Stephen Massimilla

Professor Mass is a nice guy and his lectures are interesting, but his classes are a crap shoot. Each week, our seminar ran an hour over, and he talked nearly the entire time. He asked for response papers on most of the books. The essay questions for the two papers ran two pages single spaced. This is just his way; he complicates the course to make it much harder than it has to be. He grades response papers, as an example, "B/B-" and says that grade really means "A- or maybe even an A in some cases." Response papers are said to be "optional...if you want to be sure to get an A," but Prof. Mass grades by check marks and half check marks It's not clear how professor Mass grades, but if you're looking for the easy A or a certain opportunity to earn an A, avoid his classes because you'll be guessing till the end.

I had Prof. Mass (yes, an endearing nickname) for Modern Poetry in my senior fall. Awesome class. He is a wealth of information and ideas, eccentric, knowledgable. Be prepared to listen carefully when you get to class though. He throws knowledge at you (often a hodge podge of literature and philosophy- but don't worry, CC covers enough of the philosophy you need- and also, his own theories and interpretation.) He is friendly, kind, fun, and interesting. Likes it when you participate in class. Take the class! A note: If you enjoyed CC or philosophy, you will enjoy the modernist literature, since it is often about the search for meaning.

I just graduated from CC and thinking back on my college experience, I can say with full confidence that not only was this the best course I've taken in my entire Columbia career, but also that Prof Mass is one of the most intelligent and inspiring professors I encountered. The only complaint I have is that my hand was sore after taking notes each class, because every word out of his mouth was so valuable I did not want to risk forgetting a word of his lectures by not writing everything down. Not that it is at all necessary to take frantic notes. His workload is more than manageable, and the final exam was more than fair. He is extremely approachable and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is not only an incredibly valuable source of information, but he is always more than willing to help with anything from a paper topic to a simple question after class. I'm not sure where the negative reviews are coming from, but everyone I took the course with loved the class as much as I did. TAKE THIS CLASS!!!!

In light of the comments that Professor Massimilla (or Prof Mass, as you will be sure to call him) is condescending to Barnard women, I have to say that I did not find this at all. I don't think I heard him make a derogatory comment about Barnard throughout the entire semester. With that cleared up, I enjoyed the class. He does tend to ramble on a bit, but what he has to say is usually quite interesting. His background with languages adds to the discussion, as he often talked about the differences in the connotations of language between the original text and the English translation. He definitely loves teaching this class. He does ask for people's opinions and encourage class discussion, but there will be times when he talks for an extended period of time about the book. You WILL need to do your reading; your essay grades will not hold up if you do not. You probably don't need to do all of it, but definitely enough to keep up in the discussions and be able to write knowledgeably about the book. I think the best thing about this class, as someone not enamored with literature, is the feedback on your papers. Prof Mass actually does read your papers, and he is not afraid to mark them up quite a bit. It will definitely not be easy to get an A on a paper, but it is doable. He wants to make you into a better writer, and you will definitely learn a lot by the end of the semester. Esp…

Prof Mass infused this class with so much fun and genuine insight. I came in hating poetry and left with an obsession. He quotes Dante in Italian, personally knew Kenneth Koch and Louise Gluck, and offers insight into your own work. And on occasion he even brings in organic treats. He writes more commentary on your essays than you originally wrote and almost all of it ends up being helpful. The classes focus on specific poems with general notes on the author. If you're an English major, or just dabbling in the realm of poetry, take this class.

What can I say about Prof Mass? He's goofy, he's a genius, he's a little full of himself--though that's totally deserved. Lit Hum with Prof Mass was so much fun--he really knows his stuff, and he always has something insightful to say about the literature, the history, the language, or any other number of facets of the great works of Western Lit. The cool thing about taking the class with Prof Mass is that you don't really have one certain thing to focus on; with many other professors you'll only get pieces of the whole: one will focus on the language, another on the form, another on the history. Prof Mass, despite the fact that he specializes in 20th century poetry, can tell you about everything from the entire chronology of the Roman empire to the specifics on the form of the Petrarchan sonnet. (In fact, on the fall Met tour, he was correcting the tour guide!) The class itself is great. You write 2 papers a semester, plus the midterm and the final, but most of the work hinges on your actually having read the books and participating in the discussion. The discussion is fun too. Prof Mass is big on group work and on meandering class discussions/debates, where the suggestion of a topic (ie is Dido guilty?) can spark an hour and a half of spirited argument on both sides. Okay, long story short: Prof Mass is great. Take a class with him if you get the chance.

Take L and R with this professor. Massimilla is a fair grader and his discussions are truly interesting. I am not one who typically gets excited to go to class or is engaged with class discussion; however, with 'Stemass' I actually thought I was learning something. He is very weird but that only helps his students to think outside the box. He can't zip his pants up and he can't button a shirt but otherwise is a great professor.

I am a Freshman and this was my second class with Professor Massimilla. Not only is the syllabus incredible (You can look forward to reading: Ulysses, Heart of Darkness, the Good Soldier, Mrs. Dalloway, Women in Love, and A Passage to India), but Professor Massimilla is astonishingly well-versed in Modern(ist) Fiction, Modern(ist) Poetry, and a broad spectrum of other topics. The best part about this class is his passion: he loves what he is teaching, he knows a lot about it, and he truly desires to make these dense works accessible to his students. He is funny, erudite, willing to work with his students on deadlines, consistently available, and genuinely kind. He is exactly what you want/imagine in the perfect professor. I took this class because I wanted to read Ulysses in an academic setting-- Massimilla recognized the daunting intricacy of the work and endeavored to make it easier for his students. If all of this information weren't enough to persuade you to take a one-day-a-week-class on amazing works of literature, Professor Massimilla held one session at a restaurant near campus and paid for everyone's dinner! He PAID for dinner while we discussed James Joyce. If he lectures at all, it is only because the class is really not long enough for the material it covers. And his lectures are always insightful and worthwhile. The workload is completely manageable for a class co…

prof mass. you either love him or hate him. i took "modern poetry" my sophomore year, and it remains one of the best english classes i've taken at columbia. he's funny, witty, and extremely passionate. one of his readings of t.s eliot made a girl faint in class. yes, his lectures can be rambling and go on many tangents, so if you're the bullet-point type of note taker, then steer clear. but if performative lectures, free wheeling narratives and multiple allusions are up your alley, take a course with him while you can.

How do I even begin to describe my love for Prof Mass? I agree with some of the previous comments that, as far as learning about poetic syntax and whatnot goes, this class will not be satisfying. A previous reviewer said it's like a Poetry Appreciation course - quite right, too! I mean, I'd read some poems here and there, whether they were for class or just for kicks, but it wasn't until I'd taken this class that I fell in love with poetry. Prof. Mass is such a smart guy - I just want a look inside his mind because he will just throw anything at you, from Heraclitean flux to the Lotus Sutra, and then even throw in some references to 17th Century Japanese history in reference to that one John Ashbery poem we did. His lecture style is only very loosely structured - we stuck to the syllabus more or less, and we would have gotten through all of the works that Prof Mass wanted to go over had we not had that snow day (which he did keep referring back to... That damn snow...!) - and it broke down with an introduction to the poet, and then Prof. Mass jumping back and forth between poems and sparking discussion about it. The discussions were usually more thematic than anything - like I said, it's more of an appreciation class. He can also speak Spanish, French and Italian (maybe more?) well so he would read the poems in the original language every now and then, which was really lovely.…