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Murphy, Kathleen

Cumulative GPA: 3.42/4.00 with 24 evaluations
Presents Material Clearly: 3.63
Recognizes Student Difficulties: 3.29

History Department, Cal Poly, SLO
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HIST 207 Junior Grade Earned: A General Ed 4:26 pm, Dec 9, 2012 Report Evaluation		This class is exactly like a watered down version of AP US History, but it skips around a lot. Dr. Murphy is a pretty good professor for the class, and she makes the class kind of interesting. But, if you've taken AP US then you'll probably find the class kind of boring. She lectures pretty quickly, so be prepared to take quick notes. Her grading is pretty sporadic sometimes, so watch out. The one problem with her class is that there are only 6 graded assignments for the whole quarter, which consist of 3 reading quizzes, a midterm, a final, and a group project, so you have to do well on those assignment if you hope to get an A- or better. The quizzes are based off of the primary source readings, and are pretty easy to get at least an B- on, if you've done the readings. That being said, you do have to read if you want to pass the class. The midterm consists of 5 identification questions in which she give you a term and you have to say the who,what, where, and it's significance, and 1 essay question. The final is exactly the same as the midterm except that it is non cumulative (so everything after the midterm). Overall, pretty good professor, so it shouldn't be too hard to pass, and if you put in some work it should be easy to get a B or maybe even an A.

HIST 207 Graduate Student Grade Earned: C Required (Support) 9:46 pm, Apr 2, 2012 Report Evaluation		I'm writing this because I just reviewed the comments from other students and I felt as if we were talking about two different people. I took Murphy's course several years ago and it should have been a breeze as history classes go, plus it should have been compelling and interesting. It was far from either. Perhaps because it was her first year at Poly, she hadn't nailed down an effective style of teaching yet (maybe she's improved by now). Her lecture delivery was designed for one purpose: put out the information even if it had to be crammed into the limited slot. She spoke so fast and furiously that taking thorough notes was near impossible and you couldn't review the information in the text. It was so frustrating to be without all of the notes because I couldn't write them down fast enough. I was never sufficiently prepared for the tests. Second problem: a new professor has to have a lot of arrogance to think she can use essay questions her first year on the job. I had no clue why she graded my essay answers as she did---it just seemed so arbitrary. I'll admit I've always been annoyed with her because that C that I received brought down my GPA and it was based on essay question assessments. Getting a C was a shock, considering how good of a student I was. Of all the professors I had at Poly, I felt this one did the poorest job of conducting a class. I really think the ratings she's received on this website are nothing more than over-the-top people-pleasing drivel. As I say, perhaps she's improved since she "taught" me, but I remember reading her ratings immediately after taking her class and they were similar to the ones I just read (four years later).

HIST 207 Sophomore Grade Earned: B General Ed 3:37 pm, Nov 16, 2011 Report Evaluation		Dr. Murphy was by far the best history teacher I have ever had. I took the honors version of the class, so the grade was mainly based on a few 2 page papers and class participation. I absolutely despise history and the lectures were actually very entertaining. There was definitely a lot of reading, but most of the time they were short primary sources and/or pretty interesting excerpts. Also, the reading was only important to do if you wanted to participate in class discussions, so it wasn't necessary to do every night. Long story short: take Murphy if you can. She's seriously awesome.

HIST 207 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 5:21 pm, Sep 18, 2011 Report Evaluation		Dr. Murphy was a great teacher and I wish I could have her again. Her class was fun she was really involved with the students and she presented a bunch of material in one hour. She had harsh study guides for midterms and final but other then that it was an ideal class. If you visit her office hours she is a definite help. She was probably my best teacher at Cal Poly.

HIST 207 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 1:51 pm, Dec 14, 2010 Report Evaluation		Dr. Murphy’s lectures are tolerable; she makes them as interesting as history could possibly be. There are 4 quizzes (1 take-home), 1 midterm consisting of 4 ID questions and one essay, and 1 final same as midterm w/ 1 more essay. Her grading is somewhat confusing, but if you can write well you should be fine. She assigns readings every day from a total of 5 books (2 narrative autobiographies, one manga, and 2 primary source books), DO THE READINGS! Other than that just show up to class and pay attention, and either print out her lecture outlines and take notes on them or bring your laptop to class and pull up the lectures.

HNRS 207 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 2:51 am, Dec 11, 2010 Report Evaluation		Dr. Murphy is an amazing professor. I went into the class thinking itd be the same boring US history that I\'d taken many times before in highschool. But that was not that case at all. She presented the material in a new way thats engaging and interesting. The class was largely discussion based and counted for 25% of your grade. Im not a big talker in class discussions but for those who like to talk, its a really easy way to get points and an A. She cares about her students and is very helpful during office hours. Definitely recommend taking her!

