Rex Brynen - McGill University, Montreal, QC

Professor: Rex Brynen

Department: Political Science

College: McGill University, Montreal, QC

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: POLI340
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Tons of reading; some of which ends up to be a waste as most of the exams are from his lectures (except a bit for the final). Very pompous and teaches from 'his perspective'; not really helpful as its biased. Somehow brings in anecdotes which are not even related and derails the class topic. Not worth it. BUT you learn a lot about the Middle East.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: POLI450
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Really unusual class, much more focused on applying political science than most POLI courses. Course reading are generally UN-type things, which can be rather dull reading, but are intended to be more real-world than a textbook. I loved the simulation, but not everyone does--it's a lot of work.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: POLI450
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

OK lecturer (good by dept. standards). He adores his own voice, especially when it's about himself. Along the way, you'll learn a cool thing or two. He has a really annoying habit of teaching from his very particular view of the world & derides alternatve views. His grading scheme is incoherent & grades (& regrades) are often very unfair/favoritist

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: POLI227
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Lectures: really fun and interesting, very knowledgeable, beware note-takers because he talks fast and nonstop Readings: totally manageable and OK to skim Assignments: put in the work and you can easily do well

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: POLI340
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I put in so much work in this class and still didn't feel like I got much out of it because Brynen doesn't make the material very accessible. He basically just uses lecture to brag about his expertise. I would also advise students to look this professor up in order to understand what he's involved in outside of the classroom. Strongly advise, even

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: POLI340
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Yes he is funny, yes he is knowledgeable and yes he is well aware of this himself and doesn't hold back on bragging and calling people who do something wrong "idiots". Loved this teacher at the start, learned a lot (facts, no theories), but by the end I was tired of his loud and speedy lectures and his 30min answers to student questions.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: POLI450
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Took him for 340 and 450. Was wow'd by the first and was left pretty indif by the other. 450 doesn't teach you analysis tools and different perspectives the way 340 does. The simulation was pretty cool, but the rest was just restating basic facts if you've studied conflicts at even a moderate depth in the past. 450 paper grades were unfairly harsh!

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: POLI227
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Brynen's lectures were funny and engaging. He is very knowledgable on various political areas in different countries. He speaks very quickly, especially when giving examples, would recommend to watch the lectures after class. He often has a question period at the beginning of class that may sometimes take up more than half of class.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: POL227
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Really good at teaching in LEA132 but terrible if he replaces your TA for conferences (very overbearing, doesn't let people speak). Grading was very easy. Would highly recommend to anyone who liked or did well in INTD200. One presentation, conference participation, one paper, a final, and a multiple choice midterm.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: POL227
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Speaks very fast (watch the lecture recordings after class tbh) and goes on tangents, but is VERY knowledgeable (esp. on the Middle East), funny, and lectures are overall very interesting. Midterm (20%) was MC and u needed to read almost ALL the readings to answer it, research paper (25)% graded strictly, final (35%) on specific topics- read up!

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: POL227
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I liked him at first, but now I find his fast-paced manner of speaking very distracting and his tendency to go off on tangents a waste of lecture time. He knows his stuff, doesn't make him a good teacher. He's also very unreasonable; I had to hand in my paper 2 hours late because of a misunderstanding, cost me 12% of my grade. Would not recommend.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: POLI227
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

amazing prof who is obviously super invested in what he does and he cares so much about his students! info is presented in a very structured format that is very easy to follow, readings are not hard to keep up with and the conference readings provide really interesting takes on themes like LGBT, slums etc. very approachable + would recommend!

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: POL227
• 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:

Rex is Love, Rex is Life. But seriously though one of the best professors I have ever had. The amount of Information the man can spew per second has to be a guinness world record. Following his tangents is as exhausting, as it is captivating. Seriously revitalized my passion for politics. p.s. BE PREPARED FOR OBSCURE STAR WARS REFERENCES.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: POLI227
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Poli 227 is an excellent class. The content covered by the textbook is extremely interesting. Brynen is okay, he can be funny and entertaining but he tends to ramble and go on tangents. He speaks REALLY fast. I appreciate profs who speak at a normal pace, in other words, profs who are great orators.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: POL340
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Rex is amazing, but I'm not sure I would place him this far up. He is extremely knowledgeable and can answer any question about the MENA. I pick two bones with him: the structure of his class sucks. The first half is dry cross-comp that loses 3/4 of the class before the juicy meta second half. The second is he gives out opinions as vetted facts.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: POLI227
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He may be sexy rexy, but be realistic here. If you want a good grade, and value for the effort put in. Join another section. This course overall has plenty of readings (but that is normal for a poli sci course), it's not about that, it's getting what you deserve. And yes, if you want to join this class, your only reason should be 'comedy'.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: POLI227
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

best professor in the department, hands down. if you get the chance, take all of his classes.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: POLI450
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This is a killer course, as in, the workload kills your other courses. Worst thing was the team project. Best thing was the SIM. Still, the sought-after course is worth the trouble, where one learns to apply practically the entirety of political science.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: 340227
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Brynen's classes and teaching style are both fun and informative. What I really liked was how he made the link between things that are happening in the real world right now, to the material in the course. The tests are easy but you will be drawn and quartered for the book review and paper so watch for that. Funny anecdotes and stories too!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: POLI340
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

An amazing professor. More engaged in his area of study than any other professors I have ever seen. Although his classes are usually huge, he surrounds himself with TAs who will be ready to talk to you and help you out. I HAD THE BEST TIME in his class. He made me want to learn more and might even have inspired more for a potential career path.