John McCormick - Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN

Professor: John McCormick

Department: Political Science

College: Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: POLS217
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He has ten random days where he takes attendances or gives pop quizzes, his grading is all over the place. There really isn't a clear pattern in his grading. He also doesn't give 100% on the comparative paper.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: INTLI100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

John has a solid effort to engage students. Sometimes that gets a little overzealous. Has made international students feel uncomfortable by asking them really invasive questions about cultural heritage. Term paper is required to even get a grade in the class so whoever you are, I hope you enjoy writing.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: POL217
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Excellent professor and course. Knows his stuff, has travelled to many countries (so has direct knowledge), gives lots of guidance (nothing should come as a surprise in expectations for exams and term paper), often very funny, doesn't expect you to be a political science nerd, and encourages attendance and participation.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: POL217
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

tbh hes not bad and hes kinda funny. his tests and quizzes are hard(ish), BUT if you study and care about your grades then you'll prob get an A. he gives bonus point opportunities and the term paper is stressful but he basically tells u how to write it. study the material you learned before class in case of a pop quiz and go to class & ull be ok!!!

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: INTL100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

John is a great teacher and makes the class fun with the jokes. If you don't attend the class you won't pass because there are attendance points. Also, beware of the pop quizzes. He uses his slides which are very detailed and enough to be ready for the exam. He makes the exams easy by giving an exam guide that helps you know important topics.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: POLSY217
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Prof. McCormick is a solid choice. He's experienced and distinguished; attendance is random. Be able to accept a lot of nuance if you want to gain something from his lectures. Strongly dislike the exam format; half multiple choice, the other you write five pages by hand. Quizzes seem forced and are unhelpful, imo, more like memory tests.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: POLSY217
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This class is very interesting and the professor does a good job of making lectures entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed the content learned. However, he is a bit arrogant and I did not feel he was approachable. He often argued students' opinions, which discouraged me from wanting to participate.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: POLS217
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I took comparative politics with professor McCormick & its one of my favorite courses. It is a tough course but because of the amount of material we are learning. The textbook is helpful & easy to read. It is important to go to all class meetings as there are pop quizzes & attendance taken at random. He gives us study guides that are SO helpful.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: POL217
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Good professor. I would suggest taking his classes if you are specifically interested in political science or policy. If you are not passionate about political science you will likely find his tests/quizzes difficult and classes boring. You will need to study a couple hours for each unit outside of class and follow instructions closely to succeed.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: POLS350
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Professor McCormick does not seem to respect students' time, forcing you to prepare four lengthy essays just to throw two of them away for EACH exam. Forced to purchase his own book for the class with no other outside materials used. Overall a massive waste of time; students beware!

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: INTLI100
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

As a 100 level class, this was one of the best. The material was interesting, and McCormick provided lots of examples and outside information that really added to the course. Participation is a must--you'll get more out of the class, and it'll be more fun. I know some in the class found him intimidating, but a silent classroom is awkward for all.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: POLSY217
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

McCormick is a witty professor & overall, I enjoyed the class. I am not a political science major and I found the term paper to be difficult & I ended up writing a paper on educational policy instead of focusing in on the politics of educational policy. I most likely going to end up with an average grade, you have to really apply yourself to excel.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: INTL100
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

hes a very intelligent and passionate professor who actually cares if you are learning. he is a tough grader, but you can get a good grade as long as you put in some effort. hes very witty and engaging and the class lectures are enjoyable. the work load/homework isnt too much either.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: POLSY350
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I took this class online and really liked it. Warning: if you're looking for an online blowoff class, as many do, this one is not for you. But if you're looking to learn about the EU, take this class. Grading is fairly difficult but Prof. McCormick makes it clear what he is looking for, so if you apply yourself, you will do fine.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: POLS217
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

It was an interesting class. The tests are hard, they require you to write out 5 essays each a full page in the blue books. He says that he encourages participation, but he seems to shut down any ideas that he isn't directly for. He then wonders why no-one wants to participate.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: POLS350
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

This class was horrid. Claims that there is reasoning behind making you write out four 800 word essays before the exam when only two will be on there. I understand that you must teach yourself a lot more in an online class, but wow. Got an A in 217. Do us all a favor and stick to teaching in the classroom McCormick.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: POLSY217
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor McCormick was a great and informative instructor who really knew in great detail the material he was teaching in my Comparative Politics class. He strongly encouraged class discussion which lead to many fruitful debates on plenty of interesting political topics.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: POLS217
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He teaches political science, so naturally you're going to get people who complain because he doesn't cater to their pet ideology or what have you. I think his class was consistently informative and engaging, with a clear structure and a reasonable workload.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: POLS217
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

McCormick is a great professor! His sarcasm makes class fun. You can get a good grade in the course if you put in the work. Be sure to study lecture notes because there are pop quizzes, and they are NOT multiple choice which makes them challenging. The exams consist of multiple choice questions+essays but the essay topics are given in advance.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: POLS217
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. McCormick is very intelligent. He is prepared everyday for class with knowledge about stuff we have not covered nor will we cover. He can answer any of questions and even if he can't, he's a good bser. It is a very lecture heavy professor with notes being essential. He will challenge your view points to make you use critical thinking.