Keese, James  

Keese is very easy, but also very boring. He shows a lot of slides and videos in class from his many trips around the globe. His tests are from his lectures, videos, and the book. As long as you read the chapters and go to class, you should do well in his class.

Keese had a laid-back discussion of geographical topics and concerns. He had a care for his students and was quite funny. Keese made the class enjoyable. I really liked all of his slides and personal stories from past trips.

A very nervous teacher. Taught the material well, but also tried a bit to hard to be accepted by the students. If you cannot stay awake during slide shows, reconsider this teacher.

The man is a nerd, even when he's walking down the street you can just look at him and tell he's a nerd. His nerdinessgets him into some funny situations in class (his fly was down a few times) but he can laugh at himself. He's been all over south america and has lots of neet slides of his travles, assignments and readings are easy and you get to learn some interesting stuff. All in all his class kicks the shit out of any anthropology class you can take here.

Proff Keese is a young guy and he seems to put alot of effort into his subject. He's fun to be around and has a quirky sense of humor. He's working on his self esteem that will show he really is the great teacher he appears to be. His tests were straight forward. Read the book, study the notes, and look over the maps and you got yourself at least a B-. Put in the extra effort and your in for a good showing. He also took us on a field trip through downtown SLO to talk about the history which was for extra credit. I think everyone from all of his classes showed up and enjoyed the venture. Definately a five star teacher who deserves the credit.

Keese is a really nice guy at heart. He grades based on three multiple choice exams and there is an oppurtunity for extra credit (which would be to your advantage to go, it's actually really interesting). He shows a lot of slides of his family in weird foreign countries, which can get old after a while. He's a good teacher and considering this is a GE, that's about the only info you need. But the thing that bugs me most, is that he is always apologizing for saying anything even remotely controversial. Always making sure he hasn't offended someone. If you can't talk about it in college, when can you??? Oh, and he seems like a nervous fellow...reminds me of a small animal...like a squirrel or something...always running around...can't seem to sit still...

Geo. 150 is a very easy course. As long as you read the textbook and take lecture notes you should get atleast a B. Prof. Keese is a good teacher and offers extra credit for just showing up to class. His tests are reasonable and he is an overall nice guy. He shows slides everyday, they can get boring but aren't too bad. Take this class, you will actually learn something.

Professor Keese is a really cool guy. Although geography isn't my favorite subject, he made tried pretty hard to make it interesting. His exams are reasonable, and just make sure you go to lecture because it helps your grade. He's also just so cute in a dorky way.. if only he weren't married!!!!! Anyway, I totally recommend him for Geog150.

He is a great teacher, and his lectures are interesting. In second half of the class he shows a lot of slides of all the places he has been. His tests were usually about 80 questions and he asked a lot of detailed questions from the book. I did all the reading and I studied a lot for that class and I still only got a B.

During the quarter this guy was a character. He cares about his students and a great teacher. Even though the first test caught everyone by surpirse because he hadn't taught a 100 level class in a while, it was tough- so watch out. But as the quarter went on his lectures were kinda interesting take good notes and he incorporates slides and videos into his lecture. In his tests there are questions on the videos and the slides. BUT READ THE BOOK. On his tests he gave questions on the diagrams, maps, and know the vocabulary for the tests, this is very imporant to do well in the class. There are 3 tests, on the first two he has map, short answer, and multiple choice. On each of the map locations there are 30. On the short answer there was usually 5, and on the final there was just map and multiple choice. Dr. Keese is a great teacher and i would recommend him to anyone because it was a pretty fun course and i learned A LOT!!!

This class was the most interesting class I ever took at Poly. If you are interested in the subject, I definetely recommend this class. However, the tests are very hard. I studied thorougly for all 3 and only managed to get C's. You HAVE to read the text and practically memorize all the details I guess. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the class and topic matter very much. It was all very interesting. Just be careful when you are studying for the tests because they are harder than you would think.

I really enjoyed this class. Keese is kinda goofy and quirky in a good way. His tests arn't hard if you go to class and read the book. The grade is based on 2 midterms and a final. He also gives some extra credit. He does show a lot of slides but they didn't bother me unless I was really tired. I thought the material was interesting and I really liked Keese. I highly recomend this class.

Professor Keese loves Geography and brings lots of energy to his lecture. He outlines what information should be needed to do well on the test, and will answer any questions with excitment and detail. Great Teacher!

Mr. Keese is great! I highly recommend any class he teaches. He is well traveled and well informed and he teaches the material well.

Mr. Keese is the man, a bit nerdy appearing but is a sweet guy. Take him, do the work and just read. Youll do fine. Cool teacher.

