Professor Creese's EngComp 3 class was a well organized and engaging course. It was also asynchronous-

1) Our topic was about Screwball Comedies. We had 10 films supplemented with readings.

2) Every week, certain films and readings are assigned. From Weeks 1-8, at least 3 discussion questions had to be answered on the discussion forum. I found that answering these questions helped me find ideas for writing the papers.

3) There are 3 papers, 2 small ones which are 3-4 pages long and the final paper which is 8-10 pages long. The topics are always related to screwball comedies.

4) Even if Professor Creese's grading on your initial paper seems harsh, do not panic. He provides constructive feedback on your paper and allows you to submit a rewrite which is counted for your final grade. As long as you stick to his suggestions, you should be good!

5) Aside from getting the course reader, I can think of no other drawback to this course.

As someone who took this class with college being held online, Professor Creese was quick to reply to emails concerning doubts on anything related to the movies and how to improve your writing. His commentary on the films and readings is not only funny, but also informative and helps in understanding the material better. He is quite passionate about what he teaches which made the class more enjoyable. Paying attention will benefit you in the long run and keep an eye out for his hints on writing papers! I would highly recommend taking this class, even if I took it virtually.

Encouraging professor. Passionate about what he teaches. Caring.
I learned more about Screwball and enjoy movies a lot. However, as a writing class, I honestly did not feel my writing skills are improved.

This is a great professor for a Writing I Requirement/GE class if you ever decide to take it! He will post all the movies ahead of time, and he often puts the quarter timeline (required readings, movies, paper due dates, etc.) at the beginning of the quarter so you have some idea of what to expect.

His class will be based HEAVILY on screwball comedies, action dramas, films noirs, Westerns, etc. which he will put up on the class website all beforehand. Readings will be essential as he expects you to utilize them in your papers, so as long as you make good use highlighting/annotating the readings, you should be solid in his class.

He checks attendance each lecture, so I HIGHLY recommend going to them. Besides, he does some partial screenings of films, or in some cases, he gives extremely helpful hints specific to your papers, all of which is also already uploaded in the class website at the beginning of the quarter.

His grading scheme is unusual, but if you do as he says, an A is HIGHLY possible! For the first drafts of the first two papers you do, expect an average grade of a C or D, BUT... don't worry~! He will give some feedback and constructive criticism on your first drafts, so if you revise them thoroughly, then you are GUARANTEED a higher grade!

In short, I HIGHLY recommend taking his class, ESPECIALLY if you're a first-year in need of a Writing I/English GE class!

P.S. Going back to the readings, he uses a Course Reader Solutions Textbook, which varies among classes and professors. If you wish to buy one, the UCLA Bookstore sells new ones for $85. I am selling a used one for 60% off the UCLA Bookstore ($34). Look below for conditions.

Conditions: Fair, cover (very slightly stained) slightly torn from the spirals, multiple pages folded, text already highlighted (may be useful for writing papers!).

If you are interested in buying my copy, text me at (714) 865-1327!

This class was pretty laid-back. You basically just watch movies in class and you can choose how much you want to pay attention. If you take basic notes you won't have to watch any movies outside of class if you don't want to. The reading isn't too bad if you space it out and some of it is interesting if you like the movies.
There are three essays (two 3-4 page ones and an 8-10 page final) that he really helps you with. For the shorter pages you turn in one draft and he grades it harshly and turns it back with corrections and notes. If you address those concerns and turn it back in your old score will be replaced by a better grade. If you find you need help with any of the papers just go to office hours because he's very helpful. He also makes a lot of comments during the movies that are helpful for the essays, so try to take notes on the scenes he talk about. He really loves the movies that he teaches and you can tell that he's very enthusiastic about the class. I would take the class again.

When I took the course, we only had three essays that our grades were based on. The first essay is hard, not because of topic or length of the essay, but rather how hard he grades the first essay. A majority of people receive C's or lower for the first one. After he gives us suggestion over our first essay, he will allows to rewrite them and the grade (for me) goes up. He lets us rewrite our first two essays that are 3-4 pages long, and the last essay is 8-10 pages and is turned in online during finals week. The essays are based off the readings assigned and the movies he has assigned (that he partially goes over during class). The class time consists of him explaining important scenes in the movies assigned and I would suggest using those as examples for your essays. Very manageable class, he is funny, and is very engaged with the movies and readings (1930-1940's movies on Screwball Comedy as well as relation to the Great Depression). If you go to his office hours, then you know what he wants exactly from the essays and is very helpful. If I had to retake English, I would retake this class with him.

GO TO OFFICE HOURS. Creese grades pretty harshly so if you want to get a good grade, go to office hours to see what he's looking for. Other than that, he is a really nice professor and really cares about his students

Professor Creese the beast!!! Absolute must take for English Comp 3 requirement, definitely explains everything you're going through in class with extreme clarity, and it's really tough to miss the point and not do well on his papers. There were three papers and the last one kind of combined points from the first two so everything is pretty self explanatory. Selling the Course Reader from this class for way less than it costs in the Student Store, email me at dkohan44@icloud.com if interested!

selling coursereader (you will need it!) for $35

text 213-322-9123

Everyone's said it: he's chill, he actually enjoys teaching freshmen about screwball comedy, and the workload is minimal. It's all good but personally I couldn't do it. I just had so little interest in the topic that it was impossible for me to write anything on it. Don't get me wrong, he's hella passionate about screwball comedy and even if you knew nothing about it he could really make you care just enough to get through this class. But I couldn't, is what I'm saying. Office hours was not helpful to me, maybe it was to others. Still I'm thankful to him as he was an understanding professor beyond all else. But think carefully, are you up for writing 8-10 pages on marriages in screwball comedy?

You watch around 12 screwball comedy films along with snippets from other films and the essay prompts are centered around those. Not an easy class by any means, he grades your first drafts harshly and will most likely return them to you with a C grade or below. But you do get rewrites which basically everyone does and all you have to do to get a higher grade is follow his comments and add more of your own edits. Overall, great professor who really genuinely cares about his students and helps you to become a better writer. Probably one of the best to take for English Comp 3; take this guy if you can!!!