Richard King | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 09/01/2020	Professor King is a great professor, he is really passionate about music and lectures are fun and interesting (if you're a big music fan). The class is very memorize heavy and it also really depends on the TA.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting a B Anonymous 06/11/2018	Professor King is great! He's very knowledgeable about the history of blues and rock n' roll, and we just watched videos/listened to music clips every lecture - very entertaining! This class is a bit deceiving, grade-wise. The exams were trickier than I expected, and the 3 papers we were assigned were impossible to get As on (Briana Nave was my TA and she was super anal about everything). It's a fascinating class overall, but be careful about those papers and make Spotify playlists to help you study for the exams.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting a B- Anonymous 11/11/2016	First, this professor is not that bad the reason I give this low grading is that this course is a nightmare for international students!! If you don't grow up in the states or don't have any background of American music about the 18s then this course should be your last option. This class has a paper every week and it's almost impossible for international students to get an A on it. I went to writing center three times for my first and second paper. And I only got B+ on those. As for the test, if you don't want to remember 50 songs that sound very similar in a week, then you probably don't want to choose this course.
Richard King MUSC205 perry125 12/04/2013	Best class I've had, and probably will have. I like music a lot, and it will help your experience if you do as well. Really interesting material, and the discussions are fun. You listen to music and discuss a little bit. Lectures are actually enjoyable. I would voluntarily go to lectures, even if I wasn't in the class. I probably will do that.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/22/2013	One of my favorite classes here at Maryland. Dr. King is very entertaining, and is knowledgeable about the subject. The course is not an easy A. However, attending lectures and discussions is very enjoyable. I recommend creating a Spotify playlist containing each of the songs on the listening list. This is an easy way to review for the exams.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/14/2012	King is an amazing professor. Short 2 page paper every other week. 3 exams and no final. 45 songs that need to know by clips...know song and artist. class is not hard at all and fulfills humanities requirement
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/01/2012	A lot of people told me that MUSC205 is an easy A. Found out it's more of an easy B. The essays are graded as if the TAs are from English class. Near impossible to get an A for the essays. The exams are not hard as long as you know the book inside and out and you know every song by heart. Talking during the discussion classes is a necessity as nodding and talking once in a while does not cut it.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/16/2012	Whoever gave that 2 star review below me... you must not be very bright. Going to grad school means nothing as there are some pretty awful grad schools out there. I'm not sure why you're complaining about rock music being on the exam when the bloody course description says it's "A historical survey of rock music." TAKE THIS CLASS. Dr. King knows what the hell he's talking about and presents all the material in an easy to understand format. The lectures are really interesting and worth going to. The papers are incredibly easy, you get to write about bands you love and as long as you make your points clear you'll get As. The exams are really only tricky if you don't do the listening... it takes like 1.5 hours to listen to all the songs that could be on an exam, that is not that long! And they're mostly good songs! And they play the hooks more often than not. I've always been a pretty big "rocker" but I definitely learned a lot from this class. One of the best I've taken at Maryland.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/02/2012	Horrible course, even worse (boring, dry, rude, sarcastic) professor! Avoid like the plague! This is NOT an easy A, granted you only have a few papers and minimal reading, BUT the exams will kill your grade because they require you to be able to recognize song titles and artists from 10 second clips, the hardest exam is the second one because you will be listening to heavy metal, rock, (ew) personally my taste is popular music, I mean come on, we're college students. But I swear the people who enjoy that music are so weird and even they did not do well on that test. It's difficult because al the music sounds the same. He has dense lectures where he will pick ONE LINE of a fact and smack it on the test and you have to know it for example "who was the lead guitarist for this band?" or "what was the name of that one producer that i mentioned in class for ONE MILLISECOND" or better yet "which artist sold the most records of this time period...of which we studied over 30 artists for an exam".... IN CONCLUSION, good luck guys when taking this course...really tho you will need it it is NOT an easy core. I am a senior and will be going to grad school next year so obviously I've done well in all my classes and this course is killing me. So, good luck! Avoid King, he is NOT helpful at all. Don't know how he is still teaching honestly. And he's boring, and doesn't care about his students. He's a moron.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A+ OtG 03/21/2012	Dr. King is very passionate about what he teaches and very good at it. The course material is lots of fun (the homework is listening to pop music) and the TAs were also very good. There are 5 papers and an album review required, but the prompts tend to be broad and creativity is encouraged. The tests are a bit tough, so make sure to keep up with the required listening and readings. I can't recommend this class or Doc King enough.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/26/2012	Incredible class, awesome professor. Everyone should take this for their HA credit! Lecture was completely unnecessary to attend because everything is posted online, but everyone still went because he presents a lot of cool material/videos and is entertaining to listen to.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/22/2011	King is great, great class and taught well. Only complaint is we didn't get through all of the material and only made it to the beginning of modern rap instead of to today's music. But he even apologized on the last day, so, yea, take him if you can.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/16/2010	Dr King is an amazing professor. Even though he posts all of his lecture outlines online, his lectures are so good, that it is hard not to go. He is extremely knowledgeable about music and can throw in a funny story every once in a while. The class itself only consists of a few papers and a few tests. So far, this has been the best class I have taken at UMD, and suggest it to everyone
