TAKE HIM! Matt is my absolute favorite prof thus far. He's very knowledgeable. Class is discussion based & he keeps it interesting. Reading quizzes at least once a week; they are one question, but easy. He is very flexible & willing to work with you whenever you ask. Gives question pool before every exam, which are short answer.

OMG BEST PROFESSOR EVER! take him take him take him take him TAKE HIM! He's so sweet and honestly cares about his students! You couldn't ask for any more in a professor!

I loved having Matt as a professor. Class readings were tough, but he was always willing to help and answer any questions. Take him! I'm trying to get him as my prof again before I graduate!

Matt is a great professor and an excellent advisor. I don't think he has the ability to be mean. He is so nice and easy to get along with and easy to understand. Has such a vested interest in sociology and therefore makes his students have one as well. Reading every class period and quizzes on the reading but are simple if you read.

This man is wonderful. He is an incredible professor who obviously cares about his students and his teachings. He will learn your name and is willing to further discuss anything you're interested in, and is always willing to help. The material is very interesting, and will only be difficult if you don't read. Completely recommended.

He is the best professor I've had since coming to JMU. He knows what he is talking about and he explains it with great clarity. And he's an overall likable person... so you want to come to class. I really hope to take him again at some point. I learned a lot. His class did require A LOT of reading though; so be prepared so that.

Matt was a great teacher! His class was both interesting and easy! There was some reading involved but not bad at all. He was SO nice and helpful. I would definitely recommend him!!

Matt was the best professor I've had here at JMU. I'm not a sociology major and I learned more in his class than any other class I've taken. Every student should take Matt at some point during his/her college career. He genuinely wants students to succeed. Love him!

Matt is such a GREAT professor! I have never had a nicer professor that really cares about how I do in his class. 3 tests, one 7-10 pg. paper and quizzes almost every class BUT they are SUPER easy! all you have to do is keep up with the readings he schedules. He really keeps your attention in class. GREAT GUY! VERY INTERESTING CLASS! TAKE HIM!!!

Super smart, funny and interesting. Keeps class and material fun and really wants you to do the best you can. Study well for the exams becuase he gives you the answers before in the study guide. Quiz every class but SUPER easy one question and every point you get counts as a grade point totalling 100 at the end. Perfect professor!

Matt is by far my favorite professor I have ever had in my 4 years at JMU. He is the reason I picked up a SOCI minor and I wish I could have taken him for every course of my college career. He is extremely passionate, truly cares about his students, and makes learning fun. The things he has taught me have honestly changed my life!

Matt is an AWESOME professor - one of my favorites at JMU. I loved taking this class with him! He cares a lot about students and wants them to do well.

Most passionate and interesting professor I've ever taken. I declared a minor in sociology because of this man

Most enthusiastic teacher I have ever had. I'm a guy and I thoroughly enjoyed gender sociology. All the topics he chooses are very interesting and the class is mostly discussion based.

LOVE him. LOVE the class. I have never had a class change my life like gender & society did. I recommend it to everyone- even if it's just as an elective! It will make going to college actually worth it. JUST DO IT.

Matt is one of the few professors at JMU that I actually genuinely love to just talk to. I came into this class very anti-feminist and left with my own views and he respected that! He doesn't want to train robots and loves hearing other opinions. And the class itself is easy to do well. Don't get a lot of classes that are easy and interesting.

Professor Ezzell is fabulous. I am a psych major with only a slight interest in sociology, but it ended up being one of my favorite classes. This had everything to do with Professor Ezzell. If you do the readings and come to class, it is an easy A. I definitely recommend taking this class!

Matt is seriously one of the best professors that I have ever had. This class is so incredibly eye opening and Matt is so enthusiastic about this information. Such a great, personable, funny guy. 5 papers, pretty easy quizzes on the readings, 3 short answer questions on the final. Seriously, take this! :)

Matt is the most amazing professor I have ever taken at JMU. I have never had such an inspirational class than his on Soci of Gender. I wanted to take him for my senior seminar & am absolutely devastated that I can't. You have to read for this class but its relevant & interesting. He will change your perspective on life I wish I could retake it!!

