ENGL 193
Colloquia and Speakers' Series Undergraduate Seminars: English
Description: Seminar, one hour. Limited to undergraduate students. Discussion of current critical literature and/or creative readings by writers, artists, and scholars. Exploration in greater depth of literary topics and creative work presented through sponsored forums, speakers' series, and colloquia. May be repeated for credit. P/NP grading.
Units: 1.0
Units: 1.0
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Most Helpful Review
If Dr. Cosentino were to take a trinitary approach to folklore, he'd be a celebrity because actions speak louder than words. If he were to take folk songs out to Chicago's South Side streets and sing to heal crime as a reminder of the 1960s Peace Movement, he'd become of Teacher in Action, a true, trinitary man of honor. When and if he ever does take Folk Music to Chicago streets, I'll be waiting in the wings where I've been for many years, quietly writing while sitting alongside Saint Peter's chorus of long-silenced hospice workers. Timing is funny, isn't it? Timing sure is a funny thing. I'll keep an ear open.
If Dr. Cosentino were to take a trinitary approach to folklore, he'd be a celebrity because actions speak louder than words. If he were to take folk songs out to Chicago's South Side streets and sing to heal crime as a reminder of the 1960s Peace Movement, he'd become of Teacher in Action, a true, trinitary man of honor. When and if he ever does take Folk Music to Chicago streets, I'll be waiting in the wings where I've been for many years, quietly writing while sitting alongside Saint Peter's chorus of long-silenced hospice workers. Timing is funny, isn't it? Timing sure is a funny thing. I'll keep an ear open.
Most Helpful Review
Review for CLUSTER 20A Personally, I think Professor Decker is a great professor. Because whenever I ask questions after class he will patiently answer all of them until I understand the assignments/concepts etc. However, his lectures are a bit boring, but they are very informative as well.
Review for CLUSTER 20A Personally, I think Professor Decker is a great professor. Because whenever I ask questions after class he will patiently answer all of them until I understand the assignments/concepts etc. However, his lectures are a bit boring, but they are very informative as well.
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Most Helpful Review
ACTUAL CLASS: English 10A (Literature to the 1700s) SPRING 2015 I was scared coming into this class based on the reviews that said Prof. Jager was unfriendly and the grading was harsh, but thankfully I did NOT get this experience at all. After taking the class, I'm surprised at all the reviews that said he was condescending or loved the sound of his own voice; after the initial intimidation, I found him to be friendly and good-humored, and he even made us laugh someone often. I got the feeling that the other students really liked him too. I had little interest in medieval & Renaissance literature and kind of dreaded the class material, but the way he explains it in his lectures made it pretty interesting! He does have his notes on paper in front of him, but I didn't actually notice for a while because he's so animated during his lecture. He so clearly knows and loves this stuff. You just have to WRITE FAST, and WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING. Probably the single real complaint I have for this class is that he doesn't allow laptops. His exams can sometimes cover details in his lectures that you didn't think you had to write down, so you better write everything down. It'll pay off in the end, albeit with some cramped hands. Exams themselves require a lot of studying, but are not impossible. It's pretty much knowing the lecture information (which is a lot), being able to recognize texts, memorizing terms, and identifying literary features. You also only write two, 4-5 page essays, so that's nice! 2 essays + midterm + final + discussion section make up your grade. Can't speak to his essay grading because he never graded mine, but my T.A. seemed to grade fairly. All of the T.A.s seemed nice, too. In summation: really good professor, good T.A. (Ellen Truxaw), fair grading, and interesting lectures. Not a heavy reading load, surprisingly. WRITE FAST, WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING.
ACTUAL CLASS: English 10A (Literature to the 1700s) SPRING 2015 I was scared coming into this class based on the reviews that said Prof. Jager was unfriendly and the grading was harsh, but thankfully I did NOT get this experience at all. After taking the class, I'm surprised at all the reviews that said he was condescending or loved the sound of his own voice; after the initial intimidation, I found him to be friendly and good-humored, and he even made us laugh someone often. I got the feeling that the other students really liked him too. I had little interest in medieval & Renaissance literature and kind of dreaded the class material, but the way he explains it in his lectures made it pretty interesting! He does have his notes on paper in front of him, but I didn't actually notice for a while because he's so animated during his lecture. He so clearly knows and loves this stuff. You just have to WRITE FAST, and WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING. Probably the single real complaint I have for this class is that he doesn't allow laptops. His exams can sometimes cover details in his lectures that you didn't think you had to write down, so you better write everything down. It'll pay off in the end, albeit with some cramped hands. Exams themselves require a lot of studying, but are not impossible. It's pretty much knowing the lecture information (which is a lot), being able to recognize texts, memorizing terms, and identifying literary features. You also only write two, 4-5 page essays, so that's nice! 2 essays + midterm + final + discussion section make up your grade. Can't speak to his essay grading because he never graded mine, but my T.A. seemed to grade fairly. All of the T.A.s seemed nice, too. In summation: really good professor, good T.A. (Ellen Truxaw), fair grading, and interesting lectures. Not a heavy reading load, surprisingly. WRITE FAST, WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING.
