Thompson, John  

He is absolutely terrible. He doesn't have a syllabus, does not teach the material clearly, and is absolutely horrible at teaching a structured class. The only way you will do well in his class is if you had taken French all throughout high school. DO NOT TAKE UNLESS YOU HAVE HAD PREVIOUS FRENCH TEACHING

About time I got around to leaving a review for Thompson! If only all French courses at Cal Poly were taught by him, the world would be a better place. Thompson is funny without even trying, makes a true effort to connect with students and wants everyone to succeed. He always recognizes when students aren't getting it and is always happy to answer questions. He's very approachable. This guy got his degree from Yale, which I never would have guessed because he is so humble and never treats students like they're stupid or below him (unlike some French professors aka Kennelly). There are four tests, one for each chapter. They can be difficult at times but if you study a decent amount you'll do good, especially because Thompson gives partial credit if your just a little bit off and its clear you understand it. The homework is a bit of a nuisance but an easy A to bump that part of your grade. TL;DR Thompson is one of the nicest and most down to Earth professors I've had so far and you won't regret taking him!

An excellent professor. Presents material clearly, outlines the course well, and is very helpful to the students. Truly one of the greats in this school.

Prof. Thompson is very fun to listen to, and he presents a harder course curriculum than he actually follows. He is usually full of jokes and for the most part class is never boring, except for some of the hard grammar topics. My advice, do the exercises in your book before you come to class; everything is read orally with students providing the answers.

Dr. Thompson was inciteful. His grading policy is easy and if you need time he will give it to you. Just don't get carried away. There will be one page papers to write, but you usually start in class. He is very approachable during his office hours. Very helpfull too. The class has a big emphasis in pronounciation that will appear silly but along the quarter you will find out it's very helpful and start to notice pronounciation differences. You will also learn some pretty cool history about the language. take advatage of all the help he offers. and practice on your own time. It's the only way your will earn the French language other than going to the country.

Very flexible, funny, and knowledgable!

Absolutely horrible.

Professor Thompson is seriously one of the coolest professors I've ever had. He is very helpful and really cares about the needs of the students. He's knowledgable, humorous, and genuine. The workload is average; not too little, not too much. Every once in a while, he throws in random idioms or phrases that are found in everyday French conversation or he'll mention some cultural aspect that you wouldn't find in the book. So all in all, Thompson is an awesome teacher and you will learn a lot if you take any of the courses he teaches.

He's a great professor.

This class is set up with four midterms and a final. The midterms mostly contain vocab and grammar, however there are some cultural questions too. The midterms could be difficult at times, but most of the time they were not too bad. Read the book, it helps. There are vocab words so memerize them. The final was like the midterms but longer. There are four 1 page papers due for the class also. They are not that hard, but start on them early. Thompson is a funny guy and allows the class to have fun. He is a pretty good teacher, but he doesn't write much on the board. This can be hard for students trying to learn new words or how sentences come together. He is very helpful if you talk to him. He will answer questions and help you on assignments. Overall, the class was pretty good.

Oh goodness, Thompson is AMAZING. He's SO animated, SO down to earth and funny, SO helpful. And he's improved on the board writing thing. I had no problem whatsoever in his class. He grades fairly and his assignments are rather snappy. The most fun I've ever had in a French class (which is saying a lot, because I LOVE French).

Professor Thompson is one of the best teachers I\'ve had at Cal Poly. He really wants his students to understand and learn the material and I enjoyed going to class. I enjoy how enthusiastic and funny he is and how he is able to make the class interesting. I really learned a lot and I am excited to take more French classes with him.

Dr. Thompson is down to earth and skilled in the art of teaching like no other. He's easily reached during office hours, and makes an honest effort to help his students. I wish he taught all of my classes. He's great.

Professor Thompson is a great teacher!! He's funny, enthusiastic, smart, and knows how to present the material well. I highly recommend taking him for any class. His class is mostly based on tests and written assignments and he's a fair grader. Take him, you'll love it!

Dr. Thompson is honestly the best teacher I have ever had. He made a fairly difficult french class easy and entertaining. He doesn't care if you come to every class, but it really helps clarify the material covered to be there when you can. He is passionate about the language and he is absolutely hilarious. If you need or want to take a french class at calpoly, take it with Dr. Thompson.

