Even as an intro course, I found it interesting. I absolutely adored him and this class. He is obviously very knowledgeable and passionate about the subjects he teaches. His lectures were very clear and easy to follow and the projects he assigns are very straight forward. I recommend his class and am taking another one of his sections next semester

This is an excellent class. Lots of amazing clips from movie history. Traina keeps the class interesting.

This class completely changed the way I watch films. Great mix of flicks, some old. Traina's chill. Not too much work but some tests. Attendence is mandatory.

Mike is easily one of favorite teachers at SRJC. His in-depth knowledge and engaging lectures have driven me to take multiple of his courses. Great film clips throughout the semester. Not a lot of busy work but take notes and study!

Mike's class was very well structured and entertaining. There were two term papers and three exams. He has reasonable expectations for the clear instructions and even more opportunities for clarification that he provides. There were several extra credit opportunities. Overall a very interesting course in film history.

This was a really great class. It was a great collection of films. Mike's knowledge and passion for film is apparent in the way he conducts his class. He has good expectations for a college level course. My only complaint is that there wasn't enough time spent on class business, i.e. quizzes and vocab, because of the public discussion.

This was one of the best classes I have taken at the JC. Great films. Awesome facility. Guest directors. Traina even puts on a downtown film festival. Study for the quizzes. Highly recommend.

Very cool guy. great taste in movies, wide berth of knowledge and expertise. puts on the petaluma film festival and holds open screenings with directors in conversation. two papers and three exams. definitely recommended, A+

Media 42 has been my favorite course this semester. Great films. Interesting content. Take advantage of office hours if you want help with papers.

This class was fine. Not as fun as I expected. Definitely take it with a friend! It's been pretty easy and Traina is a cool guy. Just take notes in class and look them over every couple weeks so you're ready for the pop quizzes and you should do fine.

low maintenance and interesting movies. recommend

fascinating look at classic films. two papers, three exams. engaging teacher. do the extra credit.

Traina knows his stuff. He is very easy to understand and gives a very in depth look at film that was constantly interesting. Go to him if you're looking to take a film class

I always looked forward to this class. The material was interesting and fun. Mike was very nice and helpful. There were a couple of exams, which were entirely off of the lecture notes and two projects. It was an easy A and it was definitely worth my time!

TAKE THIS CLASS!!! It's a once-a-week night class where you basically watch a movie the whole time. So fun! Eclectic group of movies, enjoyed most of 'em (District 9, Black Swan & some foreign films) 2 essays, not too hard, some pop quizzes so take good notes in his lectures & know vocab. Fairly easy A if you take part in the discussion

This class was fun and fast paced. Mike did a great job of explaining concepts and showing examples. The best classes had flowing discussion. If you get the chance to take a class from him... DO IT! All of his classes are amazing!

Mr. Traina was a laid back teacher. He really likes to motivate his students by the passion he has from film. The movies were very diverse and sometime interesting. 2 papers, 4 quizzes, and 1 mandatory film festival attendance. All in all, good class. Recommended....

I've taken several classes with Traina and they're always interesting and well organized. Great lectures. This semester he required 3 papers, a few quizzes, and a final. Easy A if you study. The film series was killer.

this was my favorite class. easy if you follow directions. interesting lectures.

I had an amazing time in this class. Mr. Traina was always prepared with interesting lectures and film clips. To my surprise, we even had silent films with live music on a few occasions. I have begun pursuing film as my major and look forward to taking MEDIA 15!

The selection of films were great this semester. The course load was fair. There were only a couple quizzes. Also his lectures were interesting but the after discussion often dragged a bit. Overall it was a good course and is easily passable if you both show up and do your homework.

Don't buy the textbook, just take lots of notes in class. He only tests you on what he goes over before the film. There are three quizzes which can be quite tricky, so study. There is one paper and then the option of a paper or making a short film. You will not look at movies the same after you take this class. Plus the film fest is really fun.

wish this class was repeatable

Easy class if you participate in the discussions. Great films. Lectures are engaging. Take good notes and skip the book. Recommend.

BEST FILM TEACHER I'VE HAD. Excellent powerpoint presentations. Extremely knowledgeable about movies. Take this class!

