tests hard, but come from notes

Good professor, but you need biology!

he's not that bad. Tests are definatly tough though.

if you put some effort into it, the class isnt that bad. he just wants you to work for a good grade. i liked him.

Pretty good class, a little boring

I dont know what class everyone else is in, but the class that I was going to was very easy. His questions, for the quizes, are on the internet, WORD FOR WORD. Memorize them, if you dont like psych you dont need to learn them, just memorize them.

Prof is kinda boring but if his class is not that hard...look up lectures online and read read read but thats what college is all about ne way so if youre interested in psy i suggest u take him i got an A but u need to attend class

Barely any homework, grade's just based on quizzes, tests, and writing assignment. Do extra credit! Lectures are helpful, but the notes are online, so not necessary all the time. Tests aren't that easy, but study quizzes with classmates.

Don't need to go to class, lectures are online. Answer quiz questions ahead of time and memorize answers, midterms are difficult but if you study you'll pass. It's just an average, passable class IF you study. Not too hard not too easy, I'd reccommend him

One of the nicest professors at SDSU!! McGivern really cares about his students. Read the book + go to class = good grade.

Go to all of the classes and read the book. The lectures are boring and long but some of the material is tested on. Most of the info is in the book but the book is pretty disorganized.

Notes are posted online. Very know knowledgeable teacher. Great class!

very smart man. If you put some effort, it is not hard. Quizzes are EASY! tests based on quizzes. A lot of studying though

Good class. You don't really need to go cause the lectures are on Blackboard and in the books. Everyone else already said everything else. I recommend this class.

Really nice professor, but boring class unless you are interested in the physiological aspects of psych. Really don't need to go, just get notes and material from blackboard. Read and do practice quizzes and tests before actual quizzes and tests and you will do fine.

Pretty easy class. All notes on blackboard, gives you quiz and test questions before hand and uses same ones on test. Kinda boring in class, late a lot, and sometimes makes himself sound like he doesnt know what he's talking about. 2 papers, fairly easy, got an A in the class

I thought that the class was very easy and organized. Everything is on powerpoint so most of the notes you need are there. But attending class can be interesting to say the least with some very unique topics. The quizzes are easy because all of the possible questions are posted on BlackBoard so just find the answers and it's a free grade.

Good Prof if you don't mind the style. Class is broad and covers a lot of stuff not in the book. Posts questions for quizzes beforehand and lecture slides are on blackboard. Lot of reading assigned, but got a B by just going to class.

Awesome professor! He really knows his stuff, and is interesting to listen to. GO TO CLASS. He doesn't make a big deal about people who don't go to class, but you really should attend. I got an A very easily by showing up and paying attention. I didn't even take notes because he posts the lectures on BB. Pay attention, skim the book, and stud

For once an extremely fair teacher! Lots of quizes and tests but he drops the lowest, and gives you study guides for each one and the actual test questions come directly from the study guide. Two paper at the end of class, and one extra credit paper, all of which are intersting and they wont take you more than a day! Take this class!

This class was the easiest ever! I wouldn't say that he makes the class really interesting...I just think the subject is interesting on its own. He gives you practice quizzes, which you find the answers to. Same questions on actual quizzes and tests. It was a nice break from all my other hard classes. I would take him again.

The class has plenty of quizzes, but he provides study guides with plenty of time to get the answer & compare w/ fellow classmates. He drops the lowest quiz score. The midterms are a combination of the quizzes. He pretty much hands you the grade, depending on how your study ethics are. I got a C w/o studying... but you can easily get an "A"

Easy class. He is really nice, but sometimes unorganized. Don't have to buy the book, but it can help. he literally gives you study guides for the quiz and he takes those questions and makes the quiz so you basically have all the questions ahead of time

he tells very interesting stories. gives quiz quest. week b4 quiz. quest. from quizes 80% found on exams. gives ext/cr. u shud get study grp for class bcuz most quiz quest. are complex...i thought i wud get at most a 'B' but after ext/cr i did..i got an "A"...he helps u if u have questions..nice guy and funie too.

Interesting professor as far as material goes. Don't have to attend which is nice, but make sure to do slides in on Blackboard. 5 quizzes are a gift. Lot of writing questions that that have to be handwritten.

Very cool guy! DO NOT GO TO CLASS.. 6 quizzes that are 100% from the study guide.. make sure you answer the study guide questions right and you're fine! the midterms are almost like the quizzes except you have to study the packet he posts on BB.. 2 papers that are not too bad and a couple extra credit opportnuties.. Better than other PSY260 profs!

