Machamer, Josh  

Josh's class is by far the worst class in all of Cal Poly. Aviod the class at all costs, it will put you to sleep everyday as he reads straight off his powerpoints EVERYDAY they whole quarter. You take endless notes that put you back to sleep when you study for the test. Josh is your typical liberal teacher who makes it obvious he doesn't like the president. All in all i'd rather shot myself in the foot then spend another hour in his presence.

Still taking his class, but for now probably the best out of my classes. He speaks clearly, and he expresses well, being a theater teacher. He conceptualizes and provide numerous examples for abstract concepts. He provides enough emotion for the entire class and the room never seems to be impacted by the silence in between his points. Overall he's a good teacher, but this is only the first week.

Josh is a great teacher. He learned all his students names and was always helpful. He loves theater and that makes him a great teacher. I really recommend taking him. One of my favorite professors at Cal Poly. The class is not too hard, he gives a study guide for his midterms and they are exactly what is on the test. He wants everyone to do well and mainly learn about theater. There is outside reading you have to do for the class, a play a week, but not too hard! Take him!!

Josh is an awesome professor. He brings so much enthusiasm into each lecture and you can tell that he truly loves what he's doing. There is never a dull moment during his lectures because when he speaks, people listen. I guess that's why he's a THEATRE professor. The midterms were both really easy because he gives you study guides that tell you EXACTLY what you will need to know. Every week we had to read one play, but it wasn't bad because the plays were pretty good, and short. Overall, Josh was my favorite professor this quarter. I highly recommend taking this class.

Josh was the best teacher I've had at Poly. His extreme enthusiasm for his subject turned what was a dry monotonous GE into a class worth both my time and effort. If you need this for a GE take him, he will actually spark an interest in theater and make it more than just a load of old dead white playwrights and their rusty out of date lethargic plays.

Josh Machamer is so cool. He's a great professor, not only the best I've had at Cal Poly, but the best teacher I've ever had. He made Theatre 210 a class that I looked forward to. He had great enthusiasm (you could tell he loves what he's teaching) and a good sense of humor. At first I was disappointed that theatre 210 was just reading plays instead of doing acting, but from the first class I could tell it would be fun. The first day he had us act out this caveman story to tell how theatre originated. I've done a lot of acting before, but I wish I had known the things I learned in this class a long time ago. We read several plays (but didn't discuss them in that much detail, which I liked), and had a super easy quiz on each one. We also had two midterms and a final. The midterms should be easy if you find the material interesting, I only studied less than an hour and got A's on both. The final was even easier than the midterms. In addition, we had to go see a play and write a review (which was fun) and do a group project for MacBeth, where we set the story in a different time and setting. Machamer is an easy grader, so I think most of the people in the class got an A or a B. But more importantly, I think you'll have a really fun time in the class. He's a really likable guy, so the class respected him, and wanted to listen to what he said and do a good job on projects. If you can, take at least one class with Machamer--he gets an A+

Josh was THE BEST TEACHER I HAVE EVER HAD. He made lectures interesting. He always found ways to get the class involved whether he brought in other students and had them act out scenes of genre's that we were studying or of the plays that we read in class. I never knew a teacher that made a point to learn everyone's name and go out of his way in order to help you. Me especially had a difficult time especially towards the end of the course as I came down with Mono and he was constantly checking up on me seeing how I was doing. After every class session he was telling me to go get some rest. He truly cared about each one of his students. The assignments were fun, he made class interesting, the plays we read were awesome...overall Josh is an amazing teacher. I will be auditioning for the Winter Play at Poly because I think he is an awesome guy and is going to be an excellent Director. If you can...TAKE JOSH'S CLASS!!!!!!

Josh was an awesome teacher. He was so passionate about theatre, and it showed throughout the class. Instead of just giving us lectures all the time, he brought in actors to showcase things and present different styles to us. He had games for us to play to review and learn stuff. He made that class so fun, I actually looked forward to going every day. Josh always gave us study guides and was wanted us to succeed. He actually took the time out to not just know our names, but to get to know us as students. There was a friendship that was formed, and that made it a great learning environment. He showed a lot of respect to us as students, and in turn, earned the respect and trust of many, including myself. Intro to theatre was the best class of my first quarter, thanks to Josh. He is a wonderful teacher, and I would definately recommend him.

Josh is the best teacher that I have had so far at Cal Poly! I thoroughly enjoyed his class, and I actually looked forward to attending it. Josh definitely made theatre fun, and worked hard to capture and keep his student's attention. After learning about different types of drama, Josh would arrange for his advanced theatre students to come in and showcase pieces from each genre. Josh really cares for his students, and if you have to take a fine art class for your GE, you should consider taking his class!

Josh is an amazing teacher as well as director. He is one of the few teachers that I've met that truely cares about his students. On the second day of class he had everyone's name memorized. He's supportive and is constantly available for any questions about projects or anything else. Josh is by far the best teacher I've had at Cal Poly thus far.

