Quite possibly the greatest man alive.

It sounds like the previous commentor had problems with the TA and not the professor. I have took Motion Picture Apprec. this semester and I thought the world of this teacher. He is kind, caring, helpful, funny and extremely knowledgeable. He is also one of the most interesting teachers that I have had and I learned so much about movies.

I loved this class and James is my favorite teacher ever!!! He's so cute and funny. I also learned alot too.

Acting class made my whole week worth it. I loved learning what he taught. He's also kind of a cutie!

When you have an instructor really that enjoys what he does he can grab your interest even if it wasn't there to begin with. I have to say this is one of the best classes I have ever taken in college and I have completed over 106 units!! GREAT CLASS...you should take it!

You'll love James. He's awesome. Like a stand-up comedian. If you come every day with a good attitude you will pass.

Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!!! Intelligent, funny, sweet and a great teacher.

Great teacher!!!

Love him! The most adorable little man.

Love him! One of the most kind, FUNNY, knowledgeable, respectful, thoughtful, and generous people I've ever known. And SO well-dressed! DAMN!

eye-candy and is very sweet and helpful. he makes you attend plays at cos but does not make you buy expensive books. good teacher and good to his class

I've had both and he's better!

He really understands the material and does make a huge effort to make sure you feel comfortable with it. He frequently goes on tangents though and sometimes half of class can be wasted on his opinion of people.

James is a great teacher. You will enjoy his class. He is always willing to answer questions. I must warn you that he has a way of rambling on about things that loosely relate to the original topic. I do really enjoy what he is teaching us a those moments, but I often wonder "how will this help me on my test."

He is an amazing teacher, very funny! Definitly take take him!

One of the finest professors I have had the privellage of working with. I have now taken two courses with him and liked them very much. James picks interesting plays for his class and he inspires you not to be afraid and just to do the best you can as far as acting is concerned. If you are not afraid to get on stage take James. Awesome teacher!

He's an outstanding teacher. Can't wait to take his other classes next semester. :)

Very funny and easy going. Sometimes I feel he isn't being very clear on what he expects from us at the beginning of class until he critiques us. Still love the class though.

Easy class, show up watch the film, fill out paper, leave. Easy class to pass. Dont use cell phone during movie!

Love the class and loved the teacher. A real sweetheart

A really good teacher. Very enjoyable and really good to his students.

I loved this class! So fun, and it also helped that I had eye candy to keep me motivated in attending.

Outstanding teacher.Very passionate about film, a very easy A. You show up he lectures for about 30 minutes or less about the films history, he will pass you a paper which has questions about the film and once the movie is over you get to leave.

He's very smart, talented, and a good teacher. Easy to work with but expects students to work hard. Lots of fun too. I may be obsessed with him.

Extremely knowledgeable in subject and passionate. I look at movies in a different way. Enjoyable class. The instructor is a lot of fun and very cute. Take him. He's great.

Had a great time taking his class. Such a sweet and caring teacher. He's a no nonsense type of teacher. So no talking in class. However, he made the class enjoyable. Very funny and passionate about his career. Easy A as long as you go to class and do the two assignments. Easy Tests. Highly recommend taking him for Drama001

Took for Int-Film Appreciation. No nonsense teaching style but definitely has a sense of humor, just don't text or talk during class time. Didn't require any textbook, just show up once a week, watch a film, fill out the paper he gave. No homework. Easy A and 2 credits if you put in the effort.

super easy! show up to class be quiet, NO textingtalking during lecture or movies, do the work and take notes during lecture and you wont need to buy a book. easy A. I just took notes every class and attended almost every movie day, everything he lectures is on test as long as you take notes you will be fine. lectures can be boring sometimes.

i loved taking him for drama 001 would talk a lot but sometimes if you stayed the whole class time he had a wonderful present ;) at the end. don't talk or text during movies and he will give you a study guide for the test. textbook isn't required. no homework just take notes during lectures, he makes you go to cos plays but you get extra credit :D

He is really serious guy. He does not play around. Come to class and you will do fine. Go to the plays he assigns for papers and extra credit. You only do 2 papers. extra credit is for the plays/shows or he will tell you to draw or write something on your test Scranton for extra credit. Pay attention the movies he plays they will be on the test.

Easy class and great instructor.

All I have to say is I love James and his sense of humor! He is an amazing teacher and I just love his lectures. I am most definitely sad I won't be taking him next semester. He is my all time favorite teacher!

