Jay McDaniel - Hendrix College, Conway, AR

Professor: Jay McDaniel

Department: Theology

College: Hendrix College, Conway, AR

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: RELI270
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He is an interesting guy. Very calm and meditation based. If you do your assignment and don't half-ass them, you will probably make an A. The class itself if a bit strange, but if you're interested in religion and how different cultures view/interact with the environment, you'll probably like it.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: LBST150
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

I had him for TEC Art & Spirit w/ Prof. Grace. Dr. McDaniel definitely puts lots of love into his work. He is open to any ideas you have. The more involved you get the better the class is. It's best to do the reading, but you can get away with skipping it occasionally if you have to. Lots of participation helps your final grade.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: RELI270
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Jay McDaniel is adorable. He cares so passionately about Ecotheology and it really is shown in his work. A lot of the readings come from his own writings (turns out ecotheology isn't the biggest field), but he makes it clear that you're aloud to disagree, but to considered why and be conscious of all things in the web-of-life.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: RELI270
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Dr. McDaniel is truly an amazing educator, minister, mentor, and friend. He epitomizes relational teaching taking great care to nourish relationships with students. In and out of his class and office I was challenged, cared for, and inspired. Students from all spiritual or athiest backgrounds will find a dear friend and teacher in this man.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: RELI270
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

McDaniel is incapable of stimulating thought and will absolutely not push you to think for yourself. There is little to absolutely no class discussion. Don't take his classes and expect to gain any new writing ability. He is a push over when it comes to arguments. He believes that his ability to role play authors is more important than their ideas

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: RELI270
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. McDaniel is a nice person. His classes are totally unstructured, directions are unclear, tests are unnecessarily long and do not reflect anything done in class, and classes are scattered and lack meaning. I came away from class feeling like I learned nothing and completely wasted my time. Outside of class, Dr. McDaniel is kind and caring.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: RELI110
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

He is very vague sometimes or maybe very specific in all the wrong areas. Goes off on tangents and is a bit ditzy, but he is also very inspiring and helpful. I just had him for an intro class, but I'm excited to be taking another of his classes this semester. He never emailed me back, though. I had to go to the secretary of Raney to give him notes.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: 280
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I took Rock, Roll, and Religion with him, and while I appreciate the subject and how I was teaching it, it wasn't something I was interested in. The lectures were very all over the place, and didn't always connect to what we were supposed to be discussing.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: 110
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

McDaniel talks and I want to bang my head against a wall until its over.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: RELI22501
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Awesome professor. Obviously in love with what he teaches. He is a little ditzy sometimes, and can go off subject in his lectures. Inspect of these flaws, his class is always interesting. He cares a lot about his students, and is more than willing to help in anyway he can. GO TO HIS OFFICE. Get to know him outside of class.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: LBST150A1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I really like Dr. McDaniel. In fact, he is my favorite professor. He is pretty scattered, so I can see how people would view him as disorganized. But I feel like I have learned a lot from McDaniel and the discussions he has facilitated in the classroom. Can't wait to take more classes of his.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: RELI110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. McDaniel is my favorite professor I've had so far at Hendrix. He's thought-provoking, caring, intelligent, and serene. Seriously, take his classes if you're interested in any sort of spirituality.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: RELI295
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I once asked Dr McDaniel a question about the subject matter of our course. His response: "You ask me that question as if I should have an answer." He was unfocused, unorganized, and unprofessional. If that matches your learning style, go for it. If not, be prepared to be frustrated.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: RELI110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Dr. McDaniel is very nice and helpful, but his class was awful. Lectures were not focused. He repeats the same info constantly. Quizzes are pretty random. When I went to his office, he was unable to tell me my grade in the course because only his secretary has access to that? Would not recommend for those who like objectivity/clarity

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: RELI110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Changed my life! Dr. McD is super cool, laid-back and approachable. Some people can get frustrated with his loose, adaptable way of approaching material. They call it a lack of structure. I call it enough wisdom to know that curriculum needs flexibility so people can spend as much time as they need on a subject. Really helpful.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: RELIGINTR
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

unfair

Rating # 17

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Dr. McD is calm and always interested in and available to students (in and out of class). He's a fantastic person, teacher, and listener. He is certainly not against women or condescending. He just wants students to think broadly and to understand viewpoints other than their own. This is meant to foster understanding, not be offensive. He's great!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: RELI270
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He's a fantastic teacher! I like the approach he took to this class. Sometimes he seemed to be a bit condescending, but really he was just trying to get a point across in the only way he knows how. He's very knowledgeable and quite happy to talk with you outside of class, even if it doesn't pertain to class. Keep up with your reading. :)

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: RELI100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

You will love him or hate him. I have yet to find someone who feels only "so-so" about Dr. McDaniel. You will learn in his class, but you have to be careful when listening to his lectures. It is completely tainted with his own beliefs. Just take his words with a grain or salt and you'll be fine. He can be very condescending, though. Careful.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: RELI300
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

It's still open for debate: is his slow and quizzical teaching method a condescending indication that he thinks we're stupid? or does he actually take what he says seriously? An even better question: which is worse?