Course on Popular Culture- Jack Solomon leads exciting class discussions on the popular culture of television, advertising and film. He is very intelligent and is interested in what his students have to say. Will change the way you view popular culture.

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don't let his wild long hair and beard scare you away. popular culture class is one of the most interesting classes i've ever taken. discussions are fun and engaging. i never missed a class.

Analyzing Pop Culture is his passion! I dug listening to him lecture, but he has some borderline bitter views on American society. Puffer? You be the judge. Dug the Birkenstocks and black socks, Jack! I bet that was the shizzle at Harvard!

This guy knows everything! Fascinating to listen to. I thought I'd hate this class but he makes it possible to understand literary criticism.

Prof. Solomon is amazingly intelligent. His appearance intimidated me at first, but I got over that quick. I have never learned so much in any class. Take lots of notes and take your time on the papers, but it's not that hard to get a decent grade.

hippy dude and philisophical

A brilliant man with a great speaking ability. I think he knows his stuff better than theorists who came up with the theories...or at least he explains it better than they do! Take thorough notes, come to class every day...work hard and you'll be fine!

The subject is hard, but he breaks it down for you. He speaks fast & moves quickly, so take notes fast and go to class daily. You don't have to read, his tests stem from his lectures. Take time to understand the term paper assignment.

If I could follow Solomon around for the rest of my life, I would. Professor Solomon is the best professor at CSUN.

I don't know why everyone hates theory...it was one of the coolest classes I've taken at CSUN thanks to professor Solomon! My one advice: take excellent (and I mean excellent) notes, review them daily, and if your a nerd like me you'll type them too!

I enjoyed being challenged by his higher standards and maybe more students should see difficult professors this way. You cannot slide by so don't take his courses if you want high school level material. If you want your money's worth, I would recommend Solomon. He is a bit dismissive though.

very interesting class and he's not overwelming with assignments and readings. he grades fair although i think i should have gotten a b+ vs a b but i'll forgive jack.

Dr. Solomon is a genius, no doubt about it. But Crit Theory/Eng 436 is a pain in the ass to say the least. I worked my ass off and studied more for this class than any other.(and still just barely passed) Lots of it is confusing nonsense.

Interesting topics. Relatively easy grader

Very easy if you think like him. Don't form your own opinion on the readings, just memorize word for word what he says and you will get an A. Take notes like you have never taken notes before. He is always right, don't argue with him, just study his EXACT words and you will do good. A's are rare.

Dr. Solomon is astounding. He is so knowledgeable and so articulate. He makes the material interesting and explains the concepts brilliantly.I would not have passed graduate school if I never had the notes from his classes.

Professor Solomon is the most astonishingly brilliant human being I've ever encountered. His is the one brain I would trade for mine. He impacted my academic life more than any other professor I had, through three degrees. He deserves the name Solomon--a god among professors.

If I had his brain, I'd have a big ego, too! He's a really smart and interesting person. All my other professors look stupid in comparison.

Brilliant man who is very shy and not egotistical. Take him if you like lectures, NOT if you like discussion (since most of the students at Northridge are absolute idiots, it's refreshing not to hear from them, anyway). Hard grader, assigns dense reading so only take if you do the work before class.

one word and three syllabuls-FANTASTIC. NOt an easy class, but very crucial.

Dr. Solomon is clearly one of the best instructors I have encountered at CSUN. His critical theory class is invaluable.

Brilliant man. Pure lecture, he has plenty of background information and insight into every aspect of American Lit and history. No attendance taken, 2 tests and 1 paper. Adds new cultural and historical aspects to let students see lit works in a new light

I have never wanted to go to a class more than this one.He is the epitome of a genius, he just totally knows his stuff. He only gave us one book and everything we need is out of it, he looks a little intimidating but hes really cool when he talks, really logical and open minded i definately recomeend him.

Quickest way to get information into your brain: take a course from Solomon. Almost supernaturally lucid and helpful for the attentive student. However I was turned down for a grad school letter of rec. because of a B- once received in his course years ago. No other questions asked. Succeeded brilliantly as teacher but failed miserably as a person.

Knows too much. Has endless amounts of background information. Take as much notes as you can because the more you put on your test, the better chance of getting a good grade. You will learn in his class

Solomon is an intellectual, and if you do not appreciate a great mind, you will not appreciate Solomon. He will give you what you earn and teach you to think. Why should it matter if he teaches the same thing every semester? The same student is not in the same class every semester. This just enables a variety of student to experience him.

It's not an easy class, but if you have very few absences and you take notes, there's no reason why you shouldn't get an A. Highly recommended for English majors. Very insightful professor. Class grade consists of a midterm, a term paper, and a final. Get help on the term paper, it's crucial. Midterm and final are directly from the notes.

Is this the same jack solomon? I found him to be highly intelligent, his concepts on how to analyze images in commericals in pop cul. was amazing. I still use this knowledge in other psych. class. Maybe because he thinks out of the box, this scares some people. He is a free thinker and gave me great insight in class disscussions and projects.

