Columbia College Core · Columbia University
Steve is the besttttt what a passionate and considerate man! The content is engaging, particularly because Professor Baker is so engaged himself. I found this to be a much more interesting set of texts than Italian Literature I seemed to provide (spanning from Baroque to modern), which focused on more Dante-Boccaccio writing. I'm not a native Italian speaker, but I came out of every class excited with how much Italian I retained, and how much I learned about the literature in the process. I was unsure if I would be able to succeed in the class initially, but Steve talked me into staying--and I'm so glad that I did.
Holy shit this is the best teacher I've had at Columbia. I had him last year in the 2016-2017 school year, and what can I say? He's a god damn genius. He comes to class prepared every day, is always full of energy and can get blood from a stone with his charisma. He is a wonderful person, and is extremely helpful with advancing any aspiring writer with his recommendations and advice. IF YOU CAN PLEASE TAKE HIS CLASS. I cannot repeat myself enough.
Steve Baker is one of my favorite people in the world --- forget about professors. He is very enthusiastic and funny. He is a great teacher! Take his section!
STEVE BAKER IS AMAZING!!!! Oh my god I went into italian knowing absoloutely nothing but somehow he managed to actually teach me italian! He met with me whenever I needed to and reviewed whatever I needed to. He's always in a good mood...always bene bene bene...and he is one of the funniest people period. He makes funny sounds in class and he is so engaging and he just wants to be your friend!!! He is absolutely amazing if you have a chance to have him get him but it become pretty difficult just because everyone always wants him but if you have a chance take him!!!!! He's brilliant!!!
I read so many poets and scholars that I had never gotten the chance to before, such as Petrarca, Guinizelli, and Ariosto. I came away with such a deep appreciation for Italian literature!
Seven writing assignments (2 being the Midterm and Final), and digestible readings twice a week. You really should do the readings, Steve doesn't expect a lot from the class but he deff gets sad if people haven't read (would never penalize you for it, though). The writing assignments took me like 4 hours each, but only because I had to write and then translate them into Italian. Really a very doable workload!
I don't know why Steve doesn't have a gold nugget. He absolutely deserves it!!! Best professor I have ever had in my life and I wish he could teach every class. He is so engaging and enthusiastic -- you can tell that he really loves his job and cares about his students. He facilitates the best discussions and encourages students to make to connections to the texts outside of class through the many trips that he offers, from museum tours that he comes up with and leads himself to a night at the theater and then having the whole class come to his apartment for dinner after. Literally I can't say enough nice things about Steve. His essay prompts are thought provoking and engaging, and they were actually fun to write! Before every one, I would go to his office hours to outline my ideas and just brainstorm and chat, and I always left feeling so excited about getting started. And his grading! To say that he is generous is an understatement. If I ever need to feel better about my academic ability, I literally just reread his comments on my essays. They somehow managed to be both encouraging and constructive, and I do think I am a better writer from taking this course. I was in his class two years ago, and I still go to his office hours just to talk to Steve. Every other class I have taken since has been a disappointment in comparison with Lit Hum. Take his class. It will be the best…
Steve was fantastic! He is really nice and always wants to help you. I had him for two semesters and did well without too much effort. He is not from Italy but makes up for it by engaging his class. Take Italian with Steve!
I learned how to think and write in Italian and to communicate my ideas in Italian.
Professor Baker is wonderful. He's incredibly enthusiastic about everything he does, from grappling with dense texts across the LitHum syllabus to planning class outings where everyone can get to know each other better and apply LitHum topics across disciplines. He makes everyone feel welcome, encouraging people to share their thoughts no matter how fully formed. He's equally friendly--if not more so--in office hours, when you can talk about papers or favorite books you've read or anything going on in your life, really. He's super supportive and wants to get to know all his students as well as possible to help them realize their full potential and feel comfortable in class. Three papers per semester seemed like a lot at first, but he often gives a variety of creative options and is equally open to creating your own topic. Especially during second semester, he's given us essay prompts that allow for the type of introspection and consideration of the big "core questions" that I think LitHum is really all about. I have no doubt that the takeaways from this class will serve me far beyond my time at Columbia, and that Professor Baker will be a close mentor and confidante of mine throughout college.