Reviews for Kevin Murnane
Average Rating:| bananapop Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: May 10, 2012, 8:02 pm | If you are going to take PSYC100, TAKE MURNANE!!! He comes off as a narcissistic asshole in the first couple of weeks, but it just takes time to get used to his sense of humor. He had me crying from laughing a few classes and his examples are very memorable. His tests are straight forward, 30 MC questions in 30 minutes. He is not out to trick you at all or screw you over. He doesn't use a powerpoint but he puts up a skeleton outline that is what you should take away from each lecture. Overall a great guy and a great class. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: B May 1, 2012, 10:18 am | Murnane is AWESOME! DONT buy the book. Record him and take notes from the recording. Essentially, you dont have to pay attention in class (only if you record him). I had a very cool TA, but honestly discussion was not necessary. The exams are 30 questions and you have 30 minutes to complete them. They arent hard, BUT it is IMPORTANT that you study. I read previous reviews before my first exam and everyone said it was easy so I slacked BIG MISTAKE because I flunked that exam. Take his exams seriously and you will be fine, but remember to study! |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A April 30, 2012, 6:11 pm | A truly excellent professor. While I certainly didn't need to go to all of his lectures, I did anyway. I actually enjoyed all of his lectures and found them interesting. He is definitely engaging and makes the material interesting. Sometimes he belabors a point. Still, he knows the material like the back of his hand and is actually passionate about psychology. He is definitely the best professor for PSYC100. In terms of doing well in the class: it's essential that you take good notes in lecture and review them thoroughly. If you do that and read the test questions carefully, you'll end up in the B range. If you want to push for that A, read the book. You won't be assigned readings and you don't have to take notes on the text, but he always puts some questions on the tests that are based on the textbook. I think he does this to separate the men from the boys, so to speak. |
| nkiankho Course: PSYC341 Grade Expected: A February 22, 2012, 2:57 pm | PSYC341 is probably the easiest theme I psych you can take. Murnane has to be one of the BEST professors I have EVER had, not just in psyc. I never took 100 with him so i dont know how different he teaches the class...but the way he teaches 341 is phenomenal. go to lecture. listen. take notes on important things. not stupid details. oh and record his lectures for future reference. but as long as you listen, you will absorb all the information. its amazing how he lectures. he repeats himself in different ways throughout the class in order to force the information into your brain, without you even noticing. so when the exam comes up, you wont have to worry about cramming. you just need to do a light, non-stressful review. i think the fact that he isnt a teacher that does lecture slides is actually an advantage...it forces you to come to class and to listen, and it all makes it so much easier in the end. There are some really nice, friendly, funny, caring teachers that I've come across in my life, but Murnane is a teacher who is beyond skilled at his profession (not to mention he's a cool guy). People who dont like him really just dont know what good teaching is. |
| Matthew Cuozzo Course: PSYC341 Grade Expected: A January 18, 2012, 9:41 am | Murnane has been my favorite professor to date. He is hilarious, and his sarcastic, profane humor is right up my alley. (For example, he once schooled us all the meanings of "f*ck" and how we attach meaning to them.) He honestly does want you to learn the information and do well, but YOU NEED TO GO TO CLASS. I rewrote my notes after every class, and that was really my only form of studying. He makes it EXTREMELY clear what's going to be on the tests, so you'll get a good grade if you pay attention and put in the effort. |
| hotchips Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: January 12, 2012, 9:41 am | Like another poster here, I felt the need to bring some balance to all of Murnane's sky high ratings. Don't get me wrong, he is the best professor for PSYC100, but by no means is he a great professor. He makes you take notes by ear instead of powerpoint, which is fine except for the fact that he's a terrible lecturer. He tries to make his classes interesting by telling long-winded stories and jokes, and cursing a lot, but really it just distracts from the material, and confuses you as far as what is relevant and what is not. His exams are tricky, and you must attend every lecture and study vigorously to even get a good shot at a C. I found my discussions to be very unhelpful, but he encourages you to go through your TA before him. All in all, he's a good guy, but he IS NOT an easy professor. If you must take psyc, by all means take Murnane. But DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS FOR CORE. You will be sorry that you did. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC341 Grade Expected: A December 27, 2011, 12:30 am | favorite class to date, easily. murnane gives you all the information you need to do well on the test. if he says it in class, it will be on the test. if he doesnt, it wont be. its as simple as that. i studied maybe 4 hours total for every test and easily got an A in this class. i also never missed a class. he wants to help you and see you do well which was always nice. it also helps if you record the lectures because there were things in my notes that didnt add up, so it was nice to go back and hear the right stuff, as he presented it. great class, great professor. bottom line. |
