Professor Spaniel was really funny, and engaged the class in a fun yet very constructive way. He was always well prepared for class, and, even if he comes off a little strong, is a really good professor. Tests required knowing authors and titles for readings, but otherwise I felt as though I learned a lot. Great class for political science majors.

I looked forward to attending Professor Spaniel's class every week. He keeps his lectures interesting by using funny/interesting examples for terms and concepts. He also has many of his lectures posted to Youtube which makes reviewing for the two midterms easier.

A lot of reading! Spaniel makes lectures fun but can be confusing at times. Make a study group and you'll do fine, but you have to try and work hard for your grade.

Class is hard but rewarding. Really makes you think about classic examples of the prisoners dilema and transaction costs.

Interesting topics, he has videos up on YouTube (good if you miss a class or are studying for exams). There is a lot of game theory with problem sets and data analysis stuff other classes didn't do. 2 exams all open-ended with 1 bonus point!

Spaniel is relatively easy. The homework can be tough, but tests are easy and all his lectures are online. Interesting class!

As others have said, his class is pretty intense on game theory, and his lectures weren't super clear on how to solve the games, but recitation helps a lot with that. He definitely tries to keep things interesting with funny anecdotes to relate concepts in lectures. Very smart and very knowledgeable. Good choice for IR.

Lectures are interesting but also posted on YouTube. The tests are easy if you pay attention to lectures and just study the major vocabulary and topics. Recitation is graded for attendance, and there are two problem sets and two data analyses assigned as homework, but there is not much help with solving these as they are not taught in lectures.

Your entire grade depends on 3 exams. He is an amazing professor and very dedicated, he teaches in a way that makes the material easy to understand. It's a class that will keep you stressed at all times because you're worried about your grade. He is fair though and helps you out if you ask or if he sees you struggling. I wish I had him for PS0500.

Overall, Spaniel is awesome. The class focuses on using game theory and algebra to explain why wars occur. The math itself is not difficult, its figuring out how to represent things mathematically thats a little tricky. There are 3 exams total, but he gives you the exact questions on the exams weeks before so you know exactly what to prepare for

Dr. Spaniel seemed to get a lot more hate than I think he deserves. He has a lot of resources for students in his class that he created himself and he allowed everyone to work on the homework assignments together, which are the only thing your graded on. The course is taught a bit different than other sections, with a good amount of game theory.

There are only 6 HW assignments for this class. It's true that the lectures don't really cover most of the HW, but if you show up to recitations, you shouldn't have any problems completing the HW bc the TA explains it there. If you have a background in game theory it'll be especially easy. The lectures are very engaging.

Professor Spaniel knows a lot about what he teaches and creates good lectures, though he moves a bit quickly at times. There were only six homework assignments and that's what determines your grade (lowest one gets dropped). The lectures don't always coincide with the homeworks but go to recitation and you'll be okay. Overall would recommend.

I would totally recommend this class. There's no exams and only 6 homeworks which make up your grade. The lowest homework is dropped. The homeworks are pretty hard, but if you go to recitation and work with other people you should be fine. I didn't go to more than half of the lectures and ended with an A; they aren't relevant to the homeworks.

Dr. Spaniel is a super engaging professor. His class was based on 6 homework assignments with the lowest being dropped and plenty of time to work on them with peers. He has all of his lectures up on youtube so attendance is very flexible and recitations are geared towards the homework assignments. Overall really great class to take if you like IR!

Spaniel was great - you have 6 homework's and get graded on 5. Recitation and lecture isn't mandatory, but you do the homework's in recitation so I'd go. He's very passionate about his work, gives great examples, and is an expert in what he teaches. Definitely recommend; it would be a good Gen Ed.

Dr. Spaniel gave great lectures and was clearly passionate about the subject. Homeworks were pretty straightforward and if you don't understand parts of it all you have to do is go to recitation. You have 6 and the lowest grade gets dropped, that's your entire grade.

This guy is great. He teaches in a way that is both entertaining and effective. Stories that may seem like tangents are ultimately used to demonstrate whatever concept we're learning about. Also, he's hilarious and interacts with the students in his class to keep everyone engaged. Take him if you get a chance.

Hey look, its the lines on maps guy!

Dr. Spaniel's class is very easy if you are able to pay attention in lecture, are able to do basic algebra, and can operate excel to read a CSV file. Grading is very keyword based and ideally you should restate the question, in the first place, but I was overall satisfied with the TA's grading performance.

Interesting lectures keep you engaged but sometimes doesn't connect to the homework that is given. Homework/Exams graded by TAs, so it is worth being actively engaged in recitation. Not necessarily something I would recommend as a Gen-Ed, but a great class for poli-sci/humanities majors. Watch the YouTube videos when confused, can go a long way.

Do not take this if you are looking for a gen ed. It is hard for no reason if you aren't good at logic. Everyone gets decent grades, but it's stressful and confusing.

Dr.Spaniel is a respectable and nice professor. This class though is very very difficult. DONT TAKE! 3 exams all 33.3% of ur grade. Get them 1 week early, but this is still not enough time as they are challenging and the only resources are class notes, HIS textbooks, and HIS YouTube videos which are the only political science game theory resources

I think people are too hard on Prof. Spaniel. Yes, it is a bit difficult for an intro class and I would not necessarily recommend as a gen ed, but he is a very interesting lecturer and the TAs grade fairly. You just have to be willing to put in a little work, but it is worth it.

One of the hardest polisci classes but super interesting. The math itself isn't hard; the conceptualization is the tricky part. Graded on 3 exams but you get them a week in advance for practice and he encourages you to solve them with friends before the test date. Overall class average was in the 90s, I think.

I feel some of these reviews are unfair to prof. Spaniel. Not everything about the class is necessarily perfect, but the homework and exams were more than fair if you went to lecture and did your work. You get out what you put into a class.

It's simple: if you do the work and show up, you'll love Professor Spaniel. If you don't, you'll hate him. He seems a bit intimidating (pretentious at times, yelling in the lecture hall), but he actually gives solid examples and teaches the content well. History background helps but isn't required.

The class is challenging, but he recognizes that. The class is graded by three exams that are a third of your grade each, but you get the exact tests a week early to work on them with classmates. Sometimes lectures can be confusing but he has great YouTube videos that are helpful. He also grades pretty leniently. Interesting class!

Interesting class, but definitely a little hard. He's not very helpful with homework, but the TA's can help you do it. It's a manageable class if you pay attention. I don't regret taking it, but I likely wouldn't take another polisci class.

Took this as a gen-ed, homeworks were math based but as long as you can manipulate inequalities and read a spreadsheet they're not hard. He's also a really good lecturer

There's no homework and your grade is 3 exams worth 30% each and 10% recitation attendance. Attendance isn't mandatory and he posts videos summarizing everything in the lectures, which are really helpful. All I did to study was watch the videos and I got a 97 and 99. I wouldn't recommend for a gen ed but if you're a poli sci major you'll be fine.

Professor Spaniel is a great lecturer. His lectures are engaging and interesting and he cares about the subject matter. Unfortunately, there are only three exams for the semester and not much is given in the way of review material but if you take good notes and know your vocab it shouldn't be too hard to do well.