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/15/2010	Dr. King is an excellent professor, definitely one of the best at UMD. The class itself is pretty laid back and relaxed, and covers a surprisingly wide range of music, from doo-wop to punk to rap, so there is something for everyone. Most of your grades come from short papers (about 5 or 6 throughout the semester) and you can pretty much write about whatever you want, and as long as it is coherent and well-written, you'll get a good grade. I got to write about artists I loved for a grade and it was awesome! Tests include listening portions and multiple choice, but if you took decent notes in class they aren't too hard. He has online notes, but often includes questions from things he says in class, so make sure not to just rely on the online notes. I think I have learned more from this class than any other I have taken.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/02/2010	I took MUSC205 with Prof. King this past fall 2010, and I liked it. I am an immigrant, I've lived in America since I was 10 - I didn't know much about American "oldies." If you know your basic music history, you will succeed. I expect an A-, and I knew very little at the beginning of the semester. Papers are easy and discussions are very laid back. Take this class, even if you're a freshman.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 07/14/2010	Best teacher at the University of Maryland! He is highly entertaining and you always leave smiling. You must go to the lectures because you have to get the notes, but trust me this is no chore. Also the tests are not as easy as you would think. They are all multiple choice but the questions are usually pretty specific and you need to memorize music for the listening portion of the test. DO NOT try to put your desks down early even by one minute. He hates the sound of people packing up and will assign extra work because of it. Also don't fall asleep in his class! Overall amazing class and a must take at UMD!
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A- Anonymous 11/08/2009	Take the class during a winter or summer session when you will actually be able to get in. I took it during summer 2008. Three weeks long, only had to write 2 papers and had 2 tests (if I remember correctly). You really need to go to class to listen to the songs, or you probably won't do as well on the exams, but the songs were also available in the PAC library for listening. Take notes on what he says, don't just rely on the power points.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A pjack23 04/24/2008	Greatest class I've taken at Maryland so far. Dr. King is a very funny man, and the lectures are very enjoyable. You go over a small reading assignment during discussion, as well as take the tests, which there are 3 of not including the final. You have to keep up with the listening list though, or you will bomb the tests. If you read all the lecture notes (posted online) and go through the listening lists at least a couple days before the tests, you'll get an A. Great class
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/17/2007	This class was great... King was a great professor, kept class interesting, and he kept class fun. The music was great, and when it wasn't, King still brought life to the class. Of course, be sure to study extra hard for the exams. I'm not used to getting B's, but I did in this class due to bad performances on the multiple choice exams.
Richard King MUSC205 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/04/2007	I am not a music buff... i had never heard stairway to heaven before taking this class. But it was still incredibly easy. I went just to sit and watch the crazy pictures he posted during lecture. All the notes are posted on line, and as long as you know the notes and the songs he gives you are guaranteed an A. I the studying isn't fun... but there are only 3 tests and no final!
Richard King MUSC205 terpfan29 11/03/2007	Strengths Dr. King is a great professor and history of rock has been one of my favorite classes. If you love rock/popular music this class will be a favorite of yours. Even if you don't it isn't too difficult and how can you not like learning about it? I never missed a lecture except for one I couldn't make it to and I had no problem with attending them and taking good notes because it was just that interesting. WARNING: Don't make the mistake of not going to lecture because the outlines to the notes are posted online. They are not as complete as what he says in class and also it isn't as effective. The grading is very fair. 55% is based on things such as 6 1 page papers, participation/attendance in discussion, an album review, and a group project. The other 45% is from tests each are worth 15% (there is not one on finals day). Make sure you study the notes very thoroughly because the tests can be very specific in some of it's questions. Also make sure you keep up with the listening of the songs which isn't hard if you download them and listen to them. (I took this class in the spring of 2006 and now without DC++ I don't know what people will do to get all of those songs). My TA Lindsey was very nice and knowledgeable too and wasn't too difficult of a grader. Overall I highly recommend you take this class for your HA core course. I always tell people that I loved it so much, I'd take it again if I could. This along with human sexuality with Dr. Sawyer have to be two of the most popular classes at the University and are must take classes for everyone before they graduate! Drawbacks The only drawback is that the tests could sometimes contain very specific questions and you really had to know your notes inside out.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
09/01/2020

