http://www.CourseReviews.com CourseReviews.com - University of Maryland College Park en-us Copyright 1997-2008 CourseReviews.com Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:36 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss dylan.feed@coursereviews.com (CourseReviews.com) dylan.webmaster@dylangreene.com (Dylan Greene) hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review45274/Funny-guy-but-a-PlayaHe was smart but a tad too friendly with us women.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review45274/Funny-guy-but-a-Playa#comments2007-10-19T11:59:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review45274/Funny-guy-but-a-Playahttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review45273/Best-CourseI liked it and learned a lot.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review45273/Best-Course#comments2007-10-18T20:07:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review45273/Best-Coursehttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review45058/He-is-one-of-the-worst-physics-professors-out-thereDr. Hammer was my physics122 teacher and he was simply unbearable. He refused to lecture and left us with clickers to argue with eacher on one of the hardest conceptual courses out there. Did not help us and was insulting and judgmental to all the premeds in the room. He will skew your grades for sure. Ivy League piece of shit. Avoid at all possible costs.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review45058/He-is-one-of-the-worst-physics-professors-out-there#comments2007-05-30T18:56:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review45058/He-is-one-of-the-worst-physics-professors-out-therehttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review44550/Dinasour-that-needs-to-be-extinctHe is by far the worst professor that I have ever had. He brings in notes and talks about computer systems older than I am. Even though you are pretty much guarenteed to pass, it is not worth it. He rambles on and dosen't really care if you get it. He teaches the class like he is reviewing for a final. Don't make the misake of talking to him after class. You will be stuck there for at least an hour. Don't take him unless you are ready to screw up your semseter, or you don't mind waisting three hours a week.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review44550/Dinasour-that-needs-to-be-extinct#comments2006-10-22T16:05:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review44550/Dinasour-that-needs-to-be-extincthttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review44511/A-peice-of-shtThe worst damn teacher in the whole world. Teaches MATH140H.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review44511/A-peice-of-sht#comments2006-10-02T14:07:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review44511/A-peice-of-shthttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review44459/Stimulating-ClassMs. Strongson was a very inspiring teacher. I took her class in spring 2004. I really liked the texts that we read in her class. She is a really nice person. I really felt that she cared about me as her student. I actually told my parents a lot about the texts we read in class and my Mom actually read "A Small Place" by Kincaid and loved it!noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review44459/Stimulating-Class#comments2006-08-31T16:45:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review44459/Stimulating-Classhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review44379/Fleck-Father-of-FartsOkay, listen up you'se punks. Fleck was an awesome professor back in 1975 when I was a freshman at UM. That's way before most of you were born. Let me clue you into a thing or two. He mucked about Morroco as a youth where he acquired the title "Father of Farts". He used to joke about it in class. Tell me, please, how many of you would venture into the camground of bedouin to squat, eat, and fart the night away? Will one of his current students please bring this up in class? The good doctor will love telling the story, and you'll love hearing it. Then he went to Munich where he earned a degree and met his wife, Eva. God bless her, I hope the two have not been separated by death. I am M. W. Paules, teacher, and proud to carry his legacy into my classroom today. What he taught then, I teach now.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review44379/Fleck-Father-of-Farts#comments2006-08-09T20:33:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review44379/Fleck-Father-of-Fartshttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43864/Improvisation-at-its-bestPrior to taking Inprov I did not like it or enjoyed watching it, after taking DANC109: Improvisation 1 I feel I know myself and my body movement better than ever. It is my favorite class of all time Thank you Ms. Rosennoemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43864/Improvisation-at-its-best#comments2006-03-30T12:20:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43864/Improvisation-at-its-besthttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43650/One-of-the-BestIt is so easy for ignorant students to claim that a professor gives preferential treatment because of her sexual orientation, a claim that would never be openly made about a professor regarding his or her minority racial/ethnic identity. Professor Leonardi was one of the most challenging, creative and exceptional professors I ever had in the English department. In both of the classes I took with her she challenged the students to actually participate, instead of just dribbling on about her own ideas. As far as papers went, I actually learned how to be a better writer, and felt challenged to do real research. She did her job, by not letting things slide, and made me a more contientious and prepared student. She not only assigned books that were off the radar, but invited authors to speak, and even allowed the class to read and critique her novel. She asks only for mutual respect, and if you give her that, will be available as often as you need her for class related issues, and anything else. If you are a lazy, close-minded slacker don't take her, but if you like to be challenged, read new things, and work hard, she provides great oppurtunities.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43650/One-of-the-Best#commentstough but fairintellegentcreativeavailable2006-02-16T10:51:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43650/One-of-the-Besthttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43649/Awesome-ProfessorHe is by far one of the best, if not the best Professor at UMCP. He has a great class and he also makes learning a lot of fun thrpugh the use of special guests and the use of a crime lab setup on campus. I recommend this class to everyone.