intro to public speaking. mcgarrity is the best professor. 6 quizzes (easy multiple choice) and he only takes ur 4 highest scores. and then three main speeches. the way he sets up the class makes it very easy to succeed. reading not mandatory and no homework really. this class was awesome and i learned so much. i now dont mind public speaking!

McGarrity is a handsome and great professor. He makes the class entertaining while still keeping seriousness in the class. He's very passionate due to his experience in the field. He has a background of comedy, so he has a good sense of humor. This is a class that is easy to get a good grade on as long as you put some effort into it. TAKE THIS

God created speech. Matt Mcgarrity perfected it.

McGarrity=the greatest public speaking carrot to ever walk the earth. If you want a fun and interesting class and don't mind losing all dignity and shyness, then his Public Speaking course is right for you.

One of my favorite teachers - I really want to have him again. This professor made me want to attend class each and every day by making public speaking exciting and entertaining.

Great speaker (obviously). I personally didn't go to lectures because I didn't feel that you can't "teach" speaking. Just practice your speeches and follow the coursepack. It's an easy class overall. Be grateful if you can beat everyone to it during registration.

The class is easy enough, but listening to the man is an absolute chore because he is under the impression that he is Jon Stewart. Literally, he will try and make the same jokes that he hears on the daily show in class, apparently he doesn't realize that college students are the daily show's biggest demographic. Other than that its a good class.

Really a good teacher. Really cares about teaching and makes getting a good grade VERY possible. I would take another one of his classes in a second.

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He makes the class lectures very fun and it seems like time goes by pretty fast. He throws in good humor, and it is an excellent speaker. IF your good at public speaking before a 4.0 is easy. If your not too good, he will make you better and depending on your effort, you can still get a 4.0. not a lot of work involved.

Really care about his students! Good sense of humor, makes class entertaining. He makes it pretty easy to become a great public speaker, and get a good grade at the same time!

Awesome class! He was hilarious during lecture and he made me want to learn more about public speaking. His lectures were very simple, hardly any notes, and interesting. I liked all the video clips. I look forward to take this other classes!

He is seriously the best teacher I have ever had. He makes lectures very easy to comprehend and gives you steps for success. He is hilarious and obviously a genius and I would take any class from him.

He is a great teacher who loves what he does. One of the very few professors who make going to class fun. This is the one class I would recommend, and I'm an engineering major.

great teacher! Really helps students improve in their public speaking

Prof. McGarrity is hands down the best professor I have had at UW. He is very enthusiastic and teaches well. Public speaking has never been so much fun! You are given every tool/training to succeed in this class. Highly recommended!

Professor McGarrity was great, this man was born to teach. He is passionate and he knows what he's talking about. He's very personable and I would recommend him to my friends.

Professor McGarrity is one of the best professors I've had the UW. His class on Public Speaking is not only fun and interesting, but I feel like the public speaking skills I learned will be relevant no matter what career I go into. McGarrity rocks.

He's definitely a fun professor. Born to speak! Light readings involved and the quizzes are easy as long as you pay attention to main points in class and in the readings. If you meet with him personally he's always in a rush but sections were fun and this class definitely helped me with my Public Speaking skills. I highly recommend his class!

Class is interesting and enjoyable! I have never laughed so much during lecture in my life! Quizes are easy as long as you pay attention in lecture and do the reading (light). My public speaking skills definitely improved. I highly recommend this class!

AMAZING class and AMAZING professor! Matt McGarrity is among my favorite at UW so far! Public speaking is a passion of mine, but there were people in my section scared to DEATH of it. However, by the end of the quarter they were able to get in front of Red Square without any issues. You learn so much! EVERYBODY should take this class!

Missed 4 points total on quizzes and 2 points on homework. Missed about 10 points on each speech (speech grading is rediculously hard). Never went to lecture a single time and got a 3.1. No one in my section did much better on speeches. Its a very low-effort required class if you just need the credit and a low 3.0 is all you need like me.

