Great professor! He had us read literature pieces from different lit areas, from epic poetry to geology. Overall, I learned a lot about both writing and the chosen areas of literature, including historical context and etc. I also really enjoyed the class discussions and a 5-minute coffee break each class! Surprised that i liked writing!
Wonderful teacher, very clear and has a sense of humor. Very easy grading because it is an intro course, just put effort into your work and you'll do fine. Very impressed with his teaching. Very interesting class.
Prof. Donelan's class is not tremendously difficult and he's not bad guy. That being said, I have a hard time convincing myself to attend lecture because I feel like he doesn't give any insights into the text - just context. Also, he received a Ph.D. from Yale and mentions it often. Fair prof., but nothing outstanding by any means.
Great professor. You could tell he was vvery passionate about what he was saying when he lectured. Class wasn't the best subject but by the end of the class, you'll find it enjoyable... at least I did. I'd recommend taking it.
Great professor. One of my favorites at UCSB. Very interesting, has lots of engaging stories. Was very fair on essays and tests.
Tends to deviate from syllabus after half a quarter. Keep up on assignments and he'll be happy. Peer reviewing is the most helpful/important part of the class. No final, but oral recitation of any chosen work required during last class. Funny guy, accepting of almost any idea as long as you try. Come to class prepared with things to say.
Donelan loves to hear his own voice. If he asks you a question, he might interrupt you and answer it himself. Also tries to be funny yet just comes off as awkward. He also takes forever to grade things and doesn't have any comments when he does finally give the assignment back. Definitely not the best class I've ever taken.
Great teacher, read the material, and its pretty easy to figure out what the test essay questions will be on, so you can think about them before hand. Also, use of the TA's office hours helps a lot.
Although easy-going, he is not an easy A. He does not test on anything outside of the lectures, so if you attend class regularly and take notes, you have a chance. There is a lot of work in this class, from papers on uninteresting topics to closed-book short answer/essay tests that requiring a sharp memory. Good sense of humor.
He's in my top 3 professors at UCSB and I've graduated (i.e. had a lot of professors). He is so interested in the material and takes a new spin on material we've read since high school; very refreshing. Do the reading and you'll get an A!
Very intelligent and passionate professor, one of the best! His lectures will make you want to do the reading and go to class.
Donelan is a very nice professor, honestly wants to assist and articulate. The class was not really useful if you have any real experience writing papers for academic stuff (if you have used the JOSTOR for research you basically have nothing else for him to teach). Class was boring but easy, he assigned a lot of reading but none of it was relevant.
fair enough but likes his own style. he is a fair grader but is still set in his ways. he docks for word choice if he doesn't agree with it. webworks -ugh. it is a major pain to post everything and its strange read your graded comments online. but he tries really hard to get to know the class and make it fun.
A very enthusiastic teacher that wants to help the students. Awesome guy who even cracks jokes every once in a while. I only took the class because I have to, but glad I got him as a teacher.
Absolutely one of the best teachers I've had at UCSB. He's incredibly well spoken, enthusiastic, intelligent, and even funny. The tests are challenging yet very fair. Highly recommended for any class!
I had Jim for**** 30B (or a or c... i can't remember) and for writing 109ss. He is truly passionate about everything he teaches. I got an A- in the**** class and he gave me extra time to write one of the papers. I ended up with a B+ in his writing 109ss class. He grades a little tougher on the writing in 109ss, but he offers any help he can.
I personally did not enjoy his class. Donelan did not seem very open to differences in writing style/format than from what he likes. I did not become a better writer in any way from taking this class. Aside from the peer editing, class itself was a big waste of time talking about nothing at all. Only plus side is you can get a B with average effort
Donelan is a great guy...don't get me wrong BUT I really don't feel like I actually learned anything in this class. It felt more like an independent project than anything else.
James is a great guy. The class itself is a total joke and a waste of time. Don't bother buying the $140 business communications book, never used it. The Business Plan book is helpful though. In lecture, you learn more about his rich friends and their failed ventures than about writing. He is truly a nice guy, just would help if he knew business.
Great Professor, loves the subject, and takes the time to outline the important points. The tests were not too hard and the essays were general. Great for a GE class or if you are interested in classic lit. Try him for any class!
Guy is awesome. I love teachers that are passionate like him becuase they make you passionate about the subject to. Great thing though is if you close your eyes in his class it sounds just like you wacthing an episode of Frasier. He has the same accent and very sophisticated manner of speech.
Great teacher, very down to earth. Gives good advice. Is a fair grader as long as you put forth effort and show improvement. Only difficult task was deciding what to write the ten page paper on and then actually doing it. Also uses computer discussions... great addition to teaching! I LOVED his class.
He is very pretentious and boring. Going to class is almost as pointless as the books he assigns. He is useless in office hours and trying to help you imrove. He is easy in the sense that you can get a B with literally no work but he gives no clear way to do much better. On the positive side, he is nice and looks like Peter Griffin from Family Guy.
He is awesome-everyone loves him