Reviews of professor James McNamara

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
One of the best profs in the department, very knowledgeable and passionate. Can be a bit forgetful with posting assignments and readings but the class is easy. Beware of which ta you have, the grading criteria can be a bit confusing so go to office hours. Lectures are long but interesting, while not on zoom attendance is optional.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
FAMST 144 was one of the best classes I've taken at UCSB. A lot of fun, papers were completely manageable and dare I say somewhat enjoyable to do. Very interesting movie list. Overall a great class. I would take any class with McNamara.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
The best professor I've had, reinspired my love for film. Papers are extremely challenging and graded harshly, but Professor McNamara genuinely cares about improvement in writing and his teaching. He chose super interesting screenings and the lectures were amazing too! Couldn't recommend him more.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
Took during pandemic fall 2020. It's a 5 unit class, so it was tough, namely in regards to essays. There were 4, 2 which were revisions. However, he was really understanding, so he kept lectures concise (3x/week) and I actually felt engaged. 2 weekly forum posts (class+section). Understanding, witty, charming professor. Would take again!

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
He means so much to the film department at UCSB. Can say there is a lot of respect and love for this man.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
Love the professor, but the class was extremely difficult for me. Lectures were around 1 hour long each, but it could take me up to 2 hours to take notes on them since they were very content-heavy. The grading was harsh, yet I would argue, fair and helpful. There was only one A across the first two papers (70 students, 140 essays, one A).

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Dr. McNamara was one of the best professors I've ever had! F96 was a great class with great selections of films to watch and his lectures expanded on them greatly. He has a very efficient way of teaching and makes sure each and every one of his students absorbs the material. I can't recommend this class enough :)

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 1.0/5
mcnamara is one of the best profs i have had so far. very interesting lectures and great film choices. he cares a lot about his students and making the industry less daunting. the course itself was very easy and i enjoyed showing up, graded only on attendance, midterm paper, and final paper. both papers are straightforward and easy to write.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Professor McNamara is seriously the best professor I've had in the department. His Shakespeare class was amazing. I wasn't even really a fan of Shakespeare before, but I've gained a real appreciation for his plays from Professor McN. He is so helpful and I feel like he actually reads student essays; he always has insightful feedback.