Professor

James Newton

AD
4.7
Overall Ratings
Based on 37 Users
Easiness 2.1 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Workload 2.2 / 5 How light the workload is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Clarity 4.7 / 5 How clear the professor is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Helpfulness 4.6 / 5 How helpful the professor is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

Reviews (37)

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April 22, 2015
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A

Just memorize all his slides. You don't really need to read the books, only read them for personal enrichment. Memorize all his slides and you'll get an A.

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May 12, 2013
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A

I have taken several classes with Professor Newton in my four years at UCLA. I can honestly say that he is one of the best professors that I have encountered at this school. Not to mention that he is an incredible composer and musician.

The amount of passion he brings into the classroom is really refreshing. That being said, there was never a moment that I was not thoroughly engaged. Lectures are clearly thought out and tests were fair. Just make sure you know overarching concepts and themes.

Take his classes! You won't regret it

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0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COMM 187
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Dec. 11, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: N/A

Professor Newton's class was exceptional! This course examines issues in journalistic ethics and their impact on society at large. He covers a number of topics in journalism from using anonymous sources, defamation, conflicts of interest, and the business of journalism. This is a low stakes course, meaning there is minimal reading and the lecture material is pretty straight forward. This course was a balance during the fall quarter when I took four classes. If you're taking four classes or a south campus student who needs an elective, and that needs to balance out your schedule, take this class! However don't pass if off to not show up to class or to disregard the readings. Professor Newton is an exceptional professor and he will probably be one of those professors you will remember well after you leave UCLA. Your grade is made of two exams: midterm and final, both worth 45%. The exams consist of short essay answers about topics covered in lecture or the readings. The other 10% of your grade is attributed to participation. And the participation was not like other classes where you're regurgitate what the instructor says. The class engaged into some really deep discussions about a variety of issues that we deal with in society, politics, and ethics. For me, the discussions gave the course substance and brought back an element we are missing during the absents of in-class meetings during Covid-19. Rather you are seeking a future in journalism or not, this class will help you to develop a critical lens in how to interpret ethical journalism in todays news.

Helpful?

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COMM 187
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Jan. 27, 2022
Quarter: Fall 2021
Grade: A

100% recommend the class. The class functioned in person, however the midterm and final were online and consisted of short answer responses. Overall, professor newton is extremely flexible and understanding and the course content on journalism was truly enjoyable. Easy A class and I felt like I learned alot.

Helpful?

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COMM 191E
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
July 2, 2021
Quarter: Spring 2021
Grade: A-

I really did not like this class because the topics were very confined and I found it really hard to write about something I did not care about at all. He claims it's not expected but for some of the topics you definitely had to spend decent time researching before you could start writing. I did not receive a horrible grade because he rewards effort, even if you don't get perfect scores on your pieces. But overall I wouldn't say it's a fun class

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COMM ST 191E
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Aug. 2, 2021
Quarter: Spring 2021
Grade: A+

Professor Newton is my absolute favorite professor. He wants you you to improve your writing and allows you to rewrite your pieces as many times as you want until you get a 10/10. The prompts are fun and you take on different journalism techniques. His feedback is so genuine and helpful, I felt so confident in my writing throughout the quarter. I loved this class and would take it again if I could!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COMM 187
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
March 26, 2022
Quarter: Winter 2022
Grade: N/A

Take. This. Class.

Newton is one of the kindest professors I've ever come across. He is a super intelligent journalist who worked for the LA Times. He doesn't use any slides, but his lectures are so engaging that my attention never strayed. His style mainly focuses on a journalistic theme and then he goes through various examples of that theme. He does grade on participation and will often ask the students' thoughts and opinions on the ethical situations. He is very open about his political preference, but he is super fair minded if you have a different opinion or approach.
The only drawback of this course is that the grade is made up completely of your midterm and final, and then 10% based on participation. Obviously, this means the class has a super light workload, which is nice. However, that means that it can be easy to mess up your grade based on the midterm and final alone. The format of the exams is that he will provide 9 question prompts and you choose 5 to answer with short essay responses. The questions weren't difficult and mostly graded on your ability to logically defend your position and use examples and principles discussed in class. The only part I struggled with was the time limit. You have a little bit more than class time to finish the exam and I always was rushed at the end. But take really good notes on the examples and main concepts discussed and you should be fine.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
ETHNOMU C122A
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
April 22, 2015

Just memorize all his slides. You don't really need to read the books, only read them for personal enrichment. Memorize all his slides and you'll get an A.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
ETHNOMU C122C
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
May 12, 2013

I have taken several classes with Professor Newton in my four years at UCLA. I can honestly say that he is one of the best professors that I have encountered at this school. Not to mention that he is an incredible composer and musician.