| yumyumshisha Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A December 21, 2011, 8:20 am | You will likely get good grades. I'm getting an A. I thought the man is a jerk. He seems to to not care about his students at ALL and he likes to adopt some kind of "tough guy" image. However, if you talk to him outside of the context of a lecture, he smiles warmly and speaks kindly. Again, grades are fine. Prof. personality is misleading. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC341 Grade Expected: B December 8, 2011, 9:31 pm | I failed the first exam... GO TO CLASS!!!! It's really fun and interesting. He knows what he's talking about and is extremely passionate about the topic. He's pretty strict but all in all a great guy. He's overly profane but only when necessary. I would not take a class with him again because he teaches off an overhead and does not use the book at all and I'm not that type of student but he's a great professor. Also, 89.9 is a b, so take that into consideration. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A December 4, 2011, 11:28 pm | Murnane is a solid choice to take PSYC 100 with. He can be mildly funny and swears a lot, as other reviewers pointed out. His method to teaching is to walk around the room and talk about the course material. Therefore, we had to take notes by ear, where it is easy to miss something. I like to supplement my notes with notes from koofers or terpnotes. Tests consist of 30 questions each; 27 are straight from lecture, and 3 are textbook based. I found that of the three textbook questions, only 1-2 questions were totally random, and the others were either hinted at during lecture, or was put on the study guides that the TAs put together. If you read through the textbook and look at the bolded/italicized definitions, you should get those last questions right. |
| slow Course: PSYC341 Grade Expected: December 2, 2011, 9:24 am | An interesting professor who is excited to share his occasionally condescending opinions. Sometimes, he talks about about his hobbies, which are not what you will expect. For this class, he goes into detailed explanations about specific studies and connects them to bigger ideas. You write down everything he says and review it before the exam to get an A. You don't need a textbook, either. However, don't miss any classes, or you will have to annoy the rest of the class with emails about notes. Don't mind his cursing, he doesn't hate you. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A- November 20, 2011, 1:09 pm | Take. This. Class. Great Professor, great TA, fair exams. Exams are mostly lecture-based, some textbook questions. As long as you go to class, take good notes, go to discussion, and study, you will do well and learn a lot. |
| defeatthehuns Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A November 14, 2011, 6:51 pm | Take this class! Dr. Murnane is AWESOME! He is a tough crazy dude who screams and curses a lot, but his lectures are hilarious and very entertaining. Exams are not hard if you pay close attention to his lectures (and get the Terpnotes off the bookholders website as a backup study tool) tee hee. Easy B, an A is not too much of an extraordinary feat though. Bring your laptop or some other hw during discussion though, you find you'll get bored easily there. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: May 17, 2011, 9:42 pm | Murnane is not all he's cracked up to be. He obviously knows a great deal about his subject and is fairly entertaining at times, but his lectures are not "fun" or even all that interesting. Sometimes he gives very informative and intriguing lectures, but its mostly boring talk where he goes on long tangents to make a very simple point. He can be very frustrating to deal with as well. He is very strict about grades, not very helpful when it comes to one on one interactions, and he intentionally tries to trick you on exams. He doesn't really care at all if you fail or not and he doesn't help much to see that you succeed. Go into his class knowing he'll be difficult and you'll be fine. Many people like him and he can be pretty funny (though quite full of himself). Going to lecture is the most important thing because that's where most exam questions come from (although its very tempting to skip because its so late and there's no attendance) |