Dr. Keese is a very good professor. Even though I wish he let us out early more often, he did a good job of presenting all of the material. He covered a lot of information during the course of the quarter. Basically, it was a chapter per week, which seemed like an awful lot to me. His tests are pretty difficult and cover a lot of material from the book. Read the book very carefully. Going to see him in office hours isn't much help because all the concepts are written in the book. His slides were pretty cool, although because he turns off the lights, I fell asleep a few times. Pay attention to the slides, though, because he usually has a few test questions related to them. They kind of act as his way of "unofficially" taking attendance. If you're not there, you won't see the slides. He will occasionally take random attendance which results in extra credit. He also did a trip downtown to talk about the geography of SLO, which was pretty interesting. I didn't think he was that nerdy. He's definitely a fair teacher. I'd recommend him.

Keese is a nice guy. Funny and approachable. (Usually) interesting to listen to. He tries to be unbiased, but usually fails (very liberal; I am too but that\'s not the point). The problem I have is with his exams. 100 multiple choice questions. 30 map locations. But he doesn\'t teach enough material to really be able to do that many quality multiple choice questions, so a lot of it is random filler. Expect questions like \"what do they call \'Cooler Ranch\' chips in Switzerland?\" How is that important? You can know all the important information walking into the exam, and still walk out with a C because you didn\'t remember whether the pictures he showed in class were from East LA or from South Central LA. Good luck.

Nice, smart, funny (in his own way) guy. But get ready for a quarter filled with awkward, incoherent jokes that he laughs his ass off at while the entire class laughs at HIM. His exams are RIDICULOUSLY long and the questions are absolute nonsense. Three exams with 100 multiple choice questions, some of them asking things about minor details from case studies in the textbook, random things about a concept that he barely mentioned in class, or the location of a picture he posted in lecture. While he is pretty kind, I would recommend a different professor.

I ended up getting a B, which is a huge surprise. I FUCKING HATED THIS CLASS. I took it to learn, because I am geographically challenged and Dr. Keese has really good ratings. Beware, the ratings below are WRONG. You spend 2 hours twice a week viewing slides of his daughter in various places across the country. You don\'t learn a single thing in lecture. There are 2 midterms and a final which is the same as the midterms. There are 100 questions on a scantron and map questions. For each test he hands out a sheet of approximately 100 places that you have to memorize on a map (countries, cities, rivers, moutains, etc.). These tests are RIDICULOUS!!!! They pinpoint very minute details from the 3 chapters you have to read for each test. The text is dry and filled with so much information it is overwhelming. Unless you have a photographic memory, you\'re fucked. He did end up curving the tests, which was nice. Oh, and he gives participation points for attendance, so you have to go. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT take Geog 150 with Dr. Keese.

This professor does not teach you anything in class. He shows you pictures of vacations and his daughter. His tests are on material that we have never covered. You definitely have to attend class even though it's a lecture because he will throw in random small detailed questions on his tests from class even though no one remembers the answer. You also have to read the textbook in great detail. Try to get a different teacher unless you really enjoy geography.

DO NOT TAKE ANY CLASS TAUGHT BY KEESE. The tests are absolutely ridiculous, and you waste lots of time looking at pointless slides of his daughter and his wife from all his trips to different places. He specializes in Latin America, so he tests you on random facts about Latin America that you would never expect to need to know. And don't be fooled into thinking the tests will be somewhat easy by the fact that they're multiple choice. They ridiculous. You are tested on things you would never expect, and no matter how much I studied, the highest grade I ever got on a test of his was a low B-...with the curve. I managed to go this whole year without getting a C in a single class, until this stupid 100 level GE spring quarter. Just save yourself the trouble and don't take this class, or at least don't take it with Keese. Oh, one last thing--I went to him after the second midterm and asked him how I could do better on the next test, and all he told me was to know my lecture notes and to "do the reading and hope to remember what you need to know for the test." Needless to say, that wasn't helpful at all. Anyway, if you have any choice, just don't take this class!

NEVER TAKE THIS CLASS. If you are a human encyclopedia than maybe you'll do well, but for the average human this class sucks. Keese is a nice guy, but he doesn't understand that we have other classes to deal with. This a GE class and it was probably the hardest class I have taken at Cal Poly. The book is horrible every line is a fact that is fair game for one of his super specific midterms. If the book tells a fact about the every crop domesticated in Africa your going to need to know that or else you will not do well. He also takes stupid pictures and shows them to the class and expects us to remember facts in the picture for the exams. There are better professors that teach this class. Not saying that Keese is mean he just is not good at making tests for an intro level geography course. One more fact I studied for a long time before the final exam and I still barely got a D- so don't waste your time taking this course you can get a B in a class in the same category and do 1/4 the work.

I really loved this class. The exams were a joke- if you actually studied and read the book, they were a total breeze. Study the map. Dr. Keese knew alot on the subject and made class interesting with all the pictures. Take it if you can!

