2.7
Quality3.7
Difficulty36%
Would Retake103
Reviews36%
Would Retake
103
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
16
4
24
3
11
2
27
1
25
What Students Say
“Lawrence Bernabo loves to hear the sound of his own voice”
COMM1500 - 1.0 rating“AVOID this professor at all costs”
1500 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
29%
Textbook Required
22%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.94 avg changeRatings by Course
COMM1120
5.0
(1)COMM1222
5.0
(1)COMM0000
4.5
(2)COMM3612
4.0
(4)COMM001
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
COMM1600
4.5
COMM3595
4.0
COMM1500
3.9
1500
3.8
COMM3612
3.5
Reviews (103)
Had him for public speaking my first semester of college. I liked him a lot, gives constructive critisism but makes the class enjoyable. He tells fun stories too. I liked him a lot. Laid back, easy going, pretty easy class as long as you get your speeches done.
I had Dr. Bernabo for Public Speaking, and Rhetorical Criticism. I would highly recommend you take one of his courses. He makes any subject interesting and class is always fun. You will have to do some work in his class, but I guarantee you will learn a lot and enjoy it!
He is extremely helpful and really cool. You learn a lot of things in his class. Although he does swear a lot, it makes it interesting. Honestly one of the best teachers I've had yet
I had him for Rhetorical Criticism, the class is tough with a large load of work and the readings are boring but overall if you put forth an effort he will help you succeed. He is an extremely smart guy.
Great Prof. Had him for Public Speaking and couldn't have asked for a better professor. If you do the work you will pass the class. Didnt use the book too often, and when we did we actually benefitted from reading the material. Highly recommend him if you have the opportunity. Tells great stories, laid back, cool dude.
nice guy, but gives the most boring lectures in history. have the class falls asleep 10 minutes in. extensive vocabulary memorization for the tests, but he never relates this to the class. avoid him if you can!
Dude is Awesome. You have to write little ten sentence things every class, but those are easy, and the papers are pretty easy. If you go talk to him, he will answer all of your questions, and learned more from his lecture than all but one of the classes I have taken. MUST TAKE with him.
I recommend him, he is a very good professor at what he teaches. He has a real good background into media and is very helpful in and out of the class. His course was tough if you didn't study, lots of notes and memorization but if you can handle that then you should pass with a A easily.
Awesome teacher! He knows everything and is very entertaining to listen to during class. I think he should be on the radio. He has the smooth and unique voice for it. He can elaborate on any topic and provide insightful details along with his opinion which he is never afraid to share. Attendance is not mandatory but I would strongly encourage it.
I loved going to his lectures. You can tell he is passionate about what he teaches. Although it was fun to listen to him go on his rants, each semester I took 28 pages of notes on my laptop (single-spaced). We had two tests for the whole class. Each test had 300 vocab words. If you decide to take his class, read the book and study the vocab.
Let me say this: He's a cool guy, and, I'm a good student and I don't mind studying. But I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH how ridiculously difficult his tests are. DO NOT take media and society with him. We're talking over a hundred questions mostly fill in the blank of arbitrary and confusing terms. I made two hundred flash cards and got C minuses. Just no.
This class was awful. I couldn't stress enough, DO NOT TAKE A CLASS WITH HIM. Avoid him if you can. So much memorization. Very rude. He was boring and unclear. Don't even attempt to ask him a question because he won't even answer them without making you sound like an idiot. He made me feel stupid. And I'm a good student. Very hard grader.
This class is a lot about speeches and you had to write a one page (double spaced) analysis of it. It is such an easy class as long as you put forth detail in your papers and cite. He doesn't really have mind if you turn in your papers late as long as you turn them in the day they are due (I did most of my papers in class). Very goodfun class!
Horrible teacher. Lectures are boring, he goes on pointless rants, and tests are nothing but memorization and fill in the blank... NO word bank. For each test I have over 300 notecards and I still don't get a perfect score. If you can, avoid this teacher at all costs. The only thing you'll learn is what a BAD professor is like.
