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

I loved this class and Kennedy! I don't really like linguistics but Kennedy was such a good lecturer that I really enjoyed the class. Kennedy is down to earth and really enthusiastic about what he teaches. Also the unit on digital media and the internet was really interesting, especially seeing him teaching us about memes.

Professor Kennedy was a great lecturer. If you want to do well listen and take notes on what he says versus what is on the screen. There was 5 homework assignments which counted for 50% of your grade. The TAs take long to grade though. The midterm and final are multiple choice, long-answer and short-answer but if you pay attention it is fine.

Lots of information is given during lecture. Do the homework and reading and you should be fine. Throws in some jokes to lighten up the mood at times. Unfortunately my learning style clashes with his teaching, but he's still a great professor and very helpful.

I overall enjoyed taking LING 20. Prof. Kennedy is extremely knowledgeable... but sometimes fails to explain things in a way that a student (who has never taken a LING class) can understand. There are online tests every week. Section helps a lot, but this course is difficult. I studied and attended every lecture and ended with 86.7%.

Kennedy actually cares about what he's teaching and wants to be there. As long as you do the reading and do the homework you'll get an A, the final and midterm combined are only 40% of your grade which makes it easy to pass!

An amazing professor who really does care about his students. He's very knowledgeable about everything and anything linguistics-- if you are lucky enough to have him as a professor then you know he can make anything interesting. Not an easy A, but doable if you put forth the effort

Professor Kennedy is easily of the best overall professors here at UCSB. His class is laid-back and he is straight forward in his teaching. There are usually 2 homework quizzes a week that he assigns based on the textbook. He is well rounded, funny, and a very understanding professor if you communicate with him. Would easily take his class again.

I didn't really enjoy the class since it doesn't have much to do with my major. The professor, however, is funny, interesting, and straightforward with his lectures. There is a lot of memorization.

Professor Kennedy is a nice man, but the class itself is disorganized and tedious. His lectures skip back and forth and is filled with jargon, making it unnecessarily difficult to comprehend simple concepts that could be explained in a second. Make sure you listen and take notes on his speaking, as the PowerPoints are often confusing and pointless.