Awsome, funny, teacher who makes everything really clear and as easy as possible.

Great professor for a GE. He makes the class fun and interesting. Very little homework or reading, it's practically all lecture, so if you attend class, you should be just fine.

I was a bit skeptical about taking the class because it didn't seem like an interesting subject, but Dolan made the material interesting and easy to understand. His anecdotes are funny! Make sure to attend lecture because most of the tests are based on notes rather than the readings. His test format seems simple but the questions are a bit tricky.

Dolan is great! He really does care about his students. He tries to lighten up the mood with jokes.. it doesn't always work- but I appreciate the effort on his part. He engages the class in discussion and is open for questions at any point. I may be an Earth Sciences major within the year after his course!

Dolan is a great guy. There is no homework, and the tests are based off of lectures, so attending is important. I would definitely recommend this class.

This is such a fun class! He knows what he is teaching and always make the class materials fun to learn. Only complain is that you would have to sit in the front of the classroom in order to listen clearly.

I dont know why people complain so much about him. He's not easy nor hard, his tests cover his lectures only, he tries to make the class fun and you learn a lot. If you feel this class is hard and think he's a bad teacher is because you are a lazy person! If you cant listen seat and the front and PAY ATTENTION!!

Fantastic class with fantastic teacher

Pretty funny guy. Says he hates to test his students but give 2 midterms and a final, which are all pretty hard. Overall, pretty good teacher, and i dont dread going to his class.

Really cool teacher who is energetic and made lecture worth my while. Humorous guy who teaches in class well, but the midterms are very specific and so notes are very important in this class. Lab is a joke. It's how you get the easy points. The worst part of this class, though, is the weekend field trip. 8am to 6 Saturday or Sunday, it sucked

GREAT class, was not expecting it when I signed up for a geology GE. Dolan is like Bill Nye, he has an infectious enthusiasm for the subject. Lecture is always entertaining. I never used the textbooks and didn't have an issue, midterms and exams straightforward if you attend lecture! Definitely go to class, much nicer than doing the reading instead

Really nice guy who is enthusiastic about the subject. Class was humorous and enjoyable enough. Tests weren't too bad although there were some specific questions. Come to class, pay attention and you will be fine. The readings are basically a supplement, it is easy to get by without or simply skimming the text.

Okay this class is not a death sentence. It's also not "an easy A" status - but you can get an A. Go to every lecture, take GREAT notes, skim the texts, and do good in labs (which is easy). Study hard - two midterms, 1 final, all multiple choice.

James is an excellent lecturer. His presentations are organized, interesting and engaging. He's also just a really cool dude; very funny and helpful, both inside and outside of class. You need to attend his lectures and take good notes, but if you do that you'll never have homework (or reading) and you'll ace the tests. Great course.

Although this isn't an "easy" class, I did learn a LOT. Go to every single lecture, and take intense notes - this alone will get you in the top of the class. Read the texts, study hard. In reference to the comment below -- you CAN see your midterms, you just can't take them home. Go to office hours and the TA will go over questions with you.

honestly in my first year, but he's the kindest, most generous, most amazing professor i have had in my whole 16 unit schedule. WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!

Dolan changed his grading a bit this semester, so it is now easier to do well. There is no homework aside from the occasional reading (rare), which is great! Most of your grade will come from quizzes and labs in the discussion section so you MUST go. LEARN SPECIFIC EARTHQUAKES. Overall, a good class and professor.

One of the best classes I've ever taken! Clearly the highlight of my entire semester. Would not recommend it if you are not actually interested in Geology, but Professor Dolan is one of the coolest professors I've ever had. He is seriously inspirational and hilarious; however, you really need to work hard in class and attend all lectures!

Dolan's lectures can be very hard to follow and it is important that you take good notes. He does assign readings but truthfully they aren't necessary. If you show up to the lectures and pay attention you'll do fine. If you have no interest in geology don't take this class. Some labs are difficult but if you give it a decent effort you'll be fine.

Dolan is by far the most passionate professor I have ever had. He tries to be funny during lectures, but they are really boring and I fell asleep during almost every one. You must attend every class and lab if you want to do well, however they are completely unrelated. No extra credit offered unless you do JEP, which I highly recommend!