Great class if you are a movie lover. Anyone who doesnt like this class just isnt a film geek. Traina did a great job.

Media 4 was a lot of work. There was way too much information for a GE class. The teacher required to much. Although I did like Media 10. That class was fun. I do not recommend Media 4 with this teacher but I do recommend Media 10 with him.

This was a great class. Make sure to read the books! Two papers, two exams, and lots of quizzes. Mr. Traina was always well prepared and available. Highly recommend.

this class was sick. discussions with the public guests was a mixed bag. bring your iclicker. recommend.

I thoroughly enjoyed this class and Mr. Traina really bent over backwards to help me. The films pushed me to think outside the box. I will definitely take the early class with this instructor.

Prof Traina is amazing. Smart, funny, casual but not unprofessional. The movies he shows are great, and he's good at being objective most of the time. Participation is key with him, if you speak up - even if he doesn't agree with you - he'll respect you. He likes to pick your brain about all the movies. If you love film, you'll love his class.

Mr. Traina completely changed the way I look at films. Highly recommend.

Wow. This class was great. Lectures were fascinating. Superb film line-up. I just found out I've accumulated enough points to skip the final! Regular participation and preparation for the quizzes makes for an easy A!

recommend for GE

interesting. easy. good films.

One of the best teachers on campus. Has a passion for film and it shows when he lectures. However, if you're looking for an easy grade for "watching movies", beware. Traina requires that you pay attention and write well for his classes.

Good lectures about interesting subject matter if you're into mass media at all. Not showing up seems to bug him but no shock there. Some group assignments, and curves test results thankfully. Overall a B+ as a teacher.

Great class. Really interesting lectures on mass media, a really cool debate project that broke things up, and the group advertising project at the end of the year was awesome. He can be a little snide with you when you miss class/do something wrong on an assignment but otherwise he's pretty chill. Didn't require an expensive textbook!

Always read the chapters before class, and listen during lecture and you should do well. Exams were fair, know what to expect. Gives a study guide, lots of group projects and individual projects but easy grader. Gives out A's generously, tells you exactly what he wants from you. Kind of acts better than everyone else, but he's tolerable.

Tells you what he expects from you. Pay attention to details and READ prior to class. Learned some interesting things in his class. Work hard and you will pass!

This class is an easy A. You get to watch movies and write a paragraph about it after. I failed most of the quizes but did extra credit and didnt even have to take the final. Easy class to get and A in as long as you do all the work to the fullest. Awesome class

This was a large GE class focused on better understanding film. The quizzes were hard but there are lots of ways to earn extra points. I didn't do well on the quizzes but got an A in the class from doing work in other areas. Great movies and guest directors. Good lectures. Attendance mandatory.

I really enjoyed this class. It's big so you get out of it what you're willing to put into it. The films were great. Lectures were interesting. Online work is clear. Good choice if you like movies.

Took this class about a year ago, it was my favorite course Ive ever taken. Traina is amazing and very inspiring & he solidified my love for film. Loved the online discussion boards, but theyre not for everyone. This class is a ton of fun if you love movies (and talking about them) and I would retake it every semester if I could.

I took media in summer and am surprised to read the criticism. we had great discussions although there was a lot of lecture. Traina was a good storyteller. Course went fast. I would take again.

Cool teacher. Relaxed and casual classroom atmosphere. Two major projects: a debate and an ad project. Interesting readings and discussion. Traina did a good job covering current topics in media. Exams were tough. I would take him again in film.

Traina was one of my favorite teachers at the JC. I learned more in his classes than I did after transferring to a 4 year. Good films. Good lectures. Pretty easy if you follow instructions.

This class was amazing and so much fun. I recommend studying and putting effort into the class and homework, as that is the only way you will pass. I was not a strong test taker, so I boosted my grade with the extra credit. I brought my friends to this class and had a blast.

This class was mostly lecture and film screenings. Films were good. Not as much discussion as M10. Cool field trip. Exams were fine if you read and study. I will likely take M15. Recommended for film lovers.

The class was tougher than I expected. Good films. Good lectures. Lots of work on Canvas. We had conferences and Mr Traina was helpful on how to improve my grade.

