Brock, Susan  

Professor Brock recognizes the fact that most students are hesitant to take public speaking. However, it is a required class so it's best just to get it over with. The class consists of 3 speeches--an informative speech, a persuasive/argumentative speech, and storytelling speech. The Midterm focuses largely on fallacies, Methods of Organizations, connectives, etc. The final is a 4 page reflective paper on the class. In terms of grading, closely follow the rubric for each speech. She is not unreasonable, but if you make obvious errors she will count off. Most students end up with a B in the class, so be prepared for that (conversely, you could take the class CR/NC). I highly recommend Brock—if you have any questions she is willing to discuss with you how to improve your speaking abilities.

This is a lame site. The comments are statistically insignificant. Most comments lack basic grammar and spelling skills.

Love Ms. Brock. She is so nice and loves to teach. She knows all of her students and really wants everyone to succeed. Take her if you can because it is an easy B for sure.

Brock is always available when you need her-she checks her email religiously so even if you're stressing about your speech topic at 11 at night, she'll respond within half an hour usually. Her lectures are a little suicidal, but the material's not that hard to grasp. The midterm is a bummer because there are a lot of questions where 2 answers would work logically, but she's a fair speech grader and if you bomb one, she's understanding and gives you another chance through extra credit/shifting importance of other speeches, etc. Great teacher, makes public speaking doable and definitely tolerable!

Professor Brock is definitely one of the best speakers I've ever seen. I believe i learned alot when I speak in public. But her midterm made me get a C rather than a B. So study the book precisely. Her critiques are pretty fair, but little too harsh I think. I feel there could've been a better way to allow us to learn but not take a hit on our grade as bad. She is one of the most willing teachers to help in office hours.

She was great, period. First off she lets you buy a workbook straight from her, at her cost, saving you quite a bit over the usual and large COMS textbook. She lectures right out of it pretty much so it is easy to follow. We did 3 speeches and our \"writing requirement\" was the outlines for the speeches, which was nice. She was extremely nice and cared for each and every student and can be reached at any time and is always willing to help. Her grading on speeches and outlines was kind of weird. Seemed harsh at times but also lenient at times. There is a midterm that I found much easier than expected and what it was said to be on Polyratings. Study her workbook, and study everything she writes down on the board twice. There was no final, and the \"final\" speech was actually pretty fun, a persuasive speech (short) followed by a debate. Homework is to read the \"handbook\". I didn\'t and got by just fine with an A, studied a little bit out of it, mostly vocab, which is important for the midterm. Highly recommended.

She\'s an absolute must take for the boring class of COMS. I had a problem trying to stay focused in her class but I saw her in office hours and she helped me threw the processes of success. I loved her and I think you would too. Just make sure to watch out for the midterm and final. STUDY VOCAB AND READ THE BOOK, I am not kidding, not doing this is a guaranteed fail.

Professor Brock was probably one of my favorite professors for my first quarter here. She may seem intimidating in the first few weeks of class, but as time goes on, she becomes much more friendly to the students. She is always there for Office Hours and will answer any questions you have or just to talk. She does grade harshly, but it is usually a solid grade and she gives excellent advice for improvement. There are three speeches in class, a single midterm and some participation that make up the entire grade. The only writing you have to do is outlines, and only for the first two speeches. If my schedule wasn\'t so impacted, I would take another COMS class with her again!

She is very passionate about public speaking which was great because it makes it easy to respect her and feel more interested in the class. She grades hard though. The two things I didn\'t like the most where that in our class the last speech was on storytelling and she really didn\'t properly prepare us for shuch a change and the midterm was what completely ruined my grade because it tests on stuff that you don\'t think about when preparing speeches. So overall she is a good teacher, just really study the book and terms.

Brock\'s my favorite professor so far. She clearly is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about public speaking. She does grade pretty tough but it\'s never unfair - she gives really solid advice. And if you follow her advice for the next speech, she\'ll give you a really high grade even if your speech wasn\'t that excellent. She\'s super approachable and never makes you feel stupid for asking really basic questions. A lot of people say the written midterm was difficult but it\'s really straightforward; just go through her workbook once and it\'s fine. Oh, and I never used the textbook so I wouldn\'t buy it.

For public speaking, Brock was awesome. She is very helpful before and after the speeches, as she goes well into detail and gives you great feedback and advice. The speeches we gave were persuasion(7-9 mins), informative (7-9 mins), and a story (5-7 mins). The first two you had to do research and a PowerPoint, and it wasn't too difficult. There was also a mid-term which isn't too hard if you study some of the public speaking handbook which I didn't because I didn't care and found it trivial; I got a C- on it because of that. Most importantly, she creates a friendly environment and you get to know everyone in the class and that helps tremendously. Take Brock.

***CLASS SPOILER***Professor Brock is a great teacher, anyone will admit that. However before taking her class you need to know a few things: 1. It appears that many people on Polyratings either lie about their grade, or only the select few receiving A's are posting here. You can be the greatest speaker in the world, plan your speech according to her requirements, and the highest you will get is an A-. On the other hand, you can paste together your speech the night before, ignore her guidelines, and receive a B-. So it's far to say that the below average, average, and above average student will all receive B's. That's fine unless your planning on being on the Dean's list (3.5 and up, 2011 qualif.). 2. The handbook you receive in class is full of loads of bs and common sense. There are only a select few chapters where information will come up that is related to the midterm, the only place where the content matters. I made the mistake of reading the entire book, twice. DO NOT DO THIS. Instead, only read the portions that mention forms of Reasoning, Fallacies, Definitions of (General Purpose, Specific Purpose, Central Idea) Methods of Organization, Types of Connectives and just flip to the back of the book and memorize the definitions in the back (most of them are common-sense). If you know those things, you'll get an A on her Midterm. 3. The speeches are graded on the GRADING RUBRIC only. Use the outline in the workbook she provides for you (the $20 one) to compose your outline, but compose your speech according to the GRADING RUBRIC that is in the workbook. My second speech was literally crap but I mentioned all of the things required in the outline and forced myself to stare into the eyes of my classmates until they started to bleed and I received a much better grade than the first speech, where I spent most of my time reading the content in the books for the class and trying to learn to become a better speaker. 4. Cite the SAME sources in your OUTLINE (MLA) and SPEECH. She doesn't mention to the class that you cannot include sources in your outline that you do NOT MENTION ALOUD. And don't just say, "Jon Smith said blah blah", say "John Smith, an active reporter for the Los Angeles Times, wrote in his peer reviewed, an unbiased publication titled 'The Ten Reasons America Rocks' in 2010, that Blah Blah" or she will say something like "I didn't hear your sources" when everyone in the class did. PEACE

The class was pretty easy... she's a little nit picky on grading the speeches, but if you keep it organized, meet the time requirements, and present exactly what she asks for on the grading rubric, it's pretty easy. When I started tailoring my speeches EXACTLY to the grading rubric, I also started getting A's... who would've thought. A good teacher for this required course.

