Lawler, Brian  

He's the best teacher I've had in Cal Poly. He is genuinely into the material and he has tons of experience. He presents the material very well, and he is very helpful in office hours or responding to e-mails. He is into new gadgety things and loves to showcase all the new technology out there. He is very fair in grading and tells you exactly what you need to know for tests. It's too bad he won't be teaching 101 ever again because I think he converted many students into changing majors. I would change majors too if I hadn't already finished most of my schooling. He made GRC a very interesting and admirable proffession. If he was a pimp, I'd definitely be one of his hoes.

Lawler us an awesome professor. He really knows how to teach the material so you can understand it. He makes funny jokes and can relate to the students. By far the best professor I've had at Cal Poly.

i was in desparate need of 4 units, and picked this class up on the last day. the class wasn't as easy as i would have expected, but he makes EXTREMELY boring material somewhat entertaining. he has a goofy sense of humor, and u cant help but like the guy. he takes attendance once, for 10 percent of your grade...and there are 2 midterms. also a 5-7 pg term paper.

Professor Lawler is a very good teacher, as you can likely gather from the other reviews. He knows the material like the back of his hand, and takes a great interest in it. He's extremely approachable, and is very willing to help students out. I wanted to transfer into the GRC program, and he was more than willing to talk with me on several occassions, and help me get the proper forms, etc. Homework is far and few between, and is largely based on a term paper due around mid-quarter. The midterm and final are fairly easy considering he sends out most of the questions to study from prior to the tests. Highly recommended.

Lawler is a great instructor--laid back atmosphere, and clearly presents the material. He provided a great study guide for the midterm and finals, and made sure that you understood everything in his lecture. He made presentations for programs that are typically used in GRC as well as a few "field trips" around campus where we can see the things that we were learning in action. Great teacher!

Lawler is a nice guy. He is so into his material that he can go off on it. However, he tries to make it so you really understand. His tests are fairly easy as long as you pay attention during class. Even though I had this at 8am every morning, he made is pretty interesting.

what book do you need for Lawler's GrC 101 class?

Took this for a minor. Lawler definitely knows EVERYTHING about the the subject, but tries to make you learn ALL of it. It's way too much information to ever be tested on. There's a midterm, pop quiz, and a final to go off of and all are pretty tough. During his lectures you don't know what info you need to know and what parts are just him going on a tangent. sometimes he'll mention after a 10 min long subject that that you won't be tested on it. I think it would have been better if it was more hands-on somehow; you had field trips to see printing methods but those were honestly just like lecture where you're staring at something and he's talking. Lawler is a knowledgeable professor but definitely needs to cut down the info to the most important

Lawler's awesome. He's a quirky old guy who just knows his shit so well it's pretty unbelievable. He has a great sense of humor and sometimes just got us all laughing by doing his wierd old man jokes. As for the class, I barely ever read the book, rarely studied, and took notes on the handouts he gave us and got a B+. You can get an A for sure if you just study and read the book. And make sure you go to the field trips and pay attention because he always has questions from them on tests and quizzez. I ended up being pretty interested in the printing processes, history of graphic design, and all that. Fun course in my opinion, and definately a teacher worth taking.

One of the best teachers at Cal Poly!!! I\'ll be honest, I do not find paper, ink, or printing to be that interesting, but I always enjoyed going to his class. He was really funny and genuinely cared about his students. He recorded all of his lectures and posted them online for the students that didn\'t come to class or just wanted to hear it again. He held about 5 field trips on and off campus which was a nice way to get everyone out of the classroom. If you are looking for a class as an elective or are thinking about switching to Graphic Communication, take this course!!! you will not regret it!

Professor Lawler is a really great guy. The class is really interesting, but the tests are pretty tough. He expects you to know a lot of information that he only mentioned once, so make sure that you\'re literally always paying attention. It\'s definitely not a class that you can just zone out in. Otherwise, pay attention and get interested and you can pull of an A.

