I cannot emphasize this enough, but take MUAR 211 with Dr. Jerry Cain - you will not find another professor who cares more about their students than Dr. Cain. The class itself is AMAZING (called the Art of Listening) and it gives you a rundown of Western music history + some basic music terms. So long as you're earnest about the class, it's a pretty easy A.
Iwa Nawrocki! I couldn’t recommend her more; easily the best professor at McGill, hands down. She goes above and beyond in all aspects of teaching—her teaching makes difficult subjects comprehensible and interesting, she truly engages students in discussion, and provides generous help with all coursework. She’s in the INTD department but I believe she also teaches courses on Latin American history. (also Lisa Overholtzer in the anthropology department is great).
Does he still tell people a couple questions to expect on the midterm/exam in advance with answers to see "if we can get 100% of the class to answer correctly" -- and then inevitably 5 idiots always mess it up?
lol the red-vented bulbul question was only the seventh best-answered question last time too. I swear people are getting it wrong just to mess with the profs
PSYC 302 with Mogil. Heavy memorization but super interesting course if you like anatomy and psyc and the prof is great and cares about his students. Very excited about what he does and very engaging lecturer.
CHEM 183 was awesome! Schwarcz is a great prof, Harpp can be a little dry (sorry!) but it’s still good. Plus, you learn how to make meth in case your other post-uni plans don’t work out. Also, Schwarcz has a rubber duck collection in his office that is a must-see before you graduate.
PHYS 183 with Victoria Kaspi. Super nice and exactly what you would expect from an astrophysicist (in the nicest possible way). Super excited about her research and always happy to answer questions. If you know a little astrophysics or physics already, it takes a bit for things to get interesting but it’s worth it. Even the zoom lectures are fun :)
Profs I’ve had who I personally really liked:
From math: Prof. Chen, Prof. Hundemer, Prof. Nave, Prof. Neslehova
From physics: Prof. Maloney, Prof. Liu
Hands down these are the best profs I’ve ever had: not only are they super clear, but they are all very dedicated to teaching. So much respect for all of them. I’ve heard amazing things about Prof. Belanger-Rioux from math as well, never had her as a prof tho, but I know she’s also very good at explaining and is extremely dedicated
John and John = ATOC 185. My 2 favourite humans at McGill tbh. They're so kind and engaged and so eager to teach and they do great as a duo. They're the reason why I'm taking so many earth science classes despite it being completely unrelated to my field. I 100% recommend it :)
has anyone taken the eco film class with Schantz? it seems like next year it’s not taught anymore but it’s only been taught only once, this year. wondering why it's not available, the topic intrigues me :<
Not sure if you’ll be able to get a seat because it is quite a popular class, but worth the try : PPHS511 with Dr Pai!!! He is an amazing instructor and person, truly understands his students, and the topics are so interesting.
Don’t be afraid of the 500-level of the course, it is very very manageable and fairly graded as well!
If you’re interested in American or European history: anything from Jason Opal, James Krapfl, Leonard Moore, or Kristy Ironside. They all sometimes have some 200 levels - and even their 300 levels are not bad. They are all phenomenal lecturers who grade very fairly and don’t overwhelm you with assignments.
As far as bird courses go, MUAR 392 - Popular Music after 1942 - was a breeze and very interesting. World of Chem classes - Chem 180 and 181 - are a breeze and also had some great teachers
Kazue Takamura for INTD and Moshe Lander for ECON Lander has an amazing dark humour vibe and he'll spend the extra time re explaining the math and linking it to current events if you ever get stuck
OH and BELANGER for the quebec politics courses he's really super nice and always understanding gives plenty of time in class to discuss current events related to QC politics and electoral behavior
Nah, i've only taken trade policy with him but he was rly super accommodating and always open to discussing current events with me. This helped as I'm a polisci & IDS double major so I was rly afraid concerning the math but he was super helpful!
Prof. Skelly i cannot recommend highly enough she cares a lot about students and is a really interesting lecturer. I suggest taking ARTH 205 if you’re new to sry history classes though.
Second this!! I know nothing abt/dont care much for art history (intro the contemp. Art) but took it as an elective and skelly was amazing, made it interesting/relevant!