Matt doesn't see learning as ending in the classroom. As a past student Matt and I continue to email about articles - this is the sign of an amazing educator!

I took his senior seminar on interpersonal violence and have never been more moved by a class. He is an amazing facilitator, very knowledgeable, and extremely caring for his students. The subject matter was tough at times, but the overall amount wasn't too overwhelming. He really cares about his students and the subject, so TAKE HIM if you can!!

Very respect students and very amazing professor. Gives good feedback. Also he checked the work by plagramme plagiarism checker. He is very serious about plagiarism.

Ezzell is one of my favorite professors. He loves the subject matter and the whole class is mainly discussion, he doesn't just talk at you. There's reading and you take a one-question quiz for attendance, then you discuss the reading. He makes the content SO easy to understand, and he's so friendly. I most appreciated how unbiased he is. TAKE HIM.

Ezzell makes this class approachable without being condescending or too "Debbie-downer"ish. he sends out reading notes for each paradigm and there's a reading quiz every class for one point. five papers, that aren't too difficult. enjoyed this class immensely.

Ezzell is great. His class is pretty inspirational, he's hilarious, a very helpful professor, and the class itself wasn't too hard, especially because it was so interesting. I truly enjoyed going to this class and looked forward to it. Pretty heavy amount of reading, but all interesting stuff. Lots of one point quizzes, two exams.

My favorite professor my entire college career (I'll be a senior in the fall). This man is as great as they come in the world of academia. Very helpful, very inspirational. Definitely learned a lot. 5 papers that are enjoyable to write, one point quizzes every day, and lots of reading. Come to class, participate, and learn. Take if you can!

such a great person! Made you really think. I took his class online and he still had a great impact on my learning and made the topic super interesting. I've heard great things about his in class lecture too.. so take him online or in class but just TAKE HIM

I 100% recommend taking Prof. Ezzel! Although I took the class online he really tried to engage with students. We had 2-3 readings each weekday accompanied by some short discussion posts and responses. Some short papers based on video clips were due over the weekend. The course material was extremely interesting and Ezzel provided great feedback!

He is probably the best teacher in the department. He's openly feminist but engages all issues well, and teaches sociological standpoints effectively. The class isn't hard but you do learn a lot and there is some work involved. Do the readings. Keep notes, go to class. Ezzell is super fun! I very strongly recommend his class.

Ezzell cares about what you learn and wants to make lessons as clear as possible-- often sending extra notes and open discussion classes. He's not there to give harsh grades but to test your engagement with the material. He is one of the best professors JMU has to offer with strong allyship skills and helps answer hard q's about race and gender wel

Matt is literally the best professor I've ever had. He genuinely cares about his students and wants you to actually learn rather than obsess over grades. I have taken several of his classes and have learned more from him than all my professors combined. He teaches real stuff and doesn't shy away from hard topics. Truly an inspiration to everyone.

Ezzell is SUCH an amazing teacher! There are nightly readings, with a quiz each class period, but they only count for one point and are super duper easy. He prepares you SO well for exams and is honestly one of the best teachers at JMU. Highly, highly recommend taking this class! Amazing!!

This man is the most incredible professor I have ever had. He has changed who I am and the way I see the world. There is no amount of good words that could ever explain how amazing of a teacher Ezzell is. No matter what your major or your course requirements are, TAKE THIS CLASS WITH THIS TEACHER. It will literally change your life.

By far the best teacher I have EVER had including outside of JMU. He's brilliant and knows what he's talking about, makes the lectures engaging and interesting, and is incredibly clear and fair with his assignments and grading. I would take this class again in a heartbeat. He literally made me want to be a Sociology major. 10/10 recommend.

