Matthew Hart

Each semester we had a midterm, final, two papers, and 5 reading quizzes. Of the quizzes, the worst was dropped. LitHum is definitely a heavy reading load regardless of the section and you will have to use sparknotes sometimes. Professor Hart's section of LitHum has more assignments than some other sections, but he's a very fair grader and he's always willing to help if you're struggling. I'd absolutely recommend taking his class.

The writing of a book review. Experimental criticism. Syllabus construction.

Manageable and to be expected for a lit seminar. Reading (a novel a week supplemented with critical essays, lighter work loads on weeks before papers are due, variety in assignments including poetry, youtube videos of performance poetry, a movie), a 3 page seminar paper on novel and topic of your choice due on date chosen by student, one 10 page critical analysis/close-reading paper (due mid-semester; 30%), one 20 page bibliographic essay (due at end of semester 40%). This is a seminar, so class participation contributes to the success of the class and is worth 15% of your grade.

I loved Professor Hart's class. He was great about encouraging class discussion and he always did his best to make the material interesting, even if I didn't like the book. He has a british accent which also makes lectures more entertaining. He's also super nice and helpful. When I got sick and missed two classes, he did a zoom class with me and did a speedrun of the classes to cover what I had missed.

An excellent indoctrination in to the program, the college, and the discipline. Every class was a master class in a different tools necessary to success. The lack of a through-line was worth the multitudinous perspectives introduced to our collective skill sets. Many helpful guest lecturers offering windows into their off-the-beaten track work.

This class focused on investigating concepts of "Blackness" and "Britishness" through novels including Sam Selvon's The Lonely Londoners, Zadie Smith's White Teeth and Caryl Philips' Foreigners. More than just reading Black British authors, this class examined other British immigrant writings such as Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses and Hanif Kureishi's The Black Album. Readings were supplemented with historical background and critical essays. The reading list for this course was well-chosen, and Hart's knowledge on the books incomparable. The syllabus also featured poetry readings, youtube videos for a class on performance poetry as well as an avant-garde documentary (Handsworth Songs, by the Black Audio Film Collective). Hart arranged the syllabus to give us a break from reading lengthy novels when papers were due. Hart is a good professor. Engaging, intelligent, and with a vocabulary that one expects from a British academic, Hart is actively engaged with the topics he teaches. Hart is just old enough to seem wise, and just young enough to be relevant. Nevertheless, he can be arrogant and moody and expects a high level of commitment to the class that is, perhaps, unrealistic. Hart is a stickler for flawless writing and rewards students for meeting with him during office hours. Nevertheless, he is always reasonable and willing to listen to students regarding extensions and…

6 pop quizes on the reading, drops the lowest one, 3 papers, midterm, final, participation grade

One 3 page paper for in class presentation, one 8-10 page critical analysis paper, one 20 page bibliographic essay (which he thoroughly coaches you through, and isn't anywhere near as awful as it sounds). Occasional reading quizzes when it seemed the class hadn't read or was sluggish to respond.

I can see why people like Professor Hart. He's funny, lively for a 9am class, and cares about his students. That being said, I often felt he did not facilitate discussion effectively enough. Often people would say something and he would just move on without acknowledging what they said. His quizzes are oddly specific and you won't necessarily do well if you do the reading. He comes late to office hours. However, he is extremely helpful during office hours. Once time he looked at a draft before it was due and will always discuss an outline with you before the paper is due.

Black British Writing with Professor Hart was a delight. He is an insightful professor whose energy is catching. Further, he knows the subject matter forward and back. He is a very fair grader, and provides great feedback on work. Hart is very encouraging when it comes to student participation, but he can get easily frustrated when the class is slow to respond, so DO YOUR READING and come to class prepared to talk! The syllabus can be demanding, but if you do both of those things, you'll love the class.