Brock presents the material well and knows what shes doing. Your grade is 3 speeches, a final paper, a midterm and participation. I could have done better if I hadn't bombed the midterm(which you should study the handbook for, most things are straight from there) and prepared for speeches better. If you know your topic and are prepared, you can get a B easily. And the final paper is very easy.

I took Susan Brock for 101 winter quarter at 7 AM. I never missed a class. She is one of the most awesome professors I've ever had, even though she was teaching one of the most annoying classes at the worst time. She gets you familiar and comfortable with your classmates and does a really good job of keeping you engaged. Her class is all about credibility of the speaker, so if you know your subject matter and prove that you can actually talk about it with some authority, you will pass no problem. She does a bunch of little workshops with you so you can practice and get an idea of what you are trying to accomplish with each speech, not to mention showing you how to make bomb PowerPoints. She tells you exactly what she wants from your speech and if you follow that, you will get a great speech grade. Watch out for time though, she isn't kidding when she says she will tell you to stop when your time runs out. She is very fair and I couldn't imagine taking COMS with anyone else!

Professor Brock made public speaking fun. I was dreading public speaking but going into her class made it a little easier. Study for the midterm is my only advice!

I thought Brock was a very good teacher overall, she made her expectations clear and the class was fun to attend. I disagreed with some of the things she said about public speaking, though, and the first two speeches tended to limit creativity and be formulaic. Her feedback was pretty good, and the student feedback forms help as well. It was a good class, but not great.

She really knew how to connect the class and make everyone feel very comfortable. You can tell she has had a lot of experience teaching public speaking. The way she taught her material and set up the course was impressive. In the first weeks, we did a lot of fun activities and mini presentations to break the ice. There are 3 speeches, one midterm (which was actually pretty hard), and then the final (which is a take home essay about how you progressed through the class). She is also a fair grader and her criticism was very constructive yet positive. I recommend Susan Brock cause she made the class fun and your can tell that everyone in the class was more comfortable with public speaking then they were before.

Susan was great! She has tons of experience in public speaking and really is one of the best teachers i've ever had. She grades tough, so don't expect to get a freebie here. Theres not a ton of work in the class; only 3 speeches and a take home final.

Mrs. Brock is my dawg. She is one of the most eloquent and poised sqeakers I have ever seen and makes the dreaded speech class rather enjoyable. She was funny, compassionate, and yet stern when necessary. I learned a lot; not only about my speaking abilities, but also about my personality in general through the course of this class. If you're looking for an easy A, Brock is probably not your best choice. While she is extremely nice, she is a meticulous grader and gives grades strictly on merit. If you go to class, spend honest time on your speeches, and stay organized you will have no trouble getting a good grade. Bonus: Brock made her own version of the handbook that is much cheaper and uses one of the least expensive text books. She rocks!!!

Sue Brock rocks. She is HILARIOUS to be in class with; she constantly talks like she's giving a speech, she's so charismatic and is just a funny person. She is so sweet-she'll never come out and say "that wasn't your best" or "I can tell you haven't prepared", even when everyone knows it's the truth. She never embarrasses anyone. She is a tough but fair grader. STUDY FOR THE MIDTERM. Everyone takes it way too lightly but I know that's what really helped my grade. If you can, TAKE BROCK!

Mrs. Brock is a really good teacher. She covers the material well and runs a very well organized class. She grades with a low standard deviation. Basically you can do really well on a speech and she'll give you a B+/A- or do horrible and get a B-, it's really hard to get a C or an A. I think if I had followed the rubric more strictly when preparing for speeches and prepared a little better I could have gotten an A- in the class, but I ended up with a B+. Also, study for the midterm because it's fairly comprehensive and covers material from both books you are suppose to read. Overall, she's not an easy A, but she's a good teacher (and an easy pass).

Not entirely sure how her grading works... She fills out a form and circles numbers and rates you, but she doesn't really explain why you got what you got. Her grading seemed very unfair at times. I would take a different teacher.

Brock was a great professor. However, I don't know how possible it was to get an A in her class as she grades the speeches on a bell curve, and the speeches are worth a lot of your grade. From what I heard from other students in the class about two or three students got an A per speech and almost everyone automatically gets a B if you do a decent job. If you want an A I would suggest either giving the best speeches in the class or taking a different professor.

Brock is a homie.

Susan Brock is an excellent role model for a public speaking class. As said in a previous comment, her grade deviation is very low. She most often gives Bs no matter how excellent or poorly your speech is. This can hurt if you're shooting for an A, but this grade is still possible. The variation in her grading comes from the midterm - which nobody expects. It's made up of multiple choice questions and fill in the blank (no word bank provided), so you must understand the material. However, besides the midterm, the class is fun and interesting overall. But most importantly, by the end of the class, you will feel like a much better speaker. Her background in communications comes from her experience with presentations for large businesses, so she knows her stuff.

Sue Brock is an amazing professor and I really enjoyed this class. I really feel like I learned a lot through this course, and she is very straight forward with her assignments and what she expects of you. She grades the speeches fairly, although she does not give out many A's. Luckily, there are only 3 graded speeches the whole quarter. The midterm is actually pretty challenging and can definitely drop your grade if you don't study. I would highly recommend taking this class with Brock

Ms. Brock is a great teacher. I had her two times a week for two hours each and the only problem I had would be that by the middle of class I'd start feeling that slump and would slowly begin just losing concentration. Aside from that, the two hours of class either ranged from packed with lecture and explanation and occasional activities to just listening to speeches. Speaking of speeches, she passes out a sign up sheet and there are three speech days per speech - of which there are three types - with eight spots each, so on those speech days it'll just be sit down and give speech at SOME POINT (it's free form) if you're reciting or just sit down and listen and evaluate a specific person's speech if you're listening. And on occasion on speech days you'd get out after like, just an hour thirty. Overall, great teacher to get.

