Okay, so this is the only professor I am going to probably ever take the time to do...



This class is THE EASIEST 4.0 EVER!!!

Do not listen to anyone if they say its hard and midterms and finals are a bitch... They ARE NOT, and personally, i'm not the brightest crayon in the box (although there are a lot of future dropouts maybe in the class...)and it was easy. I studied the night before the midterm (opened the book for the first time) and got an 84%, which wasnt bad considering the average was a 54% (all the dumbass' take the class). If you at least graduated from pre school, you will ace this class... BELIEVE ME!!! Do not listen to the bad reviews, like seriously!!!!! Plus, he's this really funny semi old guy that wears v neck sweaters and button down shirts, and this awesome leather coat with a fur collar lol... And, we watch at least one you tube video a day...AWESOMENESS!!!!



Take this class for an EASSSSSSSSSSY 4.0, if you know whats good for you.



Oh and its reccomended for pre med people too...



DONOHUE ROCKS!!!!!

Be like nike! JUST DO IT!!!!!!!!!

Please ignore the bad reviews of Donohue. I have had him for 3 classes now and he is my favorite professor at MSU. He is a great professor who really cares about his students. I have had some HORRID professors in my time here at MSU and if you honestly don't like Donohue or think his classes are too "hard" you should drop out and go work at mcdonalds. His classes are a cake walk for anybody who is actually qualified to be at this university AND you actually learn something. He wants the students to do well! COM 100 is not difficult at all if you know how to speak english. Yes you have a speech due every week. They are not hard and can easily be done the night before in 30 minutes before you go to the bar. The midterm/final are difficult but you can easily make up for that if you do your speeches and follow the directions. You literally get the grading sheet they use beforehand so you know EVERY LAST DETAIL that you need to have in your speeches and you get a week to do them. If you can find a way to fuck that up then kill yourself. The only people who give him bad ratings are kids that are lazy and don't like having homework every week. Yes, he can be cocky... along with every other COM professor and half the COM students at MSU. Thats what we do, speak with confidence. As for his jokes, funny or not is irrelevant, the fact that he actually takes time to TRY and make the students laugh and break up the monotony of lecture is SO much more than 90% of the other professors at this school. He has 100's of students but if any one of them actually takes the time to go speak with him he will learn your name and strike up a conversation with you for no reason. He's an overall great professor.

He's a nice enough guy, but his lectures are pointless and have nothing to do with anything on the exam. It's required to go though because there are 2 response papers in there every week. He uses a book he wrote and it's the worst book I've had in college and it's my fourth year. Recitation has nothing to do with lecture. All you'll get is a professor that isn't organized that likes to brag about a mediocre book that someone let him write. The only time you learn is when the TA Sujay gets to control the lecture.

Cons: Tries to be funny all the time and it gets annoying quick

There are a lot of speeches but as long as you just stand up there and get through it you will do fine in the class.

Pros: Easy 4.0

Speeches are graded by undergrads, so not too hard.

Cons: Midterm and final are from the book, which doesnt relate to the lecture.

This course is pretty ridiculous. Sure it's easy to 3.0 or 3.5, but the exams are SO difficult to 4.0. Like you think you did well on them but nope you did horrible. It really makes no sense. I am a junior and I got a 72 on the first and a 58 on the final... when I have taken numerous upper level psychology classes in the past and received 4.0s on those. Not exactly sure why Donohue tries to act all "cool" in class and doesn't act the same on his exams. His ploy is to have like 1/100th of the class 4.0 I guess, and I ended up with a 3.5.



As far as the class goes, lecture is useless, only go for "notes" that aren't really notes, basically an outline of the chapter, as well as Donohue cracking up "jokes" to think he is cool and fits in with the younger crowd. Recitation is basically your mass grade and your speeches consist of everything, so make sure you do well and follow the formatting to the T. If you have a horrible section leader like me then you're effed, so try if at all possible to get a good one. They are the ones who do all your grading and in the end they aren't evaluated? That makes sense. Though I asked the TA and they are going to start evaluation them next semester.



At least the main TA- Ashley Hanna is very nice, she's probably the best part of the course. Very friendly and approachable, she's the reason this course gets a 2.0 and not 0.0.



Don't take this class if you don't have to. Well if you want a 3.5 in a class and be cheated off of the 4.0, then go for it. It's a lot of work for your speeches and assignments so don't just assume it's just an easy "do no work" class. One of the hardest 100 level courses.

Pros: If you like speaking it will help you to be more comfortable in front of an audience.

Cons: The material is absolute bull, he makes up the class himself and all the material. Makes you buy his horrendous book, and actually thinks that the exam and mid terms aren't impossible.