HE IS THE WORST EVER. DONT TAKE HIM. HE SUCKS AT EVERYTHING. IF YOU BROUGHT A BOTTLE OF VODKA AND TOOK A SHOT EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU SAW A AWKWARD PICTURE OF HIM OR HIS DAUGHTER YOU WOULD BE SMASHED. FUCKING HATE THIS CLASS. SO MUCH READING FOR NOTHING, CAUSE HE DOESNT MAKE ANY SENSE AT ALL. FUCK JAMES. I HATE GEOG 150. HES SO DUMB AND HIS GRADING IS SHIT. PERIOD............

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. His exams and lectures are horrible. His lectures are very unorganized and focus on pictures of places he has been. He also loves to show off his daughter, which does not correspond to the course material in any way. The grading system is made up of three mid terms ONLY, none are cumulative. No homework, no quizzes, your mid terms make up your overall grade. He does occasionally give attendance extra credit points, but those are the ONLY points you can get. For a GE class, I feel it is NOT WORTH IT. His tests focus on small, insignificant details which makes it so that you have to read the book and only pay attention to minute details. The exam questions are poorly written and he asks very RANDOM questions from pictures in his lecture. He may have traveled the world, but none of that has helped him learn to teach effectively.

Lots of hate for Keese on here... So let me say this. If you actually go to class (can be hard sometimes because it can be boring) and read, the class is an EASY A. Really easy. So many people complained about the midterms, but if you read through the book once, you would be completely fine on the tests. The test questions were straight out of the book, and although the book is pretty boring for the most part, it's an easy read. Everyone's complaining about him showing pictures of his daughter... did it really bother you THAT much? I'd say per lecture out of the ~100 slides he showed every class, MAYBE 5 of them had his daughter in them. And it's not like he talked about her or anything, she just happened to be in the picture of the place he was talking about. But anyways, class is 3 midterms and that's it. No final, the "final" was just another midterm and had nothing from the previous tests on it. So basically, if you don't mind reading a bit take the class. It's easy and really interesting in my opinion. Don't get behind on the reading either cus the chapters are pretty long.

Keese was fucking ridiculous. All you do is torture yourself to stay awake for a 2hr class watching pointless slides of him on his vacations and then get tested on the most specific ass statistics that was mentioned in one sentence in the entire chapter. His midterms were not tests; they were evaluations of how many stupid random facts you could cram into your head. I honestly have other more important shit to worry about. He could be funny every once in a while, but overall I would rather eat VG's for the rest of my life than have to take this class with him again.

the class should be renamed, "Places James Keese and his daughter have traveled"

fuck this shit. tests are absurdly detailed and irrelevant to lecture

Honestly, if you actually read the book, this class is piss-easy. One's grade in this class is based on 3 exams and that's it. Keese is obviously well-traveled but perhaps he should take a break and work on his lecturing skills. For starters, his voice is far too quiet for a big lecture room. He presents plenty of information that will be on the test but it's not everything. You have to memorize the locations of countries, rivers, cities, you name it. Over half of each exam's score is based on memorizing the map, so if you actually have a working memory, you will pass all the exams. Just read the book, look at the map, and this class should be nothing.

This is my first time writing an evaluation but I felt like I had to with this guy. Nice guy, definitely quirky, but probably the most incompetent teacher I have had in my life. The class has absolutely no structure and you spend most of the time looking at pictures of his daughter traveling the world. He has no idea how to read a classroom and most of the class talks over him when he “lectures”. Decently easy though, so take him if you don’t care about getting anything out of the class, but I can’t believe I payed out of state tuition to take this class.

I don't know why there's all this hate on Keese. He's a great guy, really helpful, funny, and entertaining. Sure, he shows a lot of photos of his daughter and he talks a lot, but you actually learn. I love Keese and I think he's a great professor, I would definitely taking another class with him. He's super forgiving, and you can easily get an A if you pay attention and attend the class.

Keese is definitely a nice guy but also very quirky. For example, he has this no electronics policy and would run around the classroom before each class & includes tons of photos of his daughters throughout his slides and points it out, which could be irritating to some people. As for the class, it was very straightforward, with the grade being made up of 2 midterms (1 of which got cancelled because of corona), a bunch of reading quizzes, participation, and a ton of extra credit. It was pretty easy to do well as long as you showed up to class because the midterm is made up of information from his powerpoint and he sometimes offers participation points for showing up. However, i hated how the tests and quizzes relied on pure memorization of statistics. It was a struggle to study for the midterm, so I would recommend doing a quizlet to remember all the numbers. I also disliked how his presentations were ~200 slides long, and 3/4 of them consisted of vacation photos. It was helpful to show photos of what we were learning but it eventually got to a point where all the photos were repetitive and droned on and on. Definitely an easy A or B if you put in the effort to study and read but don't expect to learn much.

he actually showed us a depiction of the prophet Mohammed. enough said.

