Reading Literature

Professor Brayton is extremely enthusiastic about the material he teaches, and it shows. Even when we read short stories that weren't quite my style, I found myself interested just because of how incredibly excited Brayton was. I took this course in a long section, 2 hours one time per week, and I was always interested in the discussion for the whole duration - which says a lot. His grading is fair, the reading is engaging and not dense, and he's always available to help if needed. He talked up how harsh of a grader he would be on the first class, but he gives great feedback and is flexible if needed. We always negotiated due dates in class and he never pushed back when we asked for another week.

Professor Brayton is extremely enthusiastic about the material he teaches, and it shows. Even when we read short stories that weren't quite my style, I found myself interested just because of how incredibly excited Brayton was. I took this course in a long section, 2 hours one time per week, and I was always interested in the discuss …Read more

Brayton started off our first class by spending about thirty minutes detailing how difficult of a grader he was, and how we should not expect to do well. Instead, he promised that we would come out of the course as better writers. He scared a few people away, but the result is that everyone who remained in class truly wanted to be there. While the English department does not give away easy As, I have found that Professor Brayton is incredibly clear in his expectations. If you commit to growing and listening to his advice, you will come out of it as a stronger writer and reader. This was an amazing survey course, I loved all the readings. Highly recommend if you are considering an English major.

Brayton started off our first class by spending about thirty minutes detailing how difficult of a grader he was, and how we should not expect to do well. Instead, he promised that we would come out of the course as better writers. He scared a few people away, but the result is that everyone who remained in class truly wanted to be th …Read more

I really enjoyed taking this class with Professor Berg. I found that it was heavy on student discussion but his enthusiasm for the material didn't let conversation dwindle during lectures. Much of the material covered in class was typical, poetry and plays featuring Shakespeare and other canon classics but Professor Berg introduced a bit of variety in the three sections of literature that we explored. He was very helpful during office hours!

I really enjoyed taking this class with Professor Berg. I found that it was heavy on student discussion but his enthusiasm for the material didn't let conversation dwindle during lectures. Much of the material covered in class was typical, poetry and plays featuring Shakespeare and other canon classics but Professor Berg introduced a …Read more

Look - this was a very difficult course. Brett Millier is a very strict grader. BUT. This was the most valuable course I have ever taken. I already know my writing has tripled in quality since. 5 papers, and one exam. Readings were manageable. Professor Millier is flexible with deadlines, and very nice during office hours - she just expects high quality work. If you put in the work, this can be a very valuable course.

Look - this was a very difficult course. Brett Millier is a very strict grader. BUT. This was the most valuable course I have ever taken. I already know my writing has tripled in quality since. 5 papers, and one exam. Readings were manageable. Professor Millier is flexible with deadlines, and very nice during office hours - she just …Read more

I took this course because it is required for my major, but I walked away knowing how to write a truly solid close-reading essay. Prof is a harsh grader, but she provides lots of feedback so you know where to improve. The readings were not too tedious, and the majority of the time spent on work was for the papers (usually one due every two weeks).

I, personally, did not enjoy this course. Professor Berg is enthusiastic about his teachings. However, it felt like he thought of his students as simple. He encouraged us to talk and continued to belittle our opinions. If you are looking for surprising discussions then you might like this course, but he has some outdated opinions. The semester is separated into three sections of poetry, plays, and novels. Heavy reading.

I, personally, did not enjoy this course. Professor Berg is enthusiastic about his teachings. However, it felt like he thought of his students as simple. He encouraged us to talk and continued to belittle our opinions. If you are looking for surprising discussions then you might like this course, but he has some outdated opinions. Th …Read more

This is a pretty chill course if you're okay with a lot of writing. There are five essays, and while they're not super long, they do take a lot of time to read and develop a thesis for the essay that you want to write. There is no daily homework other than readings, and other than the essays, you just have two spoken presentations. There is a final exam but it's just an in-person essay, so it's not so bad if you pay attention.

