Great guy, amazing sense of humor and personality. Prepare hard for the midterms and you cant go wrong. Only constraint would be participation. If you're an independent person and don't like talking then I wouldn't recommend the class, as there are 3 50 pt participation/attendance scores (Week 5, Week 10, Week 15). But with that being said, my favorite professor at MSU so far in my college career.

Fantastic professor. Very intelligent and has a good sense of humor. Unlike other professors, he gets his students involved in the discussions which keeps you thinking and makes the class fun. The highlight of my class so far was when he showed us a scene from Pulp Fiction. He gives essay tests and looks more for general comprehension of the material as opposed to the memorization of details which is nice. One downside is he assigns a hefty chunk of reading but you don't need to remember every fact because, again, you're tested more on the big picture. Easily recommended.

Pros: Great Guy

Funny

Intelligent

Passionate about subject

Cons: Must participate

Lots of reading assigned

Must read at least most of the readings

I would recommend him higher than any other professor I've ever had. Not only is he a great teacher, if you stick around after class, he's a great guy too.

Pros: Love him, 2 midterms and 1 final. Such a nice and intelligent man, he really wants students to do well and help as much as he can.

Cons: First final was 2 papers in an hour and 20 minutes but he is an easy grader.

Pros: Funny, passionate, intelligent, respects students

Cons: Lots of reading

Great class, even better prof. easily one of the best i've had at MSU. he doesn't hold you to knowing small details, as long as you understand the big picture, you'll be ok with the exams. If you don't mind reading and participating in class, definitely take Stamm.

Great guy. Great Professor. Great class.



Attendence is marked via Iclicker (you can miss something like 10 classes and still get 100% for attendence), and there is some interaction through the Iclicker as well. Pretty much every day he asks for peoples reasoning on the Iclicker questions and just asks random other questions about current events and things related to the text.



The discussion forums are really simple and a decent part of your grade, plus they're fun. Sometimes they're texts, sometimes they're videos. There are no wrong answers, just ramble on for a while and get 25 points.



The project is simple, once you divide it up and get over the fear of public speaking. Break it up into 5 sections and have 2 people per section works fine (seperated into either 5 forms of media or 5 aspects of one media (IE Baseball, Basketball, Football, Soccer, and Hockey for something like "Sports in the media") add some pictures and some videos and you got a 90%. Easy as pie.



If you just show up every day and pay attention to the class you will probably get a 3.0 on all of the exams. If you buy the book and read it once, maybe twice before the exam, you will 4.0 them easily.



The man himself has a great sense of humor and a great personality. He connects real life and current issues to almost everything he mentions in his lectures. He brings in guest speakers every week that range from other professors to people who work for major newspapers and broadcasting corporations to lawyers. If you are a journalism major or just need the extra credits, I highly recommend taking this course.

This is essentially just repeating what everyone else has said about JRN 108, but it really is worth mentioning. Michael's great. He really knows what he's talking about, so it's nice to not have a professor reading from a PowerPoint all of class. He'll explain things if the class has questions or give examples when applicable and often will bring in a guest lecturer to explain a point even further.



The class is straightforward: there are a couple of exams, a group project and weekly forum posts on Angel. Some of the exams were tricky in that they mentioned some historical names or devices, if you will, that were somewhat difficult to keep track of, but as long as you read the book (or skim it, really) or go to class every day, you'll be absolutely fine. No need to do both. The group project was easy. The topics were mostly interesting and Michael gives you a lot of liberties with what you want to make of it--just make sure you split everything up and you'll be just fine. And the forum posts were actually a lot of fun. Once a week you'll have to respond to some question that he's put up, but they are quick and don't require much thought.



I really liked this course a lot. The material was actually really interesting, and Michael made it really fun. He's super nice and approachable, and, like other people have mentioned, he honestly cares about every student. He takes time out to help people in office hours of even just to chat. Really, he's awesome, probably the best professor I've had at MSU.

AWESOME TEACHER.

The lectures are actually interesting, he makes things funny and has a unique sense of humor. He engages you by connecting current events with the textbook, and the class is interacting although in a huge lecture hall because of the iClickers.



Class. You can miss up to 10 classes and still get 100% for attendance.



Textbook. Don't buy it. As long as you take notes during most of the lectures, you don't need it. I never read the book and got a 3.5 average on the exams.



Journal Forums. There's a journal due each Monday, and as long as you fulfill these weekly, they're an easy 25 points; however, missing any of these could jeopardize your grade. Just make sure you stay on top of your priorities.



There is one group project with 10 other classmates with you, and this can be a huge inconvenience. Making time to get together with 10 other people to start and finish a project in the library can be frustrating and presenting it in front of 250 people in a lecture hall can be intimidating. Most groups get a very high score (in the 90%s) and is an overall positive experience.



Take this class! Even if you aren't a Journalism major, it is very interesting and will make you look at Mass Media in a different way.

Stamm the Person:

Really cool guy. I met with him in his office hours a few times and always talked to him after class. I'ld ask my HST question and then we'd have a conversation about music and sports. As one of the younger teachers he is really approachable and easy to like.



Stamm the Professor:

He is a lecturist. If you enjoy lectures you'll like the structure of his class. Even if you don't, they're really easy to take notes on, and he has a music break (period related) halfway through each class. I took this class at 8am, and I was able to stay awake. He knows what he is talking about and does everything to make sure you understand (but make sure to ask questions). His grading is fair, but be aware he is looking for more analysis than historical context, so do not get hung up on stating the facts; he wants to see you KNOW the material, not that you have memorized the material.



Great guy. Great class.

Pros: Great lecturer

Funny

Interesting material

Cons: None

The course is structured nicely. The class consists of 3 quizes (lowest dropped), 3 papers (2 3-5 pages, 1 5-7 page), and attendance/participation in sections.