I had his class for Econ 201. All he did was taking the materials out of the text. And during that quarter that I had him we had a beginning Spanish class across from the hall. At the beginning of every class he would say something about how the people in the Spanish class wasn't good. And he keep saying, "I am not trying to impress you with my Spanish, learning another language is a good thing." Over all his class is easy, if you come to class, watch the slides, and read the text. But he waste so much time on the slides on our class, he had to drop out two chapters because he could not finish teaching all the materials he is suppose to. Also he was so nice to us on the day we had to do our in class evulation, at the first I just thought he had a good day and was being nice. Because he actually look at me when he was talking to me, most of the time he would just look at someone else's face (I sit in the front of the class). But he just want you to write something nice about him on the evulation. If you don't mind a boring professor and watch a lot of useless slides, take his class.

I enjoyed this class. Dr Keese is good at making the course interesting. He includes current newspaper clippings and videos to make it relevant to what you hear in the news. I liked how he introduced a geographical perspective with the films and slides. I would have liked the lecture to go a little faster; I felt sometimes that he spent too much time on simple concepts. Maybe that's because I'm really interested in this subject. Anyway I'd highly recommend this professor.

I took this class to satisfy my GE and ended up liking this class more than any other class that I had. His grading policy is decent, based on tests and 10 homework assignments. Maybe I like this subject more than other, but I felt that the teachers lectures were really good. He mixes the classes up with slides, comics and articles to relay to the students how what we were studing was actually relevant to what is currently happing in the world. Basicly, if you read the chapter and show up to class each day, you can pull off a good grade in the class.

He's adorable! I wish he wasn't married! He really takes his time to make sure that everyone understands the concepts and he shows videos and slides to change it up a bit. you do need to read the text to get an A, but its actually a pretty interesting topic. Plus he offers simple homework assignments that can up your grade!

I expected this class to be as boring as econ 221, but Keese actually made it fun. He used slides, clips from newspapers, and other miscellaneous things to make class interesting so it wasn't like just listening him lecture all the time. He gives very easy homework assignments that help your grade. He's SO sexy... and overall an excellent professor for this class!

A really good teacher who actually recognizes that students don't always understand econ that well. Compared to Econ 221 this was a breeze. He gives very clear notes on the board and you only have three tests which are each based on three chapters. The final is just like the midterms (actually shorter), and based only on the last three chapters. Make sure to take note of specific numbers he gives you in lectures on current statistics, they were always on the tests. Also pay very close attention to the notes you take in class they are the biggest chunk of the tests. Make sure to read over each chapter because he does test some out of the book too, but just the basics not covered in lecture. The homework assignments are the easiest you will have at Poly and are only there to help bring up your grade. They take a maximum of 10 minutes (seriously!). The slides he shows of his trips are facinating, and unlike what other students mentioned, they actually add to the course, he will ask a few basic questions about them on the test. Overall a really good guy who is funny, easy to understand and one of the best I've had here at Poly so far. Bottom Line: MAKE SURE TO GET HIM FOR ECON 222

Dr. Keese is a great instructor. This course is similar to Human Impact so there's some overlap if you've taken that. His tests are thorough and are equally weighted between the book and lecture, so you have to attend class AND read the book. He assigns a relatively easy article review paper that doesn't take long to complete. As an instructor he's very fair in grading and curving the class grades. He has many interesting stories from his research in South America. Don't expect to get out of class early though, he uses every minute of lecture time. Overall a very nice man and great instructor.

I was a little worried about this class because of some of the reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised. Dr. Keese has a somewhat eccentric personality and sense of humor, but I honestly found it amusing and quite refreshing. The class is reasonable. Not a super easy A, but with some effort it is definitely doable. The tests are some of the most difficult I have taken in college, but he does not expect you to get everything right and curves quite heavily as well as providing extra credit. Overall, Dr Keese is a very nice and approachable person who is obviously very passionate about geography and traveling. Would take a class with him again for sure.

Dr. Keese is a very nice and approachable professor, but he does not test any of the material he talks about in lecture. Almost all of his test questions are ultra-specific random statistics that he didn't even talk about nor were they in the book. I read every chapter and never missed a day of class, and yet his tests were never acceptable to me. That said, though, he does curve quite heavily, which you will need, because quite frankly he just doesn't test what he talks about. I feel like anyone who did well did so because they encountered this material in a previous GEOG class. I, however, have not taken other GEOG classes, so it was ultimately a very frustrating experience.

A very good teacher with a very relaxed approach to teaching. Teaching methods are lecturing, discussion, videos and slides. Classroom atmosphere is very relaxed due to approach to material. He doesn't try to impress his students with his knowledge, but rather leaves topics open to input and always listens. A very knowledgable teacher with a lot to offer. A definite teacher to take

Mixes his lecture up with videos and slides from his travels (although I never needed to see his picture of himself in a speedo ... ). There really isn't any homework and the tests are multiple choice/map fill-in/essay. The multiple choice ask very specific questions from the book, so read very carefully. Goes back and curves at the end of the quarter if grades are low. I would definitely recommend him.

