ENG · Columbia University
Fall 2024 Critical Writing Seminar (12 students) - First off, EXCELLENT reading list. Truly great works (Giovanni's Room, The Waves, and King Lear were highlights) and critical readings (Hofstader, Arendt, Rushdie, Du Bois, Butler, Barthes, Cavell etc.), all in manageable quantities (well-paced class). Some of these are thinkers whose ideas I would not have been able to approach alone, but Prof. Cassaro guided our class to a place of understanding and had us practice using critical theory in our essays in very structured ways that made my writing measurably better. Prof. Cassaro had lots of availability for office hours in person, which I appreciated, and office hours were easy to schedule ahead of time (or last-minute) on Calendly. It was very helpful to go and discuss what we'd been talking about in class--I would go in without a thesis and come out with a workable idea. Prof. Cassaro was compassionate and empathetic when I had a family emergency. I read some of the negative reviews on here, and I get the sense that they’re reflective of a different iteration of this class. Critical Writing used to be one long class a week and now it’s two shorter ones. I think this really helps break up the work and also allows us to alternate classes focussed on regular readings with those focussed on theory. In our class, there was lots of room for discussion. There was one person who ten…
1 Shorter Essay, 1 Discovery Paper (she didn't explain properly), Final Exam (contains quote identification), Weekly Journals (pretty much the only fair thing about the class)
There were no homework assignments other than assigned readings, which I typically find to be easier. The essay assignments are much shorter than average, usually only 3 pages. I spent probably 1 hour a week on this class doing the readings, and perhaps an extra hour or two writing if we had an essay.
Copied this from another poster, then modified to add a couple of details: 3 ~5-6 pg. papers, 1st paper has an option to revise up to full credit, everyone gets one 72-hour extension & then late penalty (which was 2% per day late, capped at 10%, very generous) - each paper was worth 20-25% Journal, P/F - 10% Participation - 20% Extra Credit Presentations at end of semester (very generous, up to 5% added overall to grade) about 4-6 hrs of reading per week (far fewer pages than many book-a-week English classes, Cassaro really broke things up), papers about 10-20 hrs of work, fair grader (a little tougher on the first essay than the others, but super generous upon revision), lots of helpful comments - totally possible to get an A even if you didn't get As on the papers!! (truly)
I had taken a different American Lit class before, so I was excited to take this course, but Kristi Cassaro ruined everything. She is by far the WORST professor I have ever had in my four years of college. I have had professors who might have been bad teachers, yet good people, but she is simply terrible all around. She thinks she is smarter than you, which is obviously no doubt because you are the damn teacher, but you don't need to have a smug attitude and make students feel inferior. When I went to office hours, I have never felt so uncomfortable in my entire life. It's hard to believe she is a former Barnard student, as she certainly doesn't act like it. This is the type of person I want to question why they got into teaching because she really doesn't seem to enjoy it at all. I know this class is a requirement for English majors which is why I had to take it, but if you are taking it voluntarily, have fun if you want to tear your hair out.
I cannot recommend this course enough to first-year students. I had very low expectations for this course because the description in Vergil sounded boring and complicated. However, Professor Cassaro completely surprised me, and this course turned into my favorite of the semester. Professor Cassaro is one of the most laid back professors I've ever had, and they're super encouraging of their students and help them gain confidence in their critical thinking skills. I've never felt judged or vulnerable in this class, and there have been numerous moments where I've felt extremely proud of the analyses I've come up with. The class is structured in an extremely chill way, more so than FYW (in my experience). The entire class functions around what Cassaro calls the "Discussion Game", where a student comes into class with a prepared question that the group of students then uses as a guide in a 20-30 minute discussion. The game is entirely student led with little professor input, which seems daunting but is actually amazing. The best part about the discussion is that through group cooperation, you will get numerous ideas for essay topics and develop rich analyses that you might not have been able to do on your own. The essays are very easy prompts with few guidelines, so students have a lot of creative freedom with those as well. They're much shorter than FYW, typically 3 pages, so they…
3 5-6 pg. papers, 1st paper has an option to revise, everyone gets one 72-hour extension & then late penalty - each 20-25% Journal, P/F - 10% Participation - 20% Extra Credit Presentations at end of semester (very generous, up to 5% added overall to grade) about 4-6 hrs of reading per week, papers about 10-20 hrs of work Semi-tough but fair grader, lots of helpful comments - totally possible to get an A even if you didn't get As on the papers
5 essays, ranging from one page to five pages. Two readings a week, between 10-30 pages. Final presentation.
This is a standard English seminar to help improve your writing. Discussions once a week. I loved the books chosen for the course, and I learned a lot of new critical theory as well. Prof. Cassaro is clearly enthusiastic about their job and love of literature. There was a lot of new terminology surrounding critical writing, which could be a bit hard to understand at times, but she's always willing to meet and explain. Not sure why people say she talks the whole time, this was not true for my class. She really cares about improving your writing and explanatory skills, so this class was averagely demanding. It was a great experience and made me excited to take more classes in Barnard's English dept.
This was an amazing FYS class. Professor Cassaro does an incredible job at picking engaging readings and connecting them to ideological concepts that are ingrained in American society. She sets up a "discussion game" that involves four people with specific roles, but everyone can contribute. I can see how depending on the other students in this class, it might be less enlightening, but my class was awesome. Everyone did the readings and was interested in each discussion, which made it an extremely educational experience. American Exceptionalism is a FYS that is actually a good class and not just a requirement. Probably more work than the average seminar class, but genuinely so interesting and enlightening. I would especially recommend for American studies majors, poli-sci majors, history majors or anything english related.