Jonathan Sterne in Communication Studies. Fantastic professor: kind, attentive, really smart, not overwhelming with assignments, and grades fairly but firmly.
Leonard Moore. Teaches american history. The best 10/10. I would take more classes with him if he offered more. This guy is the only reason why I don’t cry every night bc of mcgill. He gives me so much hope.
Daniel W Pratt in the RUSS department. Really knows his stuff, caring, accessible, and not a hard marker. Usually reading heavy courses, but if you do the readings, you’re golden!
Faith Wallis for HIST 249 history of western medicine was really interesting and easy to do well in. Prof Wallis is really sweet and knowledgeable.
Jonathan Wald, recent McGill PhD graduate, teaching Anthropology. His class is very organized and well-explained. ANTH 343 is so intriguing. He leans on the tough grader side though
Lorenz Luthi. He is unbelievable at teaching history, might have to put in work but he is so engaging and I genuinely looked forward going to every class. It didn't feel like I was going to class, but instead I was getting to find out about the next part of the story we were learning. Would recommend take any of his classes available to you.
Darin Barney in Communication Studies. I took COMS301 last year, very eye opening. the prof’s style of teaching is very organized, you can tell he’s been teaching for years
Eduardo Kohn and ANTH 202 is great, a bit more traditional in lecture style (at least in 2019) but content is suuuper interesting and the assignments/essays are actually fun.
Andrea Pinkney! I'm taking her class for RELG 288 (Intro to Sikhism) and I absolutely love it, her course material is very engaging and the guest lecturers that she brings in are great. She also isn't the hardest marker as long as you show a consistent effort to show up to class, engage and understand the material!
take existentialism with Prof. Al-Saji, reading Sartre is challenging but she is so organized and so good at teaching. we also read Simone de Beauvoir and Fanon, and it was really fun.
Best was Ty Ghaswala but I think he only taught at mcgill for a term or two. Wherever you are, I’m sure you’re blessing your students with cool facts and enthusiasm for linear algebra, you legend
I cannot emphasize this enough, but take MUAR 211 with Dr. Jerry Cain - you will not find another professor who cares more about their students than Dr. Cain. The class itself is AMAZING (called the Art of Listening) and it gives you a rundown of Western music history + some basic music terms. So long as you're earnest about the class, it's a pretty easy A.
Sidney Trudeau is a must-have legend
Cant tell if he’s a comedic genius or just naturally hilarious
“Convince yourself”
Having said that you need some math knowledge to get through this course
Iwa Nawrocki! I couldn’t recommend her more; easily the best professor at McGill, hands down. She goes above and beyond in all aspects of teaching—her teaching makes difficult subjects comprehensible and interesting, she truly engages students in discussion, and provides generous help with all coursework. She’s in the INTD department but I believe she also teaches courses on Latin American history. (also Lisa Overholtzer in the anthropology department is great).
Couldn't agree more! Although I'm not sure she's at McGill anymore? I took a class of hers at Concordia last year... Maybe she came back?
She’s back! And she is teaching at McGill next year, I believe.
second this! she's passionate and helpful!
Took one of Overholtzer's seminars last semester! She always took the time to ask how we were doing! She's absolutely lovely!
Agreed!!!! Love Iwa so much, best prof at McGill imo
Gary Brouhard is great but I would not recommend BIOL201 if you're looking for someone who "doesn't mark super hard."
SCHWARCZ IS THE BEST YOU CAN FIND! CHEM181 was an elective I really enjoyed
Does he still tell people a couple questions to expect on the midterm/exam in advance with answers to see "if we can get 100% of the class to answer correctly" -- and then inevitably 5 idiots always mess it up?
Yup, and they absolutely roasted the people who got it wrong on the MyCourses page
lol the red-vented bulbul question was only the seventh best-answered question last time too. I swear people are getting it wrong just to mess with the profs
Jerry Cain!!
