ENGL 170A
American Literature to 1775
Description: Lecture, four hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Requisites: courses 10A, 10B, and 10C, or 11 and 87. Historical survey of American literature from end of Civil War to beginning of 20th century, including writers such as Howells, James, Twain, Norris, Dickinson, Crane, Chesnutt, Gilman, and others working in modes of realist and naturalist novel, regional and vernacular prose, and poetry. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
1 of 1
Most Helpful Review
Professor Colacurcio is nothing short of a joke. He is a shining example of an inept uncaring simpleton who somehow rose to gain the mantel of "Distinguished" Professor which tells me that perhaps it might be much easier to obtain that honor that I had previously thought. He is scatterbrain, late for classes and a joke to most of his students. Avoid his class if at all possible because you will not only learn absolutely nothing but will be subjected to his childish tirades and fits of cursing.
Professor Colacurcio is nothing short of a joke. He is a shining example of an inept uncaring simpleton who somehow rose to gain the mantel of "Distinguished" Professor which tells me that perhaps it might be much easier to obtain that honor that I had previously thought. He is scatterbrain, late for classes and a joke to most of his students. Avoid his class if at all possible because you will not only learn absolutely nothing but will be subjected to his childish tirades and fits of cursing.
Most Helpful Review
I got an A in this class. Things you should know: Professor Dimuro will cancel a few classes due to illness, and he is very slow at grading (or at least returning assignments). It's possible you may have to write your second paper without receiving feedback for the first. Also likely is you may end up taking the final with little security, knowing only one of your grades out of five assignments. However, the lectures are entertaining and educational. If you can follow Dimuro, you can learn a lot from his lectures. If you don't understand something - and most of the class seemed lost at some point - do ask! He's open and willing to clarify. If you're here to learn, then it doesn't matter what your grade is or how dull some of the readings are. You can learn a lot from attending lecture AND listening. Participating isn't necessary, but it'll give you brownie points.
I got an A in this class. Things you should know: Professor Dimuro will cancel a few classes due to illness, and he is very slow at grading (or at least returning assignments). It's possible you may have to write your second paper without receiving feedback for the first. Also likely is you may end up taking the final with little security, knowing only one of your grades out of five assignments. However, the lectures are entertaining and educational. If you can follow Dimuro, you can learn a lot from his lectures. If you don't understand something - and most of the class seemed lost at some point - do ask! He's open and willing to clarify. If you're here to learn, then it doesn't matter what your grade is or how dull some of the readings are. You can learn a lot from attending lecture AND listening. Participating isn't necessary, but it'll give you brownie points.
AD
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2021 - I took English 168 with Professor Gallagher but it's not listed and his reviews need to be updated. He might have been a good TA but as a professor this class was a mistake. In terms of the lectures, he would talk for most of the time, often reading long sections of the texts and then randomly ask a question for which he had a very specific answer in mind and then get frustrated when no one gave him that answer. Similarly with the essays he was looking for very specific answers and told us himself that we all did badly because we didn't answer the question the way we wanted him to. There was very little room for interpretation or discussion in this class, and all of that along with some pointless response assignments that didn't contribute to anything made this feel extremely like a high school class. This class was in person, and at the beginning of the quarter he said it wasn't mandatory to attend every class, but then when people started not showing up he made it mandatory to come in by withholding the second essay prompt and only having it on a piece of paper that he handed out and never posted it online. We were also immediately behind on the syllabus because of how long he took talking about each novel which made him have to assign an essay that should have been turned in during week 8 during finals week along with a lengthy take home exam. The class wasn't too difficult, Professor Gallagher was just incredibly frustrating and I didn't feel like I got anything out of attending class.
Fall 2021 - I took English 168 with Professor Gallagher but it's not listed and his reviews need to be updated. He might have been a good TA but as a professor this class was a mistake. In terms of the lectures, he would talk for most of the time, often reading long sections of the texts and then randomly ask a question for which he had a very specific answer in mind and then get frustrated when no one gave him that answer. Similarly with the essays he was looking for very specific answers and told us himself that we all did badly because we didn't answer the question the way we wanted him to. There was very little room for interpretation or discussion in this class, and all of that along with some pointless response assignments that didn't contribute to anything made this feel extremely like a high school class. This class was in person, and at the beginning of the quarter he said it wasn't mandatory to attend every class, but then when people started not showing up he made it mandatory to come in by withholding the second essay prompt and only having it on a piece of paper that he handed out and never posted it online. We were also immediately behind on the syllabus because of how long he took talking about each novel which made him have to assign an essay that should have been turned in during week 8 during finals week along with a lengthy take home exam. The class wasn't too difficult, Professor Gallagher was just incredibly frustrating and I didn't feel like I got anything out of attending class.
Most Helpful Review
Out of all the English classes I've taken, this was by FAR the most boring. I went to nearly every lecture and the only way I could get through the class was by being on my computer (much like everyone else). His lectures are extremely dry and the reading material is not interesting. You are graded on attendance, 2 essays, a mid-term and a final. The mid-term and the final aren't too difficult, but make sure that you do the reading. He did e-mail us all the powerpoints to study for finals which was helpful. This is not necessarily an "easy" class, but it wasn't too difficult. It however was a waste of time unless you really enjoy reading 19th century American Lit. I was disappointed that there wasn't really any chance for discussion during class and only a few people talked during the entire quarter. TAKE ANOTHER CLASS if you can.
Out of all the English classes I've taken, this was by FAR the most boring. I went to nearly every lecture and the only way I could get through the class was by being on my computer (much like everyone else). His lectures are extremely dry and the reading material is not interesting. You are graded on attendance, 2 essays, a mid-term and a final. The mid-term and the final aren't too difficult, but make sure that you do the reading. He did e-mail us all the powerpoints to study for finals which was helpful. This is not necessarily an "easy" class, but it wasn't too difficult. It however was a waste of time unless you really enjoy reading 19th century American Lit. I was disappointed that there wasn't really any chance for discussion during class and only a few people talked during the entire quarter. TAKE ANOTHER CLASS if you can.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2019 - He's a kind and fun professor and even though I don't typically enjoy early American literature, he made his lectures entertaining. He's young, cares about his students (catch him always nodding in an encouraging way after you make a comment), and always throws in some jokes. The reading seems like a lot at first glance, but it's very doable since there is no exam, you just choose a couple works to write papers on towards the middle and end of the class. He isn't a harsh grader, and pretty flexible. If you need an extension, definitely ask. I would definitely recommend taking him whether you're an English major or not, but especially for those early English Lit requirements! Also, most of his assigned readings can be found online for free.
Fall 2019 - He's a kind and fun professor and even though I don't typically enjoy early American literature, he made his lectures entertaining. He's young, cares about his students (catch him always nodding in an encouraging way after you make a comment), and always throws in some jokes. The reading seems like a lot at first glance, but it's very doable since there is no exam, you just choose a couple works to write papers on towards the middle and end of the class. He isn't a harsh grader, and pretty flexible. If you need an extension, definitely ask. I would definitely recommend taking him whether you're an English major or not, but especially for those early English Lit requirements! Also, most of his assigned readings can be found online for free.
1 of 1