This was my favorite class this spring. It also transitioned well to being online. Mr. Traina was very friendly and helpful in meeting with me on my final project. The films were also good and mostly new. We had one-hour weekly discussions with the rest online. Good for GE.

Very good class if you like movies and the selection was great. There is a forum for each movie and a meeting to discuss it, don't skip too many. There is also one project for the whole semester. He has a glossary for all of the terms and techniques so quizzes were pretty simple. He obviously enjoys what he teaches, I wish I could have taken irl

Traina can come across harsh at times but that said, he is great if you are already passionate about film. The curriculum was interesting and we had a lot of good class discussions. He may have changed up the way he teaches since some of the previous reviews because we did not really have quizzes with tons of questions.

Honestly, I probably would grade a 4, but since some bitter pills who gave him 1's, I bumped him up to 5. He shows a lot of interesting films and you will learn a lot of terms about film that you probably wouldn't know otherwise. If you're not quite seeing the hidden meaning in things, he won't lay it out for you, but he's a good teacher.

The film selection was good with a mix of popular and indie films. Each lecture had a purpose that suited the movie and Traina clearly knows his stuff. Just do the canvas work the night of the film, saves you the hassle of trying to remember, and really dissect each film you watch the best you can. Also the vocab is NOT TRIVIAL, HE TESTS THEM!!!

The movies in this class are well worth the watch and the class very interesting.

New to film studies. Learned a lot. Mike Traina is very knowlegble. Great discussions. I will never watch a film or TV show the same way. Enjoyed the media guests who came inperson or over ZOOM. Informative and interesting. Every students interpretations are welcome. Great class for anyone of any age.

I learned so much from this knowledgeable teacher. I will never watch a film the same again. Great experience being part of the Petaluma Campus film series. Enjoyed the speakers who came to present before and after class. The group project was a fantastic learning experience. Mike Traina knows his stuff. Accepted different viewpoints and opinions.

He allows lots of time to complete work. You get to choose your zoom slot. He provides extra credit. His grading is reasonable. Make sure to really pay attention to get the most knowledge as film is not so easy.

What I learned from this class will stick with me for the rest of my life. Weekly Zoom meetings that are an hour long and weekly posts. Easy and organized. He is such a wonderful teacher and really knows his stuff. He wants you to really succeed and learn something from this course. There are quite a few opportunities to earn extra credit.

I absolutely enjoyed his film appreciation class, he really does enjoy talking about movies and the movies that he showcased for this class were all really good. The project that he assigns was a really enjoyable, making a short film with 2 other people with the techniques that we learned throughout the semester was really fun.

Took this class for my Art credit and I was satisfied with what I learned. Really passionate about film and all the components of it. Class was easy; just watch the film, write a response, and attend the Zoom meetings. After taking this class I now see films through a new perspective that really makes you appreciate and pick apart films.

Okay- he is extremely organized, and the modules are really well done. I do not like how he expects us to know vocabulary that he doesn't teach us, or maybe he teaches it to his other class. I wish the class times were longer. I feel like sometimes, no matter what I say, he always has to say well or that not all, like nothing I say is good enough.

I honestly think his class was very easy and as long as you watch all of the films and attend the meetings, then you should be fine. He offers lots of extra credit opportunities and the work is super easy. He is super nice and pretty funny. Definitely choose him as your professor if you do not want a super hard prerequisite class!

Some of the movies were a little out there for sure, but discussions and readings were interesting. Not every lecture was super helpful for the mid term or final... but a study guide was provided. projects were graded pretty fairly. He was easy to approach and pretty chill.

Excellent knowledge of cinema. The films that he presents are varied and unique. Great lectures. Guest speakers bring depth to the class. The Petaluma campus has a wonderful movie theater. I will never look at movies the same again.

This course exceeded my expectations and I wish I could take it again. You get to discuss and analyze movies with peers. Mr. Traina helped me to connect with films in a different way, especially if the story or subject matter is something that I don't initially connect with. I have a much higher respect for everyone involved in the film industry.

Took this course in 2023. It was the first time it was taught. Amazing film list. Lots of discussion. Readings every week and an oral presentation on a filmmaker. Traina is really passionate about the subject. The African films were my favorite. Recommend for those who love movies.