Professor King is a great professor, he is really passionate about music and lectures are fun and interesting (if you're a big music fan). The class is very memorize heavy and it also really depends on the TA.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting a B
Anonymous
06/11/2018

Professor King is great! He's very knowledgeable about the history of blues and rock n' roll, and we just watched videos/listened to music clips every lecture - very entertaining! This class is a bit deceiving, grade-wise. The exams were trickier than I expected, and the 3 papers we were assigned were impossible to get As on (Briana Nave was my TA and she was super anal about everything). It's a fascinating class overall, but be careful about those papers and make Spotify playlists to help you study for the exams.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
11/11/2016

First, this professor is not that bad the reason I give this low grading is that this course is a nightmare for international students!! If you don't grow up in the states or don't have any background of American music about the 18s then this course should be your last option. This class has a paper every week and it's almost impossible for international students to get an A on it. I went to writing center three times for my first and second paper. And I only got B+ on those. As for the test, if you don't want to remember 50 songs that sound very similar in a week, then you probably don't want to choose this course.

Richard King
MUSC205

perry125
12/04/2013

Best class I've had, and probably will have. I like music a lot, and it will help your experience if you do as well. Really interesting material, and the discussions are fun. You listen to music and discuss a little bit. Lectures are actually enjoyable. I would voluntarily go to lectures, even if I wasn't in the class. I probably will do that.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/22/2013

One of my favorite classes here at Maryland. Dr. King is very entertaining, and is knowledgeable about the subject. The course is not an easy A. However, attending lectures and discussions is very enjoyable. I recommend creating a Spotify playlist containing each of the songs on the listening list. This is an easy way to review for the exams.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/14/2012

King is an amazing professor. Short 2 page paper every other week. 3 exams and no final. 45 songs that need to know by clips...know song and artist. class is not hard at all and fulfills humanities requirement

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/01/2012

A lot of people told me that MUSC205 is an easy A. Found out it's more of an easy B. The essays are graded as if the TAs are from English class. Near impossible to get an A for the essays. The exams are not hard as long as you know the book inside and out and you know every song by heart. Talking during the discussion classes is a necessity as nodding and talking once in a while does not cut it.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/16/2012

Whoever gave that 2 star review below me... you must not be very bright. Going to grad school means nothing as there are some pretty awful grad schools out there. I'm not sure why you're complaining about rock music being on the exam when the bloody course description says it's "A historical survey of rock music." TAKE THIS CLASS. Dr. King knows what the hell he's talking about and presents all the material in an easy to understand format. The lectures are really interesting and worth going to. The papers are incredibly easy, you get to write about bands you love and as long as you make your points clear you'll get As. The exams are really only tricky if you don't do the listening... it takes like 1.5 hours to listen to all the songs that could be on an exam, that is not that long! And they're mostly good songs! And they play the hooks more often than not. I've always been a pretty big "rocker" but I definitely learned a lot from this class. One of the best I've taken at Maryland.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/02/2012

Horrible course, even worse (boring, dry, rude, sarcastic) professor! Avoid like the plague! This is NOT an easy A, granted you only have a few papers and minimal reading, BUT the exams will kill your grade because they require you to be able to recognize song titles and artists from 10 second clips, the hardest exam is the second one because you will be listening to heavy metal, rock, (ew) personally my taste is popular music, I mean come on, we're college students. But I swear the people who enjoy that music are so weird and even they did not do well on that test. It's difficult because al the music sounds the same. He has dense lectures where he will pick ONE LINE of a fact and smack it on the test and you have to know it for example "who was the lead guitarist for this band?" or "what was the name of that one producer that i mentioned in class for ONE MILLISECOND" or better yet "which artist sold the most records of this time period...of which we studied over 30 artists for an exam".... IN CONCLUSION, good luck guys when taking this course...really tho you will need it it is NOT an easy core. I am a senior and will be going to grad school next year so obviously I've done well in all my classes and this course is killing me. So, good luck! Avoid King, he is NOT helpful at all. Don't know how he is still teaching honestly. And he's boring, and doesn't care about his students. He's a moron.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
OtG
03/21/2012

Dr. King is very passionate about what he teaches and very good at it. The course material is lots of fun (the homework is listening to pop music) and the TAs were also very good. There are 5 papers and an album review required, but the prompts tend to be broad and creativity is encouraged. The tests are a bit tough, so make sure to keep up with the required listening and readings. I can't recommend this class or Doc King enough.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
01/26/2012

Incredible class, awesome professor. Everyone should take this for their HA credit! Lecture was completely unnecessary to attend because everything is posted online, but everyone still went because he presents a lot of cool material/videos and is entertaining to listen to.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/22/2011