Professor Lawler deserves more accreditation than he has received on here. For his ability to teach the subject matter, and to provide a good classroom environment I would rate him around 3.90/4.00. The only reason that his rating is lower than this on PolyRatings is because some students take his classes, with no interest in the subject; who probably abhor technology; disappointed they cannot skip the class on regular basis; who dislike going on interesting (mostly on-campus) field trips; and prefer writing English essays, doing math, or studying other useless information that will never score them anymore of job in the real world than teaching the subject they are studying—to a class they can retain useful and enlightening information from. Lawler is the epitome of a true professor, he not only has extensive knowledge on the subject he teaches, but he has lived and become incredibly successful in the field. To all of you critics: I’m sorry that Lawler doesn’t organize his class to present all of the information to you on a silver platter or in a study packet... but when the fuck will your employer hand you a study packet? When you get a job at Taco Bell four years from now? That being said, here are a few tips for success: 1) Bring a laptop/netbook/iPad to type on. Bold information when he says “this is what I want you to get from this”, “you should know this”, and “the One important thing that I want you to know about this is” because it Will show up on the midterm/final. 2) Don’t wait to study the information until the week before your midterm. You will forget what you wrote and why you wrote it. Instead, review every two weeks or so for an hour. 3) If he provides you with an article (usually written by him) and Tells you to read it for a quiz, read it twice, and take down important words like “Image Area” with a description. This class is by No Means difficult. If you want an A, go to class everyday, review your notes for an hour every 2 weeks, and read over your notes 2-3 times before the midterm/final.

Professor Lawler is a great guy who is incredibly knowledgable about Graphic Communication. I would recommend taking this class because it\'s a great way to really be introduced to the subject. If I could give any advice, it\'d be to TAKE GOOD NOTES in this class. There aren\'t any textbooks to refer to, so all you\'ve got when it comes down to studying is your own notes. It\'s tough to do, considering that the class is at 8:10 in the morning, but in the end, being clear and detailed in your note-taking will benefit you a ton. Lawler is intelligent, resourceful, and interesting.

Professor Lawler is one of the best teachers I\'ve had so far. He goes off on little tangents sometimes that really have nothing to do with the course material but they make things interesting. He could keep me up for the 8 am class. The key to this class is listening and taking notes especially on field trips because he doesn\'t record his lectures for those but they are a large portion of questions on his tests. Overall a great teacher and I definitely recommend him and this class as an elective

Professor Lawler is DA BOMB! Absolutely loved this guy! I learned so much and he is so passionate about everything related to GRC. There is one mid-term, a research paper, and a final. Not hard to pass and extreemly interesting. Not to mention funny! The only thing I wish is that he use power point. He kinda just talks the whole time, so if you miss one class, theres no real way to catch up (there's no text book or power point or anything). But take this class!

Lawler is an excellent professor! He is very energetic and passionate about the topics so it is fun to be in class. The field trip days we usually get out 10-20 minutes early and his quizzes are super easy if you attend class. Not paying for a book is great and as long as you study your notes and handouts, you'll do fine in this class.

He is an interesting guy and is really excited about printing. There's no homework in the class so make sure you come to class for the quizzes and field trips around campus. He seems like he gets off topic easily, but some of the information that seems random can be important for quizzes and tests.

If you need help or clarification, go to his office hours cuz he's willing to spend a shit ton of time explaining that shit to you until you understand. also hes the type of guy who cares about his reputation ALOT (u can tell because everytime he teaches about a person in class, he always mentions their reputation), so he's hella nice and kind to you-which you can look forward to if ur taking his class. also try not to miss one fucking class cuz ull miss alot of info bcuz of that (and he only gives out some handouts to people that show up to class, and getting pictures of those handouts if u missed class from 'friends' in that class is a srs pain in the ass-trust me)and the fieldtrips contribute to ur grade and the info u could miss will most likely show up on his weekly quizzes which u should spend about 20-30mins studying for beforehand. trust me-dont go in blind bcuz these quizzes r rlly easy to ace and will help your grade out if u do kinda mediocre on the midterm. also-STUDY for the midterm and final in advance(like a week before). I studied everything the night before the midterm and i wish i started earlier since the material is rlly easy u just gotta memorize that bullshit. memorize the images on the handouts he gives out and know what part is called what. he'll have a fill in the blank on the test. also, his short answer are hard, but i heard if u go to office hours and probe him with potential questions that might be short answer, he'll give you hints on what will be on the short answer.

I absolutely adore Lawler as a professor. He is such a lovable person and his passion for the subject material is contagious. He does (mostly) weekly quizzes which are pretty easy if you pay attention during class, and he doesn't grade too harshly but enough to make sure you are coming to class and being focused. If you can, try to sit in the first two rows because he'll start to remember you which is really cool since he'll pass you in the halls and say hello :) Honestly, I would never have found letterpresses interesting if not for his clear love of the subject!

