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Great professor...really knows his stuff and makes class interesting...Had 1 paper, 1 midterm (all MC) and a final (MC and some written questions) and all were very reasonable...definatly recommend

The best class on campus by far!Definitely for all music lovers. He is very knowledgeable and FUNNY. The writing assignment and tests are not hard and he is a fair marker. He likes group discussions though, so be prepared with a convincing argument or he'll shoot it down.

This class freaking rocks my socks! I love it. Prof MacDonald is really good. He gives great notes and keeps everyone engaged in what they are learning. The essay is really easy, and the midterm was great too. Not sure about the final yet...that is tomorrow afternoon.

Really interesting and funny classes!! Three hour night classes fly by. Doesn't even feel like school. Most test material is taken straight from textbook, so if you read it, exams will be pretty straightforward. VERY interesting classes with lots of conversation and involvemet.

Intense ... he seemed disappointed when we didn't look like our minds were blown away like everything he said was amazing. Above all he was interested in how interested he was.

AWESOME PROF!!! Thsi guy knows his stuff :)

Amazing prof! He's hilarious, which keeps class super interesting. He also knows a LOT about the subject matter (obviously), and is excited to pass his knowledge down to students. We covered a lot of material in a short time, but it never felt like too much. He went the extra mile, even creating a facebook group for the class.

Love him and this class! His passion for the subject makes the class exciting... Class makes you FEEL something, and leaves you thinking about it after class.

Attendance isn't mandatory, but why would you miss his class!? Honestly one of the best proffs I've had. He is hilarious, and his classes are interesting. If you need an arts option, take his class!!

One of the best profs I've ever had. Very passionate about his subject, and never a dull moment! Keeps things interesting in the class and motivates students to learn! Excellent, fantastic, super prof & course! Highly reccommend it to anybody interested in music!

Fairly interesting class. The prof is a little full of himself, but he does have a lot of knowledge. Class is worth going to because it doesn't really go along with the reading. Reading is optional in my opinion, but helps your overall understanding.

The BEST prof ever..he is funny and makes the class enjoyable..The class material is very reasonanle..anyone looking for an easy "A" this class would be it.. :)

very interesting class. Midterm is hard for me because i did not pay attention on textbook. Th final is fair. the song reports and paper are awesome that guarantee to get 30% of your total grade useless you do not do them.

He did well considering this was the first ever 203 class (was called 506 but will become 203). Sometimes lacked focus and went all over the place but it is a really broad subject. Still, getting to learn and write about popular music beats most other subjects. This class should get better in the next few years but it is not easy credits like 103.

Fairly easy class. The students who were his cult of personality were really annoying though.

Fantastic. Attending class is kind of mandatory, unless you wanna do alllll the reading. But why would you miss his class? He's really entertaining and there's always a fun part to every class. If you need a fine arts credit, take his class!

Great prof! Realizes that you are taking the course as an option, and so tries to make sure that as long as you put in the tinyest amount of work you will do really well. The assignments are all written, but he's a very easy marker, and theres no curve which works in your favor as most people should do well. Makes it fun to just learn about music.

Fairly easy marker, just show up to class and take good notes, the textbook is useless no need to buy it. Know that he marks harder on the album review than he does on the paper which is basically a guaranteed 100%. Themes are common through the midterm and final. Song reports get annoying by the end though.

So funny! You don't even need to go to class

Perfect class for a music lover. He's entertaining and enjoyable. Three written assignments and a final which consists of two essays. He likes "simple" writing, so write more casually than an english essay or you will lose marks. Marking is kind of random, he mostly looks for clarity. Can sometimes be pretentious but is mostly highly enjoyable

An easy class, with or without previous musical knowledge. It pays off to go to class because he doesn't post his powerpoints and the textbook is useless. However, missing a few classes won't get you too far behind either. The written assignments are almost a guaranteed B+ or higher. GPA booster and even entertaining most of the time!

Really interesting and easy class. I highly recommend him.

He's a great guy and his stage presence is amazing, however, his notes tend to jump around a bit, but you have to make sure you write almost everything down. He expects insane amounts of textbook to be read, which is ridiculous, and his final exam hits you out of no where. The assignments are interesting to write, but its hard to know what he wants

Professor Macdonald is a great prof. Doesn't expect too much from students, and likes simple writing. As long as you get to the point, there is no need for long essays. I would attend class because he expects you know things that he mentions in lectures and in the text. Interesting and enlightening. His vocal projection is amazing,and nice to hear!

