Donn Murphy - West Valley College, Saratoga, CA

Professor: Donn Murphy

Department: Sociology

College: West Valley College, Saratoga, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: SOC1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Do not take the telecourse. Not only you have to watch videos but also have to go through chapters. theres only a midterm and a final and if you screw up or cant grasp since the tests are hard then youre screwed

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: SOC001
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

WARNING: DO NOT TAKE THE TELECOURSE! Even though I passed this class, I would NOT recommend it! The reading is BORING, the 22 DVD's are OUTDATED and Mr. Murphy is just about as ARROGANT as they come! If you must take Sociology, take it with Fabian!

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: SOC1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I took the telecourse. If you watch the DVDs while taking careful notes and read the textbook carefully, you can get an A easily enough. Prof responded quickly to any email questions. A good course to take if you are disciplined enough to learn the material on your own.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: SOC4950
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

I took 3 Different classes in Sociology from him. Take him in the morning when he is fresh and not tired for the most interesting lectures. Read the book! or you will wish you had. Take good lecture notes to be able to focus in on what he will pull from in the text. Multiple choice tests.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: SOC001
• 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 wish I had more teachers like him instead of most instructors at WVC. His class is great as long as you watch the TV episodes & do the readings. Great class. I'm sorry that most ratings of him were bad. But he was the right one for me. Took me 2 times to pass too.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: SOC1026
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The professor was helpful and approachable, but, I did not really need to ask him for any help.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: SOC01
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

took the telecourse class. the dvds aren't too boring however with the amount of notes i took and the amount of questions that were on the midterm and final aren't fair. 22 dvds = 11 hours! for only 50 questions. Be sure to read the text even though its open note. you need to study for this class to pass! there's no way around it!

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: SOC01
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Cocky, incredibly opinionated, and nice until you disagree with him. He got real pissy when I disagreed with his comments on racial profiling. He said at the beginning of the semester, you don't have to attend this class to get a good grade, just read the textbook at home. Would go off on endless tangents on immigration almost EVERY lecture.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: SOCTV
• 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:

Learned a lot about life with a resonable amount of work. Would not have missed it.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: SOCSOC
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I took TV class. I took a lot of note but I couldn't finish all his the exam. It was really hard.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: SOCH001
• 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 is truly a great teacher, a hilarious and offbeat kind of guy. I didn't have to show up to class to get an A, but I usually did anyways because I enjoyed being there so much. West Valley is losing a great teacher!

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: SOC02
• 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:

GREAT teacher. class is easy. open book tests. wish he wasn't retiring.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: SOC2
• 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:

Great guy and a great teacher. His insight on the world is very interesting and i loved all of the stories he had. Doing the extra credit project was really eye opening and interesting. He is very funny and his tests r quite easy if you look over the book. I love him and wish i could take another course with the guy. highly recommend!!

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: INTROTV
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

I don't know what folks are talking about. If you just study a little, this is easy. Can even check text during exams. Cakewalk.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: SOC001
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

A lot of his comments about foreign cultures were not only incorrect but exaggerated. I attended classes in the beginning but it was really a waste of time. I got an A from reading the book myself, since they are open book exams. But don't think that means you can't read.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: SOC1TV
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This course was a pain. Instead of just prepping for tests like the other Soc1 students, we had to watch more than twenty 30 min. videos and have tough questions from them. Also, though the tests were open book, the midterm and final each spanned 7 chapters. Do yourself a favor and just take Soc1; it's like this course but easier. I wish I did!

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: SOC01
• 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:

Only book work on Exams, 4 altogether. No homework, you only prep for Exams. Intresting class topics discussed about current events. Honest, but slightly bias. A real and practical guy.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: SOC101
• 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:

great teacher! coming from a student who nearly fall asleep in every class, I have to say that Murphy is probably one of the most entertaining teacher that I have ever had. I guarantee u that you will look at life in a different perspective when the semester ends =) note- text book need to be read, so if youre a lazy student who cant read,dont both

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: SOC101
• 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:

Great teacher...his lectures are mesmerizing, and hes quite a humorous guy himself.The class does required you to read the text book whatsoever, so if you're looking for an easy A dont even bother. However I believe that everyone should take this class, Murphy helps you see things in a different way and he makes learning fun.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: SOC02
• 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:

very hard