Hard class in general. He tries to make it as interesting as possible.6 quizzes, come straight from the quiz study guides (so do them), 3 midterms (some material from quizzes), 2 papers which are easy. Even with the quiz guides it is still hard so study. EC opportunities which help a lot. Funny guy, talk to him/let him know your face, study=do well

Yes, the class and lectures were not a structured as others but this is still a good class. GET IN GROUPS FAST for quizzes he gives before exams. The papers were medium difficulty and based on interesting articles. I enjoyed his lectures - even when they went a little astray, but I like teachers that bring up current issues in the field.

Do the study guides, quizzes, and papers and you should be OK. Midterms are based on quizzes and some of the new material. Really helpful if you questions.

This guy was a trip! He has all these funny neurological problems like hearing people from the opposite side of where they actually are. So you talk to him and he turns the other way haha! Really great guy, my favorite professor. Very intelligent yet goofy at the same time.

McGivern was the most interesting professor I had last semester. He's really intelligent but also really laid back. You can tell that he's not just interested (and knowledgeable) in biopsych, but in learning anything and everything at all. Lectures are always interesting--he'll answer any questions and go on tangents. TAKE HIM if you like to learn!

He's pretty easy. He gives you "study guides" that are 50 multiple choice qustions. The quizzes and tests are word for word either 10 or 30 of those questions. So as long as you work with a group to make sue you have the right answers, you should be fine. I barely ever went to class and pulled off an A. He doesnt return back old quizzes- frustratin

I really enjoyed this class, he is a great teacher that really understands the subject matter, great teacher to get to know if your interested in going to research because he is still involved in doing research. I took his night class, it was a little easier b/c he cut back on the assignments, but it required a lot of studying to learn vocab.

He's an awesome teacher! You can get an A easily if you do the study guides. His lectures are very interesting and funny and you can learn a lot from him :)

very easy class. DO THE STUDY GUIDES. 6 quizzes, a midterm, and a final. all of the questions are on the study guides so as long as you know those you'll easily get a good grade.

He is an awesome teacher. Had him for both psych 101 and psych 260. Very approachable, funny, fair. One of my fav teachers at SDSU

Great professor. Material is really interesting and he posts study guides prior to the midterms and quizzes. If you are actually interested in Psychology and aren't just wanting to take a class for an "easy" grade, then you'll enjoy this one.

McGivern is great professor, I was never bored in his class. So I don't understand what other students are complaining about? His class was awesome. Do the study guides, the readings and go to class, trust me you'll get an A. I can't wait to take McGivern again.

I did well in this class but alot of people struggled. the lectures are kind of hard to sit through but understanding teacher. there was a really easy poster project, extra credit, one midterm, one final, four quizzes. read the book alot of the questions came from the chapters

Wow, I struggled in this class. The tests were hard and lets face it Cog.Neuro is not the easiest subject. But Professor McGivern teaches it well. He is very knowledgable and excited about neuroscience. So if you're into cognitive neuroscience take him. But it will not be easy.

This class wasn't too bad, it was just a pain to have it for 2 hours and 40minutes. Professor McGivern is quite helpful, he really wants his students to pass. He provides us with study guides, which help out a lot. Take advantage of the extra credit! He really knows his stuff. Difficult subject, but pretty good professor.

This is my first psych class, and I am very pleased. McGivern is challenging, but I am learning better study habits as well as the material. His tests are hard, but it is good prep for future classes. He went above and beyond to help in office hours, and his TA is also helpful. Don't expect to be spoonfed. It doesn't work like that.

Very interesting class but it's definitely not easy. Studying will make this class easy and you definitely need to rent/buy a book if you want a good grade. Lectures were somewhat helpful but you learn most of the material on your own. Plus, he gives study guides for midterms so that helps a lot. I would recommend his class.

This class is definitely challenging, but if you read the book, you'll do perfectly good. Offers easy extra credit, so highly recommend taking advantage of that. Go to office hours to know which questions you got wrong. They'll be on the midterms! Office hours are only with his TA. He's very intelligent and knows his stuff.

This class is so freaking hard, I don't know what I would have done if I didn't take him. Our class made a google doc based on his study guide and it is EXACTLY the same as the tests except for maybe 2 or 3 questions. Put in work on the study guide, memorize it, and you'll get an A

Wooo! There's a lot of material in this class. Just like everyone else said, the best thing to do is read the book. His quizzes and tests take a lot of different cases and stuff that you only get from the book that he sort of mentions in lecture. I missed 2 full weeks and I still got an A on his quiz because I just read the book. READING RAINBOW!

The class itself is pretty dull but if you do the study guides and read the book, it's an easy A

While he is nice and can be funny occasionally, his three-hour lectures are impossible to pay attention to. By the second half of class, everybody was either asleep or playing flappy bird. Tons of people didn't even bother showing up. I passed with a C because I cheated on all the tests.