Great guy, super nice. You need to come to class at least sometimes, or you will be screwed for the 2nd essay on the final because you need to use examples. He is an easy marker but there were 325 people in my class and I really don't think he reads all the papers. Just assigns a random grade or skims it barely. But you'll get at least a 70%.

Great prof but he wasted so much time on music from the 1920's-60's, hardly talked about 80's, 90's, and current music. That said, really enjoyable class. Don't worry about the assignments - you're better off doing them the night before since he doesn't like really "academic" sounding writing. Really chill, easy exam. Definitely a GPA booster!

Awesome prof, really fun class. He is vague about what he specifically wants in essays so be sure to go in an get help from him, he is very helpful! Final was a bit weird, but easy. Attendance is a must and his ppt.'s were a bit hard to follow so be sure to take good notes and listen, but overall it was very interesting. Do take!

Really cool guy, made an effort to make class interesting. Textbook not needed, just listen in class/read about it on wiki. Assignments are good because he lets us draw from our experiences and opinions. Only disliked his vague notes so I never took any. Didn't attend as much as I probably should have but still managed to finish with an A-.

Great lecturer. Not so great human. Assignments need a rubric since he a)often tells what he wanted only after they're due, b) is vague/contradictory, and c)CAN'T explain his grading (& can be rude). All told, I received a great, fun education. Textbooks good-one would suffice. Despite what he thinks, he doesn't know what is taught in high schools.

He was a great at giving lectures, but I found it really hard to follow his notes. There are no multiple choice just essays and the lowest mark he'll give you is a 70%. You need to actually read the textbook for the final exam.

Michael is actually one of the greatest profs I have ever had at the University. I don't get why people are saying he thinks hes better than everyone else because he's the total opposite. He listens to what you have to say and takes a deep interest. Super easy and interesting class you just have to go to it.

I was never actually in a legitimate class with Michael MacDonald, but he took over one of Mickey Vallee's Music classes and he was awesome. Funny, interesting, and totally psyched about the material. I would love to take one of his classes for real.

My favourite professor hands down! Class was very interesting and engaging, so if you go to class you don't need to read the textbook. Awesome group project where we got to follow around a local band and maintain a blog. TAKE THIS CLASS!!!!!!!!!!!

Michael's Popular Music courses are awesome. I took 103 and 203 with him. He truly believes that his students have something worthwhile to say and wants each person to engage with the local music scene and, of course, music in general. Wonderful and engaging. You don't HAVE to attend class, but it'll be the difference between an A- and an A+.

comes off very arrogant. easy class but man are the lectures tough to sit tough, they are pointless but you don't have to go if you read the books, but the books are so dry to read so its pretty much a pick your poison scenario. He pushes his view point even though he said he doesn't have a POV, later he said its okay to argue against his POV...

My favourite prof at the University. He has this way of making you super interested in the material, you can tell he's really passionate about the arts, music industry, and local music scene. I would and will take every class this guy teaches.

lovvvve him best class ever i think i'm going to minor in pop. music if he is the prof of the other music classes

He does something special with his class because he genuinely wants you to think about the world and how you interact with it. He invites you to challenge your other professors into giving you a "real"education, where you learn how to be a productive member of society. Class itself was easy and interesting if you put the effort into doing the work.

I almost laughed at the other ratings that suggest "as long as you put effort into the class" you will receive a good mark. In reality, a good "effort" in this class means an average of about an hour and ten minutes per week (I barely went to class) of doing the listening quizzes/essays. He purposely makes it easy. This "effort" easily means a 3.3+

BEST. PROFESSOR. EVER. Really cares about your own opinion and doesn't put much stock into academic style for writing. Almost half of the mark was based on easy online assignments. Don't have to go to the lectures, but you should they're really interesting! Great GPA booster!

Best teacher Ive had so far. Incredible knowledge, great integration of technology in the class, speaks clear, really funny, and encourages you to think critically on your own terms. Nearly half the mark is simply listening to music. Attendance not mandatory, but why would you pass up on free live music? Great class!