Ezzell is an incredible professor. I have seriously learned more from this class than I have from any other class at JMU. It is clear that he cares about his students and wants to hear their opinions, even if they are different from his. Very approachable person; I can't say enough great things about him and this class! Take it!

Dr. Ezzell is simply incredible. If you are lucky enough to get in this class, you'll love it. He makes you WANT to come to class and learn. Exams are essay format but he gives you the prompts beforehand, and attendance is taken in the form of a 1 question mini-quiz each class. You'll love him and the material.

Ezzell is the very best- if you have the opportunity, TAKE HIS CLASS!!! He is so positive, inspiring, nice, caring, & has opened my mind to ideas I never could have imagined. I feel like I've REALLY learned something and can make a difference with my new knowledge. Best class ever. TONS of reading but it's SO worth it and not too bad otherwise!

Took online and there was a lot of writing and reading involved but was manageable. He gives really good feedback about why you received the grade that you did. I got by without doing most of the readings and still did really well. He lets you express your opinion and will give you a good grade even if it is not the same as his. Great class.

TAKE THIS CLASS. Matt is honestly one of the most amazing professors I've had at JMU so far. Interesting readings. Everyday there is a one question quiz on the reading but as long as you skim you're fine. 5 short response papers. He is amazing and so is this class.

He is by far the greatest professor I've ever had in my entire life. The readings are really interesting and there's a simple quiz on them at the beginning of each class, just to test if you read it. His class discussions are always eye opening and he encourages class participation but it's not required. I highly recommend him.

I have never loved a professor more or learned more in a class.

The best professor I have had hands down, I was nervous to take this class and he was extremely passionate and made the class interesting and truly cares about his students. Makes the class enjoyable for all.

I've had Ezzell before, and I loved him so much that I asked him to supervise my independent study. Exceptional as always. Very remarkable, and truly a gem in such a tough school. Take him for any class you can, you won't regret it! Best of all, he really loves his students and wants them to succeed. Can't say that about many other professors!

Best professor at JMU. 200 is a theory-heavy course, which can make it dry or dense, but Matt tries to make it as fun as possible and genuinely wants you to have a grasp on the topics. Need to read to pass the daily quizzes (1 question each), but you couldn't have a better professor to teach this class than Matt.

HANDS DOWN BEST PROFESSOR. He is extremely knowledgable, passionate and cares so much about each student. His lectures were so inspiring TAKE HIM HE IS THE BEST

BEST PROFESSOR I HAVE EVER HAD. Seriously everyone should take his class it's literally life changing as I now have a different perspective on so many things. There's a one question quiz every class so you have to read but not bad at all. He's such a sweet man who really cares about his students. I contemplated switching my major because of him!

This class literally changed how I look at everything in my life. Everyone ever should take this class. He is so nice and accommodating to everyone's opinions. Quizzes were super easy and review sessions are provided the class before a test. Final was online. Everything in this class taught me something relevant to culture and society

The single best course I ever took at JMU. This class truly changed the lives of everyone in it, no exaggeration. He provided so much information and insight into the BLM movement and racism in America, and made the class interactive so that we could talk and read about things that interested us. I can't stress enough how much you should take this!

This was the best class I've ever taken and it was taught by an absolutely amazing person. I not only feel more intelligent and passionate, but inspired to learn more and be active. If you don't have a chance to take a class with Matt, try to at least have a conversation with him because your JMU experience won't be complete unless you meet him.

BEST PROFESSOR AT JMU. TAKE HIS CLASS. One of the few professors at this campus that actually teaches your the material instead of reading off books and power points. Very nice and awesome professor!

I rarely rate professors on this site but I had to show professor Ezzell some love! Best professor I have ever had at JMU. Actually teaches you the material instead of reading off boring lectures. JUST STRAIGHT UP AWESOME. TAKE HIM IF HES AVAILABLE

100% the best professor at JMU. Don't think, just take him!

Hands down best professor I've ever had in my entire life. If you show up to class and do most of the readings you should be good!

