to his office hours and he did an amazing job helping me! Definitely take advantage of any opportunity for one-on-one time. It helps a lot.

Professor Baer is an extremely good lecturer. It can be dry at times, but he really knows what he is talking about. I would definitely recommend going to office hours and meeting him. He offers tons of help outside of class. Discussion sections were also extremely helpful in solidifying material. Study TA slides for exams.

His lectures can be pretty boring, but they are the best way to learn the material in my opinion. I didn't even open the book once. Just study your notes and also make sure you go to your TA to look your essay over before you turn it in. A good grade on that will really help you out. The tests are hard but he curves them. He's helpful in office hrs

If you go to class everyday, this should be a walk in the park. Make sure to have the TA look over your research paper.

Lectures can be boring but exams are all very straightforward, relatively easy class.

Professor Baer is the best professor I have had a pleasure to be the student of at UIUC. Very knowledgeable, very respected and very interesting material. Class is easy, but make sure to come on every lecture: he gives unannounced extra credit for attendance.

This guy is a genius. He is world-renowned for his contributions to economic theory. Really enjoyed this class

Baer is a legend. He has a wikipedia article, that's when you know you've made it in life.

A little dry, but a good professor overall. He's much better one on one than in a giant lecture hall, but either way, Dr. Baer is incredibly knowledgable and effectively imparts students with the knowledge they need to succeed. Highly respected in economics and for his contributions to economic theory.

He is definitely not the most exciting teacher, but then he is not the most boring or worst teacher. His lecture is more like listening to grandfathers' stories; they are full of insights and personal experiences, which make the knowledge alive. To study, you MUST attend class, because class notes are the only source of exam material, which is fair