Just show up for quiz sections. You basically don't need to go to lecture, most of the stuff is on the course website. In order to get an A in this class you literally only have to invest like 10 hours total. Just practice your speeches a few times and go to the speaking centre and you will be fine.

Took this Summer Quarter & McGarrity actually made me want to come to class. He's entertaining (used to be a comedian) & is extremely helpful in public speaking. If you take COM220 take it with him.

Busy doing his UW Public Speaking course on Coursera. Even though I am not in his physical classroom, he is still exceptional.

I am doing this course on coursera (Introduction to public speaking). Excellent course, excellent teacher and public speaker. I am totally happy I have enrolled as this already has been and will be VERY helpful in my life and work. THANK YOU!

Entertaining and very informative - this is how all learning should be!

Great teacher! Very funny, engaging, and intelligent. I would go to the University of Washington just to take his class!

The class is hard. I have been debating all through high school and yet I almost always fell in the average score. The speeches are graded on a very difficult scale. The class overall is very helpful but I wouldn't recommend it if you have a loaded quarter. Not your typical 5 credit VLPA.

"This class rewards practice and punishes apathy" I received high marks on my speeches but it is by no means an easy class. It requires a fair amount of effort. Regardless of grades, it is a character building class and the skills you learn will help you beyond the class. I have never laughed so hard in a class before. Great professor, great class.

Excellent lecture with great opportunities for application. Take this class. You'll learn and become a much better speaker. Your content and delivery for speeches will improve. Tough grading with very high expectations. This is not an easy 4.0. No textbook. Only an online course reader.

Matt is incredible and hilarious. This course helped me get over a fear of public speaking and now I'm tutoring in the Speaking Center. The grading criteria is very clear, but it is difficult to get an A -- you have to put in the time to practice. It is definitely a rewarding, character building course. Greatest Prof I've ever had!

Lecture and material was very interesting. Qz sections are really fun and gives you a lot of practice. Grading is very hard and strict. The speaking center is only good in terms of practicing on delivery. Went to Speaking center a lot more than the average student and still received a below average grade. Class is more about content than delivery

Good lecturer, you can learn a lot from his class. But if you are looking for a good grade, you need to pay more effort for that. Overall, he is a really good professor!!!

The class was a nice change of pace from regular paper test classes. This class has taught me some valuable public speaking skill.

This is not an easy A and you can't BS. You have to put in the work or it will show. But otherwise Matt is the best prof at UW imo. Since it's a public speaking class he's obviously a good speaker and is very clear, direct, and effective at teaching. This will get you ready for anything in life and it's a very helpful class for all majors.

He's one of the more entertaining lecturer's you'll ever have and he's really, really good at teaching this class. The only downside is that the grading is tough. He forces the average grades for the best and worst quiz sections to only be a percentage or two apart, which means that getting a really good grade on anything is tough.

Outlines the exact grading criteria and allows you to compare your assessment of examples to how he actually grades. Keeps interest with humor.

Matt is definitely a good speaker. Knows what he is saying. However, his grading scale needs to be more feasible. It's kinda tough. One thing he does well is making everyone feel comfortable in his class. Although, public speaking can be nerve wrecking sometimes.

Matt is a great speaker who shares experience with others. This is probably the closest I've ever got to know such a good speaker. He often gives examples of great speakers in the past such as JFK or some other presidents. His TAs and speaking center are also very helpful, especially when they tape you while you are speaking.

McGarrity is a great public speaker and actually makes lectures interesting. Clicker questions are counted (you'll get 100% just for participating), he allows you to miss four lecture days without penalty. He is a tough grader though and it's hard to get an A on the bigger speeches.

Though he's a great speaker, his lectures are incredibly boring. You really don't need to attend quiz section unless its a speech day. Lectures are required due to clicker questions, but it's graded on participation. Would not recommend taking if it's not required for your major. Nobody has gotten a 100 on a speech so far.

