Had Prof. Kennedy for LING 15 and let me say, he was easily the most accommodating and empathetic professor I have had in my time at UCSB. Understood the students point of view during the coronavirus pandemic and adjusted the class accordingly so that students could gain a real understanding of linguistics while not giving students anymore stress.

I took ling 15 online during quarantine and he honestly was so clutch during it. He adjusted the grading so that assignments were worth 70% and the midterm and final were both 15%. His lectures were entertaining and he was really really accommodating. I am so freaking glad I took this class

I LOVE Bob, he's funny and sweet and he seems to genuinely care about his students. He seems to prioritize that everyone learns more than trying to punish students with tough grading, and is clearly very passionate about his subject. I highly recommend that anyone take a course from him, no matter the major. Definitely worth the time!

His lectures can get boring, but when it's 9am, everything is boring. Very passionate about linguistics. I loved ling20, deciding to minor in TESOL because of that class. Assignment every week, straightforward midterm and final.

Assignments every week, after the midterm got significantly harder. Read the book to pass quizes. Attend lecture to pass the midterm and final. Midterm and final were fine but you need to study and everything is off the slides. You have to work for your grade, if you slack off it will show.

I thought I would take this course after taking LING 70. HUGE mistake. I took it mainly for Area C and should have just taken a math course. If you are not interested in the technicality of how language works, phonemes, sound waves, frequencies of sounds etc..., you will find this class so so boring. I so regret it. Class would go the FULL 75mins.

I took Ling20 with professor Kennedy in the fall of my 1st year. Overall the lectures were boring, but the professor was good. Online quiz every Tuesday and an online assignment (50% of grade) due every Friday afternoon. Midterm and final weren't super difficult if you study. Easy GE class but don't expect to be wowed by the material.

I liked Kennedy a lot as a person, however the class was a little more difficult than anticipated. But he is very good at answering student questions. 50% of your grade comes from weekly homework assignments that are relatively easy to complete if you understand the concepts. 20% midterm 20% final 10% online quizzes you take on the readings 1x/week

I changed my major and avoided several classes because of this guy. He doesn't care about his students, only enjoys hearing himself speak. Have fun spending hours memorizing useless info that isn't applicable to anything else but his boring class. Terrible.

Kennedy's voice is very monotone, and the class wasn't what I expected from an into linguistics class. It was math heavy in languages and not very interesting. Kennedy is a nice guy and always tells "dad" jokes. 1 midterm & final (25% each) with MC/free response. Not my favorite subject, but Kennedy cares a lot about his students.

Tough professor and class, would recommend ling 70...

For a class about language, his control of English is certainly lacking. In many cases, particularly on homework assignments, the questions were very poorly worded, so much so that most time spent in section was spent with the TAs apologizing for the poor wording and explaining what it is meant to ask. Lectures are more example than content based.

He's a great prof and if you've ever taken a ling class before, the lecture will be super easy to understand. I didn't go to most lectures and I rarely did the readings. just make sure you ask your TAs or Prof about homework because that's worth a LOT of your grade. also take advantage of the EC he offers!!

Awful class with an unhelpful professor and TA's. Don't take this class if you want an easy GE, I advised Ling 70 for that.

This is the worst class I have ever taken at UCSB. LING 15 has no structure, there is no textbook being followed ad everything graded is on a whim because the professor doesn't know what he wants to count as incorrect or not. DO NOT take this class.

A kind and responsible lecturer. He talks about linguistic topics clearly and makes a great outline. Lecture slacks posted online. Maybe sometimes lectures are boring but that's because of the characteristics of linguistics itself. Heavy homework and heavy reading, but you can learn a lot. Actually, tests are not so hard.

Ling 20 covers a TON of info, but when it came to the midterm and final, we were tested on only a small portion of it. Tests/midterms are reasonable if you UNDERSTAND info; homework is graded very seriously. Although Dr. Kennedy can be a little monotone, he's an interesting and kind professor who cares about linguistics, so lectures are worth it.

I took this class as a GE thinking it would be easy but it was really difficult, not in terms of tests but in terms of content. This class has an excessive amount of material for an introductory class. Homework is 50% of your grade so it's a good idea to go to TA office hours and check your work. Tests are relatively easy.

Honestly, for me, it was an incredibly easy class with a great professor. I never opened a textbook for it and it was more than possible to do very well. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, but this class caused very little stress. Rockin professor too. Cool dude.

took him for Ling20 over the summer. Great professor, meh TA, but he was really good at explaining things. Office hours are also really helpful and he's really understanding. It was pretty hard though, so you'd have to use the textbook a bit.

Lecture isn't mandatory but strongly recommended. He posts all the lecture slides online but the context given in class is whats on the midterm/final. He's a great lecturer and really helpful in office hours and this is an easy GE course for Area C.

Really easy, to the point tests. Pay attention in lecture and youll get a good grade on the exams. He can get really boring and writing down everything he says is unnecessary. Overall, hes really funny and what he teaches is very interesting.

Took this class to fulfill GE. His lectures were super interesting and often times funny as well. Linguistics as a subject didn't really resonate with me, but he made the class more interesting. Tests were pretty difficult if you didnt read and stay engaged in the material in class. Stay on top of it and you should be okay.

Professor Kennedy is a nice human being, but an awful professor. I took ling 15 assuming it would be an easy GE based on the course description; it was not. His lecture slides are incredibly unhelpful, and his explanations of them are usually not much better. Useless readings, unclear content, overall more difficult than necessary if taken for a GE