The best professor I have ever had. Genuinely cares and wants you to do well. Coming to class is enjoyable, and I skip frequently. Tbh would marry him.

Dr. Ezzell is honestly one of the best professors I've ever had. Class is mainly quizzes, and ARP's-- which aren't hard at all. He's also very understanding and wants everyone to pass the class with at least a B. I also missed a lot of class and still made it out with a B-

Matt is the best, kindest, most understanding professor I have ever had and probably will ever have. One question quizzes before class everyday on the readings but they aren't difficult... he wants you to succeed and don't let the quizzes and reading be a reason not to take the class... it is totally worth it and you'll feel smarter after.

Matt is by far the professor I've had at JMU. He is willing to go the extra mile to help any student succeed and makes every lecture interesting. He is a very fair grader and doesn't care about trivial things but he looks for critical thinking and honest thoughts from his students. I was challenged without being stressed out and l learned a ton!

Matt is my most favorite professor here at JMU. He genuinely cares about all of his students and he is so easy to talk to. He makes a space where you can feel comfortable talking about difficult subjects without ever making you feel like your comments are not important. I highly recommend any class with him because he is just amazing.

One of my favorite professors here at JMU!!! I am a Sociology major but he is still one of my professors of all time! So engaging and brings real world material into class everyday. Take his class and you will learn so much. One question quiz everyday but just skim the readings and you will do fine.

One of the best professors at JMU. Matt truly loves what he's teaching and has the experience in the field to back it up. There is a fair amount of reading in his class but it is all incredibly interesting material. He does easy one question quizzes each day on the material you read before class. He will inspire a love for sociology!!

Matt is amazing. He is compassionate and cares about his students doing well in the course. He works to ensure that everyone understands the material. Its almost impossible to fail his class. If you are failing that means you did not try at all. If you put in the effort, he will meet you half way. Take him, its worth it!

There's a reason Matt is one of the top rated profs at JMU. His class wasn't exactly an easy A, but so long as he could see you were honestly trying he would do anything to help you succeed. So understanding and attentive to each student's needs, both inside class and out. Even if you're not a SOCI major, please dear god take one of Matt's classes.

Hands down my favorite professor at JMU. He is one of the nicest and most genuine professors I have ever met. I enjoyed going to class as he kept lectures extremely interesting, engaging, and relatable. You're crazy if you don't take a class with him, you won't regret it.

There is not one single negative comment to give Matt. He is the most caring professor I have ever met. He acknowledges that students have many outside commitments other than school. He is always willing to help you no matter the issue, even if it's not class-related. There are a lot of readings but they are very interesting! You won't get bored!

Honestly one of the best people Ive ever known, let alone professors. They are deeply invested in the success and competence of their students and is always available to help out even if the work isnt for his class. They usually have a quiz for 1-3 points at the beginning of classes on the most recent reading so attendance is mandatory for 100%.

It's asynchronous (he doesn't even record lectures) which sucks because I kinda missed out on a great professor and it makes it textbook heavy. He has always been available through email. You can tell he is a nice and funny guy. The class itself is easy and interesting: one discussion post a week and a few papers. I recommend him.

AWESOME PROFESSOR!! it was a relatively easy class and he posted lecture notes every week which was so nice. I talked to him a few times outside of class and he was always considerate. One of the best teachers at JMU!! dont be afraid to talk to him!

Matt is the best professor! He genuinely cares so much about his students. He leaves the kindest feedback on every single assignment. It's a fair amount of reading, but it's all so interesting that I didn't mind. Absolutely take him if you can.

Dr. Ezzell is by far my fav college prof ever! He is so amazing in his lectures and reading notes overviews of the readings we do. It is a lot of reading, but you will learn so much, and he gives great feedback! Learned abt things that actually applied to the real world! Wait to buy the books, as he supplied PDF versions of 2 of 3 required books.

