Benjamin Graves

Reading Literature with Professor Graves was an enjoyable experience. Although he has a mellow demeanor, it is clear he genuinely cares about the material and wants his students to engage with it. I especially appreciated his thoughtful selection of diverse readings. We explored literature through a variety of cultural lenses, including Mexican-American, African American, and Asian perspectives, which made the class more engaging and interesting. The course focused specifically on the theme of nature, and Professor Graves showed how different people and cultures relate to it in complex ways. Some viewed nature as positive, while others saw it as a source of struggle. He often emphasized the strengths of characters from underrepresented backgrounds and addressed the stereotypes society places on certain communities. For example, when we read “Under the Feet of Jesus”, he pointed out how migrant workers are often viewed as lacking literacy, but showed how they possess other forms of knowledge, such as agricultural literacy. His perspective helped me read with more empathy and gain a deeper understanding of the characters and their experiences. The class included three papers, one close reading assignment, and participation. His grading was generous and seemed to reward effort and thoughtfulness more than technical perfection. Even when my essays had some run-ons or repetitive ideas at times, I still earned A’s. While the class could feel a bit uneventful at times due to the discussion-based format, that is expected in a literature course. Overall, it was a low-maintenance way to earn the CW credit, and I would definitely consider taking another class with Professor Graves in the future. He is a laid-back professor who values student perspectives and creates space for meaningful conversation.

Reading Literature with Professor Graves was an enjoyable experience. Although he has a mellow demeanor, it is clear he genuinely cares about the material and wants his students to engage with it. I especially appreciated his thoughtful selection of diverse readings. We explored literature through a variety of cultural lenses, includ …Read more

This course was super informational and impactful. Professor Graves always thoughtfully led conversation but allowed and encouraged all students to speak. Papers were on interesting prompts and graded easily. No final exams!

This was definitely a very English class. I took it for my LIT distribution and wanted a class that wouldn't be too hard. I enjoyed most of the readings and Graves assigns a mix of plays, movies, graphic novels, and books. We only had 3 papers and most of class time was discussion time. Pretty fun class and very low stress.