I was fortunate enough to be blocked into Sue's class my first quarter of Cal Poly. Sue is a fantastic public speaking teacher and the workload is very reasonable. The midterm IS hard but ONLY if you don't study. I studied a lot and EASILY got an A on it. It is hard to get A's on the speeches, but honestly, do your absolute best on speeches, study for the midterm, and finish off with an easy paper about what you learned in the class and you'll get at least a B+ or an A- like me. TAKE HER CLASS IF YOU CAN. you know it's a good professor when the 7am lecture fills up before any other later classes!!!!

Brock, Susan. Wow, what a lady. She is, first of all, my professional idol. Her entire life is like a prepared speech (you'll understand once you've had her). Do your very best on the speeches and practice them about a million times for an A. TIP: run your speech topics by her before you decide on one, she will guide you in the right direction for a good grade. STUDY YOUR BUTT OFF for the midterm. You have a 99% chance at failing if you don't study. Other than that, the class is an absolute joy & Susan is the best in the biz!

Ms. Brock is great. She's nice, intelligent, concise, and a good teacher. This class is really straightforward if you go to class and get your assignments done. The only difficult thing was the midterm - she bases it on her lectures entirely. Always willing to help during office hours and very understanding and flexible if you have any issues.

Best cal poly professor I've has so far. I have yet to see someone as caring, intelligent and nice as her.

Professor Brock is very passionate about public speaking and ensuring that you succeed in class. She is always open to questions and always has a very welcoming attitude about it. There are four speeches: informative, demonstration, argumentation, and storytelling. The argumentation speech is worth 35% of the grade and it is one of the more challenging ones. In this class, it is crucial to rehearse several times before your speaking day. While it can be very nerve-racking to receive feedback about your speech, Professor Brock is very kind and genuine about constructive criticism and understands that students get nervous. Professor Brock has one mid-term exam which is rather difficult. The information comes directly from the workbook she created herself and the exam is extremely specific. Hint: Study the entire course book for the exam. The final exam is a 5-6 page self-reflection on your experience in the class. Overall, I would recommend Professor Brock to anyone taking a coms class.

Public speaking used to be one of my greatest fears. My hands and voice would shake, I would feel nauseous, I would dread an upcoming speech for weeks! But after taking this class, I have so much confidence in my public speaking skills that I don't even get nervous anymore! I actually had another professor compliment me on my public speaking skills after giving a presentation in her class. That would never have happened to me before! I had this class at 7am and Professor Brock made it interesting, fun, and comfortable all at the same time. I would highly highly recommend her!!

THIS REVIEW IS FOR COMS 101, it was not an option when i tried to pick a class. Usually, people like to write reviews only to complain about a teacher. Brock was such a great professor that I had to write a review. First of all, she gives you a book of her powerpoint notes at the beginning of the quarter, and that is all the material on the final. that way, you do not have to search through the text book for things that may be on the final. She grades your speeches, which there are only 3 of, very fairly. The last speech is a storytelling speech which is really fun and easy because it is usually a story about your life. She is always friendly and upbeat. She never had a harsh thing to say, and if she did, she said it constructively and not in a demeaning way. TAKE PROFESSOR BROCK!

Professor Brock is a good teacher, but her grading is more harsh than others. She comes from a professional background and so she expects everyone to be up to the same level of professionalism as she is used to. There is one midterm and it is fill in the blank with some choice questions. There are only three presentations, but that can also be the source of the problem since she grades hard, your grade can drop significantly.

Professor Brock seems like a cool lady and she was an interesting enough lecturer. However, I didn\'t learn too much in this class and it didn\'t require a lot of studying or work, except when one of the three speeches came up over the quarter. You should know that pretty much no matter what you do for your speech, you\'ll end up with a B. The best speaker in our class would consistently get B+s and the rest of us would get B\'s unless they didn\'t follow instructions. If you want an A, find another professor.

I took COMS 101 and was in the HNRS section. Professor Brock does a great job in lecture and explaining her rubrics for her speeches. Your grade is based off of only three speeches, a midterm, final essay, and class participation, so you need to stay on top of things if you want to do well. She is a tough grader on speeches, but her rubrics are easy to see what you need to improve and she's really good about explaining her feedback for you if you aren't sure what she meant or what you need to improve.

Professor Brock was one of the nicest teachers I've had. She grades hard, but she rewards you for improvement. The homework load is pretty light, there's three speeches, and one test as your midterm, with the final being a four page paper. I would take her again, but to get an A in the class you have to really rehearse and know your speeches, and make sure you improve the mistakes she finds.

Professor Brock is very clear about her expectations for assignments, and she is very willing to help a student. I struggled at the beginning of the class because I really didn't know how to be an extemporaneous public speaker, but after going to Prof. Brock's office hours and emailing her frequently, she helped me to understand what I was doing wrong in my presentations and how to improve. She is extremely knowledgable and I looked forward to going to her class. She encouraged student interaction (though there were no group projects, thank goodness) and made it very easy to lean the basics of public speaking. You will need to read the assigned readings to do well on the midterm, and you need to know not only the definitions of vocabulary words but also how and when certain transitions, types of speeches, etc. For speeches, follow the guidelines she gives you, but the MOST important thing is to maintain good eye contact with your audience and BE EXTEMPORANEOUS. I know that some people disliked her because of the grade they received in the class, but really, if you listen to her advice and let yourself enjoy public speaking, you will do fine. She even put a + on my grade because of effort in the course, so she really appreciates when you work hard. TAKE BROCK. She is one of the BEST professors you will ever have.

Professor Brock is an extremely informative teacher who knows her stuff. If you go to class and particiapte, you will learn a lot. Although her grading is rather tough, it's still an enjoyable class. If you do what she asks, you should pull a "B" if you put effort into the class. I worked my butt off and did all the extra credit possible and got a "B+".

I took her because of her poly ratings. She is a good teach. The midterm wasnt too bad. What she is really looking for in your speeches is that you pretty much have it memorized. The more eye contact you have the better grade you get. If your speech isnt that great it doenst matter as long as you provide a clear purpse, and clear transitions of your points with TONS OF EYE CONTACT you will get an A. I would take her she isnt hard, just memorize your speeches.