King is great, great class and taught well. Only complaint is we didn't get through all of the material and only made it to the beginning of modern rap instead of to today's music. But he even apologized on the last day, so, yea, take him if you can.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/16/2010

Dr King is an amazing professor. Even though he posts all of his lecture outlines online, his lectures are so good, that it is hard not to go. He is extremely knowledgeable about music and can throw in a funny story every once in a while. The class itself only consists of a few papers and a few tests. So far, this has been the best class I have taken at UMD, and suggest it to everyone

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/15/2010

Dr. King is an excellent professor, definitely one of the best at UMD. The class itself is pretty laid back and relaxed, and covers a surprisingly wide range of music, from doo-wop to punk to rap, so there is something for everyone. Most of your grades come from short papers (about 5 or 6 throughout the semester) and you can pretty much write about whatever you want, and as long as it is coherent and well-written, you'll get a good grade. I got to write about artists I loved for a grade and it was awesome! Tests include listening portions and multiple choice, but if you took decent notes in class they aren't too hard. He has online notes, but often includes questions from things he says in class, so make sure not to just rely on the online notes. I think I have learned more from this class than any other I have taken.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/02/2010

I took MUSC205 with Prof. King this past fall 2010, and I liked it. I am an immigrant, I've lived in America since I was 10 - I didn't know much about American "oldies." If you know your basic music history, you will succeed. I expect an A-, and I knew very little at the beginning of the semester. Papers are easy and discussions are very laid back. Take this class, even if you're a freshman.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
07/14/2010

Best teacher at the University of Maryland! He is highly entertaining and you always leave smiling. You must go to the lectures because you have to get the notes, but trust me this is no chore. Also the tests are not as easy as you would think. They are all multiple choice but the questions are usually pretty specific and you need to memorize music for the listening portion of the test. DO NOT try to put your desks down early even by one minute. He hates the sound of people packing up and will assign extra work because of it. Also don't fall asleep in his class! Overall amazing class and a must take at UMD!

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
11/08/2009

Take the class during a winter or summer session when you will actually be able to get in. I took it during summer 2008. Three weeks long, only had to write 2 papers and had 2 tests (if I remember correctly). You really need to go to class to listen to the songs, or you probably won't do as well on the exams, but the songs were also available in the PAC library for listening. Take notes on what he says, don't just rely on the power points.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A
pjack23
04/24/2008

Greatest class I've taken at Maryland so far. Dr. King is a very funny man, and the lectures are very enjoyable. You go over a small reading assignment during discussion, as well as take the tests, which there are 3 of not including the final. You have to keep up with the listening list though, or you will bomb the tests. If you read all the lecture notes (posted online) and go through the listening lists at least a couple days before the tests, you'll get an A. Great class

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/17/2007

This class was great... King was a great professor, kept class interesting, and he kept class fun. The music was great, and when it wasn't, King still brought life to the class. Of course, be sure to study extra hard for the exams. I'm not used to getting B's, but I did in this class due to bad performances on the multiple choice exams.

Richard King
MUSC205

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/04/2007

I am not a music buff... i had never heard stairway to heaven before taking this class. But it was still incredibly easy. I went just to sit and watch the crazy pictures he posted during lecture. All the notes are posted on line, and as long as you know the notes and the songs he gives you are guaranteed an A. I the studying isn't fun... but there are only 3 tests and no final!

Richard King
MUSC205

terpfan29
11/03/2007

Strengths Dr. King is a great professor and history of rock has been one of my favorite classes. If you love rock/popular music this class will be a favorite of yours. Even if you don't it isn't too difficult and how can you not like learning about it? I never missed a lecture except for one I couldn't make it to and I had no problem with attending them and taking good notes because it was just that interesting. WARNING: Don't make the mistake of not going to lecture because the outlines to the notes are posted online. They are not as complete as what he says in class and also it isn't as effective. The grading is very fair. 55% is based on things such as 6 1 page papers, participation/attendance in discussion, an album review, and a group project. The other 45% is from tests each are worth 15% (there is not one on finals day). Make sure you study the notes very thoroughly because the tests can be very specific in some of it's questions. Also make sure you keep up with the listening of the songs which isn't hard if you download them and listen to them. (I took this class in the spring of 2006 and now without DC++ I don't know what people will do to get all of those songs). My TA Lindsey was very nice and knowledgeable too and wasn't too difficult of a grader. Overall I highly recommend you take this class for your HA core course. I always tell people that I loved it so much, I'd take it again if I could. This along with human sexuality with Dr. Sawyer have to be two of the most popular classes at the University and are must take classes for everyone before they graduate! Drawbacks The only drawback is that the tests could sometimes contain very specific questions and you really had to know your notes inside out.