[CC1002] Masterpieces of Western Literature and Philosophy (Literature Humanities)

TAG is the goat

Workload:

Standard Lihhum workload, i guess.

Professor Stewart is simply great. He is understanding, sensitive, and smart. He adjusted well to the all-online format and reassured us that he was well aware of the extraneous things going on in the world. At the same time, Professor Stewart led in-class discussions masterfully. I was constantly impressed by his teaching instincts. For example, when we were discussing the Bible, he repeatedly acknowledged the advantages and disadvantages of reading a religious text from a literary perspective. This, I imagine, can be a touchy subject for any teacher, given the obvious wide range of experience and opinions of students with the text. Somehow, he bridged the gap, providing thoughtful critiques of biblical characters himself while facilitating debate over perhaps unfair or excessive criticism of the text. This was topped off by a beautifully written email after a particularly lively class explaining his ongoing personal relationship with the religious text. During conversation, he strikes the perfect balance between listening and contributing, interjecting and leaving space when appropriate. He has a way of rephrasing and responding to students' comments so that even the most incoherent ones sound intelligent. This, I think, is a testament to his knowledge and familiarity with the subject matter.

His essay feedback is detailed and fair. He never calls people out in class and participation is purely voluntary, which makes class significantly less stressful. He didn't do reading checks but he did very occasionally take an in-class poll on a reading comprehension question. Ultimately, Professor Stewart is a reasonable and decent man. He wants to see his students succeed, and his energy and passion for the literature is infectious. If Professor Stewart is any indication of the quality of the English/Literature department, he has set the bar awfully high.

Workload:

6 Friday Reflections (1 page single-spaced). Two 3-4 page essays expanding upon two of those reflections. Normal LitHum reading.

Solid professor for LitHum. Accommodating and leads a good class discussion. Offers feedback in class on paper outlines and encourages pre-paper topic peer review. Provides creative options for paper assignments. Brings dynamic and contemporary methods and examples to the class. On a whole, kind, engaged, and accessible professor.

Workload:

Reading
Weekly Discussion Post
3 Papers
Midterm and Final Exams

Sarah bin Tyeer is an Arabic Literature professor and has taught Lit Hum for a while, so she's knowledgeable about past texts and translations previously used by the department. She was able to discuss at length about the differences in translations of Homer's Odyssey (Emily Wilson vs. Richmond Lattimore) and other Lit Hum texts. Her class is fairly laid-back, although if she suspects that you aren't doing the reading, she will personally ask you in the middle of class to participate in discussion. She has perfected the balance between professor instruction/facilitation and student participation. She chooses to grade papers anonymously to eradicate bias also. She is very welcoming and available if you ever need to contact her/have office hours. Overall, she is very kind, intelligent, and a wonderful professor. I highly recommend her for anyone (my class had a couple of classics-oriented people, athletes, and STEM majors - they all enjoyed the course equally).

Workload:

Easier than other Lit Hum courses
Lit Hum reading (everything on the syllabus)
Weekly discussion posts on CourseWorks (not graded)
1 textual analysis (1-2 pages; diagnostic only)
1 midterm paper (5-6 pages)
1 midterm (passage IDs and essays)
1 final paper (8-10 pages)
1 final (passage IDs and essays)

Loves talking about her knowledge of philosophy, diverts from the texts, doesn't finish the material, emphasizes irreverent thoughts, and overall patronizing. The complete opposite of how LIT HUM is presented. A real disappointment.

Workload:

2 essays, one 5 pages 15% (due at the midterm), one 8 pages 25% (due at the end of term).
1 midterm 15%, 1 final 25% , graded participation 20%,

She is a very fair, lenient grader who is very helpful when you go to her with paper ideas and understanding when you need an extension. Some LitHum professors give pop quizzes, require blog posts, etc. but she never does anything tricky. Each class is straightforward. It consists of close reading, casual discussion, and small group work. If you don't like routine, then you could get bored, but, personally, I say if you were placed in her section, stay in it, cause she's a good professor.

Workload:

Not bad. She follows the syllabus fairly closely, so nothing's unexpected.