I love this guy. He's freaking hilarious and you can clearly see how much he adores the theatre. He pretends he's a jerk at times, but really, he's a softie inside. He really does just want you to do well, and expects participation and commitment. Pay attention, learn your lines, give your best, and you'll be fine.

Super easy class, I didn't go most the time and even when I did I never paid attention. No homework only online quizes that you can find on the internet

Great teacher. Uses online quizzes, tests, but also puts very helpful stuff online too. Funny, lectures but offers extra credit

His lectures sound off topic but relate to the subject your talking about. Good study guides help with test, some small papers and extra credit.

Very dedicated to his students, and works hard to accommodate everyone's questions and issues. :)

Great teacher. Drama 1 was a bit harder than I thought it would be, but he lectured for the whole class (summer session 2 1/2 hours) and he was able to hold my attention. You get out what you put in. Nice selection of plays to study. I had fun.

Summer class so it was really fast paced. Enjoyed the plays we watched. Great teacher who loves his craft.

Incredibly hilarious. He's super passionate about the subject and really knows what he's doing. Easy A. Sometimes has funny ways of giving extra credit, just pay attention so you won't miss it.

super hilarious guy, semi tough work. But he didn't give us homework, just movie critiques to do while watching the assigned movie.

Great professor!! Makes class enjoyable and lectures fun. Many opportunity's to get extra credit. Loved the class and professor!

Funny, funny guy. Show up, watch a movie, answer 8-10 critique questions a week, leave. No homework. No tests. Easy class, but extremely enjoyable. Wish I could take again!

An Awesome Professor Tough But Fair Beware No Talking Unless Spoken Too, Raise Your Hands Please Respect Each Other Is Key.

The coolest Dude for an professor, Bad ass go getter so pay attention you will learn something even you decide not to. Warning Talk out of turn an get kicked out for the class session and No Phones

Easy-A type of class but you actually learn a lot. Very organized professor with a calendar syllabus!! Won't necessarily say that class is mandatory. When attending, he requires attention and respect. Answers to online quizzes can be found online... oops. Super cool, passionate, and real.

I loved taking McDonnell's classes. I took him for Drama 1 and both of his film classes. I learned a lot about theatre and the history of cinema and he helped make the topics interesting. Going to class never felt like a chore but something I looked forwards to. Also an easy A if that's what you are looking for.

Crazy passionate! Super kind & hilarious as well, and very approachable. The class is very engaging and it's the easiest A I've ever gotten. He gives all kinds of extra credit. Always got more than 100% on every test so I didn't have to try much on the 2 essays (lol). Just make sure to be respectable and quiet during his lectures unless spoken to!

I took this class during the summer it was really easy you just have to go over the study guides and show up for the films

Quizzes were the easiest thing in the world. Just use the glossary in the book. Tests weren't hard either. He gives a ridiculous amount of extra credit which is great. A bit of a drama queen but it's mostly just entertaining.

professor mcdonnell is a great professor, he cares about his students, tells a lot of stories, and really takes the time to help his students out. although he is a very busy person, he takes the time to help out his students and get to know them, with him im very comfortable with him and hes very easy to approach, normally professors scare me. (:

James is such an amazing professor. Attendance only matters for like the first month of school. After that if you dont go your grade doesnt gets affected, but you have to prepare good for the performance even if you dont go to class because if not then your grade get affected.

This class was my favorite. Just show up and do the critiques. We watched some pretty interesting films. Mr. Mcdonell is very caring and understanding of his students. He is very knowledgeable and knows alot about films and it shows. I was so sad when the class ended.

I love this teacher and I love going to his class. He is so wonderful that I signed up to take another class of his but at a different campus site 20 minutes away just so that I could have another class with him.

McDonnell is awesome and caring!!! He is always there for you if you have any questions and responds very quickly to your questions. Easy A grade, just make sure that you keep up with the assignments via canvas.

very caring professor! he does his best to give his students extra credit and understands there are situations that do no allow us to complete assignments. I loved his lectures and the stories he shared. I always enjoyed going to his lectures. Also, I loved his sense of humor :)

Very smart and caring. The only professor who really showed that he cared by saying more than one sentence in response to emails, posts, and assignments.

You will learn a lot about movies but also about respect for learning. This professor is patient, caring, but also funny and fun. The semester took a serious turn from what I expected to happen, but he switched over quickly and helped us all do well. He checked in with us frequently in addition to continuing to teach us. His class remained fun

Each assignment has an introduction to the film which is very helpful BUT just alot of reading. Very helpful and thorough in his explanations.