Professor Lawler is amazing!!!! He loves the subject very much and is extremely knowledgeable. He makes the class fun and interesting. Definitely sit in the first couple rows because he will recognize you and talk to you in and out of class. His office hours are super helpful and he will spend as long as he can working with you and explaining the material until you understand it. He gives weekly quizzes (but sometimes doesn't) so always be prepared. There are two midterms and a final which are mostly multiple choice with some short answer. Overall, take his class, it's worth it!!

He is so smart. One I first sat down in the lecture I thought it would be a boring class since printing was not very exciting to me. But, he made the topic so interesting since his lectures are so funny! If you want to get an A, sit in the first couple of rows, LISTEN AND TAKE NOTES, and study for the midterms and final. You do not have to buy a textbook or do homework.

Great teacher and a fair grader! Made what I originally thought was going to be a boring topic interesting and easy to learn. It's truly a shame this is Lawler's last time teaching the class!

He is super interesting and knows how to keep the class engaged! I loved all the stories he tells, even if they sometimes go on a tangent. He obviously loves his job and is very knowledgable about the subject. Taking good notes is the key to doing well in this class but overall it is not hard at all. As Professor Lawler says, if you to class and take the tests you're pretty much guaranteed to pass the class. His tests are a little tricky and many of the questions are slightly unclear or on very specific details he mention in passing in class. (take detailed notes on what he says) He often repeats questions on tests and quizzes so study those past tests! There are lots of fun field trips around campus. So sad he is retiring!

Dr. Lawler is the greatest professor I've had yet at Cal Poly, and one of the greatest teachers I've ever had. He has a talent for making the subject matter fun, interesting, and relevant. He has a great sense of humor, and obviously cares deeply about his students. I would go out of my way to take a class from him again!

Dr. Lawler is the greatest professor I've had yet at Cal Poly, and one of the greatest teachers I've ever had. He has a talent for making the subject matter fun, interesting, and relevant. He has a great sense of humor, and obviously cares deeply about his students. I would go out of my way to take a class from him again!

Lawler was a good guy, but his teaching methods were sometimes hard to follow. He rambles about so many things that you don't know what kind of notes to take, so when the midterm and final comes along, there are a couple questions you don't even remember him mentioning. There is no book, no hand outs. He's pretty random, so try not to get lost. A lot of questions on the midterm and final were really simple, but then there were others that were hard. He's funny, but his way of teaching may be hard for some people to follow.

He is a boring lecturer and he is really unorganized. He doesnt communicate with his lab teachers very well. Other than that you have to go to class in order to understand anything he is teaching. You get used to him. He is very nice outside of class.

... This guy seriously has a 5 to 5 chill to pull and just watching him spit at slams during lecture gave me more useful information than I've learned in any other class at Poly. ... Overall, he is a dope teacher and a super easy grader.

Great guy, really nice and personable.. Just a horrible teacher. I don't remember anything I learned from either of the classes I had with him. I only remember the crazy stories.

He is an interesting teacher and does try to make it interesting to the class! He brings in many props, and records all his lectures online. He seems to be a little into himself and gracefully name drops all quarter long, but still a nice guy. Stickler in grammar, and has silly pet peeves which he grades harshly. My essay on graphic communication was turned back bleeding because of a couple spelling errors, and he marked me down massively for them. Which is ridiculous because it wasn't an english class. Not an easy A, but If you study hard you should do well.

One of the smartest teachers in the department. Great teacher.

If these stars were a GPA for smartness, Lawler really would deserve a 4.0. This guy knows everything about everything. Unfortunately, the class isn't quite all it could be. A lot of it goes back to the basic structure of the GrC system. In order to optimize what's taught this class, it should, like most, require the 200 series. In addition, based on much of what he taught, it should also require 315. It didn't require these things, however, and as a result, taught preemptively many of the concepts that these other courses teach, like stochastic screening, water-loving/ink-loving properties in offset litho, etc. Since courses are so impacted until you have the 200 series and 315, of course this class had a lot of young/transfer students who had only taken 101 and 201. When you don't even understand the basics of offset and screening, it makes it really hard to discuss "emerging" technologies, which is what this class is supposed to be about. This just creates further redundancy in the GrC system, of which there's already plenty! No more raster vs. vector, PLEASE!!! In addition, Lawler talks about some things that aren't so emerging (like the history of Adobe), and many things that have no relation at all but are interesting nonetheless. I went into this class really hoping to learn about bleeding edge technology, but instead he had just write articles on it. Do you have any idea how hard it is to write an article on a topic for which virtually nothing is published?! Why doesn't he just teach it?! Most people ended up picking a topic for which already much had been written, which means that it's not going to be very emerging. The bottom line is, unless you're on an older catalog, you have to take this class, so you may as well make the best of it. I have much admiration for Lawler, and would trust him completely as a consultant and even as an industry analyst. However, this class did not meet up to my expectations. Much of what was taught had been taught before, and most of the rest of it wasn't too "emerging." Hopefully this can be rectified in the future.

