Reviews for John F Kirch
Average Rating:| Anonymous Course: JOUR200 Grade Expected: A December 20, 2010, 8:00 pm | Amazing teacher. He is an excellent lecturer and effortlessly relays the information to the student in a manner that is totally comprehensible. He is knowledgeable and passionate and will try to cut the student some slack whenever possible. He clearly tells you what is going to be on the quizzes as well as his study guides (which are practically word-for-word the tests with additional topics). There are 2 tests, 1 final, a bunch of quizzes, 1 book/Newseum exhibit review, and 1 big research paper (which is doable if you choose a topic that interests you). Highly recommend! |
| Anonymous Course: JOUR200 Grade Expected: B December 9, 2010, 12:44 pm | Kirch is amazing. He is extremely fair and really cares about all of his students. The class is definitely difficult and you learn a whole lot so it is not a blow off by any means. I only wish Kirch taught more classes. Oh and side note--his accent is the best! |
| Hawthorne224 Course: JOUR200 Grade Expected: A November 18, 2010, 8:32 am | He's awesome and so adorable. Just contribute in class and write your paper topic on something that interests you---he likes it when people have an opinion. |
| Anonymous Course: JOUR200 Grade Expected: A May 21, 2010, 4:28 pm | He is awesome. Reviews below are spot on. Great guy, great professor. |
| goTERPS19 Course: JOUR200 Grade Expected: A December 3, 2009, 10:41 am | The was to pass Kirch's class is simple. Go to class and take good notes. The midterms and final are based EXACTLY on notes. He does not ask too much about the readings. He gives a review sheet before each exam and warns you on quizzes. He also tells you exactly what the quiz will be on. He is a former journalist so he is very passionate about the history of journalism he teaches. He will assign a paper that is worth 40 percent of the grade that is on a very narrow topic. So if you can't research deep into something, don't take the class. The topic is of your choice but it must be very specific. He is very understanding and will cut you a break as long you talk to him about. I definitely recommend his class. |
| Anonymous Course: JOUR200 Grade Expected: A May 22, 2009, 10:02 am | Do not take Jour200 with anyone other than Kirch. Dude is the man. Interesting lectures and overall just a straight up good guy. |
| Anonymous Course: JOUR200 Grade Expected: A April 6, 2009, 6:24 pm | Kirch is definitely the best you can take for JOUR200. The quizzes and exams are based almost entirely on lecture notes, but thankfully he is a very good lecturer and is easy to follow. He comes to class very well prepared and you can tell that he has planned and refined the presentations in class. You learn a lot about the history of journalism, as well as history in general, so if you're taking HIST157 for your journalism requirement (like I did), you'll find that a lot of the things you're learning in both classes cross over. His quizzes and exams are pretty straightforward, and his study guides are extremely helpful. Don't expect any multiple choice though, as quizzes are typically a one sentence question at the top of a blank page that you will then fill with an answer. In all, Kirch is definitely a great choice so get him if you can. It basically comes down to if you can take decent notes, you'll probably get an A. (He allows laptops if you prefer taking notes on your computer.) |
| Anonymous Course: JOUR200 Grade Expected: A August 26, 2008, 8:28 am | From what I've heard about other JOUR200 sections, you'd be crazy to intentionally take the course with anyone but Kirch. From what I've heard of the other sections, the teachers encourage the memorization of facts and figures, preparing students for multiple choice tests where you correctly identify how many newspapers were publishing in 1832. But Kirch's class is nothing like that. The material was presented primarily in lecture form (and he's a great lecturer), with the take-home points being more general concepts of the importance and relevance of what we're learning rather than the grade-school memorization horror stories I heard of the other sections. Kirch offers great insights and conveys a fascinating history of American journalism. Don't bother with the assigned reading though, especially before class. He often covers the important parts of the reading in class anyway, and it's easier to stop paying attention if you're already familiar with it. Overall, not just the best JOUR200 teacher, but a superb lecturer who won't make you wish you didn't have to take the course. |