Stamm is extremely helpful and is always willing to meet with students at their convenience. Not only is Stamm a history buff, but a sports and movie buff as well. He draws from movies like office space constantly and compares scenes or instances to history. Simply put, he is the man.



TAs for the course do the grading. I had John Wisti as my TA. John wasn't the greatest TA because of his habit of being vague on his expectations. Also, his grading never had consistency among the class. John also is a huge stickler on participation. Be prepared to say at least three comments per class or else the maximum grade you will receive for attendance/participation will be a three point.

Michael is the best journalism professor you could get. Not only is he really knowledgeable in the field, he explains everything in a fun and relevant way that translates well to college kids. He's younger than most professors and into the same things we are. His exams are pretty easy and definitely doable. You won't be able to just get by with skimming or barely studying, but if you study the book, getting a good grade is no problem. His rule for absences is the most lenient you'll ever experience in college. You can miss up to something like 10 classes and still get a 4.0 for your participation grade. Clickers are usually surveys so super easy and that's how he takes attendance. If you come in a little late, you can go up to the TA after and tell him and he'll mark you down.



Best class and really hope I get him as a prof again!

Seriously, one of the best teachers at MSU. Really nice, really cute, and easy to listen to, even at 9:10 in the morning.



iClicker questions: Easy attedence points. You get to miss 10 classes, and you still get 100% for attendence.



Weekly online question: So easy, just watch a quick video or read a short newspaper article, ramble on about your opinion for 2 paragrahs, but it doesn't need to be organized or don't have to put a lot of thought into it.



Group Project: Easy points, he grades easy and you have 9 other people. Break up the parts among members, don't go over the ten minute limit, and youll get a good grade.



Exams: pay attention to class, but it's easy to do, read the chapter for the week, and you'll 4.0 them all.



i'm not a journalism major anymore, but i would take any class with him again.

Professor Stamm is great! One of the best teachers that I've ever had...his lectures are easy to listen to and fun to be at. He tries to make the material interesting and it's an easy class to be in, even at 9:10 in the morning. Very friendly and funny and approachable. You can miss up to 10-12 classes and still get 100% on attendance which is nice if the weather is bad or you don't feel like getting up. There's only one blog post due every week and it's over something easy and you can do it with no problem. I would highly recommend taking a class with him because he's a good guy and a better teacher. If anyone rates him any less than a 4.0, they are lying or haven't been to this class because it's an enjoyable one whether you're a JRN major or not.

Pros: Lectures are interesting

Extremely useful office hours

Students generally have basic pre-knowledge of this course

Of the 3 quizzes given, you get to drop one of them

Cons: Lectures are not posted online, so skipping will hurt you



Recitations are mandatory for your grade

I enjoyed this class, there are 3 quizzes, 2 papers of 4-5 pages around midterm time, and the final essay is 6-7 pages. The class is fairly easy if you are a good writer and go to class. If you meet with Stamm in his office and talk to him, he will really take interest in you and grade you better. I got a 4.0 on each essay but didn't do too well on the quizzes and I ended the class with a 4.0.

Michael is a great professor. He is extremely knowledgeable about the material and it shows. His lectures are really interesting if you're into history. I enjoyed his class very much. He is also really nice and if you go to his office hours, he offers a ton of help. His quizzes are also pretty straightforward, if you keep up with the reading and take lecture notes. There are a total of 3 quizzes and 2 essay exams (1 midterm, 1 final). This was my favorite class and being a freshman, I was a little intimidated because a lot of the students in the class older than me. However, by paying attention and attending class, I had no problems whatsoever.

Great class, interesting content and a great professor too. He tries to see where the class is at in understanding the content and tries to pace himself at that level and not get ahead of anybody. The grading is based around a few quizzes, which are a bit tricky if you don't do the reading (so try and stay up on that) and the mid-term and final, which he gives you study guides that contain the exact questions for, so you can't say you're unprepared. He offers a few opportunities for extra credit and is just all around a nice, cool guy, if you have a chance to take this class or need to for some elective, I'd highly recommend taking it.

Awesome professor! Stamm really knows his stuff and his class was hands down my favorite class this semester. The class itself is fairly straightforward. Just do the readings and study his notes and you'll be set. The only pitfall to the class is the group project, but once that is done then the class is really easy. A lot of people skip since you can miss up to twelve classes and still get full attendance points, but he makes the class interesting so I wouldn't suggest it. Even if you are not a Journalism major I'd recommend it as an elective most definitely.

Michael is by far the best professor I have ever had. I advise anyone who has an opportunity, TAKE ONE OF HIS CLASSES! You will not regret it. He is very down-to-earth, understands that his class is not the only class you are taking, and does anything to help you with the class or anything else. You can tell that not only does he know the subject matter of the class, he enjoys learning and discussing it with his students. If you are looking to actually enjoy a class, take a class taught by Michael. Again, you will NOT regret it.

Michael is probably my favorite professor at MSU in the 3 years that I've gone here. He is very funny, and is really interested in the material he teaches. He provides many chances to improve your grade, as well as making sure you learn the material for tests (gives you double of what the final could be and pulls from that list) He is very considerate, he gave us extra credit one day he couldn't get a video to work. This class is great, and recommend it to all JRN students, or anyone else interested in history.

Professor Stamm is AMAZING!!! I LOVE this MAN! I went to his office hours a couple time and I was honored to be in a presence such as his! His lectures are funny and he has great power point slides even at 8:30am. This class had 3 really easy quizzes with the lowest one dropped. Two paper, one is the final. I Have learned soooo much! He would do a better job teaching my African American History class..and that says something! TAKE TAKE TAKE! You will be happy and you won't regret!!