Buck Ryan - University of Kentucky

Professor: Buck Ryan

Department: TBD

College: University of Kentucky

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Professor Ryan's class was really easy and interesting but I felt like I did not learn a lot about journalism. There are only papers due and no exams. He does a lot to help you with whatever you are trying to pursue.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

If you want an easy A this is your class. There are five "projects" due. They take a couple hours to do but if you mess them up you can re-do them. No tests which is nice.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Absolutely terrible. He will wait until the class before a paper is due to give the rubric for it. He tries to talk to students outside of class in non-professional ways. He is rude & egotistical. The worst teacher/professor/instructor I have ever had. He only gives an A to everyone so he won't get in trouble. We don't learn real journalism.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He gives everyone As but will make you do redo after redo on your paper and wont give you the guidelines on papers til the class before. He also has turned JOU101 into an event planning class so you will be meeting a lot of local officials but won't be learning real journalism. Makes every subsequent jou class a lot harder with such a weak basis.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Buck is such a nice guy and so helpful. He will go the distance to help you network and succeed!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Buck is a really good professor. Attendance is required but if you miss you can make it up easily and you don't lose any points. There were 5 tests but they were all open note and 4 of the 5 were take-home. If you go to class and somewhat listen, you will get a good grade. Buck really cares about his students and will give you some good connections

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

As long as you go to class, you'll be fine. If you do end up missing a class though, it's a pain to make up the work because he doesn't use Canvas or send out any emails. The majority of your grade is based off of daily in-class work. There are also several tests that are easy as long as you read the short chapters, 3 papers, and 1 project.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: JOU303
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Buck is great. He gives a ton of great feedback and will introduce you to professionals in the field. 3 tests but he gives you the answers beforehand to study. Lots of homework and fast moving. He does not use canvas and is unorganized. He is still worth it though!

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Buck is clearly very good at what he does, but he does not use canvas or any sort of technology for the class. Even the syllabus is printed and given to you. The only bright side is this class is insanely easy. Take home exams and the daily workouts are so simple. Not much accountability though, so moving forward you might be a little behind.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Good Ole Buck. He is very knowledgeable and experienced in the Journalism Field. His class is simple. Every day just show up and do the daily workouts and that's 40% of your grade. The rest are based off papers and tests that he allows you to correct until you get the grade you want. Tests are all take home and he gives 5 questions for free.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

This is a really solid class to take if you're looking for an easy out-of-major elective. Buck is a really easy prof, even if he can be a bit conceited sometimes. If you're a decent writer and can work with classmates on the take-home exams, this class is an easy A. Beware, he doesn't use Canvas and the class is really unorganized.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

A well-spoken professor who knows what he is talking about! Don't skip class because you'll fall behind if you do, and catching up is a pain. There are a lot of small in-class assignments and a few essays, but the grading is very fair as long as you follow the directions. Exams are take-home!!

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Buck was alright. He is a little narcissistic, but he gives you take home tests and prior to every text he gives you the answer to 3-5 questions. As long as you listen in lecture and take good notes, it's a easy A. Word of advice for the Dream Job project he assigns is use your on-campus resources first if you can, then find others.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

So far, Buck has been really helpful and he really wants all his students to succeed. All tests are take home and you can go over them with your classmates. He helps out a lot and is easily accessible outside of class. The papers are sometimes very confusing but if you go to class, he will go over everything thoroughly.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He is so nice, and helpful when you ask questions. Wants everyone to do well and learn something new. This class will be super easy if you read the syllabus and go to class.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: HON251
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Ryan, or "Buck" as he is known, runs a fluid and interactive class where participation and attendance are absolutely required. For HON 251, there is also a fair bit of reading and writing. He gets to know each student individually and will expect you to be motivated and work hard.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

This was one of my favorite classes. The class was fairly easy and Buck was informative and helpful. He truly cares about the success of his students. The essays were sometimes confusing, but he always gave feedback. I would take this class again!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Buck really knows his stuff and has a lot of experience in his field. I think he expects you to come into this class a very skilled writer, and simply adapt to a more journalistic style. Three essays, five exams, dream job project, lots of interesting guest lecturers. He really changed my life and made me sure that journalism is right for me.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

took this class and never would have imagined all the busy work we have. He gives you a syllabus with all dates but as a sophomore, found this class had a lot of extra assignments that were pointless. Tests are take home which is nice, but most of the questions are from lecture and can't be found online half the time.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: JOU101
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Although a bit on the easy side, I believe that this class serves to teach the most crucial of basics for students looking to go into the field of Journalism. Ryan takes care to make sure all students understand however it is your responsibility to seek out help when needed. He provides the tools to succeed (like his phone number) for your benefit.