English And Comparative Literature · Columbia University
Multiple ungraded essays, two hard midterms, plus the lit hum final.
I learned about the hidden curriculum, learning and teaching methods, how to apply to grad school
Dry, slow, and harsh grader. He is very knowledgeable and encourages participation and discussion. Does not give helpful feedback. Do not take this course if you want to enjoy Lit Hum. Class felt like watching paint dry.
This course was very good at talking about things that typically do not receive space in the academic setting, but are extremely helpful to the graduate academic student. Uncovering the hidden curriculum, how to go about writing, submitting, and publishing an article, how to write a book review are just a few of the very helpful things that were covered in the course.
Assignments were two papers and the final, standard for a LitHum section. If you have a creative idea for your assignments, talk to Prof. Stewart about it!
It was a good introduction to grad school where we talked a lot about some of the more nebulous kinds of knowledge you need to succeed in grad school.
I took Prof. Stewart's LitHum in 2021-2022, the first year back from Zoom. Even with the transition and impromptu hybrid exams, Stewart's class was one of the most welcoming, safest experiences I've had in a classroom. He's eager to engage with students, and very willing to meet anyone where they're at. Was very gracious and understanding with the courseload and reading (even for an English major!), and was also very skilled at taking us through the texts. I spent a lot of time in his office hours just talking about literature, and his door was always wide-open. Take his class!!
This course is a valuable intoduction to academic genres (the book/monograph, the journal article, the syllabus, etc.), a supportive space to explore the "hidden curriculum," and a well-structured opportunity to generate material (a review, a research proposal, a syllabus) within your own field.
Weekly or biweekly page-long reflections on the readings. Standard LitHum workload/reading amount. The only class at Columbia that I did every reading for without fail. Took his class during Covid and was really reasonable and accommodating.
We learn not only about academic work, but also what does it mean to live an academic life.