James Wagstaffe

Wagstaffe actually does the impossible -- makes media law fun. The man is funny, sharp and knows his stuff. His many stories are entertaining, but pay attention to them, because some detail is likely to be the extra credit question on one of his semi-hard tests.

The tests are open-book and open-notes, but this tends to steer you away from studying, and then you waste all the time looking for stuff in the notes. Make sure you get notes if you skip a day, because he literally puts something from EACH lecture -- even the ones he doesn't do -- on the tests. As long as you know your cases, you should be fine.

The only drawbacks are that Wagstaffe is a working attorney and doesn't come to every class. Instead, we got some coworker of his that seemed to be of questionable sexual preference. This man flailed he hands around, took excessive notes on the board and got chalk all over himself every class. You really felt the three hours when that guy was there.

Overall, Wagstaffe is a great teacher with a terrific sense of humor. You'll never be bored when he himself is teaching the class, and as long as you pay attention, take notes and attend class, you should get a good grade.

Wagstaffe makes his real living as a litigating attorney, which means that he's a very compelling speaker. This proved to be a tremedous bonus in the class that I had with him because it met once a week for three hours. Thanks to his energetic speaking style the three hours passed quickly and were actually entertaining. He is very clear in setting realistic objectives for the class. Attending his lectures, taking good notes, and reading the assignments will result in a good grade. If you do the work, a good grade isn't that difficult to achieve. Overall Wagstafffe is one of the best teachers that I've had at SFSU. I highly recommend taking a class that he teaches.

I can't imagine a better teach on the planet! Wagstaffe probably makes billions of dollars with his professional experience as a laywer for the Chronicle and other Bay Area media outlets, but he still comes to SFSU to teach media law for pennies. The semester I had him he was on 60 Minutes which was an absolute treat! It is never dull in Wagstaffe's class although media law could be. I looked forward to attending all of his lectures and he went over the material in a thourough manner. He was smart, funny, kind and dedicated. Once, when he didn't have time to go to class, he video taped his lecture for us. He is always prepared for class, with new lectures and new materials, and he really cares about the students at SFSU. My main concern is that he talks a little too fast. He can set records on his fast talkin'. But Wagstaffe will always stop and answer your question or repeat himself if need be.