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43649/Awesome-Professor#comments2006-02-16T10:41:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43649/Awesome-Professorhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43608/Lots-of-busy-work-for-one-lousy-required-creditPoor Dr. Friedel- by the end of the first month about 5-10% of the class had dropped Gemstone. And I want to make clear that it probably wasn't his fault. The fault lies entirely with the messed up Gemstone program. He did his best to make lecture entertaining, and I enjoyed the history of technology more than I thought I would. But there were readings and journals due every discussion and our TA completely controlled our grades. Which in turn were completely dependent on group research papers. All in all I lucked out and escaped with an A. Also, he speaks with a lisp or something, you can get used to it if you try.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43608/Lots-of-busy-work-for-one-lousy-required-credit#comments2006-02-09T09:52:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43608/Lots-of-busy-work-for-one-lousy-required-credithttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43607/A-paranoid-little-Hitler-of-a-manDr. Mashima is a very important man in his field- as he is always the first to point out, stridently. His seminar on opportunities in veterinary medicine is one of the most depressing classes I have ever had and he always went out of his way to be extremely unhelpful. Requests for information on internships were met with wild accusations that I was trying to use his prestige to further my non-existant career. Furthermore, early in the class he picks favorites and holds them up as the models of perfection no other student can hope to match. Of course, even his favorites can only hope to be allowed to polish his boots with their tongues, since he managed to succeed against hardship blah blah blah bootstraps blah blah DVM AND PhD blah blah.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43607/A-paranoid-little-Hitler-of-a-man#commentshorribleboring2006-02-09T09:51:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43607/A-paranoid-little-Hitler-of-a-manhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43475/WORST-Electrical-Engineering-ClassI had Barua for 244, and he was okay. But for 350H he's insane. Homeworks are long, exams are impossible (you'll spend half the time trying to understand the questions themselves), and he avoids answering any difficult student questions. Even in office hours he doesn't answer questions. Projects were long and unnecessarily difficult. He grades on a strict curve (even though this is an honors class) so the majority of the class received a C or lower. So many people dropped the class after the first exam that he recentered the average so that he would still have his curve. Do yourself a favor and skip 350H with Barua; take a different honors course for the citation. noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43475/WORST-Electrical-Engineering-Class#comments2006-01-24T15:40:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43475/WORST-Electrical-Engineering-Classhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43445/The-BEST-math-teacher-you-could-ever-hope-to-haveDr. David is the best math teacher I have ever had in ANY math course since Junior High School! She is 100% dedicated to her course, her students, and teaching them math. She doesn't believe in Web assignments, always shows students the easiest ways (tips & tricks) for solving problems, and can show every student where they go wrong and how to do it right. She DOES require students attend EVERY day, there is homework EVERY night, and a QUIZ every day over the last night's homework. This does make the course demanding, but if you're truly looking to improve at Math and get ready for Calculus, you will not find a better professor to bring you up to speed and show you right where your strengths and weaknesses are. She also makes herself available DAILY for tutoring after class for all her students. The only course she teaches is MATH 015 because she prefers to help students who aren't proficient become proficient. Dr. David is simply - the BOMB!!noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43445/The-BEST-math-teacher-you-could-ever-hope-to-have#commentsdedicatedfunnyfairdemandinggifted2006-01-21T15:23:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43445/The-BEST-math-teacher-you-could-ever-hope-to-havehttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43444/Great-Course-Professor-BUT-you-should-be-interested-in-LinguisticsProfessor Bleam is a great lecturer, teaches a good course, and is very fair in her quizzes, tests, and grading. Lectures and homework go much farther in-depth, while tests and quizzes are more broad and general. She makes outstanding use of WebCT to ensure all course materials, information, and announcements are immediately available to students. TAs are all very proficient, helpful, and friendly. They also attend class with students, so they are able to easily clear up any misunderstandings from lectures. Although this course is an intro to linguistics, Professor Bleam does go quite in-depth into some areas, and not very deep at all into others. This is also a CORE course, so I recommend that anyone taking this course for CORE purposes be at least a little interested in Linguistics!noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43444/Great-Course-Professor-BUT-you-should-be-interested-in-Linguistics#commentsfriendlyenergeticvery fair graderknowledgable2006-01-21T15:15:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43444/Great-Course-Professor-BUT-you-should-be-interested-in-Linguisticshttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43443/Outstanding-PsychologistProfessor-Effective-but-Unanimated-LecturerIf you're truly interested in receiving a superbly researched, multi-faceted, and broad introduction to Psychology, Dr. Smith's PSYC100 course and textbook (2nd Edition) is an EXCELLENT choice. If you're simply looking to satisfy a CORE requirement with an absolute minimum amount of effort and a professor who entertains more than educates, you should look elsewhere. Dr. Smith's text is extremely well-researched and presents all of the major theories, views, studies, and problems within the field of psychology. Each lecture directly correlates with and supplements the text. As opposed to teaching only his own beliefs, opinions, or sub-area within his field (as many professors do), Dr. Smith provides students with a broad, well-rounded, and good understanding of the broad field of Psychology. While it is true Dr. Smith's lecture style is somewhat mono-tone and unanimated, the content of his lectures are applicable, always build on the text, and highlight key/important concepts that usually are tested. If you read each chapter (50-75 pages) before he lectures, you'll get MUCH MORE out of his lectures. Tests are fair, straight-forward, and fairly easy for a student who reads each chapter and attends the lectures. The TA was awesome! Summary, GREAT course if you're interested in learning about Psychology. BAD course if you're lazy and looking to do no work and get an easy A.