Sue is well qualified to be teaching speech and communications. I hate public speaking, and I still do after taking the class, but at least I'm better at it. Her finals and midterms are extremely difficult if you have not done the reading. EXTREMELY. plan on getting a C or worse if you opt out to do the reading. But if you want to get better at public speaking take Sue. I hardly got A's on my speeches, but thats just me. She's a tough grader, but she knows her stuff.

Susan Brock is an excellent teacher. By far the best so far in my career here at Cal Poly. She may grade hard, but it's because she's realistic about grading and knows when someone slacks off or not. I learned so much from her and feel more confident as a speaker.

I have won 8 speech comp's. before entering Brock's class. Yet she gave me a C. WRITTEN TESTS WEIGH HEAVILY. If you like this then take her, if you know you're already a good public speaker, don't! She gives no room in her grading for overall affect of a speech. Bad rubric. You can give a boring speech with offtopic ideas and still get an A. My best speeches were often given Cs. This class is too structured. She should encourage individuality, not mark it up with a red pen!

Prof Brock is by far one of the best professors I've had so far at poly. She's very picky about the reading, and you need to do it in order to get a good grade on the tests, but she's fair when it comes to grading them and the speeches. She teaches us material that will actually come in handy when we get out into the working world. Rehearse your speech well, and make sure you stay within the time limits. She likes it when you use a lot of eye contact, which is easier if you know your speech. Participate in class as much as you can, since that's 10% of your grade. She's really nice and approachable. If you have to do scom 101, I DEFINITELY recommend Brock. You won't be sorry.

Brock is a pretty cool lady. She was always willing to help and seemed to care about her students. I will say this class is extremely hard to get an A in, but a pretty easy B. I sugest studying really hard for the midterm. Its a lot out of the book so stick with the reading and you should get a b. If you dont feel like reading, make the 300 flash cards for the 14 ch. on the first midterm and memorize them well! otherwise the class was a breeze....good luck!

She says exactly what she wants, so pay attention and make sure to TAKE NOTES (it will not only be on the midterm/final, but also her criteria for grading). Make sure to KEEP UP WITH THE READING because that is basically what hte midterm and final is made of.There is an introduction speech as a practice, which is worth no points, along with four speeches (which are all worht inreasingly more), and outlines for 3 out of the 4 speeches. Overall it is a fast paced class so dont' procrastinate too much! I would highly recommend her.

Brock is an awesome teacher who has amazing command of the material. She is very poised and always prepared for class. Speech can be kind of nerve wracking, but she does a great job making it a comfortable environment for everyone, and you do get to know the people in your class fairly well. The class is graded on 4 speeches (2 informative, 1 demonstration, and 1 persuasive), the midterm, and the final. The midterm covers the basics of public speaking and information on informative and demonstration speeches, and the final is 75% on persuasive speaking. Her test questions are pretty much straight out of the textbook, so it's a really good idea to stay on top of the reading. Overall, I would highly recommend taking her class.

I loved Brock!! Our class was at 7 in the morning and she totally knew that everyone would rather be asleep. She didn't grade too hard on the speeches. I got a B/A- on them and wrote them the night before. She is really understanding and never tore apart someones speech. I'm sure if i would have tried harder I could have easily earned an A. Her midterm and final are really fair, most of it she goes over in class but you do have to read some of the chapters. The chapters are really easy though. After what I have heard about other speech teachers, I am soo thankful I got Brock!

okay so the speeches were pretty good topics, compared to stupid stuff my friends said they were doing with other teachers. i like public speaking so i didnt mind this class, but i really didnt like her grading system. yeh i got an a but i just think she was harsh about the wrong things. people that i thought did bad, she praised, and ones i thought were good, she didnt. oh well, it was still a pretty good class. pretty long speeches though and she does have a midterm, with multiple choice from the reading, which you would expect for public speaking. id say take it though, unless you get scared speaking in front of people cuz most speeches are 5-7 minutes, where as other teachers never go more than 3.

Brock is a great teacher. She is very structed as previously mentioned. You know what types of speeches you're doing well in advance and have ample time to prepare(4 speeches in all). She does give a written midterm and final which is nice for those who don't want another speech to give or an impromptu. She is very helpful and reachable via email. I never made it to her office hours but she always responded to my emails and was willing to have topic ideas bounced off her any time. She is very encouraging in the post speech debriefing but don't let that fool you. She grades very hard. She may tell you that was your best speech all quarter and then give you a B- as I witnessed occur. The speeches raise in vaule throughout the quarter so it is definitely worth your while to listen to her feedback and apply it to your next speech no matter how ridiculous you feel opening your speech with: "Can I see a show of hands for....?" Overall I had a good experience and did well in her class though I wouldn't say I am any wonderful public speaker. Just prepare ahead of time and avoid rambling. Take Brock if you can.

Brock was a good speech teacher. Lectures were a little boring at times, but notes are made easy with powerpoints. She lets you know exactly what she wants from each speech, so even if you're not a great speaker, just work on the things she grades on and you'll still score well. Midterm and final were a little difficult, required a lot of studying notes and terms, but she curved if you were on the brink of a grade. Either way shes really nice and runs a decent class.

I didn't really like her that much; it was a pretty boring class. Everything is basically common sense. But it was a easy class... just do exactly what she says and just act confident for your speeches and she will really like you.

Brock was a great professor.. She does excersices that aren't boring, and projects that keep you entertained. She is extremelly helpful if you are willing to put in the time and effort. She responds to e-mails quickly. All in all if you are looking for a great SCOM teacher.. I would highly reccommend her.

Brock is a great professor. She makes things interesting and teaches things that will be helpful for any speaking situation. The tests aren't very hard and the in class exercises are fun. Just do good on your speeches and you'll have no problem getting a good grade!

Dr. Brock is extremley nice, and even though the class in general I didn't seem as very useful, everybody has to take it. I did the speeches the day that I gave them and I got As on all of them, so as long as you aren't talking during the other speeches she will like you!

She is a great teacher... Able to learn from very well.. I really enjoyed her class.... but she is kinda harsh on grading of the speeches.... I believed that I did really well... and so did others... But I got Cs on every single one of them... WHich I couldn't believe, and so did my peers. Test isn't too hard... but you need to read the text... there are 4 speeches... They are worth a good amount of points...