Professor Ezzell is the nicest guy ever. His feedback is always super encouraging and thoughtful. He reads every post, and takes every comment into consideration. The class was asynchronous, so it had a lot of reading, but he made up for it by the discussion forums he posted where he interacted with us. Very reachable outside of class as well!

I loved this class. Some of the material was boring, but he was great at getting me to pay attention and understand. Like the clips and movies, he chose for us to look at from a different perspective was great and he took the time to read whatever you wrote and commented on it so you knew he read it. I would take him for every class, he was great!!

TAKE HIM!! Matt is the most amazing professor who genuinely cares about all of his students. Go to his office hours cause he LOVES interacting with students and talking to them about the material! It's a lot of reading, but well worth it because the content was so rewarding. 5 short essays and discussion posts every week based on the readings.

As always, this class with Matt was a pleasure. Kindest and most caring human on earth. Definitely take any classes with him that you possibly can, he is brilliant and the classes are always eye-opening / life-changing!!!

Without a doubt the best professor Ive ever had. A refreshing perspective on the world and unless you are sleeping in class it is really hard not to learn something new every time youre in his classroom. He is unbelievably caring and even though attendance isnt really required, you wont want to miss it.

Professor Ezzell is genuinely the kindest human being I have ever met. He is the only professor I have ever had that genuinely cares for the well being of his students. The class material was a little heavy but he did a great job of making sure we all understood it. After finishing this class I feel like I have a great understanding of the material

Ezzell is the best man I have ever met. Simply taking his class will make you a better thinker and person. Enjoy.

I love this man so much!! If you have the opportunity to take a class with him, PLEASE do! He is truly a gem and the best prof Ive ever had. So incredibly kind and understanding, and I learned so much from his class. I dont have enough good things to say about him.

Dr. Ezzell is the highest rated at JMU for a reason. Ezzell is not only extremely helpful inside and outside of class, but he also does so much prep work for this class for students benefit by taking core reading ideas and summarizing or dumbing down in announcements on canvas. He is a must-take! The A was easy IMO but it is a paper-heavy course.

Matt is truly a joy!!! I highly recommend that everyone tries to take at least one class with him. 337 was an incredible class, and he was so engaged and engaging, even online. This was my second class and he is the most compassionate and intelligent professor I have ever had. Literally couldn't say enough good things about him!!

Professor Ezzell is one of the best professors ever at JMU. This online class was so interesting. The online class consisted of discussion board posts which count as your attendance, readings, and papers. The papers are easy and not graded off grammar. Professor Ezzell gives back amazing feedback, and you will love taking this class.

Matt is one of my favorite professors I have taken at JMU. He is very passionate about what he teaches and really cares about his students. Would definitely recommend taking him for any sociology course.

Dr. Ezzell is legitimately one of the best professors you'll ever have. He is extremely considerate and actually makes an attempt to connect with the class. He is a generous grader and is always willing to help. Highly recommend this class!

The BEST sociology professor at JMU (and in general). He is such an awesome guy and his classes are a breeze. Reach out to him out of class and he'll make sure you get into the sociology classes you want. Attendance is based on one question quizzes in person each day and classes are lecture based.

Professor Ezzell is very passionate about his career and his students success. I took his SOCI140 class my first semester and I'm so happy I did. He gets kids to think about society and people in a different perspective. There are multiple papers throughout the course and as someone who doesn't like to write, I really didn't mind any of them.

Great professor and great course. You can pass the quiz by skimming reading and sometimes even by title of the readings. Difficult class to get into during enrollment but he does grant overrides if you write a compelling email and send it in early.

Dr. Ezzell is the reason I added a sociology minor. He is so caring and passionate, this class was the highlight of my week. There were a few essays, but he gave us class time off to complete them, and they were graded very easily. I was between two grades and I reached out to him, he allowed me to make up quizzes I missed to up my grade. Take him!

Literally one of the nicest and most understanding professors I've had at my time here at JMU. There are multiple readings for each class but you really don't need to read them. I didn't read a single thing and still got through the class and understood most things. If you can, take him!