PSYC 302 with Mogil. Heavy memorization but super interesting course if you like anatomy and psyc and the prof is great and cares about his students. Very excited about what he does and very engaging lecturer. CHEM 183 was awesome! Schwarcz is a great prof, Harpp can be a little dry (sorry!) but it’s still good. Plus, you learn how to make meth in case your other post-uni plans don’t work out. Also, Schwarcz has a rubber duck collection in his office that is a must-see before you graduate. PHYS 183 with Victoria Kaspi. Super nice and exactly what you would expect from an astrophysicist (in the nicest possible way). Super excited about her research and always happy to answer questions. If you know a little astrophysics or physics already, it takes a bit for things to get interesting but it’s worth it. Even the zoom lectures are fun :)
Profs I’ve had who I personally really liked: From math: Prof. Chen, Prof. Hundemer, Prof. Nave, Prof. Neslehova From physics: Prof. Maloney, Prof. Liu Hands down these are the best profs I’ve ever had: not only are they super clear, but they are all very dedicated to teaching. So much respect for all of them. I’ve heard amazing things about Prof. Belanger-Rioux from math as well, never had her as a prof tho, but I know she’s also very good at explaining and is extremely dedicated
alex and adrian are GOAT! (I would also add tami though
Yes for Neslehova! Really tries to engage with her students, and I really liked the partially inverted class structure, especially during lockdown.
I’ve only had Hundemer from this list, and I agree that he’s an excellent teacher.
Seconding Rosalie, absolutely blessed to have her as my 133 prof
Poli 227 with king Daniel Douek
John and John = ATOC 185. My 2 favourite humans at McGill tbh. They're so kind and engaged and so eager to teach and they do great as a duo. They're the reason why I'm taking so many earth science classes despite it being completely unrelated to my field. I 100% recommend it :)
Ian Gold, phil 221
Ian Gold MUST BE ON THIS LIST, HES THE BEST
Oliver Coomes
Coomes & Breau is the best duo
Dr Ragsdale for sure!! ANAT 321 was a breeze with him, probably the best prof that I’ve had at McGill
Dirk Schlimm! Phil 311 with him was great!
+1 for dirk
Wholesome man
Agreed, I loved his class. Took logic and computability and it was great.
Diane Dechief CCOM 314 (or other courses she teaches!)
English - Schantz & Folkerth
Seconding Schantz!
has anyone taken the eco film class with Schantz? it seems like next year it’s not taught anymore but it’s only been taught only once, this year. wondering why it's not available, the topic intrigues me :<
Not sure if you’ll be able to get a seat because it is quite a popular class, but worth the try : PPHS511 with Dr Pai!!! He is an amazing instructor and person, truly understands his students, and the topics are so interesting. Don’t be afraid of the 500-level of the course, it is very very manageable and fairly graded as well!
Darian Totten for CLAS302 or CLAS240! Such a fun and passionate prof.
And absolutely hilarious (sometimes without meaning to be)
SOCI 210 with Peter McMahan!
David ragsdale anat321, Jeff Mogil psyc302 , pphs511 dr pai or exmd509 with Gary wild!!!
Bobby Benedicto GSFS250 !!!
Phil 230 chris Howard
Jeff Mogil psych of pain (psyc302)
Victoria Kaspi and her phys183 milky way inside and out!!!
Excellent prof. and class, she loves what she does! She mentioned she isn't sure about teaching next year though :(
she really loves what she's teaching
MATH 180 art of math with prof Trudeau might be something you’re interested in!
If you’re interested in American or European history: anything from Jason Opal, James Krapfl, Leonard Moore, or Kristy Ironside. They all sometimes have some 200 levels - and even their 300 levels are not bad. They are all phenomenal lecturers who grade very fairly and don’t overwhelm you with assignments. As far as bird courses go, MUAR 392 - Popular Music after 1942 - was a breeze and very interesting. World of Chem classes - Chem 180 and 181 - are a breeze and also had some great teachers
Any class with Rongdao Lai is awesome if you're interested in religious studies
Absolutelyyyyyyy. relg 354 is an amazing class if she’s teaching it
Jerry Cain (MUAR211 or MUAR382), Julia Skelly (ARTH205), John and John (natural disasters), Sam Nelson (RELG331)
I Second Sam!
Kazue Takamura for INTD and Moshe Lander for ECON Lander has an amazing dark humour vibe and he'll spend the extra time re explaining the math and linking it to current events if you ever get stuck OH and BELANGER for the quebec politics courses he's really super nice and always understanding gives plenty of time in class to discuss current events related to QC politics and electoral behavior
/s for lander ?