Brock is a great speech professor. The class is very organized and she knows alot about the subject. There were only 4 speeches in the class and she is a very fair grader. If you do the work and put in the time you will get an A. She genuinely cares about her students and is always helpful in office hours. She is also very positive and is always showering praise and compliments on students. Her written tests are tough but they are multiple choice. I learned a lot about public speaking from her and I'm glad I took her class. I learned from the best.

She has a hard time recognizing difficuties when it comes to her test tests. Then she grades on a weird curve that none of my other professors have heard of before. Put it this way...on tests, the rich get richer and the poorer get poorer. If you do good on the tests she'll bump you up a grade, though if u get a C, she'll bump you to a D. She rates you against your peers. So just because you think you passed the test, it doesn't really mean that you did. Kinda messed up huh?

I loved Professor Brock. As a first quarter Speech Communications major I think taking her class was a great start to my career at Cal Poly. Everyone in my class loved her and she graded very fairly. I never heard someone even complain. In the class we had 4 speeches, a midterm, and a final and that was basically our whole grade. The speeches were fun and everyone got so much better as the quarter progressed. For the midterm and final, all you have to do is study your notes and the chapters she assigns you in the book- they're the kind of tests that you need study for, but you don't need to worry about. Remember to participate in class and go to office hours if you need something, she's always willing to help! Take from Brock, you won't be sorry.

Professor Brock fulfilled my anticipation for a solid college professor. She knows what she's talking about and truly wants to help you do better on each of your speeches. The hardest part of the class was the midterm and final where some studying was necessary to do well. We only had 4 speeches and each were clearly defined. As long as you truly give it your all, you should have no problem getting a B+ or A-.

This is definitely not a demanding class. Depending on what kind of student you are, you can probably do without the book. Most of what's important, Brock will give you easy notes on. It is awful hard to get a flat A on a speech (3 times I got an A-/B+) but it's also awful hard to get below a B-, C+ area. Here tests are stupid. She asks sort of vague questions and gives you 3 answers and you have to determine the BEST although all three are right. Her grading curve also sucks on tests. She does like a bell curve thing where if you get a good grade, it becomes better. However, a friend of mine that would normally have had a C, was rounded down to a D. Overall, nice teacher, not hard work, but expect a B, unless you enter and get some sort of award in the speech contest at the end of the quarter.

Great teacher. You have to give four speeches and she does a good job at getting you ready and less nervous. She is always available if you need extra help. It is pretty easy to get a B, a little harder to get an A

I had an interview for a job where I had to prepare a 10 minute presentation to the president and another person comparing documents. I had 1 day to prepare. I emailed professor brock throughout the day and into the evening and in the early morning. She went above and beyond the call of duty expected of a professor in assisting me and answering my questions. She is a great asset to the speech department and the college as a whole.

Brock truley loves her job and her students. I took her for SCOM 101 and SCOM 126 (for an A3) and loved her for both. Her midterms are fair, she is a completely fair grader on the 4 speeches you will do in her SCOM 101 class, and she is always there for her students. She did a great job making sure that people that are uncomftorable speaking in public felt alright, and many of them were cured by the end of the quarter. Unlike many professors she does not videotape you and force you to critique yourself, which I think is both pointless and humiliating. I've had her twice, and loved both times, she is a great lady who I would be proud to call a friend. Take her, she's awesome!

Brock is a great professor she gave me a b- in the class. I did pretty good on all the speeches but when it came to her tests which are a midterm and a final I did ok, her tests are really hard even if u don't read. Her tests are based on the readings so stay on top. She is funny and very interesting u have to do a how to speech, persuasive,informal, and a informal about a person she assigns u. I recommend her you learn a lot and shes not to hard. Out of all the speech teachers I would recommend her 2nd to Beman-heard she was wayyy easy.

Ms. Brock was a great techer. 4 speeches for the whole quarter. Very nice lady. Some students had difficulty with first midterm but it wasnt too bad. Take her if you can.

Ms. Brock is a very nice and caring person. The best part of speech was she made us all feel so comfortable and welcome. She was always super positive and very clear in what she was looking for in our speeches. We had two tests which I wish didn't weigh as heavily as they do, but that's my only complaint (other than my class was at 7am, but it was fun for a while) Anyway, she is great I recommend her because she does not make you feel low after your speeches ever...she always has something nice to say.

Brock is a really nice teacher, and explains speech material pretty well. She grades speeches pretty harshly though. The problem is, no one really cares about this class; it's just a GE that everyone has to take, and people care about their other classes more than speech.. but speech can be a really interesting and fun class if you actually put the effort into it.

Brock is a very structured teacher. She likes your speaches done exactly the way she likes them and really this class is a whole lot easier no matter what teacher you have if you have an easy going class. Everyone in my class was very shy and reserved so the ice never broke, you could cut the tension in the air with a butter knife. I would say that would be her only place for improvement because really if your comfortable in front of people you will do a whole lot better.

Mrs. Brock is an excellent teacher. She knows how she wants things to be done, and clearly explains it to you. If you take this class, there are two tests. The tests can be difficult if you do not read and study beforehand. If you do, the tests will be much easier, but still somewhat hard. You do four different kinds of speeches throughout the quarter. Mrs. Brock is very fair in how she grades. My advice is to start working on your speeches early, well...earlier than the day before your speech! If you do this and know your speech down pact, you should do absolutely fine in this class. Mrs. Brock is extremely nice and truely cares about each student. If you need help, go to her and she will help you with the best of her abilities. I advice to take this class! You will learn alot!

Very structured, positive, connects with her class, very organized, easy to understand, makes her expectations well-known. Great teacher; made a class I had dreaded taking actually enjoyable.

Shes a pretty nice lady, she let me in her class. There were 4 speeches, 1 pretty tough midterm, just had to show up for the final. Pretty good teacher, and is clear what you need to do. Follow the rubric and the outling and you should do good. She grades a little tough i thought on the speeches. Do good on the final and talk in class and you should do good. I didn't do either.

Sue Brock knows what she's talking about. She's good at presenting material clearly & only assigns 4 speeches all quarter. She's also very understanding: I showed up an hour late to the midterm & thankfully, she let me take it anyway. If you read the small textbook for the class & take notes, you should get an A on the midterm. Do what she says for speeches and really listen to her feedback. She's excellent.

