Current instructor

Kathryn McGarr

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.00/5 from 19 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

J669 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Great exposure to some classic journalistic works. Professor McGarr led discussion well but also gave us independence. Her feedback on written assignments was always helpful and she herself was frequently open to suggestions from the class!
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J560 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Prof. McGarr cares a lot about her students and the material she teaches. The readings assigned each week pair well with lectures, and both will be on tests.
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J201 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
This is for J405. McGarr's no phone policy is not bad at all. She is accessible outside class and very flexible with deadlines and absences if you communicate with her beforehand. She is passionate about her work and allows endless opportunity for writing. For her workshop class just participate and fully work hard on a total of 3 story pieces.
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J201 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Prof. McGarr is an outstanding instructor for J201. Her lectures and highly entertaining, and the material is very interesting and can be applied to the many facets of journalism and strategic communication. I also recommend going to her office hours as she brings so much insight to the field of mass communication.
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J201 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Prof McGarr is amazing! Funny, truly cares about her students, ready to answer any questions. The course is built to help you - don't be intimidated! It is a Comm B course so it will be more extensive,but everything you do in the course is backed by the TAs and the professor. Guest lecturers talk about the field of journalism/strat comm!
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J201 · course not matched
Quality 1/5Difficulty 3/5
Mcgarr is lowkey one of my least favorite professors I've had. The concepts are elementary but they way she structures the class is heinous. Lectures aren't mandatory but her slide make zero sense.There are multiple 3 question quizzes throughout the semester and the questions are horribly phrased. Still got an A but this class is a pain
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Kathryn McGarr

HISTORY 999

Independent Work

1–6 credits

HISTORY 999 is an independent work course involving directed study under faculty supervision.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Stephen KantrowitzGiuliana Chamedes+54 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample
HISTORY/JOURN 560

History of U.s. Media

4 credits

Explores the evolution of US mass media within political, social, and economic contexts.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Kathryn McGarr is described as dry and disorganized, with lectures not posted online, requiring attendance. The course involves three tests and a large research paper, with textbooks and novels as materials.

Kathryn McGarrJD Duncan

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025
HISTORY/JOURN 808

Mass Communication History

3 credits

Intensive reading and discussion of mass communication literature.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=2 letter grades).

Kathryn McGarr

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample
JOURN 682

Senior Honors Thesis

3 credits

JOURN 682 is a senior honors thesis course involving mentored individual research and study for journalism majors completing their honors requirements.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Michael WagnerLindsay Palmer+15 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample
JOURN 697

Internship

1–3 credits

JOURN 697 is an advanced directed study course where students arrange projects based on internship experience with faculty supervision.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Michael WagnerLindsay Palmer+19 more

No recorded grade history

JOURN 699

Directed Study

1–6 credits

JOURN 699 is a directed study course allowing students to arrange advanced projects with faculty.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Michael WagnerLindsay Palmer+20 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2025 · limited sample
JOURN 990

Thesis

1–9 credits

JOURN 990 is an advanced thesis course providing mentored reading and research for students with dissertator status.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Michael WagnerLindsay Palmer+16 more

No recorded grade history

JOURN 999

Independent Research Problems

2–4 credits

JOURN 999 is an advanced mentored reading and research course for dissertators.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Michael WagnerLindsay Palmer+16 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample

Recorded teaching history

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Fall 2026HISTORY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026HISTORY 999Independent Work
Fall 2026HISTORY/JOURN 560History of U.s. Media
Fall 2026HISTORY/JOURN 808Mass Communication History
Fall 2026JOURN 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026JOURN 682Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026JOURN 691Senior Thesis
Fall 2026JOURN 692Senior Thesis
Fall 2026JOURN 697Internship
Fall 2026JOURN 699Directed Study
Fall 2026JOURN 990Thesis
Fall 2026JOURN 999Independent Research Problems

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

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