English Colloquium: Skepticism and Affirmation · English And Comparative Literature
Not bad at all, 1 page response papers every 2 weeks 5-6 pg midterm paper on 4-6 authors comparing/contrasting them, your own choice of topic 10-12 pg final paper on 6-8 authors comparing/contrasting them, your own choice of topic
normal amount of readings for a core English class, 5 short papers that are often creative, oral exam that is a conversation, so you can choose the focus
A book and reading response every week (though by the end she stopped assigning them), 5-6 page midterm paper, 8-10 page final paper.
Where is this professor's gold nugget? This professor is by far one of the best professors that I have ever had at Barnard or Columbia. She genuinely seems to care about how her students are doing, and she is extremely nice in her office hours. Though she doesn't give much feedback (if any!) on your work [she did in the first semester, but not in the second semester], she will definitely meet with you one on one to go over any questions you might have about your grade. She responds to all of my emails promptly [sometimes, even late at night] and writes back with thoughtful responses all the time. The workload is not bad at all, she structures her class in a way that you don't have to do all the readings on the syllabus (the only ones that you do have to do are the ones she assigns to you every two weeks)! (Although I highly recommend reading most of them, otherwise you could end up screwed at the end of the semester playing catch-up [but this is easily remedied with ebooks]).
I won't rave about Professor Hamilton's teaching, but I won't disparage it either. I found him to be a decent instructor and knowledgable about the Enlightenment, and he seems genuinely interested in what his students have to say. However he expects the class to lead the discussion the entire time, which I think most of us found created a meandering and therefore not-so-helpful examination of the material. He also tends to come across as a literary and social snob, openly putting down popular books that some of us enjoy, throwing french phrases into his speech without explaining them, and mentioning outside materials assuming you have read them. I think he tries to be friendly, but it often comes across awkardly, so his good intentions end up rubbing people the wrong way. Don't expect a life-changing experience in Professor Hamilton's colloquium, but you can count on a pretty good reading list and a moderate and refreshingly creative workload.
One of the best English professors I've had at Barnard. She's one of those people that realizes when a book is boring but tries to point out the interesting parts and make it relevant to us, instead of getting on a pedestal and demanding that we enjoy it because it's a classic of English literature. Always cares about how we're doing and will take the time to let us gripe for a few minutes about our stress, since it was a small seminar. She's a tough grader, but fair, and pushes us to really engage with what we're reading. She even brought us cookies on the last day! I'd definitely take another class with her.
8 short responses throughout the semester and a final paper and final exam.
A total waste of my time-- I did not touch the reading list, and still passed with flying colors. Ridiculous.
Class meets once a week for 2 hours, response papers due each week related to reading (2-3 pages), a final paper due during finals week (8-10 pages)
Professor Jaanus may be a literary scholar in her own right, but she simply cannot teach. There was no clear structure to the class, and it was not clear how work was being graded (or even what exactly was expected for the work). Classes were boring, and the professer's comments did not inspire at all. The worst English class I've ever taken.