Prof. Komar chooses amazing texts and presents them in a very informative way. I appreciated how her analyses were thorough yet reasonable (not far-fetched) and felt like I genuinely achieved a better understanding of how I should approach material as complex as what she teaches in future. The grading, however, is harsh. I think very few people got As or even A minuses on the first two papers assigned. But don't let this discourage you because your grades will go up toward the end of the quarter. Participation counts for 20%, so try to say something during discussion. Prof. Komar adjusts her syllabus according to her students' feedback, but here's what we did this past quarter (Fall 2018):

* Candide, by Voltaire
* The Sorrows of Young Werther, by Goethe
* A selection of poetry, by Dickinson and Baudelaire
* A Doll's House, by Ibsen
* The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
* Drifting House, by Kris Lee
* Notes From Underground, by Dostoevsky
* Endgame, by Samuel Beckett
* The Metamorphosis, by Kafka

Don't be intimidated by this long list, though, because a lot of the texts are quite short. If you truly like literature, the workload won't feel as heavy, and you'll leave after 10 weeks with a great sense of accomplishment, feeling that you've become a wiser person and a better thinker.

Took this class for my writing 2 requirement, I am definitely not a writing sort of person so I did struggle in writing the essays, and I thought my TA graded me pretty harshly. The essays do come one right after the other pretty quickly so it is a LOT of writing. I got a B+ in this class; however I did take this my first quarter of freshman year so my level of motivation and work ethic wasn't where it should've been. That said, this class is do-able if you put in the effort and an A is definitely attainable. The readings and discussions were very interesting to me, but even if you absolutely hate a reading then you're still able to express this in discussions and that even spices up the discussion.

I found COM LIT 2CW with Professor Komar to be a terrible experience, though I suppose it is one of the least bad Writing II courses out there. There were many many readings (to be expected from a literature course), and quite a few papers. Although Komar had reasonable expectations from us when it came to completing readings when papers were due, "lectures" ended up being pointless discussions about the texts, none of which were any help to us for the papers. To make matters worse, attendance is mandatory, so you're stuck wasting 4 hours a week discussing things that don't help your graded assignments at all. The TAs also all grade extremely harshly on the first few papers, since their rationale is "it'll drive you to improve". Overall, a terrible class; each lecture/discussion was painful. I couldn't be more glad I never have to take another one of these courses.

This is most definitely not an easy class. If you thought you were a stellar writer in high school, this class will make you question that. The TAs are supposedly similar in how harsh they grade... not sure if that's true. I think the most frustrating thing about this class was how unclear the expectations were in the beginning. It wasn't until I was well into the quarter that I finally figured out what standard Professor Komar & the TAs were holding us to. However, after struggling through the entire quarter, I am really happy I took this class. It definitely prepares you for all of the writing you will do throughout college and your professional career. Yes, this class was initially a slap in the face, but you learn so much about your writing skills and how to improve them along the way! The books Professor Komar chooses are absolutely wonderful and some of them have become my all-time favorites. Her lectures are not very structured (i.e. she doesn't use slides) but she admits that her lectures are meant to guide us in the right direction and just get us thinking. If you are interested in the authors and time periods this class studies like I was, you'll ultimately find the difficulty of this class worth it.

Great Writing II class- not one of the easiest, though. The lecture size is really small and intimate and her lectures aren't super structured. It's more of a discussion, really. TAs can range and they do most of the grading of your papers so make sure to go to their office hours when you can. The reading is not bad for a comp lit class, and you get to choose which book to write about so it's okay if you skip two or more full readings.
Professor Komar was genuinely nice person and really went above and beyond to help out. She was always welcome to questions and will help you if you're stuck on a part in your essay.
Warning though: This class can be difficult if you're not a terribly strong writer to start out with or really shy about sharing your writing with others. If you want to improve, you've gotta get out there and push yourself.

If you're a pre-med like me and care about you're GPA, do not take this professor for Writing II. I worked my ass off this quarter, but I just got a B. I was thinking I was in the A- to A range though. The grading is collective work between the professor and TA's, so I doubt there would be an easy/lenient TA. Otherwise, if you don't mind getting a B, go ahead and take her because the workload is normal and she is nice as well as the TA's. But damn... I'm pissed

Prof. Komar is awesome! She is a really nice and accessible professor who is always willing to help you during her office hour. I find her office hour extremely helpful as you formulate your thesis for your papers. I realized it a bit too late and regretted not going to more of her office hour earlier. Her reading list is extremely interesting; I def. enjoy reading the books she's picked. Her lecture is also very thought provoking although at times it seems a bit disorganized. However, she did make efforts to turn her lecture into a huge discussion and especially if you sat in the front row, you would find the 100-ppl lecture really intimate! i love Prof. Komar and would def. recommend her to any of my friends.

Professor Komar is an excellent professor, with very interesting books to read! (Although I admittedly never read any of them)

However, like most Writing II courses, getting an A is gonna be pretty difficult. I somehow managed to pull off a B just by Sparknoting everything. This seems to be a good writing II class for those of us who aren't great with literature. Just make sure you go to lectures for summaries and analyses.

Professor Komar is awesome. The class was fair and the reading was surprisingly light for a writing class. 4 big essays and an in class midterm essay so the pace is fast but not rushed. No final. Komar made sure everybody was prepared to write the essays and if there were any problems she was always willing to help. Part of what made the class enjoyable and rewarding was my excellent TA, Henry. I met with him before every essay (as you should) and he truly helped my writing as well as help me succeed in the class.

Prof Komar is great at explaining things clearly and making the books very accessible. The in-class midterm and at home essay prompts are very fair and if you go to lecture they will not be that bad to write. She also picked very interesting books to read. Overall a great professor, especially if you are like me and are not the best at literature