Rick Gruneau - Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC

Professor: Rick Gruneau

Department: Communication

College: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CMNS310410
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Professor Gruneau is smart, nice, interesting and an overall great professor. His lectures are like stories but if you are paying attention full of important information regarding the course subject. Rick is approachable and extremely knowledgeable. I recommend him as an instructor whatever the course may be. Super solid guy.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CMNS310
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Rick has an uncanny ability to explain difficult concepts and make you understand why they are important to communications. He has a breadth of knowledge that can be intimidating, but he's actually very approachable. My favorite prof in communications.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CMNS310
• 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: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Rick is excellent. Lectures are extremely interesting and he is always ready for extra help. I took the course in the fall and have never received so much help from a Prof. Great Job Rick :)

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CMNS310
• 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: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Rick is excellent. Lectures are extremely interesting and he is always ready for extra help. I took the course in the fall and have never received so much help from a Prof. Great Job Rick :) Thanks a ton.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CMNS310
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Rick will give you extra help when you go to his office hour. He would like to give you many interesting examples to help you understanding concepts. He is a very nice professor!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CMNS310
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Rick does a great job at explaining very complex ideas. If you attend class every week, you will do well on the papers. The course covers crucial concepts that will bring value to the knowledge of someone majoring in communications.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CMNS410
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

If you are looking for 'structured learning' as a poster below noted, stay away from anything Gruneau teaches!! What you get instead is passion, incredible insight and flashes of real brilliance. Fair trade I'd say. This class inspired me to apply to grad school.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CMNS410
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Can only speak about my own experience but I found Gruneau to be extremely helpful. He was always available for discussion and he went out of his way to write several reference letters for me. As for course content I thought 410 was the most comprehensive and challenging course I took in Communications.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CMN410
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Could be an interesting class but the failure to follow the course outline hinders structured learning. Personal storytelling has little to do with the content but seems more about him appearing "cool". He skips or is never available during his office hours and impossible to reach outside of class. Becomes annoyed when students ask questions.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CMNS410
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

At his best gruneau is surely one of the best lecturers at SFU. He has an aptitude for synthesizing ideas and theories, and for explaining difficult concepts, that is unique. He can wander a bit sometimes but most often his apparent digressions reveal themselves to serve the point he is trying to make. Amazing prof and one of a kind.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CMNS310
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I like the way he teaches by using stories to clarify difficult concepts and theories. He's also very approachable and he'll give you lots of help if you ask. Good prof.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: COMM386
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Narrative style of teaching meanders all over the place, based upon personal stories. Would be better to stick to teaching from texts (there is a course text). Impossible to contact outside of class as for many students experience. Please don't bring up your water skiing accident, it has nothing to do with the course, we do not care - focus plz.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CMNS410
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I was nervous about taking 410 because I heard it was hard and a lot of work. But Gruneau has a great way of explaining things and he made the class enjoyable. In the end I thought it was a great course.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CMNS410
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Withing 3 weeks of sitting in 410 you just get the impression you are in a whole other league from the rest of the courses in communications. This was the best course in 5 years at SFU and Gruneau weaves a theoretical story in the class that is nothing short of brilliant.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CMNS310
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Thoroughly enjoyed his lectures, though they were long and sometimes rambling. The material is dense and very theoretical, but his lectures are entertaining even when the material isn't. Fair marker, though the papers were all long, expect to write no less than 10 pages per paper for him, no shorter papers at all.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CMNS310
• 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:

Amazing lecturer, but the material is really difficult. You have to be really into history and theory to like his classes. But for theory heads Gruneau is the Man!

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CMNS310
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He is a good at lecturing but goes off topic and its confusing. The subjects in this class is BORING. You will most likely fall asleep or get lost and if you look around half the class will be lost too.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CMNS310
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

loved his lectures. he is a great storyteller and great educator. i cant get enough of his lectures.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CMNS310
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Gruneau is a great guy and an entertaining and hilarious storyteller. I love the way he teaches, it is so refreshing to just listen to a prof rather than try to listen and read a bunch of notes at the same time. He is a very GOOD marker, which means that he can tell how much effort you actually put into something.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CMNS324
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Great course if you want to listen to rambling life stories on a weekly basis! Although I did not mind coming to class, I did not enjoy his unconventional teaching style.