| Hosea Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: B May 17, 2011, 9:34 pm | Murnane was pretty hilarious and a great lecturer. He made things very easy to understand with memorable examples and just good explanations. After reading the reviews on this site I decided not to get the book. I regret this because I could have gotten an A had I known those random details that he would throw on the exams. However, he's probably way better than Barry Smith, so if you're gonna take Psyc100 you need to take it with Murnane! The book isn't necessary.. if you want a B. Or if you're good at guessing. If you want an A, I suggest you get the e-book or find someone who is willing to share with you and just skim over the chapters you're assigned. This particular semester (Spring 2011) was probably a little rough for Murnane with his wife's cancer issues and all. We missed like 3 lectures during the semester and we had to go to discussion for some of the material. Look at the other reviews for the test layout and stuff, it's pretty spot on. Overall, this class was a lot of fun and I actually looked forward to going to lecture. Choose his class for Psyc100! |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: B May 10, 2011, 9:12 pm | He was an amazing teacher, very entertaining and a great story teller on top of being brilliant. No classwork/homework, discussions dont have attendance. I found discussions to be extremely helpful because my TA, Adam, was fun and explained confusing concepts well. Your grade is based solely on 3 tests and a final and the tests are based almost entirely on the lecture so I highly recommend going to lecture. I wont waste your time if you go to lecture. I also recommend getting the 5 study credits out of the way as soon as you can. They are interesting and some of them can be done online. The hour long studies dont usually take an hour (I was out in like 20 min) so just do 5 hr studies, not the half hour ones. |
| COMCAST5913 Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: April 27, 2011, 12:36 pm | Murnane was not very helpful as a teacher and tried to entertain us rather than teach us useful stuff. He cursed a lot for no reason thinking that would make everyone laugh. He never put his lectures on slides so we basically took notes by ear which was difficult. He is not helpful other than yelling at his class and his office hours are a waste of time. DONT TAKE THIS CLASS |
| ltilley Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: B April 26, 2011, 2:36 pm | Awesome, awesome class and professor. This class requires NO WORK. All you have to do is go to his lectures (which you'll want to do most times), pay attention (and to his stories, they show up on tests), and study 1-2 nights before the exams (3 through-out the year and a final). The exams are 30 questions multiple choice. I would say 27 are from lecture, 3 are from the book so if you want an A, get the book and read the chapters once before the exams. Discussions are not necessary. The only grade for the class are your exams and he's very strict about not rounding up. You also have to do 5 credits of research studies through the school. You can do 3 online studies and 2 have to be in the lab. You don't get graded on but if you don't do it, you get an Incomplete. It's stupid but easy. Now, onto Murnane himself. He is fantastic. He curses nonstop and can be very offensive but that's what makes his teaching work. I remember all the concepts from the first exam (this never happens) because of his stories and his way of explaining things. Everything is so easy to understand and is so interesting. He also likes to talk about sex a lot too. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A April 19, 2011, 10:26 am | his lectures are absolutely hilarious, pretty easy tests, discussions are bs and unnecessary tho, absolutely dont need the book at all, tests are straight from lecture and many questions are on the stories he tells that seem unimportant but will actually help your grade, great class |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A- April 19, 2011, 2:21 am | Looking for a class in which you will do literally no work all semester? Besides going to lecture (which is a must in this class, since exams are 90-95% lecture based), there will only be about 4-5 days where you will ever have to think about this class all semester - the night before the exams and the final. No homework, 3 exams and a final. You will actually want to - dare i say it - go to class because this guy is so damn entertaining sometimes, and he makes the material very interesting. I can still remember every story he told in the class and what concept it pertained to, and that helps so much in the upper level psycs I'm taking. Your actually crazy if you take psyc100 with anyone else...i guarantee you'll regret it. He is an amazing teacher and person in general. Want a tip? Exams are 30 multiple choice questions and about 25-26 are directly out of the lecture/notes you take, and just by going to lecture you'll get an easy B. Most people only studied the lecture notes and missed those last couple of questions every single exam. Read through the book one time before the exam (not too thoroughly or anything) and know the lecture notes well (which is very easy to do), and you WILL get an A. Don't be fooled by all the people who say you don't need the textbook - just because he never mentions it or goes over a concept does not mean that you won't need it - there will be questions on the test. ONE LAST THING: I guess it's always good to get more exposure to the material, but discussion wasn't necessary at all. I went anyway but always ended up on facebook or something. The TA's go over a few things Murnane mentioned in class, but because everything is already clear enough when he teaches it, them explaining it to you won't help you anymore. Turnouts for discussion were always under 50%, and for good reason. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: B April 13, 2011, 5:56 pm | Dr. Murnane is an interesting professor to say the least. He is very knowledgeable about Psychology and his lectures aren't very boring. But then again, you don't have to go to lecture at all to get a good grade. The textbook is online, which isn't that great, but overall the class is pretty easy. Dr. Murnane manages a 100-level 1st semester freshman class pretty well. |