I just finished taking this class and even though I got a 3.5, I would absolutely not recommend this to anyone. Don't listen to what people say this is not the easiest 4.0 you will get it just isn't and heres why. For one all of the grading isn't done by Donohue or the T.A itself but by the section leader. My section leader was a real grade nazi and I found her constantly taking off on minuscule things which would add up over the course. You HAVE to go to every lecture as stupid and boring as they might be because of the retarded lecture response papers. Even though I went to every one I still only got a 110/120 on LRP's because my section leader really is that big of a bitch and can't just give me credit for doing them. The actual LRP are supposed to be on material we learned in class that day but honestly since the course is made up horse-shit you have no idea wtf he's talking about so you just right stuff down. Is he funny yea a few weirdass perverted sex jokes coupled with his creepy laugh. But all in all the course is just bullshit its literally designed to make you fail. I got an 83 on the midterm the class average was a 61. And I just got back my final grade which I needed a 77 to 4.0 the course and somehow I got a 65 even though I studied for days. DO NOT TAKE THIS COURSE, YOU WILL REGRET IT.

Bill Donohue himself is an excellent professor. He keeps his long lectures interesting and relatable. He has excellent skills as a communicator, I've noticed during lectures that he changes his manner of speaking depending on what student he's talking to. His jokes, for the most part, are very funny and keep you laughing through the lectures. They occasionally are a bit unneeded, but that's not that big of a problem.



The organization of the course, however, can only be described as a complete clusterf*ck. The lectures are useless and have nothing to do with either the recitation or the tests. Donohue must've noticed this, because he assigns an easy 5-point paper at the end of each lecture. So either you sit through the long and useless lectures, or you lose 5 points for every day that you don't.



Also, the class was designed to be different depending on what your major is. Each different type has a different coursepack, which gives you information on all of the assignments you will ever do in the class. The only problem with this is that all of the different coursepacks are labeled COM 100 in the book stores. So basically, everyone in my recitation ended up buying a different coursepack without knowing the difference and about half of the class wouldn't have any idea what assignment they were supposed to be doing when it got assigned. It eventually got worked out, but it was just very unprofessional.

Donohue is a decent lecturer-- he swears a little too much (every other word is "shit"), and his jokes get tiresome, but at least he tries to make the class interesting. The section leaders (SLs) are tough graders, but I had an SL who actually cared to pass me, so that was cool. It's your luck when it comes to the SL. The TA might seem as if she's totally unapproachable, but she can be of huge help when it comes to the quizzes.



The assignments (homeworks, quizzes, presentations) are definitely challenging-- do NOT take this class if you're having a very heavy work load! It takes a lot of time, and sometimes the work seems fit for a 300 or 400-level class, instead of a 100-level. Other than that, the exams are quite easy, if you study and go over Donohue's PowerPoint presentations. I scored a 76 on the mid-term (WAY above average, considering the exam average was in the 60s), and an 86 on the Final exam, a 91 on the informational speech and a 92 on the group presentation. I ended up with a 3.5 in the class, so it's not impossible-- just be prepped to spend a lot of time and effort, and you should do fine.

Unless you enjoy taking 3 classes in 1, do not take this class... let's do a breakdown of it.



First off, Bill is an alright teacher, each lecture is pretty much a bunch of bull, and none of (NONE OF) the notes have to do with the midterm and final.



Second, your recitation is like an entirely different class than lecture, you don't discuss any of the lecture material what so ever.



Third, your grade for speeches depends on your TA and your section leader, and I ended up with a 3rd year senior that is IN com100 and a couple of other 100 level courses.... so basically a moron is grading my speeches YESSS.



Conclusion:



You are taking the following courses



Read a big long book in order to know the material for exams, btw this book has nothing to do with your recitation/lecture



Go to lecture to learn a bunch of BS that has nothing to do with recitation/exams, btw if you don't go you lose participation points



Go to recitation to give speeches, which you learn nothing in, btw it has nothing to do with lecture/exams

I dont know what the long post below me is about but he is a very nice guy. He incorporates pop culture references in an attempt to connect with us and some of what he says is pretty funny. And while what he says may seem obvious after he says it, thats becasue hes right. What he's talking about does happen in everyday relationships with family, friends, etc. You dont need to take notes in lecture for the response paper. I never did. They dont read them, they just check to see if you did one. As far as the class goes, do the speeches exactly to the rubrics and you will be fine. And for exams (only 2) its all from the book. Lecture notes help, but the exams go into more detail that can only be found in the book. The exams are a bit harder, but you get alot of points from the speeches (almost all TAs in this class grade easily) so you dont need to do that well on the exams and there is usually a small curve. Easy 4.0...they outline everything you have to do and as long as you do it, it is simple

He's hysterical... My entire class would be peeing our pants after all of his obscene comments... Donohue's this little old man with this dry/sarcastic humor... As for the academics... his class can be a little boring, but defiantly bearable... I'm not gonna lie tho the tests are impossible!... I would make sure to go to every lecture because he give points for attending. You also get A LOT (the majority) of points for your speeches, so make sure you do the and do them well... FOLLOW THE FORMAT IN THE BOOK EXACTLY (literally you'll get points off if the printed copy you hand in isn’t bolded in the exact spot that the book describes... Bottom line... its a pretty sweet class... i got a 4.0 but worked my ass off... last piece of advice READ THE BOOK! I would say the exams are 80% from the book and 20% from the lecture... and the material that you read in the book is completely different material from what he goes over in lecture... so have fun!

