Jose Antoni Castellanos-Pazos

José Antonio was an absolutely amazing professor! He was so dedicated to his students and would respond to emails and give us our grades very quickly. I highly recommend any course with him because it will truly make you enjoy taking a language and learning about the culture. He was my only professor who took me to Faculty House during my freshman year which serves to show how dedicated he is to learning about his students both inside and outside of the classroom.

I really don't understand why Jose Antonio doesn't have a silver nugget... the amount of effort he puts into his lectures, his willingness to slow down and answer questions for anyone who asks, and his ability to make two hours go by quickly warrant him a silver a nugget. I took this class a year ago and I am just writing this review in hopes of boosting him. That being said, the class is not easy. You basically learn an entire language in one semester which gets harder and harder as the semester moves on. I think there is a bit of a bump right after the midterm where it feels like you haven't learned anything because you're being taught too much and then it gets a little easier again as the semester ends. I would not recommend this class if you are not gifted in learning languages and lack the ability to process them without translating back and forth in English in your head... you need a certain level of aptitude to keep up with the speed of the class otherwise you will find yourself writing a Culpa review full of complaints about the workload. If you are truly good at romance languages (this does not mean that you must be fluent in hundreds, just that you know the patterns) then this class is not bad at all. I think I could have probably put a little more effort into learning the vocabulary and fully understanding the homework exercises, which might have led to less studyin…

I agree with all of the previous reviews that stress that with a large workload comes a lot of learning. I definitely learned a ton this semester, and I don't think I would have in a less intense class. One additional comment, though: do NOT take this class if you don't have a good background in Spanish. There were a few kids in my class for whom it was painfully obvious that they did not know enough Spanish coming in (only having taken 0-3 semesters of Spanish, with no in-country experience), and I don't think this class ended up well for them. I know one ended up dropping half-way through the semester (after the drop deadline) and a couple others stuck it out, but I don't think their grades are so good. So, really don't put yourself through this if you don't have the background in Spanish to make it work. Personally, while I've never spent an extensive amount of time in a Spanish-speaking country, I'd taken a few years of Spanish and even I felt myself behind the curve sometimes compared to all of the native speakers in the class. If you've taken Span 3300 or above, though, you should be fine. Oh, also, Jose is a super nice guy if you get to know him. He can seem a bit militant in class at times, but I honestly really enjoyed getting to know him. I'd also recommend going to do the Portuguese bate-popo (conversation) every Friday at Casa Hispanica while you're taking this cla…

There is not much to add to the previous review. I was really disappointed in the grade I received for this class, because no matter how many hours you spend trying to learn the different conjugations and the endless amount of homework, you still receive a grade based solely on your performance in the exams. I do want to emphasize the fact that this professor has favorites. This class is definitely not worth the effort and the stress! DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some of the other reviews on this professor are almost honest but they wind up being very slanted. Here's the straight deal. This professor isn't for everybody. If you really have no interest in Spanish and are only interested in completing the requirement, don't take his class. Your lack of enthusiasm will show through in your class performance and it's going to be hell for the whole semester. On the other hand, if you really want to learn Spanish, he's one of the best. He does assign a lot of work, but if you're learning a language, it's not going to happen if you don't put in a lot of effort and practice. He's a stickler about not using any English during class, and for good reason. English is a crutch in an intermediate class, and it will hold you back if you or the teacher uses it. He is picky about accents, but accents are not that hard once you understand them and if you're having trouble with them he will help you. I found his grading to be fairly lenient. He scrupulously marked all the mistakes on my quizzes and compositions (and there were a lot), but he only deducted small amounts for most things, and deducted nothing in many cases. He brings an enthusiasm to the class that can't be beaten and makes you want to do well. He loves his native language and wants to pass on that love of Spanish to all of his students. I actually placed into Intermediate Spanish II, but I…

RUN FAR, FAR AWAY!!! If you're taking Spanish for the love of the language, and have plenty of time to devote to homework, studying and practicing speech...this professor is great for you. On the other hand, if you're taking spanish because it's required and you don't want a butchered GPA, find another professor.

This man is a little hard to sum up. He starts out amazingly funny and nice, but soon becomes remarkably less so. He's not the most understanding man i've met, never hesitating to shell out bad grades. His antics keep you amused for a little but then its back to boredom. The amount of work for his class is significantly more than other Spanish classes of the same level. You can't miss more than the allowed three classes and must have your homework done for each class unless you want a zero. He forces participation and is a picky grader. However, if you want to learn Spanish quickly and well, his class is reasonable. Its a good amount of work but if you are good at languages it is possible to get an A without studying too much. His class will make you prepared for any of the teachers for the next level Spanish classes. He is hard and unforgiving, but will get the job done.

Wow. This guy is hard to describe. He is actually an M.D.-- No lie, though I wouldn't want him as my doctor because he has enough trouble remembering to bring quizzes and graded homework to class. His class is amusing because he is amusing. Despite laughs here and there, he is not so nice. He totally plays favorites and while he knows Spanish very well (He's Mexican) not Brazilian or Portuguese, his knowledge of the language is limited, which is a shame because it is a very neat language. The class starts out fun, but comes to a jarring halt very quickly. Unfortunately, it's impossible to skip class because he is a bit of an attendance Nazi. If you can take the class with a grain of salt, and want to learn the language, go for it. Otherwise, not highly recommended.

This course starts out well, but its shortcomings become apparant in the 2nd half. In the beginning, the prof keeps everyone on their toes and seems very nice. If you have difficulty understanding something, he will try hard to explain it to you in office hours or after class. I've seen him accomodate students' scheduling needs as well. However, students will notice his downsides: he will assign far more homework than other professors teaching the same course and will leave you to finish essays and a final oral project (counting for 10% of the grade) with niether clear communication of his expectations nor enough time to prepare. Good luck studying for quizes, because he will not tell you on what you will be tested. You'll be on your own figuring out what will be on the Departmental midterm and final exams.

The workload is very heavy; the textbook exercises can take hours based on sheer volume, but they are not hard whatsoever and you can 'check' the answers right away. I found the midterm difficult but that was my own fault because I was overly confident and did not study enough. The quizzes are fine if you can construct sentences and have a decent grasp of verb conjugations. The compositions are delightful! They are literally one page double spaced and Jose Antonio gives you an actual list of exactly what he wants in them, PLUS a revision. I think I put the most time and effort into writing these because I knew he was a harsh grader with them so I think thats the trick - just make sure your compositions are spotless (it's not that hard its like three paragraphs)