Mary Cregan

shes really nice. lecture can be kind of dry, but shes funny and sweet. the books are really interesting!!

Such a great class! I was very skeptic of Prof. Cregan's soft, non-engaging way of conducting lecture the first few lectures we had, but she grew on me very fast. Her way of reading and approaching the novels on the syllabus was incredibly refreshing and I felt very comfortable approaching her with questions, concerns, or generally fun ideas I had while reading. Her mix of historical context and biography is very well-balanced and doesn't take away from the actual text analysis and close reading that I generally love in literature courses. Other professors seem to get really lost and spend way too much time on historical context or not give any historical background at all, so props to Prof. Cregan for balancing those two really well in her lectures. She's very honest about her reactions to the novels and it makes for a great environment for discussing the themes and motifs of the text without feeling too much like a one-sided opinion which some professors can do when conducting a literature course. I would definitely recommend and take other classes with her again! Don't be scared of her shy, low voice, and her timid manner, she's really fun!

Avoid this seminar at all costs. I am unsure how she received a silver nugget so all I can say is that she has lost whatever skills she previously had. She is actively disrespectful to students' identities and has made every single student feel uncomfortable and unsafe at least once during the semester. On multiple occasions, she has responded to students, voicing opinions she does not agree with, with aggressive language. She hijacks class for at least 40 minutes a class yet weekly accuses the class of not engaging with the course (despite required online posts). She has consistently mistaken students of the same race (it is a very small class and there is no excuse as it only happens with nonwhite students). She is centered completely on cishet women writing mainly of rape or pregnancy. There is no space in discussion for trans people and I seriously wonder during every class if Professor Cregan a) knows trans people exist or b) is supportive of the trans community. In addition to making the entire class feel disrespected and unsafe, she is quite frankly an inadequate teacher. We have not done creative writing in this course so I cannot speak to her pedagogy in those courses but in terms of standard seminar essays, she has no clue. Though the workload is light, the class is absolutely not worth the headache Professor Cregan brings. During COVID online classes, she has been t…

If you’re going to take Critical Writing, take it with Professor Cregan. She’s extremely thoughtful and smart, and the pace of the class isn’t too bad for a 4-credit course. There’s a fair amount of reading, but if you come to class every week you’ll be fine. I highly recommend going to her office hours. It gives you a chance to introduce yourself and talk about your writing which is important because you don’t workshop in class.

Professor Cregan is adorable! She's nice, approachable, and a good lecturer. She is good at balancing lectures and discussions. This class is meant to be a lecture. So, although she always gets her lecture in, she always opens up space for student participation too. The discussion part is sometimes hard to follow, but her lectures are always on-point and interesting. I definitely recommend this class with her. Sometimes the reading is dry, but her lectures always help me to appreciate the books and see them in a new light. Some English classes are too student-discussion centered, and some are too professor-rambled centered. But, like I said, this class definitely strikes a balance. I also like that she is open to student suggestions. She always takes into consideration whether or not her assignments are too much. For example, there was one time when she revised the syllabus just to give us an extra session to discuss a book. Most professors forget that students have other classes. So, if you enjoy reading and good insight on the readings, then take this class!

I LOVED this class. It was my favorite one during my first semester, hands down. At first, Professor Cregan seems very mild-mannered and soft-spoken, but underneath that lurks a very vivacious and fun-loving person. A lot of the class also depends on the people who are in it and the people who contribute to the discussion. So, if you take her class, be sure to voice your opinion, even if you don't think it's "right." She is very accepting of other points of view and loves when people "read against the grain" in papers and provide their own interpretations. The draft system on papers is very helpful, especially if you do not self-edit. She gives a check, check-plus, or check-minus and writes a ton of comments so you know how much revision you need to do. On top of that, she schedules individual conferences to discuss what you want or need to do with your paper and dedicates class time to discuss how to write a good paper. She is extremely helpful, always quick when responding to emails, and very good about giving extensions. I would recommend this class to anyone who likes to be creative in their papers and who wants to just take a really good English class.

Such a nice lady! Charming and stylish. Very fair grader. She's the kind of professor who looks kind of conservative and arrogant, but she's open to all sorts of comments and jokes and laughs heartily at them. Her class can be a bit boring at times, but she won't penalize you if you hand in your work late or need to revise your final paper after the due date. For those of you who are English majors and need to take critical writing, Mary Cregan is a high recommendation.

Prof. Cregan is a great professor. She has a beautiful, throaty voice (doesn't seem to be relevant but when she reads passages aloud it actually makes you want to listen). She explains the novels very well, is interested in what students have to say, and will definitely tell the class any really great points that were made in the courseworks postings. She is a fair grader and is looking for students to enjoy and learn the literature rather than just work for a grade. She is approachable and willing to meet with students for advice on papers or to talk about ideas, etc. I would definitely recommend taking a course with her. As for the class, the syllabus is amazing if you're interested in modern literature and don't mind reading somewhat difficult works. The books become a bit more difficult as the semester progresses so if you do the reading you should be well-prepared.

One post on Canvas per semester, 2 easy reading tests, 2 essays. Very manageable workload and very fairly graded!

This was the first semester Barnard college offered Woman in the Mirror as a seminar for freshman year english and I'm so glad I took it! Professer Cregan is the sweetest person! She really cares about students and their opinions not just what she thinks we should interpert form the text. Classes are super chill (although she goes off on a LOT of tangents). Also the material is very interesting, definitely one of the better selection course texts offered for seminars.