Josh's class is too good for words! His class was seriously the highlight of my day! It is fun, intersting, and not that hard. Don't get me wrong, if you don't read the plays (about 8 in all) you will be pretty screwed... there are 2 midterms and one cumulative final. The questions come right off of your notes (from his powerpoint presentations)so you won't feel lost at all. Cool projects, too. He really takes the time to get everyone interested and excited. He's super funny and interactive. I guarantee you will never, ever, ever fall asleep in his class!

Josh is an upfront guy, and presents his material in the most interesting way possible. This class is not at all hard as long as you go, which isnt that bad, and pay some attention. I dont think anyone in the class disliked him or the course, he gives VERY easy quizzes on the plays he assigns and then has you do a group project(Hamlet). He gives study guides on the midterms and finals and if you go visit him during office hours he will help you out with the study guide-----helping you out with the test.

Josh is a pretty cool guy. He is passionate about what he teaches. However you will have to take a lot of notes during class. In fact that's all you will be doing since he doesn't post them online if its a really big class to make sure people come to class. You will need to read several plays, most of them are quick reads. You also have to go watch one play. Overall pretty cool class. I recommend taking Josh's class to get your C3 out of the way.

Good class, Josh is a funny and nice guy. Pretty straightforward, study your notes, read the plays, do well in the class. And to the poster below, what class were you taking? I went to every lecture and never heard Josh bash the president nor make it a political rant(and I'm conservative). Overall, I'd definitely take this class again.

Josh is an excellent teacher. Despite the large class size, he presents the material well in an interesting way. No matter how tired I was, I never fell asleep during this class. The class is very informative and is well laid out. I highly recommend it.

Like the dude said a few posts below, this class consists of copious amounts of notes on powerpoint that Josh tends to vocally repeat, word for word. Not to mention, you also need to read a play per week which can take most people quite a bit of time. And then there are three unannounced quizzes, most likely given on a friday before a midterm or final. After five weeks, I Had a D and tried to withdraw from the class, to which I was told was not a valid reason for doing so. This despite two of my good friends being able to do so in other classes at the same time. Overall, this class is boring as hell and takes way too much time for what it's worth. I've had many 300 level classes that are much less work.

Every time I see Machamer, I get a little freaked out because he looks so tired and worn out. He seemed passionate enough in class, but outside of that he almost feels like a shell. Uh...he was a good teacher for someone who had to lecture in front of a large class (in the Spanos Theater). We needed to read about five or so plays and made sure to take notes in class. The classes were sometimes interesting and he had a few surprise quizzes. Machamer is a solid teacher who probably would do better in a smaller class.

TAKE OVER THE SUMMER! People like to take Josh down a notch during the rest of the year, but its hard to make a class fun and personal with 250 students in one class. I took this class over the summer and had lots of fun with only 30 other students. Lectures are a lot of notes that you need to copy (but not word for word) because lectures are NOT posted to blackboard. It is sort of a fail safe for those who would choose to not show up to class. There is lots of reading, which should be obvious if you are taking a theater class. He is great in office hours and cares very much that you come away from the class with a deeper understanding of theater.

Machamer is one of the most interesting teachers i've had so far at poly. His lectures are engaging and you actually want to show up to class. I took him over the summer and we had a test every week pertaining to the lectures. The questions in the tests are easy to point out if you can catch along to what he says in lecture as important or not important. He often puts things in bold on the powerpoint if hes going to test you on it, so it makes life a little easier (but he doesnt tell you this). He does teach a lot of information, so you really have to keep up with all that you have learned, otherwise cramming the night before does not work. There are reading quizzes on the plays we read and its more worth using sparknotes than read the entire play. He doesn't get into too detail with the quizzes and are pretty easy. He has a project at the end of the quarter which I put an enormous amount of effort into, yet only received a 88%. The final was harder than what everyone thought it was going to be and I ended up with a 85% on it. I thought that this class was going to be an easy A, yet I came out with a C+. My mistake was missing 2 quizzes and it affecting my grade by a lot. However, I went back to him because I was so close to a B-. He raised my project grade to a 90% but wouldnt raise it anymore, so it didn't do anything for my final grade. If he would have just moved it to a 93%, I would have had a B-. Other than that he was a chill teacher who didnt enforce attendance, but definitely knew who everyone was by the first week and knew when you weren't in class. O and if he makes you buy 2 book, the only book you need is for the plays, and even then so you can technically get those plays online for free most the time. The other book is useless and I never opened it up. So if you keep up with the lectures and review the material, read sparknotes for the quizzes, put a small amount of effort into the project, and study a decent amount for the final, you should no problem have a B in the class, if not better.

This guy is insanely passionate about helping students learn. He does not require busy work, and his quizzes are simple if you do the reading (maybe an hour a week). All around he is an awesome guy who makes theatre interesting. No surprises with his tests, and he is lenient if he can tell you actually read the material. All around one of my favorite teachers at CalPoly. Excellent human being. Take Josh if you get the opportunity.