This class is basically story time with Mr. Lawler. He will start talking about a topic and try to get the class involved in the discussion and eventually will tell you one of his many stories that involve one of his friends who happens to be involved in that field and he does seem to have a friend involved in just about everything. He will give you all the questions for the midterm and final before hand which is nice but he will have a lot of questions where two of the answers say basically the same thing but only one of them is right. However if you go over all the questions and email him or go to his office hours for the confusing problems he will help you out with them. Also I recomend takikng this class with a lot of friends so everyone can discuss the tricky questions and you will usually end up with a pretty good consensus for the right answer. There is also a lot of reading but you don't really have to do it as long as one of your friends does. All in all if you go to all the lectures and talk to him about the tough questions you should get an A in the class fairly easily.

Dr. Lawler is a great professor. This was a class of 200 people, and roll was never taken, but I still made it to almost every class. Lawler will tell stories and anecdotes, and he is knowledgable about just about every subject you throw at him. He will start talking about a certain subject he wants to talk about, and then 20 minutes later be on something completely off topic so its a very interesting class. The only downfall is his grading system. Basically the entire class is graded on one midterm and one final. He even gives you the questions beforehand but the questions can be misleading. Taking notes of the discussions is highly advised if you want to earn an A. Highly recommended for the GE upper-division requirement.

B.Lawler is Awesome, He makes Gandhi look like a child pornagrapher! This class was Great, I didnt expect to get much out of this class, but i was totally wrong. Lawler is knowledgable in just about every subject there is. The class was basically a giant discussion room becuase we talked about anything and everything and he got off topic basically everytime someone had a comment of question. Although the class was great, sometimes you wonder "What the heck am i doing here?" I dont exactly know why we needed to learn things like; How cell phones work, Why Kodac is behind the Digital Market, What his boot camp experience was like, the list goes on... However, The class was enteraining and Ill admit to showing up to class on occasion just to see what he has to say. He grades easily, assignments can be made up, just ask nicely and on the Midterms and Final all you need to know are the questions he posts on blackboard. If you cant answer those just ask him, its easy! Take Lawler its an experience to say the least.

Man is this guy nice. And so interesting to listen to. He is quirky, and easy-going, understands that everyone in the room has more important classes and obligations, and truly cares about his students. Take the time to have a decent conversation with him, I promise you won't be disappointed. And for those of you who are looking for this: yes, its an easy A. TAKE HUM 303 WITH LAWLER.

Dr. Lawler has got to be my most favorite professor there at Cal Poly. The class was great! In a 200+ person class, Lawler does a great job getting everyone to participate and discuss subjects that are pertinent to everyday life. TAKE HUM 303 WITH LAWLER!

Lawler is pretty cool. He understands that this class is the lowest priority on everybody's schedule, and he pretty much tells you that when assignments/tests come around. His questions are tricky, however Lawler, curves big time. My grade nearly jumped one grade after the curve!! Lawler 's lectures are interesting, you don't really need to take detailed notes, but you do need a sense of what is being discussed in class. All in all, this class is fairly easy, and I would highly recommend it. At worst you'll probably earn a B, if you do a little bit of studying you'll easily get an A.