He's a cool guy but he made the the tests and essays very difficult. Definitely my hardest class.
Class is full of useless information. would not reccomend
you only have 3 test, 2 papers and no homework its an easy class. study for the test though
Very eccentric professor, but keeps lectures pretty interesting. You absolutely need the book to pass the class, it is used for the papers as well as the exams. The class consists of 3 exams and 2 papers, that's all. He isn't very clear on expectations for the papers, but will help if you ask.
Lawrence Bernabo loves to hear the sound of his own voice. Want to go to class and hear hims scream at you three times a week for pointless lectures? Take his class. He takes a level 1000 class way too seriously, and by seriously I mean 300 vocabulary tests with no word bank. Nobody learns anything from him. He is a terrible teacher.
This professor is extremely difficult. He can be very inappropriate and mean. Getting a straight answer out of him is near impossible and don't even bother asking him a question unless you are prepared for him to make you feel stupid. Tons of vocab and his tests are incredibly hard. He goes on pointless rants. AVOID this professor at all costs.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS... with this professor. The papers are graded harshly, the tests are confusing, and the information is irrelevant to most people. Be prepared to have your GPA drop, unless you can memorize the textbook.
This class was awful. Only 4 opportunities for credit and two are papers that he grades incredibly harshly and two are tests that you legitimately have to remember over 100 words and definitions with out a word bank. It's like he wants everyone to fail.
his tests and papers are very harsh he needs to realize this is a level 1000 class.........
Horrible. He gives the most unclear explanations and expects you to understand his little hints. He is harsh and rude, and the tests and papers are massive. He doesn't seem to understand that his 1000 gen ed. class isn't a 4000 level course and gives you the work load of a 4000 level class. Stay away if you can.
Confusing expectations. Exams: READ or you'll struggle to understand what he refers to in class (what he says in class does matter). Difficult for me only because I didn't know what he was talking about half the time. Intelligent man, but it takes effort and interest to follow along with the lectures. He's funny and very relaxed with lectures.
I like to consider myself a pretty good student, but most likely will end up failing this course! Avoid it all costs. You take three exams worth 500 points total and they are INSANELY DIFFICULT. He is also a tough grader for papers. Overall, cannot say one good thing about the class/professor. If you take take it, have fun failing...
I came in to this class nervous because I heard how hard it would be. But with the semester almost over, it was not as bad as i expected. Yes, the exams are tough, but making flashcards really helps. He also did not grade the papers as hard as i thought either. If you follow the criteria, you should pass pretty easily.
make flashcards of every vocab word in the book on the chapters he discusses and you'll be golden. all you have to do is memorize like 150 words per test and the curve will pick up the slack for you
Bernabo is a tough teacher, but if you work hard and make flash cards for the vocab words for his tests you will be fine! Ask for him to proof read your papers as many times as you can because you will do GREAT on your papers that way. DONT be afraid to take his class.
make flash cards and you will survive and do well
Assignment due every class period, which he emails out the day before.
Got A's and B's on all the papers and he still failed me- along with half the class. Not easy to sit through class either. Tests are super hard
This was one of my favorite classes because of the way he taught! Go to class and do the quizzes and you will succeed. He is a fair grader when it comes to papers, and gives explicit instructions to what he wants to see in each of them. If you ever have any questions about your papers, he will be happy to help.
Professor Bernabo is incredibly intelligent. The class relies on an online textbook (that he wrote himself) and it is written so a young adult can comprehend the material. The class gets very interesting once the units of television/music/movies come into play. You must attend class and take notes in order to do well on the three exams.
His class was difficult. Slightly hard to pay attention in his class. Online textbook & thats where all the homework is too. His papers are ridiculous & gives you "suggestions" instead of a rubric. If you do everything he asks, you will get at least a B. Hard grader and his feedback isn't helpful, but he allows rewrites. Tests are LONG.
As long as you pay attention and show up to class you should do well. Email him a rough draft of your papers and he will give you feedback of exactly what he wants.