Dr. Keese is an excellent professor. His class consisted of superb lectures on the various regions of the world that we studied. He touched on all aspects necessary for a good comprehension of the material. In addition, he had video segments that he had gathered from various sources, but they were all very helpful in understanding, or in being able to attach things learned from the lectures to the area in question. The last segment was crammed a bit, and we had to rely more on the text, but this was because he spent an extra week on the Middle East region due to the Sept 11th attacks, and it was very helpful to be able to fully understand what was going on. This quarter the class had a writing assignment attached to it, but due to budget cuts, the assignment will most likely be dropped for awhile. These writing assignments were my favourite part of the class, as we explored issues that I had been wondering about, he had an excellent knowledge of the issues. To get an A in the class, you must attend the class, duh, you must read the book and either highlight the main points, take notes, or make flash cards from it, because he does test thoroughly on the chapters. Hint!!! He likes the graphs, special focus sections of the text, the text under the pictures, the highlighted words, and any numbers or statistics, like who is first, who is second in such and such category, but not dates!! He has essay questions on most of his tests, and they are very fair. For these essay questions it is essential to come to class. Dr. Keese doesn't use the Socratic method that often, but when he does, it is for a reason, i.e. essay questions, and it is very helpful. The slides at the end of the class, were really nice, although it did make us have to rely heavily on the text for that section of the class, and this would be my only constructive criticism, that being, to rush a bit more on other areas of the world, and to make sure that more is covered in class on the slide section from in actual lecture notes. Lastly, Dr. Keese has an opinion, but it is very hard to catch it, as he teaches in such a manner as to present the topic from an unbiased manner. He likes to clear up stereotypes about parts of the world, this is probably his signature characteristic. All in all, Dr. Keese is an excellent teacher!! An A is not easily gotten, but it is not impossible if you do the work, and are somewhat interested in the subject, which I was!

Dr. Keese is a GREAT guy. HE makes the class fun and interesting, and his tests are reasonable. You have to do dorky stuff like memorize maps, but how else are you supposed to learn geography? I recommend Keese very much, the class is tolerable, and you learn quite a bit.

He is a really nice guy who is pretty goofy. The way he acts and his demeanor reminds me of a little kid. His class is strikingly boring and the tests require an incredible amount of studying. The class is hard but he is a good teacher and is quite fair.

Keese is great! He is one of my favorate professors at Poly. I would recomend taking any class he is teaching.

Keese is a wonderful teacher. While world geography doesn't sound like an interesting class, Keese goes out of his way to really spark his students' interests. He lectures, shows movies, and shows slides (but not the lame kind, they are of all the AMAZING places he has been). His tests are hard, but they are fair. You definitely need to study, and make sure you read the book! He is the kind of teacher you don't mind working hard for, because he so good at what he does that you can't help but want to do well in his class.

Keese's class was so much fun! I was not looking forward to geography, but I ended up having a wonderful time. The videos and slides he shared were so interesting. Every once in a while, he shares a fairly biased opinon, but he is still really fun.

Keese is a wonderful instructor, his class was informative and he was knowledgable. be aware that it is not an easy course and many students recieved low grades. he wants you to well but he also expects you to know the material

Dr. Keese is a very nice and caring professor. He is rather dorky and goofy but those qualities add to the entertainment purposes of the course.It\'s not hard to get an A in this class if you do two simple things: show up and read the book. Keese gives an estimated 20 points of extra credit for attendance, so show up! The book is a bit boring, long, and hard to understand at times but if you read it once and skim it one other time you will be fine.

Professor Keese is a great teacher. He gives you a lot of information in this class which can be a bit overwhelming. The tests require you to do ALL of the reading in depth and to study all of your class notes carefully. I'll tell you now that he will test you on tons of facts so STUDY! Do the readings! Yes, this is a lot of work, but this is also an upper division class at Cal Poly- get over it. He keeps the lectures light and he has a good sense of humor. Also, he gives you extra credit just for showing up to class and he curves the test grades at the end of the quarter. Goeg 308 is a great intro to several different world regions and if you have the chance, take it with Keese.

I loved Keese! I wish I could take him again! He is entertaining, knowledgeable and interesting!That being said you will have to know a lot of FACTS for his tests, and there are also map portions of the exams so if you really don't want to memorize things, maybe consider a different GE. But the information is valuable, and it was presented in a way that was easy for me to remember. Taking this class did give me some serious wanderlust though! Also sometimes Keese says things that are awkwardly over-shares... but I guess that's just part of the experience.