| Mike Denison Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: B+ February 6, 2011, 9:02 pm | Lectures: Murnane is a CRAZY guy. He is prone to entertaining, lengthy tangents that have nothing to do with the topic at hand (we were once given advice on sex positions). However when he is on topic it is obvious he knows what he's talking about; however he does take FOREVER to state a simple idea when he could easily move on. I spent most of this class on Facebook, taking notes and laughing at his ridiculous jokes. Also, he swears more than any prof I've ever met. Workload: Three exams (30 multiple choice) and a final. The exams seem very easy, though I got lower grades than expected on two of them (one being the final). He will ask a few questions from the online textbook which basically regurgitates his lectures with more words and a few unrelated topics (be warned, it's a VERY poorly designed site, and you'll have to search for some sections). I didn't study much and got a B+. Discussion: Waste of time unless you're really struggling or don't feel like reading the textbook. My TA basically read powerpoints from the text, that was it. You should be fine if you read the book, show up to every lecture, and maybe show up to discussion now and then. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A January 29, 2011, 8:07 pm | I highly recommend this class as a core or an elective. Going into the class, I thought I would have to work for the A based on ourumd's grades, but it turned out to be a stress relieving class. It was an easy A. Dr. Murnane's exams were extremely fair. 3 exams with 30 multiple choice questions, and one 80 question final exam. All the questions are very easy, straight-forward questions from lecture. About 2 questions come from the textbook, but they are pretty easy to guess and get right. My one advice on his exams is to read the question thoroughly and read ALL the choices thoroughly, because some of his answer choices are similar. And take your time and don't rush to finish the exam. I just attended all the lectures and listened and NEVER read the textbook and it got me a solid A. Lectures are a MUST, but I didn't mind them because Dr. Murnane is the best lecturer I have ever had. He is very clear in getting the point across and keeps you engaged in the lecture, so it is very easy to keep paying attention. The textbook is online, and it cost like $90 for me. I wish I hadn't bought it, because I never used it. |
| RLJ2009 Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: B January 18, 2011, 11:46 am | I wholeheartedly agree wiht samhallen's comment. The class would be so much better if it weren't for the brutality of the exam. I am not good with mulitiple choice questions, but I managed to get two high B's and a low A. I even got an 77/80 on the final and I got a VERY high B. The exams were not tricky if you read the exam carefully, but they always had four hard questions that will cost you that A. I wish he gave an essay to even out the exams, but he did warn us about the grading policy before we started the course. So, it is an easy B if you study and are good with memorization, come to every class/disscussion, and manage to get an A on everything. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A- December 30, 2010, 2:48 pm | I actually thought his lectures were sort of boring because it's a big class and he doesn't really lecture in a way that's conducive to note taking, but that may just be me. But you need to go to every class and if you take rigorous notes of everything he says, then you should have most of the information you need. If you have time, just read through the book even though it's online and a lot of reading, because you know he'll ask a few questions from the book on stuff he didn't cover in class. His questions can sometimes be a little tricky and tough, but honestly, if you know the stuff, you'll get the questions right. It is really annoying though that any more than 3 questions wrong on the 3 midterms means you have under a 90, so you just have to be careful. I said his lectures were sort of boring, but at the same time, he swears all the fu**ing time, and he can be very funny at time. I think he really knows what he's talking about. He also repeats himself so much. Sometimes, he'll talk about something for the first half an hour totally unrelated to the lecture, and he'll say it again and again every class. Overall, not such an easy A if that's what you're looking for, but definitely the best Psyc professor for PYSC100, so I suggest him. |