This is a pretty chill course if you're okay with a lot of writing. There are five essays, and while they're not super long, they do take a lot of time to read and develop a thesis for the essay that you want to write. There is no daily homework other than readings, and other than the essays, you just have two spoken presentations. T …Read more

I absolutely loved Professor Wells and would highly recommend taking an english class with her! This course is a pretty basic intro english course with a variety of units (poetry, short stories, etc), a few essays and a creative writing assignment. She was a pretty fair grader and the feedback given definitely helped me improve my writing. During an intense semester at Middlebury she was my only professor who addressed things and checked in on everyone which I very much appreciated. You can tell Prof Wells really cares about her students and the content which led to interesting discussions and participation from everyone in the class.

I absolutely loved Professor Wells and would highly recommend taking an english class with her! This course is a pretty basic intro english course with a variety of units (poetry, short stories, etc), a few essays and a creative writing assignment. She was a pretty fair grader and the feedback given definitely helped me improve my wr …Read more

For reading lit, Billings was all about striving for improvement. He was very critical of writing but graded generously, encouraging a very relaxed learning environment. Helped my writing tremendously without working me to the ground. Love this guy.

I was not a fan of Professor Siddiqi's content or teaching style. I took this class for a credit, but I normally love to read and write. I felt like this class was like quicksand: a painfully slow and boring decline into nothingness. She was super unengaging, very disorganized, and overall I was disinterested in the course. Would not recommend.

Professor Sheldon is very nice and understanding and always willing to help the students. I believe that he is almost too intelligent to connect with his students as it feels there can sometimes be a disconnect between his expectations. He is a difficult grader, but you learn a lot from his feedback. Only take this course if you really enjoy poetry and english as a whole.

I really enjoyed my experience in this class, and especially with this professor. She is extremely kind and understanding of student's needs and workload. She also offers many office hours and is agreeable to meet outside of those hours, which I found very helpful. I absolutely would take this class again, or any other class that Professor Wells teaches

Brayton is the reason I am an english major. I think he’s such a great teacher and truly wants all of his students to do well. There’s a lot of reading, but it is all very interesting so it goes by quickly. The papers are tough, he has some pretty high expectations but he is very accommodating to meeting and providing feedback and pushing back due dates to allow people to write their best work. 10/10 would recommend this course with him for an interesting and useful CW

Brayton is the reason I am an english major. I think he’s such a great teacher and truly wants all of his students to do well. There’s a lot of reading, but it is all very interesting so it goes by quickly. The papers are tough, he has some pretty high expectations but he is very accommodating to meeting and providing feedback and pu …Read more

Billings is a great professor. Because instructors of this course can pick essentially any material that they find interesting, they always show up to class super enthusiastic. Billings is no exception. He is clearly passionate about English lit. Moreover, he adopts a discussion-based lecture style. No doubt, you will have to do quite a bit of reading and writing for this class, and the Prof will know if you have not kept up with the material. However, I genuinely enjoyed the entire process and came out as a better writer. Highly recommend

Billings is a great professor. Because instructors of this course can pick essentially any material that they find interesting, they always show up to class super enthusiastic. Billings is no exception. He is clearly passionate about English lit. Moreover, he adopts a discussion-based lecture style. No doubt, you will have to do quit …Read more

This was a very chill course and the readings that Professor Sheldon assigned were very interesting. Occasionally, the class would be awkward due to lack of participation but he always knew how to keep the discussion going and engage students without pressuring them to speak. I would recommend this course with this professor to not only English majors/minors but also to people who want to fulfill the CW requirement or take an english course. I would definitely recommend reading the material before every class (or at least skimming it if you don't have time) so that you can participate and the class isn't too quiet.

This was a very chill course and the readings that Professor Sheldon assigned were very interesting. Occasionally, the class would be awkward due to lack of participation but he always knew how to keep the discussion going and engage students without pressuring them to speak. I would recommend this course with this professor to not o …Read more

If you are not in the major, there are easier reading lit classes to take. Otherwise, this is a standard english class: a slew of mediocre literature, weekly discussion posts, a typical book talk discussion, and 4 papers. I did like the class, but did have to put in the work for the grade.

