ENGL 2508

This class is boring at best, stressful at worst, and overall not an enjoyable experience. While the books that we read were definitely some amazing classics, we never had time to digest what we were reading because he splits up the books in very odd ways. We read eight books total, and although that averages to about a book every 1.5 weeks, which is extremely manageable, for some reason, the way the readings are spit up, you have no time to really appreciate what you are reading.

Additionally, he only lectures- there's really no room for discussion or seminars within this class, which is a real disappointment. There is so much opportunity to have Socratic Seminars or discuss major themes within the novels, but instead, Professor Kinney just talks at you for an hour and fifteen minutes. You do have a chance to reflect on the themes in the novels by submitting little responses eight times within the semester, but your writing is rarely acknowledged in class and you do not get a grade for them. Instead, they go to your participation.

Overall, I would not recommend this class, especially if you really want to enjoy these books. I would recommend just reading these classics on your own time and actually enjoy the process.

The prof did not care about students, lectures did not correspond to assignments, or even align with book plot. Three assignments, weighted 25, 50, 25, had unclear grading guidlines and prof gave no feedback for grade. It is not clear how grades are given. Books are interesting, but prof splits them up unevenly which is hard to follow along and read. The lectures did not have a cohesive theme. I would highly recommend not taking this class because it does not improve writing skill and ruins the classic literature taught. Participation is not graded, which is helpful. #tCFS24

This class is extremely stressful outside of class, and practically useless during class. Readings are unevenly divided, so just when you feel like you can get through them pretty fast, you're hit with a crazy amount all at once. Some books, like Huck Finn, dragged on and on for more than was necessary, yet with other books, like Great Expectations, there was barely any time to reflect on what had actually happened.

The final grade is based on two essays and a final, weighed at 25%, 50%, and 25% respectively. This is annoying, but not extremely unusual, until you look at the guidelines for these essays. Grades feel arbitrary, and with the lack of instruction in the guidelines, it's difficult to understand what the professor is actually looking for in the essays. I do not feel like my skills in literary analysis or writing have improved at all after taking this class, and I would not recommend it to anyone.

ENGL 2508 (Studies of Fiction - Novels of Upbringing) involved us reading seven books (Emma, Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, Great Expectations, Huckleberry Finn, Joe College, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine), writing two papers (one 5-8 pages, the other 9-12), and one final exam.

Personally, I don't believe this class is worth taking for any reason, whether it be for the Second Writing Requirement (SWR), a prerequisite course for the English Major/Minor, or simply because the reading material seems interesting. Professor Kinney is a friendly and knowledgeable guy, but his lectures are extraordinarily dull and mostly involve him talking at us with little opportunity for discussion/class involvement. The pace of the course is well above average for SWRs, as I found myself reading an average of ~50 pages of dense literature a day, making it difficult to meaningfully engage with the material. Outside of the copious readings, however, the class is not terribly difficult.

The bottom line is that this course does not utilize the material in an interesting enough manner for me to recommend it to any English Major, nor is it laid-back enough to constitute a viable SWR. Most of the reading material was enjoyable, but I don't believe this class is the right way to experience them.