Great guy. I didn't always agree with his standpoints, but he's super respectful of everyone's opinions, even if he doesn't agree with yours. He's clearly super, super passionate about what he's teaching and goes over important global issues. 3 papers, one test, daily quizzes on the readings. I recommend him to anyone passionate about sociology

This class and Dr.Ezzell is amazing. He is so willing to help his students and is so reasonable about everything. He genuinely cares about all of his students and their well being. Super easy class even if you aren't super into Sociology.

One of my favorite professors. So knowledgeable and his lectures are very interesting. You have a one-question reading quiz every day, but they are very straightforward. The workload is not too heavy and all of the assignments are graded on completion (as long as you follow the rubric). The final isn't hard. Definitely recommend, loved this class.

Dr. Ezzell is one of the most kind and thoughtful professor I have ever had. I've taken three of his courses because I loved them so much. Participation matters , they are mostly discussion based which is a great way to express yourself and learn about other ideas and concepts. His classes give you many different perspectives of everyday life.

Absolutely LOVE Ezzell!! He is the best professor ever! There are quite a bit of readings. 0 exams except the final (online). 3 mini analytic reflection papers, and a sociological diary paper! All of those were super easy! I recommend taking some notes on the readings as you will need them for the mini papers. Best Professor!!

Matthew Ezzell is such a nice guy. I took his 4 week Summer class online and the content was interesting, manageable and he always gave thoughtful feedback on assignments and discussion posts. Its easy to tell that he cares about his students and will do what it takes to make the class experience better for everyone. I 100% recommend Prof Ezzel!

Seriously, an amazing professor. A lot of readings, but they're all really informative and interesting to read.

My favorite professor I've had. Very engaging teacher and really cares about the students.

The sweetest. Some left bias, but the class is all about social issues. 1% of grade every attendance (can do from home w a friend in class). 3 short papers + online final. Easy A. Prof Ezzell really cares about everyone and making a positive difference. Teaches great lessons that will change the way you think. A wonderful human - coming from a dude

Amazing professor! You can truly tell that he cares about the topics he teaches, and about his student's well-being/mental health. He has a modern view of homework/testing, which is hard to find, and he understands that students have other classes and things outside of school. I would 100000% recommend this class/anything else he teaches!

Matt Ezzell has been my favorite professor this semester. We never had a test, just one-question quizzes that required a code he only gave out in class, but they were one question and easy. He doesn't post the slides on Canvas, unfortunately, but when asked, he will email them to you. Total of 5 papers in the course, but fairly easy to complete.

During my 4 years at JMU, I have never had a professor make me feel as cared for and seen as Matt has. Every time we entered the class, he made sure to ask us how we were feeling and if there was anything we wanted to discuss before diving into the class material. 5 easy essays, no tests, and a one-question easy quiz before each class. LOVE MATT!

Dr. Ezzell is a fantastic and caring teacher, 100% would take his class again. He assigns a LOT of reading, but he tries to make sure they're all things students can access for free online. He does everything he can to support his students and is generally just the nicest guy.

Amazing class. Matt really cares about all his students. 5 essays, 1 final. 1q quiz daily on but can miss 2. Doesnt give great notes but goes over all the readings in class so not 100% necessary to read, but atleast skim or find an overview. Class topic kinda boring but required for some majors and minors and would recommend him to take for it.

Matt is amazing and cares so much about sociology. He makes it interesting and I found myself applying what we learned in class to my every day life. I ended with a 99.67% and there is a quiz every day but it is literally just one question. The papers were pretty simple and the only test was the final exam. Great class and I highly recommend.

Matt is kind, caring, and passionate about sociology. He encouraged discussion, let students lead, connected theory to real life, and promoted inclusivity. The workload was engaging, thought-provoking, and manageable. He was very accessible, treated all students with respect, acknowledged diverse strengths, and forever changed how I see the world!