If you ever have a chance to take his class, do it! Engaging lectures along with extremely clear and fair grading criteria. There are clicker questions every lecture but there is practically no homework. Quiz sections are not graded but extremely helpful if you choose to go. One of my favorite classes I've taken at UW.

hands down best class i ever took in uw

Take this class if you have the chance! Matt is a fantastic public speaker and provides very clear and fair grading criteria for the speeches. Clicker questions (100% for participation) and practically no homework. Quiz sections are not required but I wouldn't recommend missing them, they were extremely helpful.

Minimal work, only 3 speeches. Only hw you have is preparing for the speeched. Only a few of the quiz sections are graded, otherwise you dont need to go. PollEverywhere in lecture but graded off of participation. He is such a great lecturer and does an amazing job helping us to prepare out speeches. Its less scary than it sounds. Highley reccomend

Amazing

Great professor. Makes his lectures engaging and interesting. Very accessible and gives clear guidelines on how to succeed and improve your public speaking. I recommend this class heavily, even for non-communications majors.

Easy A if you have experience public speaking, but could push you if you're just getting started. Amazing practical lectures though! And the grade is pretty much 3 speeches, so if you put in the work and make them great, you'll do well.

This is a really interesting class but it is by no means an easy 4.0. Lectures are required (poll ev) but not necessary to do well in the class. Section is not required other than speech days. I would not reccomend this class if you don't like talking in front of crowds.

McGarrity is extremely caring of his students and his exams are word for word from his lectures so make sure to listen to those and take good notes. Concept papers and quizzes every week but fairly simple and doesn't take a lot of time at all. Talk to him outside of class about assignments or your grade, he's very reasonable and understanding.

The most enjoyable class I took during online spring q. Put in effort to make the modules and lecture recordings clear and engaging. Super accommodating towards end of quarter with all the outside circumstances. Genuinely cared about students' success and understanding of the concepts. Definitely going to take another class with him.

Professor McGarrity provides interesting lectures. He also makes his expectations for assignments extremely clear with rubrics that are very easy to follow. His instructions for assignments are specific and well-written. He makes the extra effort to ensure that his students understand what is expected of them.

I had this class online but the lectures were really fun and it was explained in a way where the concepts were very clear. The organization of the class structure online is overall pretty great. The assignments are pretty straightforward and also doesn't take a super long time to finish.

McGarrity is def one of the best profs at UW. His lectures were really interesting despite being online. Graded mainly on three speeches. I found the class very helpful and felt my public speaking actually improved. Not a super easy 4.0 but still very doable. Take a class with McGarrity before graduating if you can, seriously WORTH IT.

Professor McGarrity is an excellent lecturer. This class was high-quality and engaging despite the entirely remote/asynchronous format. The Canvas modules were very nicely organized and accessible. The weekly quizzes were super easy (provided that you do the modules) and the weekly papers were straightforward and graded generously.

Took this remotely because of covid and it was super well organized and expectations were very clear. I just took this class for the credits and am not interested in COM but it was still fairly interesting and not too hard.

Definitely very knowledgeable. However, you need to be on top of everything in order to follow along with his train of thought during lectures. Analyzing four debates that are expected to be watched multiple times can be a lot. Received a lot of feedback/critique on papers- looks for particular answers and explanations.

McGarrity is one of my favorite professors at UW. This is my second class with him, and in both courses he provided clear grading criteria, informative lectures and a pristinely organized course. There are 4 flows & debate papers with clear questions to answer + weekly quizzes. If you put in the time and don't procrastinate, you will do well.

I have had Professor McGarrity twice now, and both times his class was extremely well organized and clearly laid out. Absolutely one of my favorite professors I have encountered at UW. He does his best to keep lectures interesting, even though material can get a bit dull at times. Definitely take a class from him if you can.

