The class is an easy A if you do the reading and go to class. Most of the time class goes by really fast. He doesn't really lecture, it's more like discussion for the whole period. His grading system is on points, so again if you go to class and do the work you'll get an A.

Jim Potter is an OG in the field of communication and expert in media literacy. He will teach you how to be a good writer if you put in the effort. No, he's not your traditional tech-heavy professor, but you get a real education from reading and attending his lectures. Highly recommend for anyone interested in a career in media or advertising.

Do not take this class. The worst teacher I have ever had at UCSB. He does not care about students, talks extremely quietly so you cannot hear him, posts nothing on canvas and has no lecture slides. The entire course is him rambling on. He announced to the class that the highest score in the course was an 83%.

Don't ask questions because he most likely won't answer them. If you go to the bathroom or miss class you're basically done. Do not take this professor!

Potter will stand and talk at you about seemingly unimportant things for a majority of the class period, and slightly sprinkle in elements you are "supposed to know". This man expects you to provide your full attention during every moment of the lecture and does not appear to care whether students are actually understanding the information. Avoid

I have mixed feelings about this class. It was difficult because he doesn't use gaucho space, Canvas, and is not easily accessible outside of class. No make ups. No late submissions. Even if you have a documented excuse. You can tell he is passionate about his class and knows his stuff. Interesting class. Make sure you show up.

One of my favorite professors that I've taken! His lectures are spoken (instead of showing slides) which I get can push people away but I honestly thought they were SO interesting! The material was super interesting too and I totally recommend if you have any interest in advertising or marketing. Tests are on lecture material so take notes!

I can confidently say that this class is the worst experience I have ever had in my entire college experience. He refused to meet with me for office hours because "I should ask other people in the class if I'm confused on something" and his TA ignored every email I sent her. Not sure how anyone is supposed to succeed in this inequitable class.

Potter is the worst comm professor Ive had at UCSB. His lectures are so unengaging, he simply talks at you for 75 minutes. His assignments are pointless and not reflective of the current advertising agency. The final was worth 45% of the final grade, and was nothing like anything we had done. There was math, difficult wording and overall, he sucks

He needs to come to terms with modern teaching practices. Does not care about the students in his class. Seems as if he is on tenure, so therefore does absolutely nothing to make his class interesting and effective. I was very interested in the class topic, but given his failure to be engaging and transparent, I despised his class a LOT. DONTTAKE

Worst teaching practices ever, he is stuck in the 1960s. No gauchospace page, no PowerPoints, no visuals, etc. He stands there and talks for the entire class period and expects you to write everything with no breaks. Even if people are still entering the class 1-5 minutes late and talking, he will keep talking even tho no one can hear him. Awful.

Anytime I had a question I would email him and I would get no response. Not easily accessible at all His tests arent necessarily hard but hes really picky with how he wants to grade ( written exam) . Goes on tangents and leads you to question what youre even learning about. His classes are a gpa destroyer.

DONT TAKE HIS CLASSES. If you care about youre gpa do not take his classes. No powerpoints, no gauchospace page, and tough to take notes. During class he even stated that, everyone has the same opportunity for success in this world. The class challenged this idea, but he was close minded. Nice guy but NOT meant to be a an instructor.

Don't take any classes with him, EVEN if the subject interests you. I read all of the terrible comments on here before taking his class and I wish I had listened! He's smart but severely lacking in teaching and interpersonal skills. He's so close-minded, passionless, and doesn't value his students at all:/

He writes this in the syllabus. The "therefore" makes no sense. "Because of the requirements of social distancing in effect this Spring, this course will be completely online. Therefore, the professor will not be lecturing on the course material during class meetings; instead you are expected to learn the material by reading on your own."

Rambles on and on in lecture about topics that aren't even related. Would not recommend taking him for any class tbh. The book itself wasn't too bad though.

Entire class is based on two tests about the entire textbook.

Potter doesn't use lecture slides so if you don't pay VERY close attention during his 3 hour lectures and write down every word that comes out of his chapped lips then you're screwed for the tests. He makes mistakes repeatedly and doesn't seem to know the modern advertising industry at all. He takes off points if you ask questions during exams.

I have never made a post about anyone. This is how strongly I feel that he is the worst professor I have ever had. Rambles off of a sheet, tests on horribly phrased questions, docks people points for being >5 minutes late to class. Never again. No form of engagement, just talks and wants us to memorize and regurgitate. TA is nice though.

His class on advertising is really outdated and he seems pretty out of touch with the current field. He doesn't use lecture slides so the entire class consists of him reading his notes off a paper which makes it really hard to pay attention. His instructions for assignments are vague and he's very unhelpful if you ask for clarification. Stay away

WORST PROFESSOR EVER. this class has some very useful material but the way it is taught and how we are tested is absolutely horrible. his tests are set up for you to fail. i could go into explantation but just trust these reviews and save yourself. U might be thinking advertising is your lane, but you'll still get an F because of the tests.

Our class had two exams and a short quiz after each class. You could only ask questions during the first five minutes of exams and a lot of the questions were "application" based (compare and contrast concepts & theories). Assigned readings could have been better organized in my humble opinion. Overall, a challenging class, but changed my thinking.

GOOD CLASS MATERIAL BUT AWFUL PROFESSOR! Potter has tenure so don't even get excited about roasting him during evals. No Gauchospace, all lecture outlines given in class. 3 exercises (weighs more) and 2 exams (application q's & short response). GO TO TA OFFICE HOURS (srly). Points taken off during exams if you ask q's after 5 min mark. Good luck!

Very boring lectures, he reads off an outline thankfully. The projects are interesting and very relevant to the industry, but he is very vague about his expectations. His tests are pure memorization..