MacDonald is basically the coolest prof at the U of A. His lectures are very interesting and he's a gifted public speaker; while not mandatory, they're worth going to to get a feel for the style of essay writing he likes. Backing up your opinion with critical thinking trumps conforming to strict academic writing styles! Easy course, but engaging

Dr. MacDonald is awesome! He knows his stuff really well and tries to make it an easy class. 40% of our class was online quizzes based on the weekly podcast, and 25% was for three fairly simple writing assignments. 35% for the final (2 essays). I thoroughly enjoyed his class. P.S. he likes to use Rihanna videos for analysis on the final. *wink*

As usual I thoroughly enjoyed Michael's class - inspiring & engaging. He does need to work on organization though. It makes it difficult for students to achieve their potential when due dates are given haphazardly. Still a great and worthwhile class.

AMAZING PROF he was inspirational, understood this was a gpa booster. attendance not mandatory. being a science kid i had minimal essay writing experience but he marks easy! looks for good ideas based on his themes no specific evidence. weekly quizzes (8 questions) worth 40% & 3 simple writing assignments. no midterm just a final. TAKE HIS CLASS

WONDERFUL PROF!! TAKE HIS CLASS. You will not regret it. I felt that I learned more in his one class, in one semester, than in any other class. We had wonderful discussions and he entertained people's opinions fairly. He is also Hilarious.

Amazing!

I took this course to fill a fine arts requirement and I'm so glad I did. It was so much more interesting than art history and the prof was great. He's so energetic and passionate about his subject. A+

The semester isn't over yet but he was great!! I found lectures to be pointless for me and probably have only been to five classes.. But I have an A+ ! Great Prof and very interesting

If you want an easy A this is the class to take. I had to take some artsy courses and I'm glad I chose this one. I attended the majority of the lectures which was perfect. Found the textbook pointless to read but he says you should.. I didn't read it and am still doing great in the course. He was interesting and you would not regret taking this.

Definite GPA booster class. The course itself is quite interesting, and his charisma as a teacher makes you interested in learning about the history of music. Assignments are easy, and attendance isn't mandatory. If you need fine arts credits, this is the class for you.

He says himself his 103 class is an easy A, and it's true. What I love most about Michael is he makes you think critically not about music necessarily, but about culture and society. Awesome lecturer. Speaks to you as an equal. Awesome class. Sure, attendance isn't mandatory, but go. You won't regret it.

Michael is an amazing prof, one of the only professors I've had that is actually a good lecturer. The content is a little dry at times, but he relates it well to reality and our daily lives. If you have an interest in music this class is great, I would definitely take it again!

Best prof I've had by far. Hilarious and extremely helpful. I went to his office to ask about my proposal for a research paper and he basically wrote my thesis statement for me. Such an entertaining and interesting class. The multiple choice on the final was hard, read the textbook readings!! I made the mistake of not reading them.

easy class. just pay attention. he basically hands you an A if you show up and listen. easy assignments. easy final. easy, short readings. very easy going, funny prof. uses lots of examples. great dialogue. marking was a little erratic due to the fact that we didn't get a TA until november and they weren't quite on the same page yet.

MacDonald is great! People are giving him crap reviews because they were told the class is an easy A and now they're mad they had to put work in. He is not egotistical, he is a theorist, and therefore has strong opinions and will assert them - you are free to agree or disagree with him! He isn't vague if you understand the material. Stop whining.

Honestly, greatest prof. Class was interesting and everything was super super easy. Very low writing expectations, final was super easy, I got an A- and I think I attended class like five times throughout the entire semester. Class fills up as soon as its opened so get a spot!

Makes the class fun and interesting, and you dont even have to attend to get an A

Dr. MacDonald is, quite frankly an amazing professor. He's very engaged into his classes, which I find the most remarkable of him. His enthusiasm rubs off on you and makes you want to learn more. I had him for Jazz History and I was very impressed. He was very helpful, talked to you as if you were an intellectual and just overall, a great guy.

Michael is the best prof I've ever had. He is passionate and is a wealth of knowledge. His lectures are engaging, relevant and fun. He values high-quality writing and imaginative thought, and rejects rigid grading criteria (which often throws students off). His curiosity is inspiring. Don't be intimidated by him and your life will be transformed...

I loved this course, and loved Michael Macdonald. Interesting content, and really wonderful man. I fell down the stairs, almost broke my foot, on the day one of my papers was due. I had to go to the emergency room, and was unable to get to class to hand in my paper. Emailed him, with paper attached, and he accepted it and was really understanding.