| premedkid123 Course: PSYC341 Grade Expected: A December 25, 2010, 8:59 am | Psyc341 is not an interesting course. I repeat it is not interesting. The information is composed entirely of a bunch of experiments that people did and what they proved. I couldn't relate to the information and it was very boring. However, Murnane is an excellent professor who really tries to get us to understand cognitive psychology which he is so passionate about. His tests are the fairest that I've seen in my life! If you study hard, you will get an A. I used a recorder and it saved me because he goes fast. But like I said, if you know your stuff you'll do well. Don't buy the book, it's all lecture based. |
| samhallen Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: B December 23, 2010, 9:09 pm | I only gave Murnane 1 star to balance out his ratings. Fair, he is a great lecturer; by far the best for PSYC100. However... it is so hard to do well in his class. He gives 3 exams and a final. Each exam has 30 questions, and the final has 80 questions. His questions are tricky, and since each exam only has 30 questions, getting just 4 questions wrong puts you into the B range. Also, his cut-offs are very unwavering. I ended up with an 89.96 and we wouldn't move me up to an A-, but I knew that, because he explained that on day one. His lectures are great, but he always asks at least 3-4 questions on the textbook reading. Our textbook was online, but who has time to read an online Psyc100 textbook?! Especially when the lectures are so informative. He treats the entire class as first-semester-freshmen, and he attempts to "welcome you to college" - he purposely makes tricky questions, he purposely asks questions on the textbook he knows no one reads, and he makes the cutoffs unwavering --> all in an attempt to give you a "wake up call" to the seeming difficulties of college. This is effing Psyc100. It can potentially be the easiest class, but since the psychology department is so big, this class is like the intro biology, intro chemistry, and into physics courses - Psyc100 is made into a weed out class and this is why it should only be taken IF YOU MUST take it. Don't take it for core, don't take it because "psyc seems interesting," and don't take it because you hear Murnane is good. He is, but THIS CLASS IS BY NO MEANS an easy A. Yes, Murnane is a great lecturer. But this class is as challenging as any. I learned a lot, but am pissed this brought down my GPA; my only B in a semester when I took two lab sciences. I took this class as my last core requirement and regret that I did. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: B December 13, 2010, 7:12 pm | Murnane's class depends entirely on attending lecture. However, this is not bad because his lectures were by far the most interesting I had. The book is not really used, but one or two questions from it will appear on each exam. Great professor who keeps it real and is down to earth. I strongly recommend him for PSYC100. |
| wombat Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: B- December 12, 2010, 7:47 am | Dr. Murnane is a hilarious dude and makes coming to lecture worthwhile. Unfortunately there is very little leeway in terms of grading. There are no curves and the grade is based solely on 3 midterms and a final. The tests are almost entirely composed of material he went over in lectures, with only 1 or 2 of the questions coming from the textbook. I don't think this is a good balance, considering the online textbook is not exactly a steal (85 bucks was how much I paid for it)... he tells you to get the book because it will help (which it does, if you spend the time reading it), and then doesn't mention it again for the remainder of the semester. If you enjoy psychology or are a psych major, and want to dig deeper than what is covered in lecture, then you ought to buy the book. However, I recommend that the average student (who's just taking the class to satisfy a non-major requirement) not get the textbook, because it's too much money to be paying for something that barely gets put to use. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: B December 6, 2010, 7:20 pm | He really make his lectures interesting with cursing and stories. I learned a lot about the personal lives and scandals of psychologists which he spent the majority of his lectures on, but those weren't on his tests. I didn't do too well on his tests, I thought the questions were pretty easy but turned out they are rather tricky. There isn't much you can study for his exams, well you can look over the notes and the e-book. I didn't buy the e-book, because I didn't think it would be helpful. Besides, there are only a couple of test questions from the book, most of the questions are from Murnane's own definition. |