I see a lot of hate here, so let me try to be as clear as possible. Keese is a really nice guy, kind of dorky as others say. Likes to go on tangents that involve him asking some random irrelevant question, at which the class just sits awkwardly without answering. It's funny, though, and he always keeps the atmosphere light. If you have any interest in world geography at all, you'll find his lectures very interesting. He breaks down regions country by country, talks about the history and current state of each to the best of his knowledge, and then shows some pictures and tells stories, which is a good break from note taking. To explain all the rants about his daughter, many of his slides have pictures from his own trips with his family and/or study abroad groups, and he just seems to be a family guy. I'm not particularly annoyed by it, and I think other people are just too serious, the way that they get annoyed by it. His tests are difficult, be warned. They require a thorough reading of the textbook, in detail, and you have to be able to locate a good amount of things on a map. He does offer some extra points with attendance, though, as well as an extra assignment that he gave out (which may or may not happen very often). I honestly don't expect a great grade in this class, but from an objective standpoint, this class is doable. I recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the world, as long as they're willing to do a bit of work.

Keese is a quirky guy with a weird and sometimes uncomfortable sense of humor, but his lectures are straightforward and tests are fair. Attendance works as extra credit and can boost you up a half letter grade. Buy and READ the book because he will test on it. Other than that it�s a simple (and interesting) class!

Keese loves geography, you can tell when we starts lecturing. Very easy to talk to and answers questions. He lectures with powerpoints and some short videos. He is knowledgeable about traveling the world, and information about the countries he states. HOWEVER, the tests are HARD! Most of the material from his test are from the reading, not his lectures. He even states that the test are based on the numerous pages of reading. I'm fine with that, but not when every sentence is data! Also map locations are part of the test, those are easy to memorize. I read the chapters completely, and I still received a poor grade. When I asked him, "When we are reading, what should we focus on the most?" He answered, "All of the reading, and captions under the pictures, and the graphs, tables...." It was hard. Also, I could not get out of his pointless lectures because he takes attendance-which counted towards your grade. I caught up on sleep. BUT.... he is passionate and enthusiastic, which I really admire in a professor.

I'm thankful Dr. Keese curves. His tests are difficult and lecture tends to be only somewhat applicable. He provided a study sheet which pertained to perhaps 4 or 5 questions on the 100 question final. There are three tests, each of which is evenly weighted and non-cumulative. The content he tests on is of the Jeopardy/trivia variety. You may have read it in the book, you may even remember reading it, but was it important enough to make an impression? Probably not. Will you still know the information by next quarter? Definitely not. The textbooks was curiously written. It proposed to teach me more about China by comparing China to the US. It used the US fairly often to describe climates, distance, land usage, etc. As someone who's not intimately familiar with the population in Texas and has never driven the distance from Maine to Florida, I would have rather read concrete, actual descriptions of the regions we were learning about than comparisons like those. The lectures carried a well-intentioned message that people are more alike than different. As a result, it did little to describe world cultures or illuminate American culture. I also didn't get the impression that Dr. Keese was passionate about Geography as other students on here have described. He clearly enjoys traveling, he's generally organized about his lectures, but the analytical and critical perspectives just didn't seem to be there. Overall, while I do know more about the regions discussed in class than I did 10 weeks ago, I'd probably try a different professor if I could.

TAKE THIS CLASS AND TAKE THIS PROFESSOR. Geography 308 is easily my favorite GE class I've taken, if not one of my favorite classes overall. It's honestly the first GE that I've been excited to go to. Keese is hilarious in a dad kind of way, but he's very friendly and a good lecturer. The class itself was also really interesting, and I think it was really important to learn about the rest of the world. The class just makes you want to travel and gives you a lot of great ideas for where to go. It also gives you some different world views and perspectives. Most of the lectures would be Keese just showing you pictures from his trips like a friend would. As far as grading, the tests can be difficult for some people, but I got A's on most of them by just reading the chapter once before the test and reading over my notes (which were just word-for-word what he had on the slides). Also, he uses the most generous curve I've ever seen. All in all, this was a great class for the D5 GE requirement, and was the only class where I was disappointed that I missed a lecture.

Professor Keese is a quirky guy who loves his cheesy dad jokes, but that was pretty much the only positive thing about taking this class. There are 4 exams including the final (which is NOT cumulative) and each exam requires 50-60 pages worth of text book reading. The text book is dry and not very well written. His lectures last nearly the full 2 hours which ends up feeling like 5 hours especially from 6-8PM. His lecture material is mostly made up of pictures from his trips to different countries which he gets excited about, but the pictures aren't very relevant when it comes to the tests. The lecture material makes up maybe 5% of the tests which makes it almost not worth it to attend class. He has this curve that he applies to all the tests but it's not the greatest thing in the world. He should just stick to a normal curve, but he had to break some rules and come up with this new curving system. Overall, this class is not an easy A and I do not recommend this professor. Choose a different D5 if you can. Go mustangs!