Earthquakes was one of the best classes I've taken at USC. Extremely interesting information, although it can get pretty technical at times. Don't miss lecture since midterms and final are totally based from whatever notes you take, and the posted powerpoints are just pictures. But if you do the work class it totally manageable and is curved a lot

Some of the best dad jokes I've heard. If you pay attention and write down everything he says in lectures you will get an A in the class. Even if you don't do that you'll be fine because he gives a very generous curve. He claims his tests are hard, but if you know the material in the class you'll be fine. I learned helpful info on earthquake safety

One of the most informative courses I've ever taken. He's a really smart and funny guy, but some lectures can be a bit boring. You must show up to as many Labs and lectures as possible to get an A as he grades on a curve. Almost all material for the tests are presented in lecture. Tests are tough but again graded on a curve.

Great professor and interesting class. Going to lectures/ labs and paying attention will make this class an easy A. Can be somewhat tedious but the professor is super passionate and teaches the material well. Very solid choice for a physical science GE.

Super knowledgeable. The material/lectures are very dense and can be a lot to keep track of but I found the information pretty interesting and as long as you go to every lecture and pay attention you can soak it all up. Really like how he makes the material applicable to life and I found myself telling my friends about things I learned. Solid GE.

Professor Dolan is a very caring guy. He does his best to make his lectures interesting, and if you have any interest in earthquakes, this class will be a joke for you. Everything is very informative, but the way its taught makes it easily learnable- I got an A on the first midterm without studying at all. Very great guy, would love to take again!

James really doesnt deserve the bad reviews. His lectures may be dense but he always tries to make them entertaining. Definitely some of the best dad jokes Ive ever heard. Tests are graded harshly but the curve is HUGE. Very good choice for physical science GE

My favorite class at USC thus far, his earthquake lectures were so fun and interesting. Lots of class time with weekly labs, but labs were helpful for understanding the content and engaging even with it being online. Highly recommended

I'm a humanities major, so I often find it difficult not to zone out in long, dense STEM lectures. Not so with Prof. Dolan. His lectures are dense, and I wish there was some sort of readings I could use to augment the lectures, but he's wonderfully entertaining and I loved the dad jokes. His Loma Prieta anecdote is a particular highlight.

Professor Dolan is very passionate about earthquakes and it shows in his lectures. He really tries to make them interesting and throws in funny dad jokes and commentary with it. If you go to class, it really is not that hard. There are no out of class assignments, so if you show up to lab and do decent on the 3 tests (w huge curve) you'll be fine.

Professor Dolan is a great teacher - he has a dorky sense of humor which makes class fun. He's very passionate about his work as well as teaching, and it shows. As long as you're interested in the subject, class is never dull. There was barely any homework - a few pages of reading each week. Only took me 10m/week. I'd take this class again!!

Although he may catch a lot of heat on this site, James is one of the most interesting professors that I had last semester. The people who complained about him were probably too lazy to show up, pay attention, and just take notes. I only prepared about a week for each exam, read the pre-lab 1-2 times for each lab and this was enough to get me an A.

I loved the Professor. It's a great GE to take and a lot of interesting things to learn about. It's important to show up for class tho since the information that's going to be on the midterms and the final are all discussed in class. When you study enough you will be more than fine. Attend the labs and preread the lab - class gets curved a lot...

Prof Dolan was the best professor I've ever had. I went in knowing nothing about geology and left the class with a newfound interest. The material is super interesting. Tests are difficult but if you show up to class and engage with the material you'll be fine. I wish I could take this class again. I love u james dolan <3

Dr. Dolan is tough but extremely fair when it comes to grading. He does lectures by Zoom and puts the recordings up on Blackboard, so there's no excuse not to take notes for tests. But those tests are purposefully difficult. It's recommended you go and take notes in person, as the only thing that can sink you is not grasping the subject matter.

Professor Dolan *tries* to make the class as enjoyable and interesting as possible, and most of the time he succeeds. Be ready for dad jokes galore and quickly moving through topics. Powerpoint is image heavy with little text so really listen to what he's saying, if it's important he'll repeat it. Studying in groups really helps.

I LOVE YOU JAMES DOLAN!! BEST CLASS I'VE TAKEN AT USC

As long as you attend lectures and take notes you will be fine. Lab is easy and worth around 40% of your grade. Only downside is that tests are 50% True or false questions, and they are difficult. But, average on tests are pretty low, so its not that hard to get a decent grade. Got around a 70% on each exam and an A in lab , and I got an A.

Okay, yeah, Dr. Dolan is not for everyone. His teaching style is pretty unorthodox (meaning he mostly just tells us crazy stories about EQs/his experiences in the field and his slides are not super helpful), but he is a hoot. The material is pretty hard for a GE. Show up to class, you'll learn a lot and have fun doing it. Shout out to his TAs.