Brock knows every student and calls them by name. She is incredibly knowledgeable about everything...literally. Her class wasn't hard at all. 4 speeches, a midterm (just read the assigned readings and you'll do fine), and a final (which is just your speech #4). Listen to her constructive criticism and work to do better on every speech. Not a hard class--I would definitely recommend it.

Brock was great. She was happy to help with any questions or concerns I had and communicated very well through email. I emailed her a day or two before every speech and she helped me with finalizing and focusing on a topic. There is only a midterm and 4 speeches. No final which was nice and even though I got a C in the class I still think she is a good teacher and I would recommend her to people taking Coms.

Susan Brock is a pretty good teacher for comms 101 but i don't recommend her. She grades really hard and makes it impossible to get an a. Out of the 4 speeches I got an A- on 3 of them and a B- on 1. And i got an A- on the midter, (which is actually easy despite what people say) and she gave me a B+. Made me mad, plus on one speech she wrote "perfect" on the top, gave me a 4/4 in every category and i got an A- on it. So basically, impossible to get an A but also hard to get a C.

Brock is a pretty good teacher. You learn a lot from the class. It is really hard to get an A though. Study for the Midterm! It's not too hard but if you study you will get a much better grade.

Brock is BY FAR the best speech professor. I've spoken to friends, and it's just no contest. She lectures when speeches aren't being presented, and most of it is straight out of the workbook you buy straight from her. There are four speeches total - informative, how-to, persuasive, and argumentative - ranging from 5 minutes to 10 minutes depending on the speech. Powerpoint is required for one of them, but encouraged for the last two as well. Overall, Brock is not a horribly hard grader. As long as you stay within the time limit (or even if you don't - I ran out of time on the last two speeches) and adhere to the guidelines she gives you in the workbook, you'll do fine. I am by no means an amazing public speaker, but I feel like I actually learned a little something from this class, and encourage you to take Brock.

Prof. Brock is one of my favorite teachers in Poly (so far). She was so understanding during office hours and was easy to talk to not just about Public Speaking but with life in general as well. My only problem was that I took the 7-9am class. That was tough. 4 speeches and a midterm. No Final. But the speeches account for a higher percent of your grade as you progress throughout the quarter. I liked the flexibility that she gave us in choosing our topics and she grades fairly and will give very useful comments. Take her to conquer your fear of public speaking!

She is a very nice teacher. If you show that you're putting in the effort, she will grade you on your improvement rather than just off of what you do. The midterm was harder than I was expecting. You should actually read through the course pack a few times to make sure you understand everthing. Overall, a good class: an interesting variety of speech topics, and she tries hard not to lecture all the time.

Professor Brock is an excellent speech teacher and you will learn a lot of great information that you can actually apply to the real world. She understands that the class is a ge class, so she tries to make it relatively easy. Your grade is based on four speeches (one general information one, a how-to speech, a persuasive, and an argumentative pro/con speech) and one midterm. She is a pretty tough grader, however if you put a decent amount of time into your speech, you can't get worse than a B. However, the midterm is killer! It is based on the books and you actually have to know everything in it. I scanned over everything and was totally lost in the midterm- you think it would just be common knowledge but it's not. The majority of the test is fill-in-the-blank, so memorize key terms! Overall, I learned a lot an I am glad a took Professor Brock!

Simply a phenomenal teacher who earns the right to grade a bit tougher than others would. I was terrified of this class walking in the first day. If you're in a similar situation right now, listen: do not fret about COMS 101. It's easier and more enjoyable than it seems upfront, you'll gain confidence along the way. Bottom line: learn to talk with Brock.

Brock was an awesome teacher and was very skilled in the realm of public speaking. However, to get an A she expected near perfection in speech performace which is basically impossible to reach in 10 weeks of class.

Excellent Teacher. Brock has her own handbook which she teaches out of. The class is mostly power point run and you don\'t need to take many notes because all the power points are printed in the handbook. This quarter she had 3 speeches Informative, Persuasive, and Storytelling. She is a very fair grader on the speeches. She has one midterm which is pretty simple if you study. It is all based on what she teaches in class. There was a short answer part and multiple choice part. I recommend making flash cards for this test. She also does some group things which is really cool. By the end of the class you get to know most of your classmates and a little bit about them. She is a very good teacher and I would highly recommend her to anyone.

Brock is awesome. In the syllabus she lays out exactly what you should expect from the course. There are two "textbooks" for the class. The Speaker's Compact Handbook (which you can get off Amazon for pretty cheap) and a workbook which she sells to you in class for $20. There are 3 graded speeches: Informative, Persuasive, and Storytelling. 1 midterm and no final. Midterm is a multiple choice, true-false, and fill in the blank all based on the information in the workbook and textbook. She grades fairly and teaches clearly. I was nervous about taking COMS but I really loved the class. Take Brock, you'll love it too.

She's fairly nice and straightforward if you like structure, but a pretty boring class. Her textbook is cheaper than most teachers which is nice. However, she has high expectations and I don't think anyone ever got a straight A on a speech. She does always say nice things about you afterwards though which is nice if you are a nervous speaker. Midterm and no final, just look up terms from the book and look over notes, no need to read the handbook word-for-word.

This teacher is awesome. The speeches are pretty fun because she let's you pick the topics (unlike some of the other comms teachers i hear). I got a B- on my first speech and was super super nervous, but after the feedback, i ended up trying a bit harder and got an a- on the second one. Midterm isnt awful if you study for a weekend before. she is super nice and easy to listen to and she obviously knows how to speak in public really well, you can just tell

THE BEST, EASIEST, AND NICEST COMS 101 PROF!! seriously, out of everyone i have talked to who has had coms, brock is definitely the way to go. only 3 speeches and a midterm all year. legitimately impossible to fail unless you faint while giving a speech. she is extremely nice and understanding and a very fair grader, she knows her students are there because they have to be and have no idea what they are doing and are nervous. ill say brocks class is an easy B. you can do decently on everything an get a solid B. have to do really good to get an A, and bad to get a C, and like i said youd have to be horrible to get a D or F. take brock or youll be pissed you didnt.