Dr. Keese is bomb, he has a college aged daughter so he understands our lifestyle and study habits. As other people have said, 20% of his class is him showing pictures of family trips (work related or vacation) around the world. I took 4 classes with Keese and as an ANG major he is still one of my favorite professors! This class is very material-heavy and he gives fact sheets and expects a lot of sheer memorization. This was the only class of his like this. I learned SO MUCH but I have to say I didn't retain most of it. It is super interesting and informative but you have to stay on top of the chapters to succeed! The tests aren't bad if you actually take lecture notes and read the chapters. 9/10 would take this class with him again. His other classes are better though!

Keese is a great guy who clearly is passionate about the subject. I thought his lectures were very funny and useful. If you took good notes and read the chapter then you'd do well on the test. The reading was pretty tedious and dense, so don't take it lightly. Overall I'd recommend him because he is a fair grader when it comes to the essay and gives out tons of extra credit just for showing up to class.

This class was great, I actually learned so much about the world. Class is basically one huge slideshow from his travels, you see her daughter a lot haha. Lectures are pretty boring, I'm not going to lie. You don't have to go to class but he takes attendance 8 times in the quarter and you get extra credit if you're there so I recommend going. He curves his class so that an 87 is still an A-. The tests are long around 80 MC and the map you have to memorize is INSANE. You just have to make up funny hints to remember the countries/capitals/rivers/mountains etc. The reading sucks but you absolutely have to read if you want to do well on the tests. This class is super chill until the week of the test and then you have to cram. I would recommend this class though, Keese really loves teaching it and I learned a ton.

Keese is a good guy. He's pretty goofy. He knows a lot about latin america, but not so much on the middle east. This class covers a lot of info, but a lot of it is just looking at pictures. Overall, this class is great because I feel much more worldly.

Keese is unwilling to work with students, won't answer questions during class and all around provide inaccurate information about the world. I chose to take this class CR/NR and I'm glad I am. Though the material isnt the hardest, he is one of the most testing professors I have ever taken. If you are in anyway Republican, stay away from this professor.

I loved Keeses as a professor. This class is easy if you clearly read the book. I always read the book the day/night before the test so I could remember the information better. He likes the grey sections of the book for test questions. He is a funny/quirky which can be annoying to some people. His lectures are very picture heavy with little information but the pictures allowed me to see the culture of the country we learned about. I would take his class again in a heartbeat because his teaching style works very well with my learning style.

Great class!!!! This professor shows great enthusiasm for his subject and he makes it interesting atleast 3/4 of the time.

Dr. Keese is a cool teacher. If you sit in the first row be carful of what you say because he can hear you. The key to this class is to know the details (which I am not good at). You will be asked to identify sections of california in detail. DON'T read the chapters all at once. That will ony confuse you. But if you do, take notes to review later. He will give you map quizes. These are easy point don't loose them. What helped me is if you take a blank map and cut out the names. Then play a game with them. I got 100 on every map doing this. Be prepaired to watch sides. Take notes because these places WILL be on the test. Overall, Dr. Keese's class was great. I just I took more time to study. Take this class it is fun.

Great guy, interesting stuff, lots to study for, exams are extremely difficult, class was a high B average, show up for extra credit, do the video assignment (easy just edit it at Poly) and get bonus points, etc. The class laughed every day... It was a fun experience.

really awesome professor. has a goofy / nerdy sense of humor which kept the class laughing every day. but don't let his laid back personality fool you, his tests are HARD! they require a thorough understanding of both the lecture and the reading assignments. there was also a field trip which was pretty enjoyable and easy points. do all the extra credit that you can to make up for mistakes on the test. prof. keese is clear and concise. he knows what he is talking about and genuinely cares about his students. so while the major negative is the difficulty of his exams, the rest of the class balances it out.

This is a class all students from California should take! Sure, his exams are a bit difficult because they are based largely off the highly detailed text book, but as long as you show up for all the lectures to pick up extra credit points and complete the field trip assignment, you'll get a good grade. This was an awesome class.

Everyone below this post just sounds like lazy kids who think they can breeze by in college. You go to CAL POLY. You can't expect to get a good grade in a class if you don't put at least a little effort in it. Yes, Keese is a bit eccentric, and gets picture-crazy, but that has nothing to do with the fact that you can easily get an A in the class if you just READ THE CHAPTERS AND POWERPOINTS before the tests. He also gives extra credit points like crazy just for attending class so unless you are completely stupid you really shouldn't get anything less than a C.

