Geoffrey Harmsworth

4 papers (very easy to get a good grade), participation, collaborative document, final, midterm (optional to take grade)

He dropped two of our assignments. A midterm and final, BUT the midterm grade was take it or leave it, if it didn't help your grade it didn't matter. Such a chill workload. Much less than other sections.

Prof. Geoffrey is absolutely the best teacher that someone could ask for. He is incredibly passionate about what he teaches, and very helpful when it comes to office hours and grading leniency. He tries to help you out no matter how engaged you are in the class truly cares about his students. If you are able to pick your professor, pick Mr. Harmsworth.

I LOVE HIM. IF YOU GET THE CHANCE TO BE WITH HIM, TAKE IT. He was such an easy grader. Seriously. I didn't read any of the book and just read summarie,s and I was totally fine. He is super chill and leads really good class discussions. You can just zone out if you want. He was nice about letting me miss class, I never had to make up any work or do anything.

Geoff is really forgiving and super open. Most everyone in the class got high grades on assignments, which included a couple 3 page papers that centered on close reading, plus a final paper (about 8ish pages?). There are also plenty of opportunities for extra credit. The reading can be heavy, depending on how comfortable you are with it, but you should definitely do you best to read ALL the texts. It will all be to your benefit. Class discussions are much more helpful when you've actually read the text, and figuring out how to avoid doing so is not a brag. The toughest reads are probably the Iliad and The Aeneid. Don't read over the summer, no matter what anyone tells you (even advisors!), but do read slightly ahead during the semester if you can (i.e. during Inana and Sappho weeks). If you have Geoff, there will be no busy work or wasted time on assignments, so really lean into the papers and the readings.

Geoff is a great professor. I had him the first time he taught Lit Hum, and it was probably my favorite class. His background in classics, Greek, and Latin is amazing for Lit Hum--he can read you the original Greek, talk about translation, and knows a lot about the history and context of different texts. If your class is engaged, he can lead a really intelligent, open conversation. He never says anyone's ideas are wrong, but he will correct factually inaccurate statements and gently direct people toward a more thoughtful reading of the text. Overall, I highly recommend Geoff for Lit Hum, especially given that other profs can sometimes be really strict/unreasonable about assignments.

Participation – 15% Midterm Test – 15% (U can drop this and redistribute % into other grades) Short Presentation and Discussion Prompts – 10% Collaborative Document Contributions – 10% Mini Writing Assignments – 20% (4 submissions at 5% each). Assignments 1-2 were 3-page, double-spaced. End-of-Semester Reflection – 10% Final Examination – 20%

I was excited for Lit Hum but also scared, but Professor Harmsworth genuinely made Lit Hum such a fun and enjoyable class. He's extremely passionate about what he's teaching, and he elevates all our class discussions. All the assignments were easy/fun, and he isn't a hard grader at all. He ended up changing assignments 3-4 into 1 assignment, where it was just a paragraph response to Lit Hum radio hour podcast

We had the same reading list as everyone else, and less assignments compared to other sections. Very lenient grading.

I LOVE Geoff!! He's one of the best educators I've ever had. He truly loves his job and the content of the class, and it's clearly shown in class. He thoroughly explains the texts and guides discussions very well. He's the nicest guy ever and is extremely understanding. If you end up with him, you should honestly celebrate.