WARNING!!! There are bi-weekly pop-quizzes!!! Pros: Professor Wang's teaching is very clear and effective. There isn't too much work. While there is endless writing, the highest number of pages you'll have to write in one assignment is 4. The readings and films that we had to watch were thoughtfully picked out. She and her syllabus is extremely organized and clear. Cons: Outweigh the pros. The no make-up pop-quizzes are ridiculous and may drop you out of the A zone. She is a heavy grader on the final versions of the papers. She isn't very nice and definitely picks her favs. Participation is graded based on this. THIS IS NOT AN EASY A.

WARNING!!! There are bi-weekly pop-quizzes!!! Pros: Professor Wang's teaching is very clear and effective. There isn't too much work. While there is endless writing, the highest number of pages you'll have to write in one assignment is 4. The readings and films that we had to watch were thoughtfully picked out. She and her syllabus i …Read more

Baldridge is obviously passionate about the material, but I struggled to engage with it on a substantive level. I think that the structure is arguably not structured enough, and only having three essays was not too fun in terms of grading structure. He's a fickle grader.

really enjoyed this course -- of course not every reading or discussion is interesting, but I found office hours to be incredibly helpful, professor millier to be kind, and her grading fair. as a cw, lots of opportunities to revise, and I found that her comments on my first drafts were always clear and helpful.

Prof Sheldon has a deep and clear love of pre-1800 poetry/lit and it is well reflected in the readings selected for the course. I found the workload to be very manageable. Perhaps one of those situations where a professor who has an extensive knowledge base is stuck teaching a 100 level class and therefore wants to push the conversations to higher levels but knows he cannot. Overall, thought grading was fair and he wants students to engage with the material and succeed in the class.

Prof Sheldon has a deep and clear love of pre-1800 poetry/lit and it is well reflected in the readings selected for the course. I found the workload to be very manageable. Perhaps one of those situations where a professor who has an extensive knowledge base is stuck teaching a 100 level class and therefore wants to push the conversat …Read more

This class is incredibly manageable and Professor Sheldon is so enthusiastic and passionate about the material. This course is very discussion based, and there aren't any exams and only a few short essays. The readings aren't heavy, and you will never be cold-called in discussion. Overall, it was an amazing course, especially to satisfy the CW credit, and I would absolutely take it again with him, as it didn't add any stress to my workload but I still gained a great deal from the class and discussions.

This class is incredibly manageable and Professor Sheldon is so enthusiastic and passionate about the material. This course is very discussion based, and there aren't any exams and only a few short essays. The readings aren't heavy, and you will never be cold-called in discussion. Overall, it was an amazing course, especially to sati …Read more

I loved this class, and I loved Professor Brayton's teaching. He's super down-to-earth and easy to talk to, while also being an expert in what he teaches that pushes you to do your best. If you don't like political discussions then he is not the professor for you, otherwise I recommend everyone take a Brayton class.

I highly enjoyed this course with Marion! She is a very caring and intelligent professor. She knows her stuff very well and will push your thinking when it comes to discussions and papers, but overall, she supports each and every learner.

Marion Wells is a wonderful professor. She is engaging and friendly in class and incredibly available outside of class, which I took advantage of several times while working on essays throughout the semester. I found her to be more of a harsh grader than other English professors, not in a crazy way just in a way that I was not used to. She also would often give essay feedback in the form of "here are things you should have added," which I personally did not love. Overall, though, my experience in the class was incredibly positive.

Marion Wells is a wonderful professor. She is engaging and friendly in class and incredibly available outside of class, which I took advantage of several times while working on essays throughout the semester. I found her to be more of a harsh grader than other English professors, not in a crazy way just in a way that I was not used t …Read more

I adore Professor Losano. She is an amazing teacher and person. She is so intelligent and always made discussions engaging and fun despite the early mornings. I would highly recommend taking a class with her.

First half was chill - just come in read poetry, talk about it...second half - though more work, was more interesting. Essays are fairly graded and I thought that the presentations were kind of unncessary.