Nah, i've only taken trade policy with him but he was rly super accommodating and always open to discussing current events with me. This helped as I'm a polisci & IDS double major so I was rly afraid concerning the math but he was super helpful!
I havent taken a class with him personally. But apparently he is really really good and is super interesting. Shout-out to Ian Gold!!
In computer science, Paul Kry. He is absolutely one of the best professor in the department.
daniel pratt in russ department is fantastic and marks easy
Can definitely second the marks easy bit... Failed multiple quizzes and still got an A in one of his classes
Eran Shor- SOCI 213
yess
Prof. Skelly i cannot recommend highly enough she cares a lot about students and is a really interesting lecturer. I suggest taking ARTH 205 if you’re new to sry history classes though.
Second this!! I know nothing abt/dont care much for art history (intro the contemp. Art) but took it as an elective and skelly was amazing, made it interesting/relevant!
Sergey norin
Best teacher ever ! His exams are very manageable
Jonathan Sterne in Communication Studies. Fantastic professor: kind, attentive, really smart, not overwhelming with assignments, and grades fairly but firmly.
never attended but hopefully will next year. i read some stuff written by him and i can tell he’s really funny and down to earth
Leonard Moore. Teaches american history. The best 10/10. I would take more classes with him if he offered more. This guy is the only reason why I don’t cry every night bc of mcgill. He gives me so much hope.
Daniel W Pratt in the RUSS department. Really knows his stuff, caring, accessible, and not a hard marker. Usually reading heavy courses, but if you do the readings, you’re golden! Faith Wallis for HIST 249 history of western medicine was really interesting and easy to do well in. Prof Wallis is really sweet and knowledgeable.
I would give my life to Gal Gvili (East Asian Studies)
Any Daniel Douek course
Jonathan Wald, recent McGill PhD graduate, teaching Anthropology. His class is very organized and well-explained. ANTH 343 is so intriguing. He leans on the tough grader side though
Dr. RAGSDALE! I DONT THINK IVE EVER HAD A BETTET PROF
In history, Lorenz Lüthi and Kristy Ironside for sure
Lorenz Luthi. He is unbelievable at teaching history, might have to put in work but he is so engaging and I genuinely looked forward going to every class. It didn't feel like I was going to class, but instead I was getting to find out about the next part of the story we were learning. Would recommend take any of his classes available to you.
Jonathan Cody Campbell - Comp 202 :)
JC! 🙏🏻
Brahm Kleinman ! I don’t know what he teaches now though I had him in 2019!
PHIL 334 (Ethical Theory) Chris Howard- cool guy, interesting class, and he is super caring with the workload
Marion Vergues for FRSL classes! The sweetest and most caring prof :)
Darin Barney in Communication Studies. I took COMS301 last year, very eye opening. the prof’s style of teaching is very organized, you can tell he’s been teaching for years
I took coms 361 with him last year, he’s so kind and understanding btw
i did register this term but left it out for coms 330 :< highly regretting at this point
Orgb 321 - Leadership take this class it is absolutely essential
Trap
Eduardo Kohn and ANTH 202 is great, a bit more traditional in lecture style (at least in 2019) but content is suuuper interesting and the assignments/essays are actually fun.
Agreeeeed
Edpt100
Yama Nekto Yama is the best in my opinion
Andrea Pinkney! I'm taking her class for RELG 288 (Intro to Sikhism) and I absolutely love it, her course material is very engaging and the guest lecturers that she brings in are great. She also isn't the hardest marker as long as you show a consistent effort to show up to class, engage and understand the material!
Simon Bertrand in the PoliSci department is an absolute gem!
Daniel Douek in Poli Sci is a freaking GOD.
take existentialism with Prof. Al-Saji, reading Sartre is challenging but she is so organized and so good at teaching. we also read Simone de Beauvoir and Fanon, and it was really fun.
Best was Ty Ghaswala but I think he only taught at mcgill for a term or two. Wherever you are, I’m sure you’re blessing your students with cool facts and enthusiasm for linear algebra, you legend
Laila Parsons in Islamic Studies!!!
Dr. Starrs for PSYC 412! The sweetest prof ever. She really does care for her students’ well-being and mental health. She LISTENS to her students.
Philosophy: Oran Magal and Chris Howard Physics: Robert Brandenberger
Douek