James is a great professor and made the switch from in person classes to online in the middle of the semester a breeze. He genuinely cares about all of his students and is very accommodating as long as you communicate to him. If you have the opportunity to take him in-person I would recommend, he'll definitely brighten your day with his personality

Good teacher and a very organized online class. I didn't know many of the movies before they were shown in class but I was very surprised at how many of them I liked. Some really beautiful movies. good Extra credit opportunities at the end that were very appreciated :)

I feel really good about the semester and how this class especially went. James is a great professor. I never had a hard time finding assignments, due dates tests etc..

Professor McDonnell is great! If you read the textbook & watch the plays you'll pass the tests/quizzes they're straightforward. As long as you explain your answers in the discussion/response posts you'll receive points. Overall it's an easy class, just don't fall behind.

I had him online but I really liked that this class was based off of a points system rather than a weighted course. All you need is 901+ points and he offers about 1050 in total but with the extra credit you should pass. The musicals were fun to watch too. He's very nice you should take his class if you are interested in this subject.

I really appreciate this semester and the films he showed us, he is probably the most kind and forgiving professor I've ever had. I appreciate him wish him nothing but the best moving forward :)

Super fun and super nice, have a good one James ily <3

This the second time I have had James for a professor and I just wanted to say I really enjoy being in his class. He is very understanding of every students situations and we all appreciate that greatly. Plus he always make class very enjoyable

He was very caring and offered lots of help. The time he takes out of his day and patience for each of his students is amazing. I am excited to take him over this summer again!

Professor McDonnell is one of the nicest, most helpful and caring teachers at COS. If you have questions, or are stressed out, he is super open to talking to you! He really wants you to succeed and to learn. I highly recommend taking his classes; he does a great job with them.

Prof. McDonnell is probably one of the first instructors at COS that made me feel like they actually cared about my success as a student and as a person. I rated the difficulty as a 3 but truthfully this class was not hard at all. From what I remember, Prof. McDonnell wants to know what YOU think. Not what the "right" answer is. 100% recommend.

James is such a caring professor, he really makes the class fun and easy for Cinema 31. You get to watch and analyze a lot of movies, starting back in the early 1900s, working all the way up to the early 2000s. The quizzes are pretty easy as long as you watch the movie. This class is an easy A and fills some GED requirements. Definitely take it

Super easy. You just watch the movie do an assignment and take quizzes each and every week. It hardly takes up any time out of your day outside of class time.

Great professor, very understanding, always available to reach out to, supportive, enjoyable

The class has a great list of movies which are the assignments. It is very well organized and the expectations are clear. With each movie you have a quiz and a discussion board and everything opens on a Monday and closes on the following Monday. It is very understandable and enjoyable and the instructor sends clear announcements each week

Instructor is very intelligent, caring, and extremely fun to be in class with. He knows the material and works with you to help you learn. He gives great feedback and is very understanding.

I took this course to lighten the load of my others while still taking 4 classes and this was my favorite so far! I appreciate how he gave us time and understood that we too have lives outside of school. He sent messages of support throughout the semester. His kindness will not be forgotten and neither will what I have learned from him.

I took him online and I wish I could have taken him in person. Outstanding Professor. I loved every lecture he videoed. He is not boring at all. You do have to buy the textbook, but it is so beneficial for the class. Do the readings and you'll pass easily. Films we watched were not boring at all.

This is not my first film class so I really want to complement him on the great choice of movies for us to watch. There was so much diversity in the films as well as many relatable themes no matter the age of the movie. I wish I had more time to really watch the films multiple times but it was a summer class and we only had six weeks. Great class

He does a great job of diversifying the movie list The films chosen were a great representation of each genre and the background information that he gives for each movie is excellent and makes a huge difference.

I took this class my first semester. He was extremely caring and told his students that if there was anything they needed he would be there for them. If you missed most of class, that was ok because he gave plenty of extra credit in the end incase you do end up in a tight spot. His quizzes on the movies and lectures. This class is hard to fail!

Easiest class I ever took. James is super funny but doesn't engage much with students during lectures. Still I definitely enjoyed the class for the most part and the amount of work he assigns is more than manageable and he's very willing to work with students if they aren't able to turn something in or need to redo something.

I want to start off by saying James is really sweet and he has a lot of useful knowledge that he's willing to share, he's funny and forgiving but MY GOD does he talk a whole lot. I swear he will take one question and it will turn into a 30-minute lecture and we will get through nothing and a lot of what he says is a bit repetitive. He's great tho.