I have taken both COM 200 and COM 234 with Dr. McGarrity now. He is one of the best professors I have ever had at the UW. He is kind and understanding, and his course expectations are clearly laid out. I will definitely be signing up for more classes with him!

Hes a nice professor but I did not expect to write four papers for an intro to com class. You need to actually learn the concepts and if you do you can do the papers/weekly quizzes and get a good grade. They arent graded too harshly it can just be time consuming.

Great lecturer and easy grader. Super manageable workloadweekly quizzes and four papers. He covers a bunch of areas within com, so you don't really get to dive into one particular area. Not the most interesting class, but helpful if you want to learn more about what UW's com department offers

The professor is really nice and clear in the material. It's easy to pass the class, there are like 4 speeches that you need to do and we had to record it due to COVID. The class wasn't interesting but it was doable, it's easy to get the work done.

Professor McGarrity was the most organized professor I've ever had. Everything you need can be found on his Canvas modules page. He's very kind & lectures are interesting, especially when he includes examples around current events or memes. Grading depends on your TA, but they grade pretty easily- just look at the syllabus & examples given in class

Prof is great, very organized and very outspoken. I also want to give a HUGE shoutout to my girl Erin Keoppen (COM234 TA). She is a great TA who gives good feedback and is always super helpful when you ask her questions. She is also efficient at grading and makes sure to include positive comments about our work. I wish all TAs were like her.

Nice, fun professor who knows his material. Very organized, its easy to understand the course expectations and homework instructions. The debate topics are relevant and interesting, and pair really well with my poly sci major. Offers several methods of attending class/accessing materials so that people can learn however they want during Covid.

I loved this professor, Matt is great at explaining concepts and an easy going teacher. He is also very understanding and will work with you. His assignments are very clear and honestly pretty easy once you understand the rubric. The book and lecture notes are very helpful for quizzes. 100000/10 would take again.

I am normally someone who would runs from public speaking but I decided to take this class on a whim. I really enjoyed it! It put me out of my comfort zone in a good way. The course content itself isn't hard at all as long as you write solid speeches. Highly recommend if you're scared about speaking in front of people!

Some of the lectures are a little boring sometimes, but he is very engaging and a great speaker (obviously, or he wouldn't be teaching public speaking). I highly recommend COM 220 with him.

Although grading was mainly done by TA's and you spend most of your time with them, Professor McGarrity did the lectures and was frankly amazing at doing so! Respectful professor who makes public speaking less intimidating. Highly recommend if you tend to run from public speaking :)

best COM professor at UW. Have taken 3 of his classes and he is very clear on how you can succeed in his courses. as long as you follow the rubric for papers you will do well.

This class is so fun! Debate topics are relevant and the readings are easy to understand/short articles. He even let us choose the last unit's topic! Lots of group discussion in class and assignments that really help understand content, but no tests. Matt is also funny and very passionate. Take this class!!

Such an amazing prof! McGarrity is very knowledgable and makes class very enjoable and valuable. Very good at giving lectures and makes sure they are relevant and interesting. Could not recommend more!

Easily one of the best professors I've had in the COM series. Engaging lecture speaker and classes are easy if you pay attention.

I came into this class wanting an elective I could take alongside my STEM courses, but it was more enjoyable than all of those combined! If you need any kind of elective at all, please take this class. I left feeling more confident in my debate skills and in general the class is low stress. Prof. Matt is an energetic lecturer, 100% recommend!!

You either enjoy debate or you don't. McGarrity clearly enjoys what he does and provides good visual examples and readings to go along with his lectures and the textbook. Light work load if you pay attention to the rubric and in class. We do talk about heated debates, and sometimes the class is strongly one sided. McGarrity is pretty unbiased.

Fairly straightforward class. We had quizzes every week and 3 papers due throughout the quarter. Those papers can be pretty hefty and I would write 13 pages at a time. Seems like a lot but the TAs are super leniant when it comes to grading and you don't need in-text citations. Overall a decent class

I really enjoyed taking public speaking with Matt even though I had a huge public speaking phobia. There's three total speeches you make over the course of the quarter and it's very well put together so that you're clear on what you need to focus on for each one. I went from shaking during my first speech to getting a perfect score on my final.

