Mark Leier - Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC

Professor: Mark Leier

Department: History

College: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: HIST102W
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Awesome prof! I highly recommend taking a course with Mark (especially HIST 102W). He's super nice, organized, and really approachable.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: HIST102W
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: No
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

He plays the banjo in class. HIST102W is an easy writing class because there is a lot of guidance from Mark and he makes the assignments fun. I would definitely recommend taking this class with him.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: 4XX
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Awful professor. Unorganized and unclear. Avoid upper level classes with him

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: HIST327
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Nice guy but not the best professor. Did not hand out a syllabus until a month into the course and gave no feedback throughout the course. Final grades were a mystery and when asked about grades during the course was very vague and unhelpful. Course lacked direction and organization.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: HIST101
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He knows how History should really be taught (i.e., critical thinking, not memorization of facts). He might have appeared one-sided at times, but the focus of the course is how one's perspective changes the interpretation of history, and he did a great job of presenting his own perspective. Funny and honest prof :)

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: HIST102W
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Mark's lectures were always so fun, especially with his singing! He clearly knows the material is dull and tries to make the best of it, which is great. At times the lectures and reading seemed unconnected. Clear grading on assignments - easy to get good grades even if you miss some classes. Mark is also constantly available for help if needed.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: HIST102W
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: No
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Mark definitely translated HIST102W as the perfect first-year course for students who just started post sec. no finals, 3 main papers of 1200 words, tiny tutorial assignments. be ready to participate as it makes up a big chunk of the overall marks. papers are usually based on readings and what he says in lecture

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: HIST102W
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

My favourite course throughout my undergraduate career at SFU! Shame I took this class in my last semester. Leier is great at teaching history in an engaging way. I was expecting to be memorizing dates and names, yet ended up learning about history in a completely different perspective. I appreciate the time he puts into prepping each lecture :)

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: HIST102W
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Mark Leier is a super engaging professor. Be prepared to read, there are between 1-5 readings per week. I found the marking was extremely harsh and my TA gave poor quality feedback. The assignments were clearly stated in the syllabus but there was a discrepancy between the profs expectations and the TA's.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: HIST102W
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

One the easier of the w classes but hard to pay attention in class as the material is insanely boring. If you dont like profs that shout spontaneously I wouldnt recommend.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: HIST323
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Leier was unorganized and unhelpful, not only did he hand out the syllabus a month into the class but he gave no feedback whatsoever throughout the semester. Weekly reflections and lectures were useless, the textbooks readings were never discussed, and the final presentation was loosely guided and worth half of your grade. Avoid at all costs

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: HIS327
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I highly discourage students to take any classes with Leier. He has become relaxed and unclear with his expectations this term. I did not learn a thing in his class and It was so disappointing. I regret taking this course. EVERYTHING WAS GRADED after the course was done, so we got no feedback. There was no criteria for assignments either.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: HIST102W
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Leier is awesome! Very engaging and will play his banjo and sing! Leier will really make you think critically about Canadian history. Excellent lectures. Assignments were short and formatted in a way that would allow you to succeed. I strongly recommend taking this class. You learn a lot and will enjoy the lectures.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: HIST102
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

His lectures are outstanding. It would be great if other professors would take note and put in the effort that Dr. Leier does. There were 4 main written assignments and weekly readings.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: HIST102W
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Mark made the course content very engaging! There were 4 assignments that involved you to read a few articles but, they were easy assignments. The content can be a bit dry but Mark tries to make it interactive by singing. There is no final exam for this course, so just make sure you attend tutorials because they are a chuck of your grade!

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: HIST102W
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Hand down the greatest Prof Ive had!! The class consists of 4 assignments and no final exams. The prof sings in class and makes the content engaging. I would defiantly take a class with him again.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: HIST102W
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Mark is one of the BEST profs at SFU! His lectures are super interesting; he makes them funny and engaging by playing the banjo. There are NO exams in this class. Instead there are 4 short and fairly easy papers. 10/10 would recommend! :)

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: HIST102W
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

One of the best profs, very engaging, and a great course for a manageable Humanities credit, whether you're wanting to study History or something else. He doesn't do exams, instead there are (fun!) writing assignments. Get clear on assignment expectations, put in a decent effort, and you've got an A.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: HIST102
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Mark is still one of my favourite professors. He makes Canadian history interesting, fun and enjoyable. Lectures were interactive and insightful as he would include interesting visuals and play the banjo. The papers, believe it or not, were actually fun to complete (many were creative writing pieces)!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: 102
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Funny and approachable. Clear on concepts, not on assignment descriptions, so ask. (Seriously, a slight misinterpretation can result in the difference between an A+ and a B-.) If you have previous experience with tougher history courses, you can put in one day to do one of the assignments. If you're new to history, put in 2-3 days.