The amount of passion he brings into the classroom is really refreshing. That being said, there was never a moment that I was not thoroughly engaged. Lectures are clearly thought out and tests were fair. Just make sure you know overarching concepts and themes.

Take his classes! You won't regret it

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COMM 187
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: N/A
Dec. 11, 2020

Professor Newton's class was exceptional! This course examines issues in journalistic ethics and their impact on society at large. He covers a number of topics in journalism from using anonymous sources, defamation, conflicts of interest, and the business of journalism. This is a low stakes course, meaning there is minimal reading and the lecture material is pretty straight forward. This course was a balance during the fall quarter when I took four classes. If you're taking four classes or a south campus student who needs an elective, and that needs to balance out your schedule, take this class! However don't pass if off to not show up to class or to disregard the readings. Professor Newton is an exceptional professor and he will probably be one of those professors you will remember well after you leave UCLA. Your grade is made of two exams: midterm and final, both worth 45%. The exams consist of short essay answers about topics covered in lecture or the readings. The other 10% of your grade is attributed to participation. And the participation was not like other classes where you're regurgitate what the instructor says. The class engaged into some really deep discussions about a variety of issues that we deal with in society, politics, and ethics. For me, the discussions gave the course substance and brought back an element we are missing during the absents of in-class meetings during Covid-19. Rather you are seeking a future in journalism or not, this class will help you to develop a critical lens in how to interpret ethical journalism in todays news.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COMM 187
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2021
Grade: A
Jan. 27, 2022

100% recommend the class. The class functioned in person, however the midterm and final were online and consisted of short answer responses. Overall, professor newton is extremely flexible and understanding and the course content on journalism was truly enjoyable. Easy A class and I felt like I learned alot.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COMM 191E
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Spring 2021
Grade: A-
July 2, 2021

I really did not like this class because the topics were very confined and I found it really hard to write about something I did not care about at all. He claims it's not expected but for some of the topics you definitely had to spend decent time researching before you could start writing. I did not receive a horrible grade because he rewards effort, even if you don't get perfect scores on your pieces. But overall I wouldn't say it's a fun class

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COMM ST 191E
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Spring 2021
Grade: A+
Aug. 2, 2021

Professor Newton is my absolute favorite professor. He wants you you to improve your writing and allows you to rewrite your pieces as many times as you want until you get a 10/10. The prompts are fun and you take on different journalism techniques. His feedback is so genuine and helpful, I felt so confident in my writing throughout the quarter. I loved this class and would take it again if I could!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COMM 187
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2022
Grade: N/A
March 26, 2022

Take. This. Class.

Newton is one of the kindest professors I've ever come across. He is a super intelligent journalist who worked for the LA Times. He doesn't use any slides, but his lectures are so engaging that my attention never strayed. His style mainly focuses on a journalistic theme and then he goes through various examples of that theme. He does grade on participation and will often ask the students' thoughts and opinions on the ethical situations. He is very open about his political preference, but he is super fair minded if you have a different opinion or approach.
The only drawback of this course is that the grade is made up completely of your midterm and final, and then 10% based on participation. Obviously, this means the class has a super light workload, which is nice. However, that means that it can be easy to mess up your grade based on the midterm and final alone. The format of the exams is that he will provide 9 question prompts and you choose 5 to answer with short essay responses. The questions weren't difficult and mostly graded on your ability to logically defend your position and use examples and principles discussed in class. The only part I struggled with was the time limit. You have a little bit more than class time to finish the exam and I always was rushed at the end. But take really good notes on the examples and main concepts discussed and you should be fine.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
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