Josh is a super great guy, and excellent theatre teacher. I had never taken a theatre class before, and he succeeded in stimulating my interest in the subject. He is so passionate about theatre and it shows. You will learn a lot about acting method in this class, as well as a lot about yourself. It is your initiative to participate in the class, and you will be rewarded heavily if you do. The class involves small reading assignments, a performance review, a midterm performance, and a final performance. The performances are not scary, even if you have never acted before. I highly recommend this class.

Josh is one of the BEST teachers I have ever had. He is so passionate about theatre and presents the material in a unique and engaging way. He relates theatre so so many different aspects of life that it makes it relatable. If you go to all his lectures, do the readings and stay focused you are totally fine. He knows when you are slacking off and half assing stuff. Great teacher, I highly recommend him.

This has been one of my favorite classes at Poly so far!! I just had to comment because Josh is a great teacher. I am not a theater person at all! I am a business major, but this was a great class and pretty easy for a GE. If you go to class and read you should do fine. There is one project due at the end of the quarter that was kind of a lot of work. Make sure that you pick a good group or else you will end up scrambling to get it done a couple of days before. Overall a great class and a lot more fun than you may think. Give it a chance!

If you need an easy GE that's actually not a drag to go to, this is a great class. Josh is an amazing lecturer and is insanely passionate about what he's teaching. As a business major seeking an easy GE, this was a pretty easy class. The final literally reuses the same exact questions as previous quizzes (and he tells you this.) Take this for an easy class and a great learning experience.

Josh is a super chill professor, easily one of the best I've had at poly. I desperately needed another class and Josh let me in to 227. As an engineer, I thought I would hate it, but was pleasantly surprised. Josh is so passionate, knowledgeable, and funny that his lectures were actually bearable. There's a decent amount of reading to do but it is interesting stuff. Take notes in class, study them for an hour or two , do the reading, and the quizzes are a piece of cake. The final is just questions taken verbatim from the quizzes, and the final project is fun. This class is an easy A with a bit of work, and I regret not getting as much out of it as I could have. I highly recommend Josh!

Voice and diction was a pretty cool class. Josh has a really intruiging way of teaching, and everyone is participating all the time. The best thing about this class was that you get to know every single person pretty well. I wasn't too fond of the running he made us do, but it did have a purpose. Also, you're not allowed to wear jeans to class, you have to wear something you can move around in. The journal entries were kind of a pain, but the midterms were pretty easy. The final consisted of going downtown to Linnea's and giving our monologues. I would definitely take a class from Josh again.

Josh is a passionate professor, who has high expectations for his students. This class entails reading a play a week and writing a

Man I've got to hand it to this guy, I must have been his most time-consuming student ever and he managed to put up with all my shit without batting an eye. I took this class in the summer so the scheduling was all weird, but the material itself was fairly straightforward. Be sure to take thorough notes and pay attention in class; it'll pay off in the end. Pay special attention to symbolism and historical context. Josh is a great guy, and I really enjoyed his class.

Josh is a very cool, relaxed teacher and is always willing to help you out. His tests are difficult, I was never really sure what he was asking for. Tried my best and ended up with Bs on his quizzes and midterms. All of his assignments are LONG and that includes his tests/quizzes. I understand that this is a GE course and that GE courses are supposed to have busy work, but Josh's assignments can really be overwhelming. I don't think the term paper was very necessary, especially the length (10-15 pages), but seeing how it's a GE course and writing is required, Josh made the paper fit in just because. This course was very interesting and thought provoking. Be ready for hardwork though, otherwise, it will kick your butt.

Josh is a nice guy. There was a lot of writing involved in this class and a lot of reading. The midterm was on the difficult side. He's a tough grader. To get a good grade in the class, you will have to really think beyond what he tells you.

Josh is just an all around great teacher. He will bring out potential in you that you might not know you had. This class is very labor intensive, so if you are looking to slack, choose a different GE class. Despite the class having vast potential to be extremely political in its discussions, Josh did a great job of diffusing such discussions, leaving politics outside the classroom, where it should be.

TH majors over the last few years will agree that the Senior Project course orchestrated by this professor was a colossal waste of time. If you are a current TH major, I highly recommend taking immediate action to ensure that your department provides you with something that you can be proud of as you finish your undergraduate education. Do not let a professor climb the ladder of academia by using you as a statistic to demonstrate that his students are leaving with "university learning objectives" planted firmly into their psyches. Using an arts education to detail "employable" traits of students is certainly not what we signed up for. Speak up now or get out before it's too late. Disclaimer: If you did choose to study theatre solely for the purpose of gainful employment then, by all means, enjoy researching employment statistics as the culmination of your education.

Fuck this guy. Id like to stick my tounge up his ass.