Bill Swanson - York University (all campuses), Toronto, ON

Professor: Bill Swanson

Department: Political Science

College: York University (all campuses), Toronto, ON

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: SOSC3
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Nice professor.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: SOSC2571
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

My goodness, I have never met a more monotonous, boring professor! His classes are so dull, they make me want to sleep. Furthermore, I find he doesn't take enough time to explain terms and concepts so many students are left lost. If it weren't for the TA in the tutorial classes, this course would be dreadful.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: SOSC2571
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Not a good professor. His lectures are unclear and filled with mumbling. If not for the tutorial, most people would not have a clue what is going on at all. That being said the tutorials are very good and the TAs are good at summarizing readings in a concise way. The course content is interesting, if you can get beyond the poor lectures.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: SOSC2571
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Quite a brilliant man. His lectures are very useful in summarizing the texts and making it very understandable. This makes it better to actually do the readings after lecture but before the tutorial. The obly problem is he seems to be approaching the end oh his career, forgetting to say certain things and jumping material occasionally.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: POLS4065
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

A really good prof! For someone with no background in theory, he truly made the class interesting and clear! I would def. recommend him!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: SOSC2571
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Overall not a very good professor. Lectures are boring and pedantic and his definitions of words are frequently paragraphs. Furthermore, despite his frequent assurances that this and that will be on the exam, they actual tests seem to be based on his own outside interests, unrelated to the course. Thumbs Down.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: SOSC2571
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Intro to Modern Social and Political Thought. Prof only interesting really when he talks about Freud's psychoanalyses. Very soothing voice and tone. Seems like a nice man, but I never approached him. He seemed bored of his lectures a lot of the time. Bryan was a cool TA

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: SOSA2571
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Very intersting class, and great prof, I like the Frued section of it, if you like him, don't miss this class. Freud is remarkable, and the prof is awasome. this class is a value.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: SOCA2571
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

The greatest proff that i have ever have, it is my third year, but i really miss his lecture. very clear, points and ideas are very connected, the essay are fun to do, i liked TA Catherine. The numbers of books seems more,but one can get the summary on the net. lecture and tutorail makes things clear. god bless you Bill.your lectures helped me alot

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: SOSC2571
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Overall, he is an average prof, nothing extraordinary about him. The material is quite hard; complex theories will make you stumble along the way. He does explain material all right. But he has a thing for concepts and terms, so you'll have to memorize these enormous amounts of concepts and definitions. T.A.s are tough on marking papers.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: POLS4065
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I can see why people wouldn't like him. Still, I'd never taken Critical Theory before and he made the material very accessible. He's a funny guy, and you can really tell he's interested in what he teaches. Overall, I'd say Bill was an excellent professor.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: SOCPOLTHT
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Awesome professor with a great sense of humour. He was the only prof. that i found approachable when i attended york u. He is intelligent. I believe that he only has a bad rating, because of the mediocre levels of intelligence that many students have.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: POLS2900
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

boring, monotone, speaker. continuously OFFtopic. one of the worst prof's I had.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: SOSC1960
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

one of the most boring professor's to listen to. He rambles on and on repeating himself a couple times, which inevitably puts you to sleep. he has a t.a sonia which if you are going to take this class- get into her tutorial. your screwed if you end up with shokoufeh! let me say language barier.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: 2900
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: POLS2900
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

his jokes don't make you laugh but they show he's not a strict, rigid professor and help lighten the mood of class. his lectures are helpful. if you're used to professors finishing lectures 15 min early, he usually lectures to the last minute of the time alloted for that class.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: SOCPOLTHOUGHT
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

BEYOND boring lecturer with no sense of direction in his material. rambles forever about a concept, and very unclear points. u will fall asleep in his class, 100% garanteed. as if his lectures arent bad enough, his TAs are even worse! TRUSSST ME...

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ALL
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ENG101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

this is one of the best profs that i have every had he know what he is talking about and if you ask him to reteat the last thing his said he will give you the same old joke "what repeat every thing from good morning class" one last thing if you challage anything it's a good thing you need to be able to support you point of view.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: POLS3040
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Horrible. He marks papers like an English prof, while ignoring the ideas that are in it. I don't think he finished a single lecture all year, which was a good thing since he was so incredibly dry to listen to ramble. Never prepared. Fuzzy, never said anything concrete. Waste of time and money.