I have taken 2 classes with Professor Bernabo, and he is the best! He has so much knowledge. If you want to do well on the papers, send him a copy of it before you turn it in! He will give you suggestions and if you follow that, you will do very well. He is super helpful when you ask a question, so don't be afraid to do so.
The lectures get long at times but they are necessary to pass the class. There's a lot of information on each test, but they are curved pretty heavily. Also there are 4 papers but they are graded pretty easily and you get the chance to rewrite. Overall if you go to class and put some effort into the class you should get an A.
First few weeks will weed out people who are just there for an easy A. A lot of reading and research up front, but once the midterm comes it slows down a lot. He's not good at explaining things in different ways and he's a little condescending in office hours, but he's still fair and I learned a lot. Would take again.
He is an amazing professor one of my favorites! attendance isn't mandatory but showing up is a great idea because he doesn't put his slides anywhere else and you need those notes to be able to study. Tests are kinda hard only because its fill in the blanks without word banks. I recommend taking him.
Interesting class! Make sure you show up for lecture because he will mention things that aren't in the textbook but will be on the exam. The exams for this class are very vocab-heavy, so be prepared to know the key terms from the unit. You should also read the textbook and take all the quizzes. He also allows for re-writes on all the papers!
Dr. Bernabo has great and interesting lectures. His test are difficult but he puts a pretty heavy curve on them. I memorized about 150 terms per test at least. There are 4 papers that are a huge part of your grade and he grades them very hard, but tells you what he expects. He is not very helpful during office hours, but is helpful through email.
Nope. His lectures were interesting at first, but you have to memorize SO much to pass his exams. He also grades harshly, but allows retakes and rewrites so u can pass. His lectures are all over the place and u gotta take pics of the slides.
Lawrance is an interesting dude. He's a little bit of a weird choice for media and society because he makes a lot of old man references that no one gets, and he makes some weird jokes that no one laughs at which makes me feel bad. Overall he makes you memorize way to many things for the exams but has really cool velcro shoes.
He wrote the textbook for the class so he knows it like the back of his hand. His outline for papers are extremely particular and if off by the slightest he will belittle you. Lectures consist of him howling out his textbook for the complete 50 minutes so do not expect him to answer any questions. I am jealous of anyone who does not know this guy.
His lectures are all over the place. The tests are very difficult and specific on things he does not teach in class. A lot of memorization for the exams. 4 major papers throughout the semester and he grades super hard. Has very specific details he wants papers. Gives great feedback and allows rewrites. Has a lot of small assignments to bump points.
Okay dude but he is a very hard grader. For a level 1000 class you do a lot of work. You write 4 papers that have very strict guidelines. NEED to know vocab because fill in the blank tests with no word bank. Very lecture heavy and most expensive code for a textbook ever. So much information in one unit too. Makes you feel stupid at times. Weird guy
I took Communication & Popular Culture when the course focused on Stan Lee for the entirety of the semester. It was an incredibly interesting course, and I like how each semester focuses on a different element of mass media. He is an extremely knowledgable guy and passionate about what he teaches. As long as you complete assignments, you're good!
COMM 1500 is a very difficult class. You will have to memorize a ton of vocabulary and definitions. NO WORD BANK ON EXAMS (which totally sucksssss!) No need to show up all the time. Sometimes his lectures are good but seriously, no need to show up.
He isn't a very helpful professor. I tried asking questions about a paper over email, but he didn't understand what I was saying. So I asked him if I could go to his office during office hours and his response is as follows, "I am in my office when it says I'm in my office posted on my office hours." But when I got there, he wasn't there.
Had to drop this class. Very rude and inconsiderate when it comes to grading and questions. Would NOT take again.
If you put in the work, you will receive a good grade. Unlimited trys on online quizzes and paper rewrites are available. Very interesting guy.
Grades so tough for a comm class. There is a lot of work and weekly quizzes and they all count for a good part of your grade. His lectures are interesting but mostly because he is an interesting man himself. Makes an easy class harder than it needs to be. One good thing is he grades everything within a couple hours after you turn it in.