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43443/Outstanding-PsychologistProfessor-Effective-but-Unanimated-Lecturer#commentsoutstandingwell-readfairopen-mindedinteresting2006-01-21T15:03:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43443/Outstanding-PsychologistProfessor-Effective-but-Unanimated-Lecturerhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43111/Crazy-man-who-knows-his-stuffProfessor Neri is an intelligent old man who is very excited about the coursework he gives. You can learn a lot from him, and if you choose to take advantage of office hours you can really get a lot of information out of him. However, there are two terribly negative marks against him. 1) His examinations are obscene. The material you cover in the class is expansive, but good. However, come time for the exams the tests feel as though they are a bit less about paying attention to lecture, and more about paying attention to the detail of the questions. If you're an excellent test taker, and can notice catches in the questions, you should have no problem with this course. 2) His homeworks. I have to recommend that you go see him in office hours for this, as he'll explain to you how to do almost any problem easily. If you just follow lecture and go over the notes, you'll probably get a number of the questions wrong. Other than the two things your grade rests on, the course itself is great. If you're willing to get help from him often, or, if you're able to get a big picture quickly and then take exams very well, take the course. Otherwise, find something else - it's not worth tossing it in there for the C or B when you can take another course and get an A for the same work.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43111/Crazy-man-who-knows-his-stuff#comments2005-12-20T18:15:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43111/Crazy-man-who-knows-his-stuffhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43006/The-best-corny-jokesBy no dought a master in the subjetc. he explains very well and the board diagrams are easy to follow. there a reasonable amount of readings from which some may be boring. yet the class is very enjoyable noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43006/The-best-corny-jokes#comments2005-12-15T11:30:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review43006/The-best-corny-jokeshttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review42747/Junior-English-will-Certainly-be-Down-the-RoadI had two major problems with this course. The first was the expenses of the books. You are required to purchase two of the smallest "textbooks" I have ever seen (Mercury Reader and Everday Use). In fact the books really should not be classified as textbooks because they are short and paperback. The only thing similiar to textbooks was their price, which was VERY expensive. As far as the course itself is concerned I found it rediculuous. The grading system is horrible. It appears the teachers are told to only give students A's if it is likely they will take Junior English anways (An A in Freshman English makes you exempt from having to take Junior English). The only knowledge I gained in writing the whole semester was that a writer needs to provide exigence in his works.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review42747/Junior-English-will-Certainly-be-Down-the-Road#commentsExpensive BooksLots of PapersEasy FinalHard Grading2005-12-06T18:22:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review42747/Junior-English-will-Certainly-be-Down-the-Roadhttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review42746/The-Knowledge-Gained-is-as-vague-as-the-Lab-Report-QuestionsThe lab book was written by the Lab Coordinator(Maryann McDermott Jones). It was vague and repetitive. The coordinator is very defensive about the lab book, when emailed with a detailed question and cry for help; I was responded with a simple "If you had read the textbook you would know the answer." The lab reports are basically simple questions asking about the lab. They are only complicated by the fact that they are very vague and then graded as if you should have known exactly what the Author was talking about. The PreLab quizzes are just as bad as the lab report questions. Although you are given ample time to complete them on WebCT, you end up just guessing what the answers are due how long it takes to figure out what the question is actually asking.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review42746/The-Knowledge-Gained-is-as-vague-as-the-Lab-Report-Questions#commentsLongEasy labsHorrible Lab Book 2005-12-06T17:49:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review42746/The-Knowledge-Gained-is-as-vague-as-the-Lab-Report-Questionshttp://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review42745/The-only-thing-hard-about-his-class-was-spelling-his-nameFairly straightforward and easy class. Tests are based on past tests (which can be found on his umd website). The WebAssigns every other night and weekly quizes in discussion can be kind of tedious, but tend to be fairly easy and helpfull. I found that discussions were much more important then lectures, but that when I did go to lectures he was funny and basically a great teacher.noemail@coursereviews.com (Anonymous Student)http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review42745/The-only-thing-hard-about-his-class-was-spelling-his-name#commentsFunnyEasyLots of HomeworkDiscussions ImportantLectures not Important2005-12-06T17:36:00-05:00http://www.CourseReviews.com/u1008/review42745/The-only-thing-hard-about-his-class-was-spelling-his-name