Historical instructor

KATHRYN MCGARR

Adjusted rating
RMP 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

JOURN 176

Special Topics in Mass Communication

1–3 credits

JOURN 176 is a special topics course focusing on specific conceptual issues or topics within mass communication.

No offering record · Spring 2026

with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms

Kathryn Mcgarr

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026
JOURN 669

Literary Aspects of Journalism

3 credits

JOURN 669 explores the literary aspects of journalism through critical reading of exemplary reporting and writing.

No offering record · Spring 2026

with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms

Kathryn Mcgarr

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2021–Spring 2026
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.

No offering record · Spring 2026

Dhavan ShahDouglas Mc Leod+2 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2026JOURN 176Special Topics in Mass Communication
Spring 2026JOURN 669Literary Aspects of Journalism
Spring 2026JOURN 682Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2025HISTORY 999Independent Work
Fall 2025HISTORY/JOURN 560History of U.s. Media
Fall 2025JOURN 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2025JOURN 682Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2025JOURN 990Thesis
Spring 2025HISTORY/JOURN 808Mass Communication History
Spring 2025JOURN 176Special Topics in Mass Communication
Spring 2025JOURN 681Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2025JOURN 990Thesis
Fall 2024HISTORY/JOURN 560History of U.s. Media
Fall 2024JOURN 405Creative Nonfiction
Fall 2024JOURN 990Thesis
Spring 2024JOURN 990Thesis
Fall 2023JOURN 990Thesis
Spring 2023JOURN 201Introduction to Mass Communication
Spring 2023JOURN 669Literary Aspects of Journalism
Spring 2023JOURN 990Thesis
Fall 2022HISTORY/JOURN 560History of U.s. Media
Fall 2022JOURN 699Directed Study
Fall 2022JOURN 880Topics in Mass Communication
Spring 2022HISTORY/JOURN 808Mass Communication History
Spring 2022JOURN 201Introduction to Mass Communication
Fall 2021HISTORY/JOURN 560History of U.s. Media
Fall 2021JOURN 669Literary Aspects of Journalism
Fall 2020HISTORY/JOURN 560History of U.s. Media
Fall 2020HISTORY/JOURN 808Mass Communication History
Fall 2020JOURN 681Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2020HISTORY/JOURN 560History of U.s. Media
Spring 2020JOURN 669Literary Aspects of Journalism
Spring 2019HISTORY/JOURN 808Mass Communication History
Spring 2019JOURN 201Introduction to Mass Communication
Spring 2019JOURN 697Internship
Spring 2019JOURN 699Directed Study
Fall 2018HISTORY/JOURN 560History of U.s. Media
Fall 2018JOURN 405Creative Nonfiction
Spring 2018JOURN 201Introduction to Mass Communication
Fall 2017JOURN 201Introduction to Mass Communication
Fall 2017JOURN 405Creative Nonfiction

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

Instructor identity & provenance 
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