I have had Professor Bernabo twice, and I enjoy his teaching style. Attendance isn't mandatory, but it will definitely help, participation is important. Each semester it's on a different topic, so make sure to ask before registering. It's under media studies, but your final term paper is a 20 page rhetorical analysis. Interesting overall!
He wrote the textbook. Your homework are quizzes that you take after every chapter, you can retake them as many times as you need. His papers are awful- there are 4 in total. He has a set of rules you must follow and is really specific. He also has handwritten tests, which I couldn't score above a 90 on. Every question is very memory orientated.
He had many slideshows that he basically just read off of during class. If you read the chapters in the textbook then you don't have to go to lectures. When you ask him a question he is very hostile and makes you feel stupid. I don't recommend taking him for this course he is a tough grader.
If you need to take Comm1500, you will be absolutely fine. Lectures not mandatory but still heavily recommended. I did the bare minimum and still got a B. Comes off kinda cold, but is actually approachable.
Every semester he chooses a different topic. This semester our topic was Steven Spielberg films. There is about 4 EASY papers for each half of the semester. Really interesting class if you are looking for a fun class. Knows a lot about movies so has a lot of insight. Attendance isn't mandatory, but you do need to get discussion points.
The class is different every semester, and this semester it was on Spielberg movies. Your entire grade is based off of about 10 papers and 2 exams. I am a writing and communications double major and he is the hardest grader on papers I've ever had. He goes so off topic on lectures, it isn't even worth going. Will never take a class with him again!
He reads off his power points the entire class period. You can get the same information off of the website textbook. He does not really engage with students. He does answer emails pretty well and answers questions. All essays are able to be rewritten which is nice. Probably the hardest class Ive ever taken cause a lot of it is just confusing.
this class is interesting, however, there are no lecture notes or notes provided whatsoever. The only thing your provided with is a textbook and assignments so when it comes time to study, don't expect and information or help. The exams are unrealistic when it comes to timing and the in clss points available are difficult to receive as he rambles
do yourself a favor and dont
He is easily the WORST professor I have ever had. Not only is he just plain rude to his students, but he wont answer questions during lecture, the tests fall heavily on lecture slides he goes over for 10 seconds or less, and is a really harsh grader for everything. I lost ten points on a paper for not indenting one of my paragraphs. AVOID THIS MAN.
TOUGH GRADER! Make sure to follow every grading criteria on papers. Lectures are boring but some stuff is on the test. Really boring class overall, do not take unless required for your degree! Lots of work for a 1000 level course, would not recommend to anyone looking for the Humanities credit
Literally the single most rude and least helpful professor I've ever seen. Getting a good grade on his papers feels impossible. Not helpful through email and belittles you often. Seems to be a lazy grader as papers have very strict criteria that cannot be altered or you will lose points. I will never take one of his classes ever again.
Tough class and tough professor, doctor my bad. Attendance isn't mandatory and I don't recommend showing up because he goes too quickly through the notes, so do it on your own time at your own pace. Tests include many questions in so little time. Papers are tough because he wants you to do it his way, so prove what you're capable of. Good luck.
The media and society class was useless to a disrespectful degree. Instead of focusing on relevant events (and subsequent ethics/discussions), this course pushes "academia" in the form of mere trivia, focusing on meaningless vocabulary and timelines (ex: on an exam, we had to memorize the order in which marvel characters were introduced...)
i took media and society online due to covid-19, so there's a chance bernabo may not be as god-awful in person, but it seems unlikely. lectures made absolutely no sense- he goes too fast to comprehend or take notes on. exam time limit is not nearly long enough- 1 hour for 100 multi-part q's. if you take this class... good luck- you'll need it lol
This is the most impersonal professor I have had so far at UMD. He is extremely rude and mean so if you have a question expect to be belittled. His exams make me want to take a long walk off a short pier. The time constraints of the exams are straight up unfair and the questions have tricky wording just to add salt to the wound. DONT TAKE HIS CLASS
I would not recommend taking this class with this professor if you do not absolutely have to. He is one of the rudest and least helpful professors I've ever had. I couldn't wait for the class to be over. Tests are super hard as you have to memorize a lot and his papers have to be done a very specific way otherwise you will loose lots of points.