John is the type of professor that you can appreciate only if you are serious about French. His natural tendency is to relax. Therefore his class is not hard at all. He is very lenient but that can be a difficult thing for those of us who are good at procrastinating. He is very intellingent, but will only get that side of him if you consistently persue it. John basically gives you two options, you can cruise through the course through his relaxed and fun way of instruction. Or you can really get a good sense of the French culture and the how the language works, in a fun way, by communicating with him and making him talk about what he knows very well. All that been said, John is very fun and approachable. I definately recommend taking his class.

So i got a 3 on the AP exam last year and got put in this class... it was a joke. I had already learned everything that we went over all quarter. I only got a B because the tests were really weird and he asked all these questions about the \"culture\" sections in the book. He is also a tough grader on papers. But not a bad class.

Thompson is amazing. He is very down to earth. Always willing to help you and and pretty relaxed on turning in assignments. I don't think i'd have gotten an A if he didn't extend assignments. He is able to recognize student difficulties. He is very approachable and cool to hang out and joke around with. Very helpful during office hours as well.He gives random quizzes, which are very easy as long as you did the reading. Tests are fairely difficult depending on your knowledge of the subject. He is a very smart guy, who knows a lot about the material. He always has different ways of teaching the material for a better understanding. Assignments are ok but don't be fooled. The finals is pretty tough. Covers a wide range of topics. I've had him for the past 3 quarters and looking forward to having him in my other classes. You have to take this guy. FR 233 satisfies C1 of the GE requirements. Take a class with him and u'll love and appreciate the french language.

one of the most entertaining professors i've ever had. this is not an easy class, it is designed to MAKE you learn, but prof thompson will do whatever he can to help you out, including grading your papers early. he is young and animated. i will be sticking to this teacher for all my french class needs.

ive had this professor multiple times, and it takes a lot to not like this guy. he is easy going and looks at college courses realistically; he isnt going to go on a power trip and stress you out over bullshit. you will, however, learn a lot from him.

John Thompson is a very nice guy and a good teacher. Most importantly he knows the french language well and speaks it well. He is very easygoing and relaxed and is the kind of guy you can joke around with and have a good time in his class. Only danger is that this can lull you into a false sense of security since the final he gives is actually quite challenging. Definately take a class of his if you get a chance to.

Professor Thompson is great! He is really understanding and totally willing to help you.

Professor Thompson is a great guy to learn from. Forget about the grades and whatnot, he's got lots of great insight. In addition, he makes class fun with discussions and he'll take time to help with questions. Good guy to take for French classes. What stinks is that he's the main guy for french, and he hardly ever teaches. John, if you're reading this, I know you're busy and all, but it's almost impossible to get a minor finished only taking one to two classes a year. As well, the late class times stink. How bout something a little earlier in the day?

He is really nice and helpful. He's extremely smart and knows his stuff. I definitely recommend taking Hum 310: Culture of France

Take french cooking! It's fun, you get to eat, you learn a lot of practical stuff along with historical/cultural aspects. I'd take it again.

John Thompson is the coolest professor on campus, of that there is no doubt. His organization skills don't exist, but we still learn a hell of a lot. I have taken courses from him in each of the last three quarters, one in fall, two in winter, and four in spring. If it weren't for his kicked back attitude towards deadlines I would never have received my minor in french. All of the french courses I have taken have been from him and last quarter I took every class that he taught plus an independent study course. With the exception of the food class, he never once kept up with the schedule. Not that that's a bad thing, but you should make sure that if you take his class (not the food class, since Neuhaus handles that mostly) just feel free to cut out the last fourth of the quarter cuz you're not going to get to it. Also, if there are multiple books, buy them when you get to them. No offence, john, but we didn't even get to the Farce book in 233. By now he might have revised the schedule for the next class he teaches. Even with the shortened schedule, there are big assignments to be done. They really aren't that long or hard, as long as you don't wait until the last minute. He'll extend the deadline, but you don't want to ask him to it every time. I did and I'm sure he's not thrilled. For the French lit class, make sure you go to class. I'm not sure how much the quizzes are worth, but the two or three that he gives are pop quizzes, plus, you will understand the stories in class, but not if you just read them on your own (unless you speak french very fluently). I'm actually bummed that I don't need anymore french classes for my minor... maybe I'll double major... Anyways John, if you're reading this, thank you. BW