At first the films are soooo boring. But hang in there and have faith. THe film selection gets pretty good. He offers SO MUCH extra credit. You literally have to try and fail; which I am sure is possible if you do NOTHING! The class is basically watch a film, take a quiz and do discussion boards. On the boring films, read the cliff notes, it helps

Easy class. Attendance is not mandatory you can do it online or in person. He talks a lot if you go in person. The work is easy.

Words cannot express how much I love this man. He is such an amazing professor and lenient with all the work. Easy class overall if you need credits

Although this was an online summer class and we never met in person, you could feel his compassion and understanding. His words speak volumes and are inspiring to many people who feel like giving up. I was one of those people over a decade ago who let obstacles stop me from pursuing my dream. There are not many instructors like him

Great class! I just wanted to mention that I enjoyed the class more than I expected, I really liked the movies. It was my favorite class of the summer. I was also taking calc 1, so even it was homework to watch the movies, but watching them gave me a break from everything else and I just really liked the class.

Summer class. It was a really interesting class and I learned a lot about theater. He's a great professor! The films you watch are very interesting. You watch the films, take a quiz or test, and some discussion boards. Very easy class to pass and lots of easy extra credit at the end. Will be taking his Cinema class in the fall!

James is a great dude, I had the pleasure to take Intro to the Theatre with him as well as Film Appreciation-American. I would 100% recommend James for Film Appreciation, took this class Fall 2023.

Really easy class, watch movies, do quizzes on them and also discussion boards that take little time. Just make sure to do it weekly so you are most productive.

Films are very entertaining. Very little coursework with easy grading scale. Easiest summer class ever!!

His class was simple and fun. He's a cool guy and makes jokes a lot, and is passionate about what he does. There are weekly movies to watch and a discussion board and a quiz based on the movie. That's literally all you have to do. Everything is online which makes it very easy. He chooses good movies to watch as well. I recommend this class.

1000p percent would recommend. Just very clear movies and quizzes.

I said no on attendance, but he does notice who goes to class and who doesn't. By far one of the best professors. His class made me feel confident and comfortable with who I am, much respect for him. Midterm and final were just memorizing scripts which was easy. The downside he talks a whole lot and he's aware of it. Other than that, he's great.

I had this costuming class as a hybrid course. James is a fantastic professor, but I would've loved more hands-on experience. He mostly relied on YouTube videos, which was fine, but I wished he had shown the 8 of us in person when it came to sewing. Everything in this class was easy, so there should be no reason not to pass.

Excellent professor that helps you as an actor. I learned so much from Professor McDonnell. —Fun class.

I really enjoyed professor McDonnell's class. Everything was really straightforward and easy, after you're done watching the film he would review the quiz for the movie and you'd pretty much get a perfect score on the quiz if you're there for that review. Although I did not actually need any help from him I would feel comfortable asking if I did.

Great films, easy grading, and a super helpful professor. Watching the movies was a nice break from my other classes. Unstuckstudy really saved me on quiz prep too.

I failed cause I had some health issues. but while I was there, the class was really interesting, fun, and educational. Prof is very charismatic and understanding as well.

Professor McDonnell is great! I took CINA031 with him in person, currently taking CINA032 with him online! If you can go in person do it! The lectures are long, but at the end of each film he goes through all questions that will be on the quiz, online you're on your own. He's nice and wants students to succeed, plus he's always willing to help.

I've taken James before, so I knew what to expect. I took the hybrid course, but honestly, I'd recommend taking it online. We spent more time waiting for makeup kits than actually doing anything, and he canceled classes often because of it. The class was also really small, only about four people.

I took this class online and over the summer. We had 6 weeks I really enjoyed the class. It was very interesting and now when I watch movies, I am able to spot what I've learned in the class. I really appreciated his kindness and patience.

I really enjoyed taking the class. I enjoyed watching all the movies as well, some I had seen before but very good movies worth seeing multiple times. I will never watch a movie the same. I am more knowledgeable about the lighting, music, and different angles of the films. It was a summer class so the announcements kept us informed and on track

James is a professor who cares about his students, and it shows through his pure dedication. Yes, the lectures are heavy – you are in a lecture class – this is not your high school drama class. Show up, engage in discussions, read the notes he gives you, and you will pass. The more you talk with him – the less he talks at you.

His class is very easy, especially if you can enjoy a part of your day to view some fantastic classic films which have incredible significance to our film industry today! You can tell James is very passionate about his work, and he shares that by educating his class before the film as well. Would take again, amazing professor.

A simple, good class. Extra credit by attending theater plays. He sets Canvas to not show your grade.