Farooq Ahmed

So I avoided reviewing Farooq for awhile because I wanted to let my resentment go down a little. Well, it's been awhile and it hasn't. This is the most painful class I have ever taken. Sure, he seems like a nice guy - hell, maybe he even is actually a nice guy! But that doesn't excuse his habit of doling out grades lower than deserved. Class discussions were pointless and he always avoids (or is unable to) clearly answer questions on how to improve your writing. He is very available outside of class, but meeting with him can often leave you feeling more confused and not help your grade at all. Don't make the mistake I did, take these reviews to heart and dig up a scheduling conflict immediately!

The phrase "deceptive android" is a little severe for Farooq. As a result, possibly, of his CULPA reviews (which he reads - hi Farooq!), he wasn't SO tough this semester - I know at least one person who got an A on every paper. No easy class, however, is this. If you'd like to do well, I'd recommend conferencing with him outside of class as much as possible. It'll give you a better idea of exactly what he wants to see on your revisions. Farooq is a really friendly and intelligent guy, and he knows how to get a good discussion going, but he sometimes has trouble backing up his ideas. He often, for instance, told me in his comments on my papers that I should explain the "whys" and "hows" of my arguments in my revisions. Fair enough. When, however, I asked him "Why should I provide those details?" and "How should I provide them?", he was unable to come up with whys and hows of his own, so I was confused as to how I should proceed. To Farooq's credit, however, I've found myself thinking far more critically about my academic writing - for all of my classes - since the start of his course than I was before the semester started. That's no small accomplishment on Farooq's part. In addition, Farooq was always available to conference outside of class and just a sweet guy in general. I give him, therefore, what I believe is his favorite grade anyway: a B+.

I partially agree with the last review. All I have to say is that this guy is someone who will having you believe that he cares about your opinion of the class and that he's "one of you" (his "Revolution" bag only seems to secure that view), but in the end, he will listen in order to appease you, not out of genuine concern. It seems like that song from the 70's "Backstabbers" was made just for him. He won't admit to not knowing or not understanding a topic, which will leave you confused half the time... you'll probably end up writing a paper or two that's full of B.S. and at the last minute. I can't stress it enough... if you have a "contrary" opinion, expect sh*t.

All right, there's a lot of Farooq bashing here. I admit, for a good majority of the class, I didn't like him, but in the end, I don't think he (or the class) was very bad at all. He is a VERY tough grader (I think the highest grade given to any one EVER was an A-, and you'll never achieve above that). But, in the end Farooq's not such a bad guy. I think he's a good teacher stuck in a very bad department. He'll have interesting debates with the students in class that are related (or not really) to what we're discussing class, and I think that's what made the class most enjoyable. Don't listen to how horribly awful the man is, because in the end, he's really not that bad at all.

I am advising you please get your schedule changed. You will not get an A in the class. He grades super hard. He acts cool towards you and talks nice in class, but he will f**k you when it comes to your grade.

I agree with the above review. This dude is crazy! It hurt me to work so hard in this course only to see a lower grade than what was earned...I am sure others who were in my section feel the same way. He will act like your friend the whole semester and be really chill with you; however, when the final exam is finished and you feel like you did well in this course --boom! You're hit with a rude awakening. He is without a doubt a deceptive android created by the English department to lower student GPA's... Avoid at all costs.

This guy is a trip. You THINK he's cool at the beginning, when you come in and see his trendy clothes and he announces how he swears "a shitload" in class so don't let it bother you, but you're WRONG. His grading is harsh, for no reason, and he is obsessed with the department and doing things exactly how they want him to. His comments on papers are unintelligent, and usually you can prove him wrong in class (the only fun part), but I would highly recommend switching out NOW.

Standard U.Writing: Lens Essay, Constellation Essay, CCP, Retrospective [which my class didn't do because of the strike], and a bunch of exercises here and there.

Writing assignments for every class can get to be annoying, but that's just the class. A lot to write about and virtually no time to do it... but I think that's just the same for all classes.

SOOOO MUCH, but its University Writing, so it's to be expected. The class basically exists to teach you how to BS so that writing a 5-6 page paper is nothing to you. The readings were time consuming, but usually interesting, but the subjects for the responses usually killed any interest you had in them, but you did look at it differently than you had before! There were two 5-6 page papers and one 10 page paper, each of which had numerous drafts, and in the end, were totally doable. The class really helps you to recognize your strengths and weaknesses as a writer.