Professor
Stuart Pike
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2023 - The overall class itself was not bad and the lectures were reasonable and decent. The professor also explained well enough for us to understand and the materials for us to read as well as the assignments given once a week were also doable and not too difficult. The only thing that I disliked during this class was the midterms. The reason was that our grades were deducted here and there and they either gave us vague reasons without proper explanation for the deduction or provided no reasons at all. As over half of the total grades relied on the midterms and final exams, it would be appreciated if the professor provided proper reasons for point deductions. However, overall, the class experience was okay.
Fall 2023 - The overall class itself was not bad and the lectures were reasonable and decent. The professor also explained well enough for us to understand and the materials for us to read as well as the assignments given once a week were also doable and not too difficult. The only thing that I disliked during this class was the midterms. The reason was that our grades were deducted here and there and they either gave us vague reasons without proper explanation for the deduction or provided no reasons at all. As over half of the total grades relied on the midterms and final exams, it would be appreciated if the professor provided proper reasons for point deductions. However, overall, the class experience was okay.
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2026 - This class is good but not great, and I have NO IDEA why people pay more than $500 to get it. It's not an easy A by any means, as the weekly quizzes and midterm/final are quite difficult. Let's break it down: 1) Grading: Quizzes every week are each worth like 1-2% of your grade. Not that important, but they're hard. Pike gives you only a minute per question, and the questions often have 5 answer choices with 3 plausible answers so it is tough. I felt very rushed, although I still ended up only missing a few points throughout the quarter. And your lowest quiz grade is dropped, so that's nice. Midterm was 25% of your grade, and it was tough but I did well by studying for two or three days beforehand. It was 50 Qs multiple choice scantron, and similarly to the quizzes, many of the answers look right that are wrong. The analysis paper was my favorite part of the class, with the freedom to write on any event or topic you want under a Cold War IR theory lens. I wrote about the space race, and it was very enjoyable, the paper was only 5pg max so it was easy, and I got a good grade. I headed into the final with an A thinking it was ok, but it was not. The final (35%) was significantly harder than the midterm. The mean of the final ended up being a 77, and Pike did not curve. So I ended with barely an A- after the final went poorly. 2) Lectures: No discussion in this class so lectures are all you get, 2x a week. But they're very good lectures. Pike's slides are clear and organized with relevant pics, and he records audio. But I wouldn't skip class because the slides don't have a lot of info, they just have the larger topics. Pike is a great lecturer - he goes through all the content, makes it interesting and adds a lot of humor. Good guy, although he doesn't seem to care a whole lot (takes phone calls mid-class sometimes). I'd say 75% or so of the lectures were very interesting, which is above par for me. Super cool content and I genuinely learned a lot. 3) Professor: Pike is good and funny until it hurts you and it turns from funny to annoying. He always is willing to chat after class, yet seems as if he wants to go home and you're annoying him if you ask. Students often ask about the quizzes or tests (stuff in the syllabus) and it clearly annoys him so don't do that. He's a nice, chill guy so just meet his vibe and he should like you. That being said, I liked him for these reasons until he surprised us on the tests by making us choose between 2-3 answers that he had said in lecture. He emphasizes choosing the "best answer" but does not actually tell us what that means, leaving us confused. I am still unsure why some of my answers are wrong, because he said they were true and important as well. It all seems a little subjective, like he just chooses what he likes even though the other answers could be right too. But he's a nice guy and is fairly knowledgeable. Not the best Professor I've ever had, but definitely not the worst. I'd say he's solid but nothing special. So, do not pay $500 for his class. If you can get it, sure you should take it. I did and it was the first A- I've gotten so I do regret taking it for my GPA's sake, but it was fun and interesting if you care more about that.
Spring 2026 - This class is good but not great, and I have NO IDEA why people pay more than $500 to get it. It's not an easy A by any means, as the weekly quizzes and midterm/final are quite difficult. Let's break it down: 1) Grading: Quizzes every week are each worth like 1-2% of your grade. Not that important, but they're hard. Pike gives you only a minute per question, and the questions often have 5 answer choices with 3 plausible answers so it is tough. I felt very rushed, although I still ended up only missing a few points throughout the quarter. And your lowest quiz grade is dropped, so that's nice. Midterm was 25% of your grade, and it was tough but I did well by studying for two or three days beforehand. It was 50 Qs multiple choice scantron, and similarly to the quizzes, many of the answers look right that are wrong. The analysis paper was my favorite part of the class, with the freedom to write on any event or topic you want under a Cold War IR theory lens. I wrote about the space race, and it was very enjoyable, the paper was only 5pg max so it was easy, and I got a good grade. I headed into the final with an A thinking it was ok, but it was not. The final (35%) was significantly harder than the midterm. The mean of the final ended up being a 77, and Pike did not curve. So I ended with barely an A- after the final went poorly. 2) Lectures: No discussion in this class so lectures are all you get, 2x a week. But they're very good lectures. Pike's slides are clear and organized with relevant pics, and he records audio. But I wouldn't skip class because the slides don't have a lot of info, they just have the larger topics. Pike is a great lecturer - he goes through all the content, makes it interesting and adds a lot of humor. Good guy, although he doesn't seem to care a whole lot (takes phone calls mid-class sometimes). I'd say 75% or so of the lectures were very interesting, which is above par for me. Super cool content and I genuinely learned a lot. 3) Professor: Pike is good and funny until it hurts you and it turns from funny to annoying. He always is willing to chat after class, yet seems as if he wants to go home and you're annoying him if you ask. Students often ask about the quizzes or tests (stuff in the syllabus) and it clearly annoys him so don't do that. He's a nice, chill guy so just meet his vibe and he should like you. That being said, I liked him for these reasons until he surprised us on the tests by making us choose between 2-3 answers that he had said in lecture. He emphasizes choosing the "best answer" but does not actually tell us what that means, leaving us confused. I am still unsure why some of my answers are wrong, because he said they were true and important as well. It all seems a little subjective, like he just chooses what he likes even though the other answers could be right too. But he's a nice guy and is fairly knowledgeable. Not the best Professor I've ever had, but definitely not the worst. I'd say he's solid but nothing special. So, do not pay $500 for his class. If you can get it, sure you should take it. I did and it was the first A- I've gotten so I do regret taking it for my GPA's sake, but it was fun and interesting if you care more about that.
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