Great Class! The information is very interesting and the videos and slides are great. Mr. Keese is well informed and well traveled. The tests are a bit more difficult, but if you read the text and take good notes, you should do well.

the WORST teacher i have EVER had. his lectures are 80% pictures of a million random places he took himself on trips with his family, 20% words that don't really explain much that might not even make it onto the test. so what is the test on? the most specific, detailed questions from the reading along with some very specific details from the lecture. and there'll be a bunch of numbers of a long list of crops that he says "oh you don't need to know this for the test" but it shows up anyways. not just once, but for 10 different questions. and a list of map locations. which don't sound bad, BUT we're expected to pinpoint mountains and volcanoes on what seems to be the DIRTIEST, MESSIEST map i have EVER seen. it's pretty much a map that is black and shaded horribly. so why is his grade for poly ratings so high? uhm...cuz he's....nice? and..funny ish but not really? he likes to tell politically incorrect jokes and laugh a lot. DO NOT. DO NOT. TAKE THIS MAN. he pisses me off to NO end. oh and he's SOOO good at spanish, so he throws up some random spanish words "what does this mean class?" one minute later of silence..one or two people answer. ....HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW? I HAVE NEVER TAKEN SPANISH. JUST. TELL US. SO WE CAN MOVE ON. i'm pissed. he sucks. he is the worst. don't. take him.

Keese is a very goofy but very nice guy. He reminds me of Ed Helms a lot. 370 is Geography of Latin America. The class is actually very interesting despite the lectures getting kind of boring. He draws heavily on his personal experience in the region and uses lots of photos that he took and talks about his wife and daughter a lot. The class covers a wide range of topics and issues regarding Latin America, going far beyond just geography. He provides the textbook online so you don't have to buy it, but the majority of the information you are tested on comes from powerpoints. There is no homework, there are 2 midterms and a non cumulative final. Each test is 70-100 multiple choice, a map section, and a couple of short answer questions. Read the chapters from the text if you want to get A's on the tests. They are all curved about 10-15%. He takes attendance once in a while, and you get extra credit for essentially just showing up. There will probably also be a talk you can go to for a solid amount of extra credit. I put very little effort into the class and got an A. Basically if you get B's on all the tests but show up to class and go to the talk, you will have enough extra credit to boost you a full letter grade. Take the class. It's easy and he is a goofy but good guy.

I've had keese for a number of classes being a Anth/Geog major.. I hope I dont have to take anymore. He tries his best to present the information but covers mostly how much fun he had in the given region, and is super vague about what you will be tested on in the reading. Trust me its very dense. From my experience its always been nit picky, either random facts/stats or a detailed description of a specific example that you would easily brush by. Lectures are boring as hell, he tries to incorporate the class but always draws questions from a picture, asking "what do you thinks going on there?". So stupid. He basically teaches you his own made up acronyms for things. Also when he says you dont need to know this from his slides, you do, dont believe him. Because guaranteed if you ask what you need to know from the lectures he'll say anything that is written down on a slide. Even if you ask what to study from the text he stumbles and mutters to know the text but hes not testing you on everything, how could he not know? He is the teacher right? Geography classes are always detailed and Im not complaining about that, but give the class a clue about what we need to know when you give us a book that covers everything from politics to soil composition. I write this every time on our course evaluations and every quarter it is the same. The curve is what saves you.

I only took this class to fulfill a D5 general ed requirement. It was one of the few classes left when I registered last as a returning student. There is a reason for this. Professor Keese needs to revamp the way he teaches. First of all, the amount of nit picky information he expects you to know for his tests is unreal. He is not very good about focusing your studies, so expect to need to memorize all of the reading, handouts, lecture notes and map locations. I personally think he should break the map locations into separate tests or not expect us to know every single major lake and mountain range and region in central, south America and the Caribbean, along with about 20 pages of lecture notes, 100 pages of textbook materials, a few handouts, all the case studies, etc etc just for one exam. This class has interesting topics but he seems to take pride in making it as impossible as possible. During class he goofs around telling stories about prostitutes, frying guinea pigs, drinking, climging volcanoes. I think he has a passion for Latin America, he just isn't good at teaching. If he restructures the class, it could be okay. As of now though... you've been warned. The class average on the midterms is a D. He curves it, but I'll just be happy when this class is over. Way too stressful.

only take this classes if you enjoy awkward commentary and constantly being flexed on about how Jim Keese has seen the world and you have not. Tests are crazy and the lectures are just pictures of Keese being touristy throughout latin America. very weird guy

I feel that Keese has good intentions, however, he is unable to execute them. The was the second worse class I have taken at calpoly, and the most uncomfortable I have been in a classroom. Keese attempts to "pit" the class against each other in debates with intent for there to be blowups. I understand how this can be beneficial for learning but he has no control over the classroom and it results in an awkward argument between a few students while everyone sits there. He skims over a lot of critical issues in Latin America and instead wastes class time by having us smell tequila and showing us family photos from vacations and asking us "what's going on here" and standing in awkward silence. I'm sure he's a nice guy but the class environment is awkward/a weird vibe and tests are wack.

This is the first C I have recieved in my entire life. I hope that says something to all of you out there watching their GPA. Do not take him--this class was a nightmare!