BROCK is AWESOME! I have been putting off taking COMS for a long time because I am absolutely terrified of public speaking, but she made it a lot easier for me by letting me know exactly what she expected and providing really good tips. There's a $20 workbook that she makes you buy and it is helpful. You don't even really need the compact handbook as long as you go to class, listen to her lectures, and take notes. There are 3 speeches you do (Informative, Persuasive, and Storytelling) and one midterm. The speeches aren't too bad, as long as you follow her rules on the outline and notecards. The midterm wasn't super bad either, just study the terms and listen in class. If you put time into it, you can get an A. If you're looking to do the minimum, you'd probably still get a B. But if you just want to learn from an amazing teacher, then forget the grades and take Brock. Surprisingly, her class was one of my favorites this quarter and she is definitely one of my favorite teachers of all time.

For a public speaking class, she's pretty harsh. I tried my best and practiced a lot, but I never got better than a B on the speeches. She's a bore in class and kind of uptight, and even though I got the best grade I had gotten on the last speech, she didn't put that into consideration with my grade. You have to kill the first speech and every one after that. Participation is only 5% of your grade, so it would only raise your grade by a blade of grass. Lame and boring.

She's pretty strict. I could never get higher than a B+ on a speech. Her midterm's fine if you've done the readings. Overall, she was an average professor, but what gives me reason to recommend her is her willingness to allow make-ups. I procrastinated and ended up emailing her the night before a speech was due, but she let me make it up during the final period. That was totally generous and fair, and saved my ass.

This professor ROCKS! Absolutely loved this class. TAKE THIS CLASS! I have nothing but good things to say about this teacher. The class is super easy and super fun! Learn to talk with Brock! There were three speeches, one informative (how-to), one persuasive, and one storytelling. Plus one midterm. All are super easy. Even if you suck at public speeching (like me) you'll still end up with a B!

Brock seems really nice on the surface but she really is a hard prof. i did really a lot of work for her class and she graded me down for the DUMBEST reasons. she picks favorites. a lot. and if your not one of them your screwed. she gives the quiet asian kids perfect scores on everything and anyone who isnt just the kindest, most annoying little teachers pet gets a bad grade. the speeches have to be 7-9 minutes which is outrageous considering other classes are usually 3-5. overall, shes annoying, picks favorites and grades hella hard. so if you like listening to a beaver talk about how to talk for the better part of two hours, take brock.

Brock was a very nice lady. I actually did well on all the speeches, but i got a C because i failed the midterm. She grades on a bell curve if you get an F than you get 0 points and that really hurts your grade. I liked Brock, but also she was very picky when it came grades. It was easy to get a B+, but to get an A you have to be almost a professional public speaker. I saw some really good speeches and he barely gave out one A-. Overall i liked brock and I would recommend her as long as you study for the midterm getting a B is easy.

Sue one of the best speech teachers here at Cal Poly. I never had a problem staying awake in her classes. She grades extremely fair and is so much fun. You only have to do three speeches - an informative, group speech, and a persuasive. The rest of the time is having fun with speech, like role playing - she makes you be a clown or a stuck up prick, etc. I would definitely suggest her without a doubt.

I HATE public speaking and I really lucked out when I signed up with Brock. Not only is she truly a nice person but she's a really great teacher as well. We only had to do three speeches. An informative, persuasive, and a group panel. She did a great job of teaching us how to go about writing a speech, from coming up with an idea all the way to techniques for presentation. She was always very positive when it came to critiques. I did well on my speeches and the only reason I got a B was because her midterm and final were a lot tougher than I was expecting. The final was multiple choice and included an essay portion. This class isn't just about the speeches. A lot of the reading and the things we discussed in class were on the two tests. You must come to class every day. If you're dreading taking speech, take it with Brock, she makes it a bit easier to bear!

Professor Brock was an EXCELLENT teacher. She's had a large amount of experience teaching professionals how to communicate, and she really knows what she's doing. She organized a bunch of very entertaining activities that really encouraged us to get up in front of the class and be enthusiastic. She was very approachable but honest when a student needed help with a speech. The class was a lot of fun, and I actually made some friends in the class that I've kept in contact with. That doesn't happen too often. For some reason though, everyone in the class that I've talked to recently got a B+ in the class, which I thought was sort of odd. I would have loved to get an A, but I enjoyed the class so much that it doesn't really matter.

Professor Brock really is a very nice person. And, although the class was pretty damn boring, she didn't do a bad job at all. I'd suggest staying away from the 2 hour lectures for ANY speech class, but Brock made it worth it. She had 4 speeches, a midterm, and a final. No write-ups! She just has the outline for the speeches a bit more detailed than most teachers and counts that as the written papers. The midterm and final were pretty tricky. Really have to read the book. But no matter what I did, she wouldn't give me an A on my speeches! Oh well, I still got a good grade. Recommended!

The first day of class was a little scary, listening to all the things we would have to do for the class. I seriously thought about dropping the class but dont do it! She is a great professor and the work isn't that hard at all. 3 papers, 3 speeches. All the speeches are based on the papers and there isnt a final. She is well organized and is very enthusiastic about everything she teaches. She is great!

Mrs.Brock was a fabulous teacher! Her class was entertaining, and she is funny, and very very nice. She listens to all your concerns, and is very good about returning emails. Her grading scale is perfect. There were 2 short papers, 1 full, and there were 3 speeches. The class was easy if you do all the work, and pretty much always attend class. I would take this class over any other in the requirment category. Take her, you'll love her!

I have taken Prof. Brock for Scom 101 and 145 and both times have been nothing but impressed with her. She is a very upstanding lady as well as a straight forward teacher. There is never any doubt as to what she is looking for yet she never spoon feeds her students either. We always have a lot of fun in her classes, being a speech class everyone gets to know each other well. For 101 she had three basic speeches, a midterm, and a final. For 145, there were essentially two papers six pages each, three short presentations, a simple midterm, and a final. In comparison to other A3 classes I attempted to take, Brock was by far the easiest requirement to fulfill.

Brock is a pretty cool prof. She presents the class in a unique format that helps make everything more interesting. She does, however, require more speeches than some of the other 145 professors in exchange for fewer papers, so if you are a speaking person, she is a good prof to take. Her final, though, is pretty different. She gives you a murder scenario and you are supposed to solve the crime using different types of reasoning. Its hard to know exactly what she expects and I suspect that cost me some points in my overall grade.

Excellent Professor. She applies her real-world experience and brings it into the classroom. Grading clear and simple. Not a light load of work, but nothing too overwhelming. Highly recommend her, you will learn a lot.