| anizzle1 Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A December 2, 2010, 3:19 pm | Murnane is the best professor ever. He teaches in a story form and throws in definitions every now and then. His tests are fairly easy, as long as you study and take really good lectures notes you should be fine. I hated discussion but it really helps if you go and take notes. In tests he has less than 5 questions from the book but usually you can guess on them and get them right. This was a really good class and he made learning the material phone. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC341 Grade Expected: November 9, 2010, 6:38 pm | Murnane has a crude sense of humor. He also likes his profanity. He also likes control. He does not use the textbook, which saves you money but ultimately if you need a reference for more clarification he will not give it to you and simply conclude that all you need is his lectures. Given that his lectures do not include anything written on the board, no study guides or handouts. Everything is dependent on good notes. If you chose to get the book, he does not follow it. He also does not test what is given in the book. You will find his explanations and interpretations on the test. If you miss a test...well he isn't shy to the admission that he grades "uniquely" for the oral exam that serves as a substitute. His objective is to search for what you don't know and stick with that until you "break" (according to him). He's a bit controlling in a lot of ways. He refuses to use the textbook, blackboard, or post his scarce overhead projector pictures. He recently decided to use Twitter for announcements, but he really doesn't use that either. As far as opinions go, this guy doesn't need a TA he needs a PR Rep. It can easily be seen how some people can take offense to what he says. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: B August 13, 2010, 11:46 am | Murnane was, hands down, the most entertaining professor I have ever had. His lectures were interesting. He's got a morbid, obscene, sexual example for almost every topic in the class. He has this kind of pull on the entire lecture, where it seems as though he talks with you one-on-one. His exam questions come straight from the notes, though I will say the exams were a bit tricky. Overall, this was a fantastic class, and I will definitely take one of his classes again. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: B+ July 11, 2010, 7:32 pm | Dr. Murnane is very funny and is an excellent lecturer. I did not miss a single lecture because they were very entertaining and informative. The TA's have little to do with the class so do not fret about them. His tests are pretty hard though and that is the total grade: 3 tests and 1 final. I did pretty bad on the first one (84) and got 90s on the other 2. I got a 90 on the final as well and ended up with a B+. I did not even get the book but there was always one question from the book on each test that no one knew. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: B June 22, 2010, 7:43 pm | Dr. Murnane was an excellent professor as everyone else had said. He kept class very interesting and a very entertaining man. However the final grade is 3 exams and 1 final. So if you aren't the best at tests, it isn't for you. I barely studied and pulled off a C, but his tests are very tricky. All multiple choice but most of the answers are similar. He is a great guy though, scares most people at first, but he really really cares about his students and actually respects us. Make sure you go to every lecture too. |
| PossePrincess Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A April 4, 2010, 4:20 pm | Dr. Murnane is a pretty good lecturer. Sometimes it can be difficult to pick out the important things as he's saying them, so I typically recorded his lectures then went back and listened to them again and took notes from those. Reading the book is helpful for understanding concepts and whatnot, but most of the material that is on the tests is stuff that he talks about in class. That being said, it's important to go to class because he doesn't put any of his outlines or anything online, and he will test you on specifics. Also, he is capable of putting sailors to shame with his cursing, which I think detracts from the lectures on occasion. Still, the class was fun, not too much work, and I learned a lot about psychology which is an interesting subject. |
| Rowhawn Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: December 3, 2009, 9:08 pm | Dr. Murnane is one of the best lecturers I have ever had in my schooling career. I may be a computer science major, but he has truly made me love psychology. Sure he may be crass and crude at times, but if you can't deal with that, you shouldn't be taking a psychology class that deals with very real issues. He's very strict about exam dates and cheating and the like, but that is to be expected when dealing with classes of 300+ people. Some people here say he is biased against women, but I find that very hard to believe, he has never shown any signs of biases and often makes examples of women in the field who outshine men. His tests are not difficult if you pay attention during lectures, and review your notes once in a while. If you plan to take psyc100, you must take it with Murnane. |
| keyoung Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A June 2, 2009, 11:12 pm | He is great. With an hour and 15 minute class, his humor and stories make it go by fast. Take notes, go to lecture and I recommend discussion. It helps a lot. His class is not tricky... just pay attention and it's an easy A |
| bihbih Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A January 28, 2009, 3:28 pm | Great class! Murnane is very funny, and enjoys teaching this class very much. If you go to lectures and take notes you'll do well on all the tests, and that's all there really is to it. |