HIST 207 Freshman Grade Earned: N/A General Ed 8:31 pm, Nov 2, 2010 Report Evaluation		I think she is the ultimate college professor. I hold a high B and i hated history before this class. I am a very weak writer but meet her in office hours or shell work with your schedule and make an appointment (shes very nice) but do it! Itll benefit you so much on quizes, shell ask you about readings but as long as you read your fine. Ask about thesis and what she expects and you will be fine. Theres only about 4 to 8 pgs of reading and if you share in class shell like you. Shes honestly really nice if you put a good 30 to 40 mins mon to thurs youll get a good grade.



HIST 207 Sophomore Grade Earned: A General Ed 4:45 pm, Mar 9, 2010 Report Evaluation		I am not the biggest fan of history classes but Murphy completely changed that. Her class was one of my favorites and I would definitely recommend her for an history GE. She presents a lot of information during lecture and it seems overwhelming sometimes but she always takes time out to ask questions to see if the class is understanding. MAKE SURE to print out her lecture outlines and take notes on them they are so organized and helpful. There is a lot of outside reading to do, but I had the class one hour a day monday - thursday and that made it easier to keep up with the reading. There would usually be only around 5-10 pages a day. There are quizzes every couple of weeks worth 10 points, to do well in those you have to be an effective persuasive writer and make sure to include information from both the lecture AND the readings to ensure full points. Her final and midterm are really straight forward and they contain both an essay portion and an id portion where you identify specific terms, these come DIRECTLY off of terms in her lecture outlines.

HIST 207 Junior Grade Earned: B Elective 9:32 pm, Apr 14, 2009 Report Evaluation		Professor Murphy is definately an excellent teacher. I have hated History since i started school, and was not looking forward to this class. She made the experience not only interesting but also fun. She does not merely present a list of facts in a monotone way, she links the material together in a story format, and gets "into" the class. She tells you not only what happened, but why it happened, and what it led to. Her class atmosphere was not high in tension, and was very comfortable and inviting. I highly recommend her to anyone. If i had to take another history class, I would be sure to choose Prof. Murphy again.

HIST 207 5th Year Senior Grade Earned: B General Ed 4:21 pm, Mar 28, 2009 Report Evaluation		I thought Murphy hit the bull's-eye with what I was expecting from a 200 level history GE. It felt similar to a high school history class. Six quizzes - lowest dropped. I did little to no studying for the midterm and final, felt like she was more interested in the structure of your argument than the supporting detail - although that did need to be there. The truth is I'm about to graduate and just looking to fill those extra holes in my GE - for an engineer with a full schedule she's perfect. Enthusiastic and fair.

HIST 205 Freshman Grade Earned: A General Ed 7:07 pm, Mar 26, 2009 Report Evaluation		Professor Murphy is great! I took her honors version of the history class and really enjoyed the discussion times. The readings we had were relevent and interesting. A few times they were a lot for one night but if you plan ahead (which you can) you can spread it out so it's not bad at all. She assigned a simple short 1-2 pg paper weekly and a final essay for our class. She graded reasonably and gives lots of helpful comments. She's really nice too! :)

HIST 207 Freshman Grade Earned: C General Ed 8:36 pm, Mar 18, 2009 Report Evaluation		This teacher demands a lot of outside reading before lectures, but usually during class she will talk about what the reading was about. It is really hard to get a B in her class because she grades pretty hard on the weekly quizes on the readings. I am not a strong writer and I suffered because of it. She really loves to teach and knows what she is talking about, so if you are willing to take a low B or C in order to learn American history than take her class.

HIST 207 Freshman Grade Earned: C General Ed 2:35 pm, Feb 27, 2009 Report Evaluation		She makes it seem liker her class is more important than any others. Study hard, it wont help because her questions are fucking ridiculous. The tests are 5 ID questions from everything you've learned up to that point. They can be ANYTHING, and she tends to pick ID's that aren't important and you'll be asking yourself, did we ever fucking learn this in class!! After that is an cumulative essay on a broad topic. The class just fucking blows. My friend and i studied 6 hours for her final. i got an 80% on it and my friend failed the class.



HIST 320 Senior Grade Earned: N/A General Ed 12:03 pm, Feb 17, 2009 Report Evaluation		Dr. Murphy started off great, she was interesting to listen to and she has a strong knowledge of the subject. But for a general ed class, she graded too harshly and did not get her students enough credit, especially with the group presentations. Her expectations were off the mark which caused many students to dislike the class towards the end. The reading load was about average for an upper level history class and the tests were relevant to the material covered.

HIST 207 Junior Grade Earned: N/A Required (Support) 8:03 pm, Feb 11, 2009 Report Evaluation		Prof. Murphy is a fantastic professor! Her lectures are always interesting and she is enthusiastic about the material. Her tests can be challenging but she is clear about her expectations and there are never any surprises. She is also willing to help and you can tell that she cares about the success of her students. If you have to take a history class, I highly recommend Murphy!