Lawler was a great professor for this class. You have to read 2 books but for the most part he talks about them in class and covers the majority of what you need to know. The lectures are interesting on everyday stuff but can take some wild tangents. If you just go to class and listen to him you will do well in the class. Tests are kinda tricky but but he curves big time in the end to make sure everybody comes out all right. I would take this class again if I had the chance. Take Lawler

"Curious Stuff" is this guys trademark. Lawler is the man, he's very concerned that you don't get distracted by your major courses with this class, but he does intend on you to do quite a bit of reading. However, the book he assigns are actually really interesting, this is coming from a person who has read about 2 books my entire life. Take lawler for HUM 303, easy B if you just do the reading and go to class. His lectures can get a bit long though when he doesn't give you a break for 2 hours, but he's still savage as f*ck

If you're ready to take a class where this energy filled elderly fellow spouts off about a structureless cirriculum based on his own opinions then by all means take this class. I tried taking notes.. He bounced around so much that it was near impossible and I found myself giving up. the material of the class by all means wasn't challenging at all. But naturally it can't be too easy so he asks very specific questions about things you wouldn't think matter in the least, and that's where you'll lose points. Call me old fashioned, but I like a class where easy or hard, we're tested on how well we know the material and have a clear concept of what if it we need to study. I HATE classes where there's very little guidance and grades are based on specific often unimportant aspects of his made up curriculum. If you're sitting in class extremely bored you might ask yourself one question: "Does what he's talking about have anything to do with Values and Technology?" I spent one of our classes asking that question the whole period and alas something relevant just didn't come. About half way through the quarter I found myself conditioned to the sound of his voice and got lethargic yet restless everytime he spoke. Luckily there's a game you can play while he's blathering on about something irrelevant to the course! Get a pen and paper and take a tally everytime you hear him say either "Interesting" or "Curious". It will astound you! The pinnacle of the class for me was when he said "it's interesting BECAUSE it's curious"!! I almost died laughing. haha. Another problem I had was with the first midterm. He'd given an ambiguous written question where there could be several possible answers. He mentioned it in class and said he didn't think he should give full credit unless if it was the answer he was looking for. So he makes a mistake.. and punishes the student for it..? That shouldn't fly in a class ABOUT values. I urge you to not take this class just because it's easy. It's 4 hours every week I came to dread and sadly I'll never get back.. :'(

Lawler is an entertaining lecturer. He tells a lot of stories and goes off onto tangents often, but pay attention because anything that comes out of his mouth has the potential of appearing on a test. He gives a few pop quizzes through the quarter.

If you are an engineering major or decently familiar with general consumer electronic technology, you coast through this class. Two books are assigned, although you don't really need to read either if you go to class. If you show up and do the minimal reading, you are pretty much guaranteed at least a B. Goes off on tangents, which makes the two-hour lectures more bearable. Learned more about random topics than I did about "Values and Technology." Would definitely take him again!

Everyone that has given Lawler a good grade has been seriously mislead by his personality. Now it may be that I have had the chance to have multiple chances with him, but Lawler is the worst teacher I have ever had. He goes on random tangents and tells stories. You hear the same stories over and over and he is a name dropper beyond belief. He has no idea how to teach a class, GRC 331 was the worst. Class is always pointless but he always manages to guilt everyone into coming. He is a flake and makes promises that he never keeps. Oh, you want him to e-mail the study questions so you can actually? Good luck getting that before the test. We had a Friday final at 4 PM and at the very last day of class he decided he had something more important to do than attend our final so he had someone else do it. The dude is a flake, a phoney, and a terrible teacher!

Lawler is an eccentric fellow -- a plague on your house should you speak ill of him! Kidding. Lawler's classes are ... disorganized, to say the least, but you do learn a lot, whether it's random trivia or something actually pertaining to the class. It's true -- he is a shameless namedropper and loves to tell stories, but you can actually learn something from his stories. You learn about crap that actually happens in the industry. I'll be honest, I didn't really need to study for Color Quality Control, a lot of it is common sense and if you know anything about color management you're fine. The one thing that you will gain from this class is a slightly more in-depth knowledge about color management.

Brian's class turned out to be my favorite for the whole quarter. Though the lab component of GRC 377 is pretty hardcore in terms of the amount of work required, the lecture was very laid back. Brian graduated from Cal Poly and has been working in GrC for about 35 years, so he knows the industry inside and out. He has a lot of personal experience that he weaves into the lecture well. He also gave in-class demonstrations of how to perform certain procedures in the programs covered in lab, which were helpful if we couldn't figure things out ourselves. He was an entertaining speaker, and always kept my interest. Tests in the class were a breeze, and he gave study guides at least a week before each test that had the test questions written out almost verbatim. His focus was on teaching us to use our computers to effectively communicate our ideas in a visually pleasing manner. This was a fantastic class to take, and a wonderful man to take it from! Thank you, Brian!

Missed the first day, went to the second day. Went to the midterm. Went to the Final. Three days of class total. I got a B, easy. This kind of shit gives our school a bad name.