Thomas O'Connor - James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Professor: Thomas O'Connor

Department: Media Arts

College: James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: SMAD462
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor O'Connor is soft-spoken, but really interesting. You can tell he is very knowledgeable when it comes to documentary making, and he actively tries to make his class worthwhile (and it is)! He's the kind of professor with whom you can have an actual conversation and not feel spoken down to.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: 251
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He's one of the better SMAD professors I have taken at JMU. He's a wonderful and inspiring guy who definitely knows his stuff about the film industry. He makes it easy to approach him and ask for help and feedback on work. I would definitely recommend

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: SMAD462
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I just took Professor O'Connor's midterm. I study quite a bit and the test was very specific and difficult. Ive attended each and every class and he always manages to make me almost fall asleep. He is a good guy, knows his stuff, but is not a very skilled professor. Tends to ramble on and lose his audience very easily.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: SMAD251
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor O'Connor is a strange one. Is he really interesting person and carries the "movie-making"vibe, but as a person he is pretty disorganized. Shouldn't really be an advisor but I don't think he has a choice. Very unclear about what he wants from you. You will only have to write one screenplay so no homework. Fun class!

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: SMAD463
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

You don't need to read the book. Only take lecture notes when you're going over something you'll have to write about later. Just listen and absorb. He likes to talk, but if you have something smart to say he'll appreciate it. He's not the best teacher, but I can't help liking him anyway.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: SMAD398
• 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:

The above reviewer of Prof. O'Connor's 398 class seems confused. Professor O'Connor administered this class in Los Angeles. He didn't teach it. He brought in guest speakers from film industry. Therefore I don't know how he can be rated on his teaching. By the way, the program he launched and administered was terrific.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: SMAD250
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Baddd teacher. Class was pointless. He split us into groups which we had for the rest of the semester. We would pitch ideas off of each other and evaluate each others works but that only took 10 minutes so the rest of the class we were just goofing around. It was a fun class and he doesn't keep up with his attendance policy. Pointless lectures.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: SMAD340
• 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:

O'Connor's screenwriting class is cool. You write your own screenplays and cast other students to read the characters. It's a little scary. But O'Connor keeps it on point. Having a blast. O'Connor is a writer and understands. Good guy. The book's OK. Take him.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: SMAD250
• 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:

Excellent professor. He's in the business, working major filmmakers. I took him for screenplay writing and was blown away. He creates and positive supportive and professional atmosphere in his workshops.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: SMAD463
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He was a genuinely nice and sincere guy which is way i felt so guilty for not liking him as a professor. I was rooting for him to, just one, give a halfway decent lecture, but the bottom line was that he just had a lot of rambling that led nowhere and i just really didn't learn anything

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: SMAD463
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Going to class was pointless - he babbled on about nothing significant, repeated himself endlessly, and generally wasted valuable time. Read books and watched movies - didn't do any writing (other than a paper at the end). He's a talented man, that's for sure, but an awful teacher.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: SMAD250
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

O'Connor did a great job showing how to format and write scripts for tv ads, radio news, psa's, documentaries, and film. He's got some serious credentials (a few emmy's) so he knows what he's talkin about. Sometimes he takes questions that students ask kind of personally, made it hard to get answers out of him sometimes, but other than that great

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: SMAD251
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Took Thomas O'Connor for screenplay writing. Wow! My screenplay started out terrible.But as he worked with me over the term, it got better and better until finally it was a pretty darn good screenplay. Great guy. Great teacher.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: SMAD463FILM
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

O'Connor is a great teacher, and an award winning filmmaker. I've had him for screenplay writing, film adaptations, and documentary film. He knows his stuff, and he's a fair ( but tough) grader.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: 250340462463
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Should be in the business & not in the classroom. I mean that as an insult & a compliment. Knows his stuff and I'm grateful to have had him but he wastes a lot of good time & is constantly in his own world. Take his classes but don't expect to be blown away. Be patient w/ him & you can learn a lot.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: SMAD463
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Great books! Great movies! Fair grader, appreciates good writing. Class drags a little bit.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: SMAD251
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Talked too much at the beginning of the semester when we should have been working on screenwriting exercises and reading screenplays. Not good not bad. Just very plain.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: SCREENPLAY
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I enjoyed O'Connor's class overall when I took it back in the early nineties. I did think that he was a little biased towards certain styles of writing and certain writers. I respect him for his emmy, but an emmy alone doesn't qualify one for teaching.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: SMAD463
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He knows about the process of film adaptations, but he doesn't seem to know much about the novels you read in class. His quizzes are ridiculously hard - he asks for complex themes and symbolism before you get a chance for discussion.

Rating # 20

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

fantastic teacher. but so many dumb students dont care about what he has to offer and dont pay attention. emmy winner - hello! also very brilliant in all subject. great smile.