Tobias Myers

Standard for Lit Hum. Occasional one-page assignments that are not always graded. Ample opportunities for creative projects, if that's your thing. I always freaked out about the midterms and finals, even as I flipped through them for the first time, but I always ended up doing pretty well on them. He grades well.

--First things first, I had this class at 9am and I am not a morning person at all. I could have switched classes at the semester, but chose not to, in order to stay with Prof. Myers. If you read no further, consider that.-- I quite liked Prof. Myers as my Lit Hum instructor. It might be telling that it kind of feels weird every time I actually type "Prof. Myers"--he, and his class, are laid back in that sense, but at the same time I just didn't really call him anything, I always just approached him and started talking. I can't even remember if he did the stereotypical write-name-on-chalkboard-introduction thing at any point. Also, he's technically not a professor (yet?). No matter. Point is, he's super approachable, and won't ever get in your face. For some people, this is the perfect combination for a core class. He will cater to your every inquiry, provided that you actually bring it up or go to office hours. For many freshman at Columbia, this can be an intimidating prospect, especially considering Prof. Myers' vast and readily apparent knowledge of the material and his slightly more reserved style. But go anyway! He's super approachable. That being said, there's a clear sense of responsibility in this class. If you approach him in want of an extension or help with a text, you better have actually put a morsel of genuine thought into your proposal. I don't mean to say that…

20% midterm 20% first paper 20% second paper 20% final 20% class contribution (attendance, participation, short assignments)

Professor Meyers is amazing. He's a funny, understanding, kind, and helpful guy. He is strongly invested in students and their literary growth. As stated before, he's always makes himself available and gives more than enough feedback so that you have something to go off of. He encourages discussion in a way that's enjoyable. Also, before each class, you're given a class preparation sheet so that you'll have a guide for where to focus your reading. This is extremely helpful considering the amount of text we have to read sometimes. It's also helpful when studying for midterms and finals. As for the difficulty of the midterm (made up by Professor Meyers), it's not that hard if you take his study advice, do the readings, and participate in discussions. He's a fair grader, and is always doing his best to get us the highest grade possible. The final isn't made by him, but he grades fairly.

2 papers a semester (free topics), midterm, final, very very few written assignments here and there.

Tobias is certainly an intriguing character. I cannot say I enjoyed his class 100% of the time, and I do not think the discussions were comprehensive enough to grasp the true character of Lit hum. Nevertheless, Tobias unequivocally deserves a silver nugget, especially considering his unwavering engagement with the students' welfare and the development of our literary minds. Although I thought his grading of the papers focused a bit too much on the "writing" criteria, he will certainly guide you towards a better direction in writing a well-rounded Lit Hum paper. His mellow character and extremely kind disposition will draw you closer to this professor as the semester continues. Be prepared for the exams however, they are not easy.

Probably the same as every other Lit Hum class, though he's willing to listen if you really cannot make a paper in on time. He assigns readings in smaller chunks when possible-I had a lot more time to read most of the novels than my other friends in their respective Lit Hum classes.

I have to say Tobias is easily one of my favorite First Year professors. He's brilliant, of course, but what makes him truly exceptional is just how much attention he's willing to devote to you individually. He encourages us to meet with him after giving us back our papers, and writes many, many comments so you'll always have a general idea of how to improve. He isn't the easiest grader but not a super hard one either. If you talk to him and get an idea of what he's looking for, you'll be able to do well in the class. He never makes you feel stupid, even if you make subpar reflections.Instead, he'll comment on what you've said, and help you complicate your thoughts with his responses. That being said, he takes great caution so as not to influence you with his viewpoint, and encourages you to develop your own perspective. He warns you against reading online analyses/introductions to texts, asserting that each of your individual opinions can be just as if not more valuable than the interpretations of others. He's made me love discussing literature and even improved the way I read.

Only two ~6 page papers outside of the readings. Readings can be long but they're pretty much the same for every section. Midterm and final are easy if you've been doing the readings and staying awake in discussion.

I agree pretty much with everything said in the previous review. Just wanted to point out that the final is only 20% - 15% is for participation. Also Tobias is super-smart, a great teacher and a nice guy so if you get the choice, take his class. The first semester of the class is probably a bit more fun than the second but that's probably owing to the fact that Tobias is classics guy so he really knows his Homer and like.