James Morrow - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Professor: James Morrow

Department: Political Science

College: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: POLISCI160
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The most boring. His lectures get very boring very fast and he covers a boatload of topics. Final is on everything on the course and includes 5 short answers and 3 essays you have to write in 2 hours, and he's a hard grader. topics are all over the place and his questions are absurdly specific. Gives 1% extra credit otherwise grades really hard.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: POLISCI160
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Pretty good professor, class isn't really that hard as long as you go to lecture and have decent writing skills (there will be 2 papers). Very knowledgeable, but lectures got boring pretty quickly. He'd make some jokes every now and then. He was a good, but not great lecturer.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: POLSC160
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Morrow is a great lecturer. His lectures are easy to follow, PPTs posted online. Exam based on his PPTs and lectures but helps if you skim through his book along the way. Papers aren't that long and most of the subjects are just applying ideas from class to current events.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: POL160
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Prof. Morrow is a really great teacher. The lectures are succinct and he also posts the slides after lecture. The exams content is all covered in class so if you show up and listen you can get an A. He knows his stuff and is clearly passionate about.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: POLSCI160
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

The class is extremely straightforward. The content is little more than terms/definitions, the midterm questions are word for word from the book chapter review sections, and his rubrics/peer review sessions tell you exactly what you need to do on the papers. Just don't try to do anything creative on the exams/papers and the class will be a breeze

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: POLSCI160
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Morrow is interesting at times, but this class really is rather dry. It's straight forward enough, but you're graded on about four things. Save yourself the time (if you can) and go to lectures OR do the reading, they are almost exactly the same. Grading can be harsh, Morrow demanded pretty tough grading from the GSIs, so hope you get a good one.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: POL160
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Everything is graded subjectively by gsi's who do NOT want you to succeed. Morrow only wants to hear himself speak. He really doesn't care about you

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: POL160
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

My friend broke her arm and was trying to arrange her finals and had two that day and needed extra time (because of her broken arm) and he wouldn't accommodate her and rudely emailed her "well YOU broke your arm" and it wasn't his problem. She forwarded it to the dean who got involved and obviously took her side. No one respected him afterwards

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: POL160
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

It's been three years since I took this class and I still get angry thinking of him. He doesn't care about his students, and he once went out of his way to make my life torture and made me sit in a room for 8 hours because I had extra time because I broke my arm just in case I would tell anyone in the class what was on the final. Who does that

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: POL160
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This class is based solely on his GSI's grading ability. Basically if you get a bad GSI you're screwed since there is NO standardization. My GSI (not to mention names) gave long and difficult quizzes whereas the other GSI gave T/F quizzes with easy answers. I easily put in more work than other kids in the class but the GSI I had ruined my grade.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: POLI160
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Morrow is a really smart guy whose lectures were generally interesting. Everything was incredibly straight forward. Exam short answer questions were nearly word-for-word taken from the review questions at the end of each book chapter. Speaking of the book, it's rather dry, as long as you show up to lecture you don't need to read anyways.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: POLISCI160
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Morrow is an interesting professor and his lectures are always intriguing. He is heavy on the lectures but you won't have to do much reading (the book is one he wrote and it isn't published so it's pretty dry). He's funny and keeps things straight forward.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: POLSCI160
• 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:

Okay, so I honestly enjoyed the class. The concepts are interesting. The book is kind of dry and there are huge blocks of text (ironic since the GSIs seem to hate that). I personally didn't have too many grievances about grading but it IS based on your GSI's preferences. If you read and attend class you should be fine.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: POLISCI160
• 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:

The class is fairly mundane and boring. The worst part about this is the GSI's and their grading system. 40% of your grade is based on two papers that they grade, which no one will receive above a B on. I love politics, did't like this class. Stay Away.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: POLSCI160
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I loved Morrow. He is an absolute savage. He makes his lectures entertaining. I really loved his teaching style. The textbook is helpful because the short answers on the test come directly from the review questions. My biggest complaint about the class is the GSIs. Morrow does not communicate with them and the grading criteria is unclear for papers

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: POLSCI160
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This guy basically wrote the textbook we "use" for the course, so he definitely knows his stuff. You're technically supposed to read the textbook, but you don't have to because Morrow gives you the most important points from every lecture at the end. The presentations are all on Canvas as well so lecture isn't mandatory. GSI was nice but not great.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: POL160
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The professor himself is fine... content of the lectures on the other hand? Not so much. The grading is very specific, but only to GSIs, which would be great if you could get a GSI that actually speaks English and releases exam scores.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: POLSCI160
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Professor Morrow is truly an inspiring professor. He's absolutely hilarious and his lectures truly allow you to gain an understanding of the material. He uses the active learning platform on canvas to keep you engaged during lecture and records all his lectures, which are great for review I'd recommend POLSCI 160 to anyone!

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: POLISCI160
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Class wasn't to bad. GSI will give everyone pretty much the same B+ or A- grade unless you are exceptional. Papers were pretty simple and midterm and final were easy.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: POL160
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Morrow is a well-respected scholar in his field, and his lectures are at the same level. Stay away from this class at all costs... Your GSI determines 95% of your grade and subjectivity between GSI's is ridiculous. Worst class decision of my college career and also worst grade...