Timea Szell

Professor Szell is a national treasure. She was my professor for critical writing which I took my sophomore year. The class was a lot of work with extensive reading each week and weekly discussion posts. She had each student lead the discussions twice per semester. Professor Szell is brilliant and knows so much about literature and writing. Her feedback on our essays was thorough and she graded very fairly My only qualm was that she talked a lot during class and some classes (which were two hours each) felt more like a lecture than a 9 person seminar. All in all, I loved the class and loved Professor Szell's teaching style.

Take this class with this professor! She is witty, funny, warm, smart, friendly, completely reasonable and approachable. I have a great deal of respect for her. She is almost never in a bad mood, and if she is, it is all the more engaging to listen to her. the subject is definitely not a discussion just about vegetarianism etc, it is much more than that. it is about animals and their meaning to humans in society, in literature etc. how do animals, as symbols, function in literature? it's all great. she gives you feedback on every essay you write in the class. she gives you many options of what you can write about. she is a fair grader. her handwriting is difficult to read, but by the end of the semester you will have gotten the hang of it. i like the texts she chose too. i really wish she taught another class like this. she made me want to work hard and do well. this class made me a better writer. class was never dull!

I learned a lot from Professor Szell about how to write and how to talk meaningfully about literature. There is a lot to be gotten simply from listening to her mini-lectures in the beginning of each seminar--not only for content, but again, for ways to make observations about texts. She is wildly smart but also humble and even self-deprecating. Her "tips for writing" packet was incredibly useful. Her selections and pairings for the syllabus of the Enlightenment Colloquium really provided a deep and wide understanding of the time period--its dominant voices and ideas as well as those that were marginalized. She is a wonderful person AND a wonderful professor.

This was the most unorganized class I have ever taken. We did not get a single grade back during the entire semester making it impossible to grasp our rank in the class. We also did not receive a full syllabus until the last week of classes but were rather told each assignment that we had to do the week before. Prof. Szell is a great person, but a terribly unorganized and scatterbrained teacher. I do not recommend this course.

I am normally not a fan of Literature courses; however, Timea made English interesting and not difficult to approach. She welcomes every idea you have about what you're discussing, even if it does not sound like it's coming from an English major. She is insightful, caring (she never wants to overwhelm you with too much work), and HILARIOUS. Her anecdotes and wonderful character will keep you coming to class, and if that doesn't do it, her magenta hair will. She was an amazing professor!

3 essays, 2 of which had first drafts with feedback given before submitting a final draft. There was about 2-3 hours of reading a week and discussion posts on courseworks.

Prof Szell rocks - the purple hair, hilarious sense of humor, and gentle but on-target comments have all been retained, if not increased. (Well, maybe not the purple hair). She was obviously well-read, and approachable outside of class, with recommendations to suit your personal interests. In discussions, she'd give a brief introduction, and then wait for us to talk, but it was okay when no one had anything to say, also, so that our discussions were always balanced and enjoyable, with encouragement when necessary but no pressure. Also very kind about passing on info on fellowships and academic programs, even after the class ended. The speaker she got for us at our 'tea party' was really interesting too. Overall, loved her class - engaging topic, fascinating perspectives, pleasant atmosphere.

Professor Szell rocks. I wasn't too excited about the Enlightenment colloquium, a requirement for an English major, but she made it all worth it. She is hilarious (very self-deprecating) and clearly brilliant. While the classes often strayed from their intended path (and she could do a better job reeling in those who tell anecdotal stories every single class), it was always fun. Oh, and she has a Hungarian accent, purple hair, and a nose ring. And red- rimmed glasses. How could it not be good?

A lot of reading, a paper, a project and a final exam (which required a ridiculous amount of preparation)

I love Timea Szell! She is one of the most compassionate, witty, laid-back professors I have ever had! She really made me want to come to class (I didn't miss once!); even the boring stuff was interesting to discuss. Her anecdotes are hilarious. She is a tough but fair grader. If you're not spectacular in writing English essays, you won't get an A from her. She helped with my writing and never overwhelmed us with too many assignments-she gave us just enough to read/write and learn and NOT freak out with TOO MUCH WORK. Thus, if you get her for first year English, you will be thankful later. Especially after you realize that not all English professors here are as funny and charismatic as Timea.