Prides himself on the fact that students drop his course. Started the class with over 20 kids, and there were maybe 8 left at the most when I dropped. You have an assignment due 3 times a week, and they take hours to complete. Impossible to communicate with, is very unclear, condescending, and confusing to understand. This is a LIB ED! Not worth it
This class is super interesting and enjoyable if you like classes where you take notes and memorize for exams. Bernabo is a super hard grader though - if you don't write papers EXACTLY how he wants, you're not going to get a good grade on them. Exams are pretty easy (use quizlet and the textbook's chapter quizzes) as long as you study for them.
Never take him as a professor. He is completely rude. I had to miss one of my exams because I had to go home due to one of my dear friends death and he was rude about it and made me feel terrible. He tries to belittle you often. Never email him otherwise he will be rude. He is the hardest grader and made me fail because of it. DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS
probably the worst professor at UMD. He is the least understanding and is not flexible at all. Not personable at all. Complains about everything. Everything he teaches in class is not relevant to the homework, quizzes or papers. He is also has you write very confusing, irrelevant papers that have nothing to do with the class.
The best proffesor at UMD. He's clever and will make you work for your grade but you will truly learn. His lectures are interesting and informative. After completing an assignment he gives feedback and then students can REDO THE ASSIGNMENT and get the points back. He provides the best environment to learn. I have taken several classes with him.
DO NOT TAKE ANY OF HIS CLASSES. He is not personable whatsoever. He will make you feel belittled and stupid. If you dont do things exactly the way he wants them you can pretty much expect to fail. By far the worst prof. I have ever had its not even close
not a very good professor. offers very few points outside of the papers & extensive tests, which is too bad because he grades his papers questionably. lectures are not interesting - mostly reciting vocabulary from the textbook. probably the least flexible prof i had this semester. seems like a nice guy, just wouldnt take his course again.
Wouldn't take again
Tough grader on papers
This professor blames students for his own mistakes and will yell at the class even if he was the one who messed up. My friend also said he smells like corn chips
One of the best profs I have had at UMD. The only assignments in this class were 5 paragraph papers about every other week. He grades heavy on participation so it will help you out in the end to go to class and talk. He allows you to rewrite all of your papers to earn back points. Although tests were tough, I highly recommend this professor.
book is needed, homework and quizzes in the book. I enjoyed the class, some days were boring but always informed of the class schedule. like 4 tests, 2 papers, 10-question quizzes, and some poles. pretty easy class and interesting.
Very tough grader, be ready to study and know the terms. If you want to pass go to class.
Constantly "connecting" the conversation to a completely different show/movie/play which is confusing. Grades really hard and only sometimes gives feedback, has to be like he wrote it or it wont be 100%. This semester was on Game of Thrones, aka watching at least 6 hours of tv as homework every week. Tests are HARD trivia questions about the show.
The tests are extremely odd and the content of the tests are scattered and random. I feel like I study and review many things for the tests and still feel confused when test day arrives. You are also given a timeline for every chapter and need to arrange them in order for tests, which is a total pain.
He NEVER does any sort of greeting whatsoever, he just hops straight into the material which I personally thought was very impersonable. Other than that tho his exams are pretty easy if you make quizlets and attend lectures. The essays are easy if you READ THE RUBRIC and view the other resources. Overall, I enjoyed the class and would recommend it.
very easy papers (read rubrics!!) and relatively easy exams if you make quizlets. attendance isnt mandatory but some info is only said in the lectures. very impersonal, not easily approachable, and has never once had any sort of welcome/introduction just straight into the lecture. I did enjoy this class and I would recommend him to others.