Although I think that professor Brock is a really nice lady, and knows what she is talking about, I dont think that the class reflected indivuality when it came to papers or speeches. I have always done pretty well in speech and english; most of my past teachers (who weren't easy either) emphasized a balance between thoughful and unique speeches and writing, as well as structure. If she felt that your opinion contradicted what she thought she knew of the topic, then it was automatically graded down. I found a lot of the assignments to be fun and interesting, and she is extremely nice and understanding about anything that you may need. But overall I didnt get such a great feel for the class. But if you are good with structure, this is the class for you

She was very straight forward and her class really wasn't that hard. you have to write 1 one page paper and 2 4-6 page papers and 1 3 minute speech and 2 7 minute speeches. it's really not that bad. the hardest pard is the midterm, but she does a pretty good job of preparing you for it. Overall, I'd take her again.

Brock is a great professor. She presents the material (however dry and confusing it can be) with as much interest as she can and makes sure that you understand it before she teaches anything else. She is really understanding and is very willing to work with you. The midterm can be a little confusing or have some ambiguous answers and the final is out of the ordinary, but they are not all that difficult. There are three speeches and three papers, but one of the speeches and one paper are really short. She grades pretty fairly and takes into considerations everything you say and do. She remembers almost every word of your speech, or so it seems.

This class isnt that much work but I felt like she would just randomly give out grades. She is a VERY hard grader. I always get A's and B's in english and speech classes but not in this one. I wouldnt recommend taking her if you want a good grade.

Mrs. Brock is really nice, however she is an extremely inconsistent with her grading. Her lectures are easy, kind of boring, and sometimes confusing. She is kind of helpful in office hours but it is better to do what she says or she will grade you down because she isn't really open to you trying new things unless she says she likes it. I got a good grade, but I felt I worked harder than some of the grades I recieved.

She is really nice and easy to talk to, but don't let that fool you. Her midterm is pretty difficult. The class consisted of 3 essays, 3 speeches, a midterm, and a final.

brock is horribile, she chooses favorites and discriminates. if you dont have what she wants, you cant do anything to be right with her.

Prof. Brock is an excellent teacher. She was very clear and direct with what she wanted out of you and was always very contructive on her criticism. It is not hard to get an A in her class, but more importantly, you leave actually remembering information. She was also always very warm and personable with everyone, something I really appreciated during my first quarter here when every other class was a bit frightening.

Professor Brock really cares about her students and earnestly wants them to enjoy her class and learn about speech. I'm amazed at how far she will go, above and beyond the call of duty, to insure that her students get a unique and dynamic educational experience. This class is really fun because you get to learn how to write argumentative papers as well as give speeches. We also ot to watch a movie, and Brock brought in a gigantic bag of popcorn for us. Although she is a fun teacher, she has high standards in terms of her work expectations. This may sound daunting, but if you put in the time and effort in this class you will do really well and become a better writer and speaker. She is by far one of the best professors at Cal Poly!

Susan Brock is a good teacher. She is a little confuzing at times but she is an easy grader. She is very personable, she has an amazing memory. she will remember anything you say and apply it later, and she will know all your names by the second class. I would recommend her.

First of all she's not a bad teacher, she just picks favorites and gives them better grades than other people. She was the first teacher to ever give me a bad grade on a speech, even when my class thought it was one of the better speaches. If you get her, get on her good side, because you wont get an A no matter how hard you try.

An excellent teacher! She presents the material cleary and her exams are based off of her lectures, not the text book. She is pretty rigorous in grading papers, but fair. Also, her memory is amazing.

Professor Brock is a really nice lady, and class was pretty interesting most of the time. You do two argurmentative papers, a midterm, a pro-con debate, a final presentation, and a class final, as well as three in class written assignments. It sounds like a lot of work, but it really wasn't all that bad, especially since the pro-con debate and presentation are based on the papers that you write. She REALLY likes eye contact, so make sure to look at her a lot, because she doesn't always notice when you look at other people around the room. You solve a murder for the final, which was kind of strange, but also kind of cool, because you don't have to study much for it. I would definitely recommend this class.

Dr. Brock is a good instructor and presented all the material clearly. Even though this is a writing course, we have only four written assignments. The first paper is 1 page, the next 4 and finally a 7 page paper. These three written assignments make up 40% of your grade. In addition, there is one in class writing assignment worth less than 5% of your grade (the rest of the 5% is participation). However, she also assigns three speechs (a 2-3min informative speech, 7min argumentative, 7-9min argumentative) which total to 25% of the class grade. There is a midterm (20% of grade) and a final. I would recommend taking Brock for this class even though you might not want to do the speeches. She concentrates on improving your abilities rather than perfection. I'm eve taking her again next quarter for speech 101.

Professor Brock makes argumentation and reasoning as interesting as possible. She is very friendly and always willing to help. Her grading scheme is different than most professors, but an A or high B is very good for her class. There is 4 papers and 4 speeches, each one getting increasing longer and difficult as the quarter goes on. I would recommend her for any speech class.

Professor Brock is a very nice person who is very willing to help you out where needed. The requirements are pretty simple, 3 speeches, 3 papers, and a midterm and final. Make sure you know all about induction and deduction for the midterm and final. Go into her office hours too, it really helps! Overall, I would definitely take Professor Brock again.

LOVED HER!!!! She is the nicest, most understanding teacher I've had at Cal Poly. Granted, it is a pretty tough class and I got a C. With that being said, I highly recommend taking this class with her as opposed to her husband (fahs)

Sue Brock is a true homie. The class isn't easy, but if you have the chance to take it with her, absolutely do it. She's a lot of fun in class, SO helpful when it comes to questions about the class/fixing your resume/preparing for an interview, and she will become your public speaking idol. Make sure you study for her tests, the multiple choice is pretty hard. Lots of fun simulations/skits in this class too, and if you make her laugh (almost a guarantee she will), you'll do fine.

Susan Brock is one of the nicest teachers I've had and the lectures are a lot of fun, but the tests are a pain in the butt. Each test is 25% of your grade and let me tell you, the tests are not only hard but tedious. It is not enough to know the definition of a concept/theory, you must know how to apply it to something. In my honest opinion, this class is a complete waste of time to my career. Everything we learned in that class already comes as obvious so nothing really that new is learned.

During this entire quarter all I could think about was how this professor reminded me of that small little dog that runs through the back of scene 23 in The Incredibles by Pixar. Seriously, if you look it up you will only be able to see it...