Thomas Nakayama is a Communication Studies professor at Northeastern University rated 3.6/5 by 162 students, with 2.88/5 difficulty and 80.0% who would take them again (TRACE + RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated July 2026).
Thomas Nakayama professor reviews and ratings: 3.6/5 from 162 student reviews at Northeastern (80.0% would take again). TRACE + RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
Professor Nakayama is a funny guy and he's always in a good mood in class. His lectures are super interesting and the coursework outside of class is super light. As a business major taking this as a NUPath class, it was a great option and I'd totally recommend.COMM1011 2022-11-17 20:44:49 +0000 UTC
Interesting content and a great class that would open your eyes to the rest of the world and culture. I found it very engaging when hearing and watching real life examples that happened in the world either in the past or news about what is happening currently. Professor is very knowledgable and is one of the authors of the textbook.COMM2303 2022-11-03 00:22:58 +0000 UTC
I don't have anything against or particularly for him, personally. He does his job well, straight-forward. You don't really need textbook, can do well on the tests from class notes. Unlike most people in the class, I paid attention during the lectures and I think that made the tests a lot easier. Helped to skim the textbook the day before the test.1101 2015-04-24 18:58:15 +0000 UTC
He is really clear and has very good lectures that include a lot of current examples, which was really helpful. His tests are very specific and often reference things he's talked about in class so GO TO CLASS.COMM1101 2015-04-17 15:36:47 +0000 UTC
The class is relatively easy if you pay attention in lectures. He tells a lot of anecdotes as examples and sometimes goes on tangents that he puts on quizzes. Reading is unnecessary since he wrote the book so lectures are the same as reading. Nice guy but my only real critique is that he makes a not political class very politicized and liberal.COMM1011 2017-03-15 21:29:59 +0000 UTC
Knowledgeable on the material and the lectures were relevant to current events and quite interesting. I liked the book's tips & coherence. Very liberal and insistent on pushing his beliefs though, as an independent myself. Quizzes were fair- the readings could be annoyingly long. If you show you care, he will return the favor for the final projectCOMM2303 2018-05-02 02:25:33 +0000 UTC
This professor gave a great introduction to the future of a Communications Major. Unfortunately, there were only three graded tests and one group project, so if you don't do well on the test you won't do well overall. He does, however, provide many extra credit opportunities (TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM) and forms study groups before exams.COMM1101 2015-04-15 09:57:26 +0000 UTC
The most vague professor I have taken a class with. Even though I have received an A in this course, but to be honest, he is not clear when ever he explain a concept. Also, when grading the tests, you should forget about them completely, because he does not grade quickly at all. I definitely do not recommend him...COMM1011 2015-05-02 18:13:22 +0000 UTC
I was not a fan of his classes, because he simply was not a good lecturer. He is very knowledgable, seeing that he was one of the authors of our textbook. The textbook was very interesting, and not at all dry. His tests are very detail-oriented.COMM2303 2017-12-05 10:35:47 +0000 UTC
He gives you a good intro to the communications major. There were at least four extra credit opportunities this semester Three exams, including the midterm and final, and he gave out study guide that just listed all of the topics that we'd covered that could be on the exams. If you miss more than four classes, your grade is dropped by a letter.COMM1101 2015-04-14 18:18:05 +0000 UTC
There is a a good amount of reading but the information is interesting & necessary for the test. Nakayama makes the course interesting through the use of videos and contemporary examples.COMM2303 2016-04-01 12:01:52 +0000 UTC
I absolutely loved this class. This professor is great. The class is very animated and the discussion flows. The topics were fun and interesting.COMM1101 2011-10-31 16:15:18 +0000 UTC
It's a fun and interesting class. He definitely has a nervous laugh when talking about sensitive topics but he really knows what he is talking about and uses real examples from current news to explain. I really learned a lot!COMM2303 2014-12-09 21:58:57 +0000 UTC
Thomas Nakayama has an average rating of 3.6/5 from 162 student reviews. 80.0% of students said they would take them again.
Thomas Nakayama's classes have a difficulty rating of 2.88/5 based on student reviews.
Thomas Nakayama has taught COMM2303, COMM1101 at Northeastern.
Data updated July 2026.