HIST 207 Freshman Grade Earned: A General Ed 11:23 pm, Feb 8, 2009 Report Evaluation		Just pay attention to her lectures and take notes and you will do fine. Her midterms are totally fair and accurately represent her lecture outlines. It is a good idea to PRINT OUT HER LECTURE OUTLINES and bring them to class to take notes on. Her lectures are easy to follow and very interesting. You can tell that she is really passionate about what she is teaching which made the class very interesting. I admit, some lectures dragged on and could get boring, but overall I learned a lot. Remember, print out her lecture outlines. Trust me, it helps a lot.

HIST 207 Freshman Grade Earned: B General Ed 3:07 pm, Jan 17, 2009 Report Evaluation		Murphy was one of the best profs I've ever had! She's enthusiastic in lecture and teaches a great history class (207). What sets her class apart is that it's not just a history class. Since we were looking at "Freedom and Equality in American History," we talked about the crops house incident, the election (we actually debated several of the props), and current events. The readings she asigns are insightful and I'm not sure I want to sell back the books she had us read from! Beware, this is an essay intensive class. 7-8 weekly essays and 1 research paper for the final. I was pretty happy with her essay grading, but it really helps to be good at writing before taking this class. Take ENGL 134 first. Oh, did I mention, this class is a ton of fun! We watch cool video clips, laugh at 18th century humor, listen to songs from the 80s etc! Not your average history class, and not your average history prof!

HIST 207 Freshman Grade Earned: A General Ed 7:40 pm, Jan 6, 2009 Report Evaluation		Professor Murphy is excellent. Unlike many other history classes that I have taken, this one was interesting. She has a very upbeat personality that will keep you awake. The class was pretty routine: lecture via powerpoint and then a quiz once a week. The weekly quizzes were easy, just a paragraph long. The only homework was reading a few pages a day and sometimes a short autobiography (which she gave a week to finish). One midterm and a final. If you need a D1 requirement, take Murphy!

HIST 207 Freshman Grade Earned: A General Ed 3:10 pm, Dec 31, 2008 Report Evaluation		Professor Murphy does a good job trying to present the material in an interesting way. The class consists of six announced reading quizzes, one midterm, and a final. The midterm contains 4 ID questions and one essay. The final is the same but with two essays. Her class is definitely challenging, but if you work hard, you can get an A or B. I went to her office hours before the midterm and final with a list of possible ID's, and she told me which ones would possibly be on the test and which ones wouldn't. In all, she finds a way to make history at least somewhat interesting.



HIST 320 Sophomore Grade Earned: N/A Elective 5:36 pm, Nov 17, 2008 Report Evaluation		Professor Murphy is my absolute favorite teacher at Cal Poly. She gets very excited talking about history that it makes the class excited to learn it. She is very nice and makes every student feel comfortable enough to approach her for any questions. Her tests are fairly simple so long as you go to class, but with a teacher like Murphy, you will probably not want to miss class in the first place!

HIST 207 Freshman Grade Earned: A Required (Major) 3:37 pm, Jun 9, 2008 Report Evaluation		Dr. Murphy is a really good history professor. Her outlines on Blackboard are very helpful, and lectures are interesting. There's very little reading for this course compared to other history classes. There are weekly quizzes (easy if you do the reading and go to class), plus one midterm. Overall, a good professor.

HIST 207 Junior Grade Earned: B Elective 2:07 pm, Apr 1, 2008 Report Evaluation		hist207. GE. it wasn't that hard of a class. she grades easy on the quizzes, but hard on the main argument essays on the exams. there were 7 quizzes, lowest one dropped. read two short books for this class. overall, just study the guideline she posts on blackboard, and you will do fine. she even give you the topics to the final exam essays so you can prep ahead of time. got a B, pretty laidback class. feels like an highschool history class.

HIST 207 Junior Grade Earned: N/A General Ed 3:48 pm, Mar 5, 2008 Report Evaluation		Kathleen is SUCH a good professor. She provides outlines online which you print out and take to class, and her lectures are thorough and entertaining. She tells history like a story, and you can tell she really knows her stuff. Very willing to help with student difficulties, and very understanding. Incredibly reasonable and manageable course load, and no surprises on tests or quizzes. Really excellent teacher.

HIST 207 Freshman Grade Earned: N/A General Ed 11:14 am, Feb 26, 2008 Report Evaluation		Kate Murphy is an awesome professor. Her lectures are not boring at all and she presents the material in a concise manner. She gives a midterm, a final, and multiple quizzes (a few of which are take-home)--all which are difficult but not ambiguous. If you study for her tests, you should do well. They are very straightforward. The midterms contain ID questions and an essay and she said that the final will also be ID questions and a few essays I believe, which she will give us ahead of time. I would recommend Dr. Murphy to everyone I know.

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