Mark Joslyn - University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS

Professor: Mark Joslyn

Department: Political Science

College: University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

When you think of an "ideal professor" This is the man that will come to your mind after taking his class. He is very knowledgeable about his area of practice, he knows exactly how to teach it, he is helping and understanding, and he will constructively challenge you, he is very non-biased, and a solid professor, KU is very fortunate to have him.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Mark Joslyn lectures were super boring with him talking nonstop. Your TA for the course grades everything so get real close to whoever it is and the tests are all different so DO NOT try to cheat . Take notes you do fine .

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: POL110ONLINE
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Took the online winter break course. Very straightforward and easy to follow. The class was self-paced, so be careful not to fall behind. Would absolutely recommend if you want a break class, and he seems like a solid professor for regular courses as well.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: POL110ONLINE
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I took the online winter session course for POLS110 and it was very easy to follow and the quizzes and exams were very easy to understand. He didn't add a bunch of unnecessary words or phrases to confuse the student.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Definitely knows what he's talking about. Very lecture heavy but pay attention and take good notes, not just what he writes down. Tests are straight out of lecture and textbook readings. Having a good TA helps. I loved his lectures, hilarious and very smart. Don't be scared to speak up in class, he wants people to. Tests are normally pretty easy

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

You can tell that he knows a lot about the what he's teaching. Just doesn't do a good job of articulating that knowledge to his students. You can pass without ever opening the textbook. The tests are 95% lecture and 5% basic vocab. If you need help outside of class, GOOD LUCK. The email he provides on the syllabus is wrong, probably on purpose.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• 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:

I did not enjoy this class. His lectures are very vague and he doesn't right much down which would be fine if this wasn't a 100 level class. He treats it like a much higher level class than it should be and the tests are VERY hard.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I enjoyed Joslyn's class. His tests are based more on the lectures than the text book. However, since he lectures from the textbook, READ THE CHAPTERS. He also quizzes from The Joslyn Reader. You only have to take 4 of the 5 tests (including the final). The tests are very in depth. He is an enjoyable lecturer. I would take it again.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

The tests were hard to study for because his lectures were not always clear. Participation matters for your discussion section and if you get a good TA, then they will help you to make sure lectures were clear. pop quizzes were only in your discussion sections. He drops the lowest test grade out of 5 (including the final).

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This is a very interesting class, but Joslyn writes on a note pad the main ideas. He elaborates through speech so you have to pay attention the whole time... if you zone out you'll miss big chunks of the lecture. The discussions are where it really cushions your grade because the tests are fairly hard with tough questions from random parts of text.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

The material is pretty straightforward and easy to understand. However, his lectures can sometimes be uninteresting, and I find myself zoning out most of the time. He requires 2 expensive textbooks for his class, but they aren't used much. It's an easy class and he's a nice guy, so it's not too bad.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: POL110ONLINE
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Great online class for anyone who is interested in a Political Science major or Public Policy minor(like myself), but be careful: His tests suck. Lots of questions worded in weird ways, many plucked from random parts of the texts. Be aware of that and be prepared to read. If taking online, keep the text handy when testing plus Quizlet/Google

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

This American Gov class was easier than my high school course, and that's saying something. Tests are so easy, most of it is common sense. Make sure you follow along with current events - there's a question or two about current politics on each exam. Requires 4 out of 5 exams, so you don't have to do the final if you don't want to.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Perhaps he's better in other classes, but in POLS 110, Joslyn wasn't engaging. On the positive side, he's clearly a nice, accommodating guy who cares about teaching. However, his lectures are uninteresting and hard to glean much from due to his inefficient note-taking style. I skipped about half the classes and managed an A, without learning much.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Great class and great professor! Loved this class and Dr. Joslyn made it fun and interesting.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: POL110ONLINE
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The topics covered in this class were interesting. Enjoyed the class so far. Exam difficulty ranges from hard to nearly impossible. Literally have to memorize the book in order to pass the class. Will give truefalse and multiple chose questions on unimportant sentences in book. Quizzes were easy though. Currently making a D, but am expecting a C.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

wow, great prof! I'd def take him again!!!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

4 tests + final and you can drop one. Discussion saved me, I had William bettes and he gave us pretty helpful outlines for tests. Joslyn does write notes on a legal pad. Overall good class, first two tests are much harder than than the last two. The final condensed each lecture into a question. He had class vote on whether we wanted +- or not

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• Grade Received: 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:

Good teacher. Writes notes on a legal pad that is projected on a screen, not always completely legible. Can lose focus, but interesting tangents. Discussion definitely helped, and a solid understanding of the reading is completely necessary.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: POLS110
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Joslyn hand wrote all notes in class on a legal pad projected to the classroom, this was okay, maybe a bit more engaging than a powerpoint but hard to read. The tests were difficult - reading the book is necessary in addition to attending lecture. Class drags on, but for an entry level course, not bad.