Reviews for Kaori Nakamura
Average Rating:| Anonymous Course: CCJS105 Grade Expected: A February 13, 2011, 10:34 pm | Ok, overall this class was very easy and required very little work. However, it was a pretty boring class and I sort of regret taking it instead of another class that would have been much more interesting to me. His lectures are just powerpoints that summarize the book that you are supposed to read, so I never bothered reading the book. However, it means you have to attend every class and just scribble down all the notes. It's a funny class because everyone knows this and no one really listens to him so much, everyone just writes down the notes before he moves onto the next slide, and then sometimes someone yells out to go back a slide so they can copy it down, and he just waits for everyone to finish. So there are lots of pauses and breaks where he doesn't talk. He posts and goes over review slides before the exams which are helpful. They basically highlight what he is going to ask on the exams. Because he picks highlights from the book for the lectures, you know that he'll only ask questions on those highlights, so don't bother reading through the whole book. Just use it as a reinforcement for the notes you take from lecture. I found it very easy to study because all I did was make sure I knew all of the little tidbits of information that were on his slides. And I did well on all the tests. In addition, he assigns other readings from articles and from an interesting book. These don't take long to read and as long as you get the gist of the readings, you'll be able to answer any questions on the test. You get a participation grade for discussion, so you should definitely just show up and do what they tell you. I agree that the TA's weren't great. I had one that did all the talking and it seemed like the other one didn't really know what she was doing. But I didn't put a lot of effort into my papers because I had good test scores so I guess I probably deserved the grades I got. But discussion overall is pretty annoying. Overall, Nakamura is a really boring professor which is unfortunate because you sort of need to go to class. But in my opinion, it's very easy to get an A in this class. So if you're looking for an interesting professor, maybe look somewhere else, but if you're looking for an easy course, this should do the trick. |
| Anonymous Course: CCJS105 Grade Expected: A December 16, 2010, 8:52 am | I thought professor nakamura was pretty good. He does very thorough reviews of the exams and I was able to get A+ on all (but i havent taken the final yet). However, my TA was HORRIBLE! If you get the TA Nicola Smith-Kea runnn! As I said before, I got A+'s on all the exams, but she is a horrible grader for papers. I am always the top of the class for writing, and I literally got an F on a paper. I would have a horrible grade if not for the exam grades that saved me. So anyways, as long as you study you will do fine (if you dont have that TA). However, if this is for a sb credit ccjs100 is noooo work at all. take that. |
| Anonymous Course: CCJS105 Grade Expected: B+ December 15, 2010, 3:16 pm | He is very quiet when he lectures, and he is not very engaging as a professor. His TAs are not great, but they're not the devil like other reviews say. I got 90s on both exams, and it's a lot of recall/multiple-choice on the exams. Overall, the material was interesting. But Professor Nakamura does not make it more interesting. Like the class, but try a different professor. |
| Anonymous Course: CCJS105 Grade Expected: December 12, 2010, 12:49 pm | I feel bad for this professor because he is obviously very young and new to teaching. But his lectures are so boring that it was a struggle to stay awake. You can barely hear him speak but he merely reads directly off of his powerpoints anyway so listening isn't worth it. The TAs were worthless and graded assignments way too harshly. Do not take this class if you do not have to. What I thought would be an easy A has turned in to a struggle to avoid getting a C. |
| Anonymous Course: CCJS105 Grade Expected: C December 9, 2010, 5:41 pm | Honestly, this is the most boring class I have ever taken. His lecture slideshows are disorganized and he does not do a very good job explaining the material. Do yourself a favor and don't take his class. There are three exams, all multiple choice but learning the material from lectures alone is impossible you have to read the book. |
| Anonymous Course: CCJS105 Grade Expected: C November 30, 2010, 9:11 am | You need to attend class to take notes. Follow the textbook. His lectures are REALLY boring and monotone. The TAs were intimidating and not nice. A lot of reading,2 quizzes in discussions, 3 exams, 2 papers. |
| Anonymous Course: CCJS105 Grade Expected: D+ November 23, 2010, 11:52 pm | This class is supposed to be really easy, and depending on your TA it can be. the professor is really nice and wants you to do well but his lectures are really boring and he doesn't post the slides online so you have to go to class. |