Most Helpful Review
Absolutely spectacular professor! Cares for his students' learning, makes class extremely enjoyable, really changed my overall experience here at UCLA. Yes, sometimes he doesn't get through to everything on the day's agenda. But he doesn't hold that against you like many other professors do--i.e. none of that 'we have to catch up to where we're supposed to be' shit.
Absolutely spectacular professor! Cares for his students' learning, makes class extremely enjoyable, really changed my overall experience here at UCLA. Yes, sometimes he doesn't get through to everything on the day's agenda. But he doesn't hold that against you like many other professors do--i.e. none of that 'we have to catch up to where we're supposed to be' shit.
Most Helpful Review
I had Professor Nagy (if you’re curious, it rhymes with garage and the y is silent) for both fall and winter of the GE30 cluster in 2011/2012, not the class above. He was definitely the best professor out of the teaching team, which also included Kendrick and Tangherlini. He seemed to be the “main” professor, as he definitely lectured more than the other two. Nagy is a very interesting man who starts off each lecture with some sort of clip, generally of the older/classic variety, and somehow connects it back to the reading and his lecture. (He seems to have a fondness for opera as well.) I usually enjoyed his lectures, and he did a good job covering the reading. Speaking of the reading, it was often dry and boring, especially in the fall. The class is more focused on what is a myth/classifying myths/being really technical about definitions and less about actually reading and comparing myths. However, you do read a bunch of myths from around the world and get to hear from an assortment of guest lectures. Grading is based on reading quizzes that I found very easy considering I actually did all the readings. Most of the people I knew in that class didn’t bother to do the reading, and their scores on the reading quizzes ranged from fine to not-so-great. While there are a lot of books to buy for the class, Nagy is good about putting up articles on the course website that you can print out or simply read off your screen, which is much nicer than paying for a course reader. Additionally, you don’t have to buy any new books for winter. The other main portion of grading are the essays; there are two each quarter with a rewrite of each. Instead of a final, there is an essay due finals week. I ended up with an A in fall and an A+ in winter. For discussion, I had Sara Burdorff. She is super nice and a great TA Take her if she is still there! Other TAs that seemed great based on their lectures/word of mouth are Wayne Bass and Laura Pierson. Anna Page was also lovely, but sadly I’m pretty sure that was her last year.
I had Professor Nagy (if you’re curious, it rhymes with garage and the y is silent) for both fall and winter of the GE30 cluster in 2011/2012, not the class above. He was definitely the best professor out of the teaching team, which also included Kendrick and Tangherlini. He seemed to be the “main” professor, as he definitely lectured more than the other two. Nagy is a very interesting man who starts off each lecture with some sort of clip, generally of the older/classic variety, and somehow connects it back to the reading and his lecture. (He seems to have a fondness for opera as well.) I usually enjoyed his lectures, and he did a good job covering the reading. Speaking of the reading, it was often dry and boring, especially in the fall. The class is more focused on what is a myth/classifying myths/being really technical about definitions and less about actually reading and comparing myths. However, you do read a bunch of myths from around the world and get to hear from an assortment of guest lectures. Grading is based on reading quizzes that I found very easy considering I actually did all the readings. Most of the people I knew in that class didn’t bother to do the reading, and their scores on the reading quizzes ranged from fine to not-so-great. While there are a lot of books to buy for the class, Nagy is good about putting up articles on the course website that you can print out or simply read off your screen, which is much nicer than paying for a course reader. Additionally, you don’t have to buy any new books for winter. The other main portion of grading are the essays; there are two each quarter with a rewrite of each. Instead of a final, there is an essay due finals week. I ended up with an A in fall and an A+ in winter. For discussion, I had Sara Burdorff. She is super nice and a great TA Take her if she is still there! Other TAs that seemed great based on their lectures/word of mouth are Wayne Bass and Laura Pierson. Anna Page was also lovely, but sadly I’m pretty sure that was her last year.
Most Helpful Review
Afro-Am 6: Streeter is has the most discombobulated teaching style I have ever experienced. The cirriculum of the class is not hard at all, however, the way she struggles to deliver the material makes the entire class confused and so irritated that we all become uninterested. I invited my mother to class one day so she could experience my weekly struggle of sitting through her lectures. Mind you, my mother has been in education for over 25 years. Needless to say, all my mother was able to say was: "owe, I am glad that you are on scholarship, I could never pay for that class". I struggle with knowing what exactly she wants on exams due to her scattered grading. No worries, she says that we should trust her judgment as our professor. Yeah Right!! I need a rubric in order to determine what will receive an A and what will not. I do not recommend that you take Afro-Am 6 if she is teaching it at UCLA.
Afro-Am 6: Streeter is has the most discombobulated teaching style I have ever experienced. The cirriculum of the class is not hard at all, however, the way she struggles to deliver the material makes the entire class confused and so irritated that we all become uninterested. I invited my mother to class one day so she could experience my weekly struggle of sitting through her lectures. Mind you, my mother has been in education for over 25 years. Needless to say, all my mother was able to say was: "owe, I am glad that you are on scholarship, I could never pay for that class". I struggle with knowing what exactly she wants on exams due to her scattered grading. No worries, she says that we should trust her judgment as our professor. Yeah Right!! I need a rubric in order to determine what will receive an A and what will not. I do not recommend that you take Afro-Am 6 if she is teaching it at UCLA.
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