| umdttt Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A December 8, 2008, 7:05 pm | best professor ever! very funny |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A December 6, 2008, 10:47 am | I don't think there are many drawbacks to taking Dr. Murnane's course. His tests are fair; though there are tricky questions, as other reviewers have noted, he does go over ALL the material that is on the test (i.e., no picking out of obscure facts buried in corners of the book.) He's also a hilarious and engaging lecturer and doesn't have a pretentious attitude at all; he seems to me like someone genuinely interested in imparting knowledge to his students. Yes, the lectures can get raunchy, but it would be a shame to let that keep you from taking this excellent class. My TA wasn't the best, but that shouldn't keep you from getting a good grade. |
| arunimashukla Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A May 11, 2008, 1:52 pm | His Lectures are very entertaining.He explains the concepts in a manner thats easy to understand and grasp. Just attend all lectures,take notes so all you'll need to do is review them before the tests to get an A. |
| annon Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: A March 10, 2008, 2:33 pm | I really liked this class and his teaching style. Just go to class and take good notes and you really should be fine. Like someone else said, his test questions come from his lectures 100%. I didn't do any of the readings and I got high A's on all of the tests. I recommend retaking your notes before the tests. His tests are multiple choice, and I believe only 30 questions long. There were a few papers too. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: February 21, 2008, 7:29 pm | i thought this class would be rather dumb, especially when i saw the size. his lectures are huge. but, he is a very entertaining lecturer and completely made the course for me, however, like someone else on here, i stoped going to class towards the end, and did poorly on the final, and ended up with a c. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC100S Grade Expected: B+ January 11, 2008, 7:22 am | I thought I would love this course, and it was all right, but nothing great. I was often put to sleep by Murnane and his lectures. Murnane is crude and rude, which i loved, but apparently students have been offended in the past. He tends to go on and on during lecture with stories that are pretty pointless and not tested on. He doesn't post anything online so pay attention in class. The tests are always directly from lecture so there is no need to buy the optional textbook. He is strict but fair. |
| BriBri013 Course: PSYC341 Grade Expected: B January 8, 2008, 5:09 pm | Dr. Murnane is one of those professors you will either really love or really hate, because his personality is very difficult. For the people that get him, his humor, and his style, its enjoyable and fun. For those that don't or can't understand him, its a nightmare. I started out loving his style when I took Psyc100 because he was an interesting lecturer. But when I had to deal with him directly after he rescheduled a test that conflicted with an out-of-state doctor's appointment I had already made weeks before, he was miserable to deal with. He couldn't have been less accommodating unless he flat out said I couldn't make up the test. I even offered to take the test early if he was worried about me possibly hearing the test questions, but he wouldn't have it. I would have to take an "oral" exam, which scared me because he didn't seem to hide his disgust for women, especially the "dumb blonde" girls, and I am a blonde woman. After that I lost a lot of respect for him, and his TA didn't help my distaste for the class. She was a ridiculously hard grader and I felt the grades were too harsh and specific. You could include 10 things that pertained to the topic of the short essay, but if you missed that 11th you lost half credit. I enjoyed 100 because of my good TA but 341 turned into one of my least favorites. He's a funny lecturer, but he's crude and makes graphic jokes so be prepared. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC341 Grade Expected: A November 14, 2007, 1:34 pm | This man really knows what he's talking about. During lecture, he tries to make sure that everyone understands the material by repeating important points and answering questions. He puts a lot of thought into his answers as to not give us wrong information. He has an interesting, sometimes funny, sometimes awkward sense of humor that his students appreciate. One thing is that he likes to talk about the music he listens to a lot, which is not a bad thing, but kindof irrelevant. His exams are very fair. This guy's not out to kill you, he's there to teach. |
| terpfan29 Course: PSYC100 Grade Expected: November 2, 2007, 9:54 pm | Taken in Fall 2005: Strengths He is one of the funniest professors I have had here. The class is very much full because he is funny and engaging. However at times the class could get boring. I made the mistake of not going to class near the end and as a result did poorly on the last exam and the final and got a C. If you go to class you should be fine. Also read the textbook. Drawbacks Exams could have some tricky questions on them. If you attend lectures and study hard you'll do well. I regrettably screwed up in this class and it didn't have to be that way. |