This class is absolutely horrible and a waste of time! I'm a Comm major who loved Dr. Donahue and enjoys public speaking; but this class was the worst one I've ever taken! The lectures are good and the speeches are tolerable, but the horrible recitations, insane amounts of busy-work, extremely impossible midterm, scarce research hours, and stupid grading scale are not worth your money or time! I spent at least 10 hrs studying for the midterm and got a lousy 74 (actually that was pretty good considering the pathetic class average was in the low 60s). The only reason I even gave the class higher than a 0.0 is because I enjoyed Dr. Donahue's lectures. However, unless you enjoy spending more time on homework and studying for a 100 level, 3 credit class than you would for a 300 level, 4 credit class and still bringing your grade point down, I would absolutely not take this class! And I pity everyone who, like me, is forced to.

Honestly, Dr. Donohue pulls all of his material out of thin air. His book consists of made up terms he made himself, most are his ideas of what communication is. However, the speeches aren't hard if you pay attention to all the small details they require (turn in grading form with speech, arrive no more than 10 minutes late, don't go over time, etc.) If you don't pay attention to those small details points are knocked off like crazy and most the majority of your points come from speeches not the exams. For the exams just read the book, the chapters are short and go over the class lecture notes. Most of it's pretty repetitive. This class does take a good amount of time trying to write a decent speech and studying/reading for exams but it's not mentally straining. Along the way you might learn a thing or two about public speaking depending what you take out of this course.

there is nothing to like about this class. The lectures and recitations have no correlation with each other at all. The test questions are mostly situation based so nothing helps you study for them. the book is god awful and not worth the $50 you pay for it. It's unedited and horribly written, but that doesn't really concern Bill because he probably pockets $5000 a semester off of it.

In regard to his lectures, Bill tries too hard to relate to students with corky jokes and bad humor. Some people pity laugh, but i just prefer to chill and remain silent.

ALl in all this class sucks and im glad im done with its bullshit. Btw, my grades a 3.5 in the class so im not just saying all of this because i got a bad grade. The class just really sucks.

Donohue is an amazing professor. Probably one of the best I have had at MSU. He is very nice and extremely entertaining. I never minded going to class. You have to attend class. He does not and will not post his powerpoints online. You have a textbook for the class which he wrote, and you have to read it. It pretty much isn't an option. The exams are extremely difficult. But if you go to class, and do well on your speeches you will do well in class. In lecture you have response papers to turn in at the end of class. In recitation you give your speeches to about 25 people. If you have a fear of public speaking, this class isn't for you. But if you would like to get better at it then I recommend this class.

Pros: pretty easy class, and he tried to make lectures fun. I didn't have to spent alot of time outside of class on work.

Cons: There are lecture response papers you have to fill out every class, so its a class you have to go to all the time. Slides are not on angel.

there are 5 speeches, a mid-term, and a final. the grading all depends on your TA/student leader. almost all of the points come from the speeches, so practicing is the biggest part of the class. I spent no more than 2 hours writing+practicing and got a 4.0 in the class. The exams are all multiple choice, but you really have to study to do well. the exams are worth 60 points each, so if you don't do well it wont kill your grade.

The proffessor is really funny you will enjoy the class.The class is not bad at all.But about the midterm i swear they trick you.I studied for three weeks straight(and no i am not a nerd) and i got a bad score believe me you dont want to know what it was.lol but on the serious level no one in my class got higher than a 70 and previous classes did worse.So i think they trick you on the midterm they put the dumbest question.And one thing i hate is that they do not give you the midterm back to see the questions you got wrong.Its obvious they purposely do these things.It is a good class but i wouldnt advise someone to take it because your midterm could drop your grade.

Professor Donahue attempts to informally relate to students and ends up wasting a large amount of class time. Students end up paying attention for about 5% of the class time due to the lecture response papers that can easily be done without any knowledge of the subject. The main point of the class, "Talk Cards," are quite elementary and perhaps even hinder students when they go on to to higher level communication classes where actual scientific terms are used. He does seem to care about teaching to students however, which is a pleasant surprise for most larger lecture professors and his attempt at making learning more personal and enjoyable.

Bill Donohue thinks he's the funniest person alive and laughs very obnoxiously (sounds like a terradactyl) at all of his jokes. He's a decent guy and I liked him a lot more when I found an article he wrote on legalizing marijuana in the lib archives haha!



But the class is very unorganized, lecture has nothing to do with the recitation which has nothing do with the book which is what the exams are based off of. Easy class but very poorly structured and I personally thought the lectures were extremely boring and pointless but there are assignments in class so you have to go. I heard COM 225 is really cool so I'd suggest that instead.