Go to every lecture. It will help the most. He is quite intelligent almost to a point of intimidation. Learn it all and learn it well. This is not an easy A or easy B for that matter. You'll work hard and the grade you get is what you get. There is one midterm, and oral presentation, and a final paper.

knows his stuff and takes time for the students to understand the subject.

Having taken this course before with another professor that put me to sleep, I was pleasantly surprised when this one actually held my attention and made things make sense. He knows what he's talking about. I never read the text, but I show up to every class and take lots and lots of notes. He seems very open to questions and loves to talk.

Dr. Jack is a right-on and a solid teacher of the material. The people who whine about the various classes and their grades are the types who text message and fall asleep during class. Dr. Solomon's lectures take you places where you are challenged and provoked to examining other points of view. Quit whining and start studying!

He is a great teacher. All you have to do is pay attention, because everything he does on the tests are from his lectures. Although you can pass the exams with out going to the lectures, you might have a hard time. The subject matter is not easy, but he makes it seem so.

Seems boring at first (and the material sometimes is), but really intelligent and willing to be as engaged as you are. Open and supportive of questions, very helpful, notices and seems to appreciate the effort you put in. I recommend him.

One of the best professors I've ever had. His understanding and ability to convey complex ideas and difficult theories understandably, accessibly, and relevantly is second to none. He is not, however, an easy grader. But if you work for it, he will help you learn.

BRILLIANT! One of the sharpest minds I've ever come across. The course material was tough, but he made it accessible and fun to learn. He's a tough, but fair grader, and one of the funniest professors I've ever had. Not to be missed.

Dr. Solomon is a great professor who is very knowledgeable. Yes, he may be intimidating due to how he lectures, but he is always there to help if you approach him during his office hours. I learned a great deal from him. He expects you to work hard, as he does not hand out A's. He may have a bad rep for grading hard, but he is a very sweet man.

This teacher could be your favorite... or least favorite teacher you'll ever have. If you take a lot of notes during class and show up every day, you'll pass with at least a B. If your a student that only shows up occasionally, and hates taking down notes you'll fail. Very smart, reminds me of Bem Stein in Faris Buller's Day off.

Any student who says SOLOMON is anything but amazing is lazy. Stop complaining and step it up. He expects you to read at home, come to every class, and actually care about English and life. He is a bit intimidating, but that is because he is intelligent. He is the BEST professor I have ever had at CSUN, even though his class was very challenging.

Behind his threatening appearance is a genius just waiting to share useful information. He is political, witty, and willing to answer any question you throw at him. He has changed my views on society, literature, and the purpose of Humanities. Take him and be vocal! He has interesting things to say.He requires hard work, but is a fair grader.

I felt myself getting smarter just by attending his class! Great professor who really knows his stuff. If you pay attention and work hard, you should survive the class and come out feeling you've learned something.

First of all Literary Theory, if it's not really your thing can be hard to grasp. It's a lot of information. Professor Solomon is very intelligent and you'll definitely learn something, but you have to work to get a good grade. He gives two test and that's it, so study!

Quirky guy who talks a lot, but I learned a lot in this class and enjoyed it! The paper was actually fun to write and the lectures were fun even though he does talk for quite a while. You will need to study in this class though so if you want something super easy, this isn't the professor to take.

He is a cool dude. Just listen to him and take notes, it will clear everything up for you. He has a midterm and a final each worth 50%. I also took him for Pop Culture and he was not boring as some say he was. The class was very interesting and he asked for a lot of class participation, which was great!It sure as hell made class enjoyable!

I can't say enough about how absolutely brilliant he is. He is a genius among CSUN professors and I don't know why he teaches here, he could be at Harvard. Very difficult subject, and it's 50/50 midterm final. However, write down everything he says, memorize it, and you'll be fine. I literally felt my brain expanding in that class. Genius.

Yeah, he is not an easy teacher. He is a fair grader. He provides you with everything you need so that you can get an A in his class. He is very clear. You have to study. He is extremely intelligent and knowledgable.

Professor Solomon is a brilliant teacher. He is helpful and quite funny, but not an easy grader. He pushes you to do your best and you come out a better thinker for it. Highly Recommended.

Solomon is the best professor to take for this class because there is no essay or reading outside of the textbook assigned. Attendance is mandatory in the sense that if you are not there to take notes, there's no way you will pass. I did most of the reading and recorded lectures because it is IMPERATIVE that you are able to regurgitate everything.

A brilliant professor. Two exams worth fifty-percent each. If you want to learn the area of critical theory in literature correctly, then you should take him!

Solomon is the greatest professor I ever had in my entire college career.

This professor is extremely knowledgeable and highly recommended. Be prepared to do lots of studying though. He is somewhat of a hard grader but his class is manageable. I personally learned a lot from this class and found the readings interesting.

Don't know what he is doing teaching at CSUN. Harvard material.

He introduced me to Semiotics and now I see the world differently. Solomon's lectures begins with Plato and end with commentary on current popular culture. How he manages to do this within a brief semester exemplifies his pedagogical brilliance. Even with today's outrageous tuition cost, his class comes with tremendous value.