He's okay, not great nor terrible. You learn by reading the textbook to be honest. If you show up to class he obviously goes into detail more, but you could potentially pass without attending his lectures. Reading the textbook is a must! He did give a generous 4% (of your total grade) extra credit.

All of the testquiz answers are word for word in the text book. Plus he gives you the study guides which are also word for word the same questions youll see on tests and quizes. So attend if you want, all you need is the study guides, the book, and time to memorize every question. Not hard just tedious. The one paper is a breeze

There are only a few midterms making up your grade, so stay on top of the content.

I don't know why people are complaining. Dr. McGivern explains everything really well. He is easy to understand and the lectures are not boring. If you care to show up for one class every week and read the textbook, you will get A. He gives 4% of extra credit opportunities. That is pretty generous.

McGivern knows his stuff so he explains things well and has an answer to every question. I barely read but usually went to class, as long as you memorize the study guides you'll be fine for the tests and quizzes, the questions are exactly the same from the study guides. There is one final essay but the prompts were interesting to write about.

This teacher knows his stuff. This is a very important class... students who are serious about their major will read the textbook rather than memorize the test questions. Take advantage of his knowledge.

Two midterms, 4 quizzes (one dropped). Lectures are long but almost always ends early. READ THE BOOK! Read the chapter before going into lecture and you'll actually have clarity on everything. Skip lecture, sure you can, but you'll learn more by reading and going. DO EXTRA CREDIT STUDIES/PAPERS: 1% each, 4% max. Very minimal opportunities

What an awesome professor! I don't understand the low ratings. He was very knowledge, and yeah a lot of the times he went off topic and tell stories about the studies he has read about, but overall it's an easy A. I ENJOYED going to the three-hour lectures each week because he made sure to keep the topic interesting and actually funny. Recommend!

This class was great. I went to class only once outside of coming in for the quizzes and two midterms. (eight altogether) He gives a comprehensive study guide before each quiz/midterm which gives you over 70% of the questions verbatim on the quiz/midterm. One hand written paper, easy. Got an A in the class and learned a decent amount.

One of my favorite professors at SDSU. You don't NEED to go to class to get a good grade but he makes lecture enjoyable. His PSY260 is also a lot more interesting than PSY101 so I think he's a good professor to take the class with.

He is a extremely cool Professor. It is not an easy A. Class tests are very straightforward, basically just memorizing from the studyguide because they are the exact questions with only a few extra from lecture. I enjoyed the lectures, they were very interesting and McGivern is very cool. Material is not THAT hard.

Prof. McGivern is a nice guy, his lectures are pretty long. It is recommended that you read the chapters from the book to pass the quizzes(which are usually 35 ?s long). I definitely recommend you come into office hours to look at your quizzes to prepare for the midterms because they are based on that. If long lectures aren't your thing, try online

The lectures can seem a bit overwhelming or hard to follow, however if you go you'll be able to easily pick out the main points and study what you need on your own! In any case a really cool professor who's clearly knowledgeable on his subject!

Honestly, Professor McGivern literally does not deserve these horrible reviews. Yeah, his class is hard. But if you do the study guides he hands out you're GUARANTEED at least a B+ or A- on his quizzes/midterms. Very intelligent and well spoken, lectures are interesting and he gives extra credit that gives you a 4% (!!) boost on your grade!

McGivern's class is difficult but if you put in effort you will pass. There are 4 quizzes (lowest dropped) and 2 exams. Quizzes are lengthy but a study guide is provided for each one and around 70-100% of the questions on the quizzes and exams are directly from the study guides so if you do them, it is hard to fail. Also lots of extra credit.

I really hated the subject of this class, but McGivern is a good professor. He really cares about the students and wants them to succeed. He offers extra credit which is really helpful. I was often lost in lectures mostly because the class is so long its difficult to pay attention. He gives you study guides which the quiz/test questions come from.

can get slightly distracted during lecture but overall an amazing person who is very helpful if you have any questions or concerns. the tests are pretty difficult but his study guides are extremely helpful so study them well and you should be able to get As and Bs on the quizzes and midterms

McGivern is one of my favorite professors Ive had at SDSU. Even though his lectures are long, he is very knowledgeable and intelligent on the topic. There is a quiz almost every class but if you keep up with his lectures AND DO THE STUDY GUIDES you should be good. He offered extra credit and I didnt do any of it and still got an A. Take him!

I had him twice for my freshman year psych 101 and physiological psych. He gives u 75% of the test qs on the study guide and gives hella extra credit that can boost you up 4% points. Easy A in my opinion! also great teacher