Give him WHAT HE WANTS,do NOT submit assignments late. before taking this class teach yourself what Contention,Negative harms,affirmative side,negative side, Affirmative harms, Significance of the harms,Solvency, Solvency attack, Plan attack,Rebuttal,Cross x questions,Signposting,Voting issues,Alternative casualty, and Case side are.A little petty
bernabo is not great... he goes super fast, and sometimes makes you feel stupid. he is a tough grader and is very particular when it comes to formatting.
He is a tough grader but he is EXTREMELY clear with directions. Literally as long as you follow his instructions you will get a decent grade. Tests have random weird questions, but honestly if you just know the vocab and timelines you will usually get a good grade.
A couple of major essays. I suggest taking notes during the lectures, always. Keep retaking the practice quizzes online to know the vocab definitions and important event timelines, it really helps for the exams. I learned a lot in this course but it kind of wasn't worth all the effort I put into it.
He is very condescending, over half the class drops it. Does not communicate well. When you do reach out he belittles you and makes you feel stupid for not knowing what's going on even though he cannot communicate clearly. He complains a bunch and blames the class. Lot's of homework, and does not explain things simply. I do not recommend taking.
Bernabo is difficult. His lectures dont make sense and he doesn't ever respond to emails. When he does, he tells you to look at canvas. I dropped his class because he was not helpful. Beware of him.
attendance is not mandatory but he goes over things in lecture that is not in the text. he has clear grading on papers but you must follow them exactly. you can get a good grade if you study the terms given. 2 extra credits opportunities given so take them they are easy. make sure to take notes
I hated this class. I do not recommend taking this class. The class was horrible I hated every second of it
If you get your stuff done and stay on top of what assignments are given out it is a super manageable course. Study for the tests and don't expect to do amazing if you do not study. Just stay on top of your shit and you'll be fine.
Do everything in your power to NOT have this professor. He doesn't give ANY good or nice feedback on papers, assignments, or exams. Hes very fast in lectures and almost gets mad when you ask questions or raise your hand. I took his media and society class and I wish I never did. The class was boring as is and him being the professor wasn't helpful.
Professor Bernabo was a tough grader, on the papers he scrutinized your paper and and rubric, so please read the rubric over a good couple of times and make sure your paper meets every requirement to a T. There was a decent amount of things only discussed in class that were on the already difficult exam, so I'd recommend going to class.
pros: - interesting at times - you can rewrite papers - responds to emails very quickly cons: - grading for online discussion posts seemed arbitrary and harsh - if you do not participate you will not do well in class - you will need to know way too much history for a comm class. I felt we talked more about history than media/rhetoric
I took his Comm and Pop Culture class reading/watching Bridgerton. Classes were purely discussion-based with essays following the completion of each series and book with one Midterm and final. He provides good critiques and allows rewrites. The workload got tough with the readings but if you keep up and write good rhetorical analyses you'll do fine
(taken for COMM 1112) Lawrance was very funny and his classes where something I wanted to go to. He is a big yapper though so don't expect all his story to have a point (which I liked imo). He will critique you're speech in front of other classmates (so they can fix their speech) so if you don't like public criticism id say avoid him. GOAT'ed tho
Professor Bernabo's class is challenging but manageable if you stay on top of things. Read the rubrics closely and take notes in lectures - they're crucial for exams. Supplement your studies with tools like Unstuck AI to prep more efficiently. Overall, it's a worthwhile class.
Do not take this professor. He rushes through the entire PowerPoint, and he posts no study resources. Be ready for questions on the quiz about things he talked about on ONE slide. He is not open to answering questions, and he is not respectful. If you take media and society, practice for tests by doing the textbook quizzes.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
29%
Textbook Required
22%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.94 avg changeRatings by Course
COMM1120
5.0
(1)COMM1222
5.0
(1)COMM0000
4.5
(2)COMM3612
4.0
(4)COMM001
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
COMM1600
4.5
COMM3595
4.0
COMM1500
3.9
1500
3.8
COMM3612
3.5