He's really interested in the topic of debate and his enjoyment is well shown in class, even though the class drags on a bit too long imo. The papers are fairly easy and should only take 2-3 hours for both debate flow and analysis respectively. He's pretty forgiving on attendance and it's all recorded so you can be flexible, grading is also good.

Might be the best prof at UW! Lectures are highly interesting even if they drag on at times, plenty of opportunities to speak in class, and the assignments are really something else. Workload may seem like a lot but it's quite manageble; there's no busywork! Grading is generous and criteria is well laid-out. Can not recommend more!

Matt is very funny and a very effective lecturer. Lectures used PollEverywhere for attendance, but going to lecture was bearable and helpful, especially for the impromptu speech. Sections are EXTREMELY HELPFUL! Literally practice as much as you can and you'll be good. He is very clear about expectations and nothing is a surprise. Great class!!!

MATT IS A HOMIE! Pretty interesting lectures, at least he makes them as interesting as public speaking can be. He's funny and very, very knowledgable. Super nice guy too, very approachable.

Matt might be the best prof at UW!! if you are REMOTELY interested in learning about debate, this class is for you. Definitely expect to put the work in, but as long as you attend lectures & sections you will come out of this course with a ton of awesome relevant skills that are going to benefit the rest of your academics and beyond

Professor McGarrity is hands-down the best professor at UW. He cares so much about his students and what he is teaching. This was my second class with him and I am looking for more classes he teaches. If you are at all thinking about this class I would 100% do it. It is very similar to COM220 with 3 speeches. Definitely recommend!

Entertaining lectures and he seems super into what he's teaching. Assignments aren't bad at all if you keep up with the readings and stuff.

He's very entertaining and provides many good examples and applications for the content. I would take another one of his classes in the future. There were lots of assigned readings and he encouraged class participation.

Lectures were very entertaining and time was used well. Your grade won't suffer if you miss up to 4 classes, but getting the lecture content is crucial for doing well on the speeches. Make sure you go to all your quiz sections too. The grading is fair and standardized across sections. It is a very useful skill-based class!

He's an amazing lecturer and engages the class on the subject material affectively without making his own political stances known, he made it clear at the beginning that if people within the classroom couldn't gauge where he stood politically he has done a good job. He is enthusiastic and easy to talk to and makes you feel heard and understood.

Light class, as long as you attend every lecture and take notes, you should be good. The Midterm and Final are straight from the lecture notes. He's pretty lenient on late work. Classes are long but not that boring.

Second class I've taken with this professor, great class! Not an easy A, but reasonable in difficulty for a college-level course. He's been teaching it for a while, so the course is really well paced and organized. The biggest thing to succeed in this class is starting papers early!

Professor overall had a really good and entertaining class, even though it was long. Show up to lectures for understanding and points. TA though sucked. Never responded to any emails to anyone, was an overly harsh grader with lackluster feedback. Always had to email the professor for any answers because the TA sucked so much.

Dr. McGarrity was a super interesting lecturer!! He's very passionate about debate and that reflects in his teaching!! There were three papers and the grading criteria is super straightforward. Midterm and final exam were not bad at all! If I needed to take another com class, I would take it with Dr. McGarrity!!!

There are 3 papers and 2 tests. The tests are legit the lectures worded into questions. You don't need to do the reading he is super clear on grading. Make sure to go to office hours if you are unclear on your flow or paper. Very easy class if you keep up with the work.

McGarrity is an incredible lecturer! Class is long but interesting and he gives a break halfway through. I highly recommend going to office hours before submitting the three papers/debate flows. Midterm and final are both very straightforward and he provides a study guide. Lectures are recorded but there are participation grades through PollEv.