Professor
Richard Ellis
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Most Helpful Review
I initially didn't have any interest in Greek civilization, but I took the class because I heard classics 10 is pretty easy. After taking the class I definitely have a much greater appreciation and interest in Greek civilization. Ellis' interest and passion in the subject make his lectures much more interesting. He's also very nice, which helps too. Class structure: Discussion: 15% Three quizzes (lowest score dropped): 20% Two response papers (2 pages each): 15% Paper (6 pages): 20% Final: 30% Studying: You HAVE to go to lecture in order to know what's important about certain quotes, images, etc. I recommend bringing a laptop just because you can take notes faster. His lectures are very well organized, so it's not too difficult to figure out what's important. There aren't any previous exams at the test bank except for maybe the short quizzes because there's no midterm and people don't usually get the final back. The exams are all writing, so if you're a fan of multiple choice, this probably isn't your kind of class. Ellis said the final should only take 1.5 hours, but I was writing for 2.5 hours straight lol. My wrist cried. :( :( I'll admit the exam was pretty difficult and there were definitely parts that I didn't know what to write (even though I did well on quizzes and prepared pretty well). But there's a very generous curve. The final was out of 92 points or some weird number in the 90s...There was a total of 250 points on the exam, so I don't know how that worked. Either way, with the curve I ended up getting over 100% on the final. So yeah...go to class, put in the effort, and you'll probably do much better than most of the class lol. Overall: If you're going to take classics 10 and plan to put in the effort (just do the readings and pay attention in lecture), take this class with Ellis. He makes the stuff seem very interesting!
I initially didn't have any interest in Greek civilization, but I took the class because I heard classics 10 is pretty easy. After taking the class I definitely have a much greater appreciation and interest in Greek civilization. Ellis' interest and passion in the subject make his lectures much more interesting. He's also very nice, which helps too. Class structure: Discussion: 15% Three quizzes (lowest score dropped): 20% Two response papers (2 pages each): 15% Paper (6 pages): 20% Final: 30% Studying: You HAVE to go to lecture in order to know what's important about certain quotes, images, etc. I recommend bringing a laptop just because you can take notes faster. His lectures are very well organized, so it's not too difficult to figure out what's important. There aren't any previous exams at the test bank except for maybe the short quizzes because there's no midterm and people don't usually get the final back. The exams are all writing, so if you're a fan of multiple choice, this probably isn't your kind of class. Ellis said the final should only take 1.5 hours, but I was writing for 2.5 hours straight lol. My wrist cried. :( :( I'll admit the exam was pretty difficult and there were definitely parts that I didn't know what to write (even though I did well on quizzes and prepared pretty well). But there's a very generous curve. The final was out of 92 points or some weird number in the 90s...There was a total of 250 points on the exam, so I don't know how that worked. Either way, with the curve I ended up getting over 100% on the final. So yeah...go to class, put in the effort, and you'll probably do much better than most of the class lol. Overall: If you're going to take classics 10 and plan to put in the effort (just do the readings and pay attention in lecture), take this class with Ellis. He makes the stuff seem very interesting!
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2016 - Your grade is completely dependent upon your TA. If you take this class with a friend and their TA seems chill, switch sections because mine was a hardass and graded as such. Ellis is is a quirky British dude who is very knowledgeable about the material and very approachable. His lectures are good but frankly boring unless you care about ancient Greece. He is lowkey pretty funny too because some of the stories the class deals with are plain outlandish. The grading scheme is different than most Writing 2 classes; You have three essays due throughout the quarter but you get a provisional grade on these. Your final grade is mostly dependent upon a "portfolio" you turn in finals week. This portfolio consists of two of the three essays you wrote (you choose the two) that have substantial revisions from the initial copies you turned in and a two-page commentary explaining your changes and why you chose those essays. All in all this class is one of the better Writing 2s imho but be weary of your TA
Winter 2016 - Your grade is completely dependent upon your TA. If you take this class with a friend and their TA seems chill, switch sections because mine was a hardass and graded as such. Ellis is is a quirky British dude who is very knowledgeable about the material and very approachable. His lectures are good but frankly boring unless you care about ancient Greece. He is lowkey pretty funny too because some of the stories the class deals with are plain outlandish. The grading scheme is different than most Writing 2 classes; You have three essays due throughout the quarter but you get a provisional grade on these. Your final grade is mostly dependent upon a "portfolio" you turn in finals week. This portfolio consists of two of the three essays you wrote (you choose the two) that have substantial revisions from the initial copies you turned in and a two-page commentary explaining your changes and why you chose those essays. All in all this class is one of the better Writing 2s imho but be weary of your TA
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