Review:
Prof Scott is hands down the worst teacher I have ever had. The people that wrote the positive reviews only did so because they found out that Prof. Scott had learned of TuftsReviews and saw an entry saying her class was easy but was boring. Honestly... I learned more about writing in grade school than with this woman. Basically she just mumbles quietly about current events. I am ashamed of Tufts because of this person.

Workload:
busy work... random grading... pretty easy

review a class you took with Idelia Scott - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Brian Jordan was a great teacher. He was very down to earth and exceled in the small classroom environment. He definitely was very passionate about writing and also the eclectic group of subjects (like the movie Crash, and the book Blink) that we spent alot of time writing about. Only complaints are that he is slow to grade and hard to get a hold of sometimes. He really made me a better writer.

Workload:
About one essay every one and a half weeks. Three to five pages double spaced. We worked in stages and he helped alot with editing. Classes rarely ran the full plus block. Not too tough

review a class you took with Brian Jordan - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
I don't know what these students are talking about who gave a positive review of Professor Bright. Professor Bright is hands-down the worst professor I've had at Tufts and, perhaps, my entire life. Not only did I learn absolutely nothing in her class, I may have gotten dumber. I will never forget how she mde us take a field trip around the corner and made us play a game of simon says on the way. If you want to be treated like an infant, you should take this class. Professor Bright has no helpful comments to make on papers or in class, and it is painful to watch her try to teach.

Workload:
N/A

review a class you took with Hazel Bright - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Prof. Gurfinkel is a fairly good teacher, and writes very helpful comments on how to improve papers. She is more interested in discussing Pulp Fiction than Hemingway, so if you're fine with that her Writing 1 may be a positive experience.

Workload:
A 6-8 page essay every other week, so pretty decent.

review a class you took with Helena Gurfinkel - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
The first day of class, she was intimidating, unnecessarily stern, and just generally unlikable. She was too authoritarian and made most of the class dread the upcoming fifteen weeks. As the class went on, though, Professor Caballero warmed up; she's the kind of professor that you just have to GET what she's thinking to appreciate her. I think I was lucky in that I ended up identifying with her and liking her a lot, but I would guess that many people in the class didn't feel the same way. She is accessible and her conferences on papers are very helpful, though she makes it seem like she's doing you a huge favor to mentor you, which I did not like. She is very smart, though, and if you talk to her outside of class, has some very interesting things to say.

Workload:
I don't know any other English 1 class that had as much work as we did. There were five 3 page response papers and three "5-7" page essays which ended up for me all being around 10+ pages each. She grades very harshly - don't expect to get an A without doing work...er, actually, don't expect to get an A. A B+ is a great showing, and if you show improvement (which she likes), you may be able to work up to an A- if you work your ass off. There is reading for every class which you HAVE to do or you're dead in the water. The topics she chose were actually very interesting so the readings were not terrible at all, just large in quantity. Class participation is ESSENTIAL.

review a class you took with Soledad Caballero - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Mark Karlins was always genuinely interested in hearing what we had to say. He was very nice and approachable. He was completely open to new ideas and alternative views and making sure that the class had open and engaging discussions. The reading material was extremely interesting and ranged through various types of philosophy and writing styles and delved into contemporary writers as well. The discussions were worthwhile, even though they were sometimes a bit random, but no worries, because it made the class more interesting!! He was ALWAYS willing to give you time in his office to talk or look over your papers and discuss about your progress and successes. I was never a huge writer but this class made me love college writing, because I could take my own unique analytical view and write with my own style, and as long as I worked hard to support my writing from the text, I did well. I loved having Professor Karlins!!! I would definitely recommend his class!!

Workload:
All work and discussions were based on his readings. Grade consisted of: class discussions, 4 (2-4 Page) analytical papers, a writing portfolio (about 20 assignments from throughout the semester of various lengths, due together in a neat portfolio towards the end of the semester) and a research paper (5-7 pages about a contemporary topic, handed in on last day).

All work was straight forward and manageable!

review a class you took with Mark Karlins - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Mark Karlins was always genuinely interested in hearing what we had to say. He was very nice and approachable. He was completely open to new ideas and alternative views and making sure that the class had open and engaging discussions. The reading material was extremely interesting and ranged through various types of philosophy and writing styles and delved into contemporary writers as well. The discussions were worthwhile, even though they were sometimes a bit random, but no worries, because it made the class more interesting!! He was ALWAYS willing to give you time in his office to talk or look over your papers and discuss about your progress and successes. I was never a huge writer but this class made me love college writing, because I could take my own unique analytical view and write with my own style, and as long as I worked hard to support my writing from the text, I did well. I loved having Professor Karlins!!! I would definitely recommend his class!!

Workload:
All work and discussions were based on his readings. Grade consisted of: class discussions, 4 (2-4 Page) analytical papers, a writing portfolio (about 20 assignments from throughout the semester of various lengths, due together in a neat portfolio towards the end of the semester) and a research paper (5-7 pages about a contemporary topic, handed in on last day).

All work was straight forward and manageable!

review a class you took with Mark Karlins - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Prof Toth has strong opinions and doesn't hesitate to make them known. It was an interesting class but be ready to be annoyed if you disagree with her. She often says that she doesn't grade based on your disagreement with her but it's curious that the only flaws in logic she points out are those which contradict hers. I left the class frustrated and without feeling like I learned anything. I warn you against her if you can see anything but one biased opinion.

Workload:
Not bad. It wasn't an incredibly hard course.

review a class you took with Margaret Toth - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Professor Stiffler is a very nice guy from the Cape and he is a fair grader. English 001 is, however, monotonous because the schedule is the same week after week. All in all though Stiffler is very concerned with students' progress and the work load is fine as long as you keep on top of things.

Workload:
The assignments are pretty straight forward. You'll write a paper about every two weeks. You'll have a rough draft due after one week, you'll peer edit and then the following week the final draft will be due.

review a class you took with Randall Stiffler - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Professor Whitney is one of the best teachers I have ever had. She is really energetic and encourages interesting and cooperative class discussions. She is NOT an easy grader, but she allows rewrites to help improve your grade. She explains everything very well and is concerned with the wellbeing of her students. I was not looking forward to taking this class, but it turned out to be very rewarding and fun.

Workload:
10 short stories, 10 1 page papers based on short stories, 5 longer papers (1250-1750 words each). Class discussions. Semi-hard grader, but reasonable. She often requires you to meet with her outside of class to talk about a paper, either before or after it is graded.

review a class you took with Carol Whitney - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Disorganized, but awesome dude.

Workload:
N/A

review a class you took with Mark Karlins - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Fun teacher. Knowledgeable about writing. Very liberal politically.

Workload:
SHORT readings. Assigned only 4 essays during the semester, not 6.

review a class you took with Kristina Wright - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
I love Dale! He is very laid back, has a wonderfully soothing voice, subscribes his class to Newsweek, and has routine classes. Typically, the class itself is comprised of: papers, in class peer reviews, classes held by your classmates, and the occasional reading assignments. You never take any quizzes or tests, just do well on the papers, speak occasionally, and you'll be fine.

Workload:
Light, easy, straightforward.

review a class you took with Dale Peterson - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Pretty boring class. Whitney is really nice but she is a really hard marker.

Workload:
A fair amount of work for an English class, essays were on fair topics but marked way too hard.

review a class you took with Carol Whitney - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
I'm not sure why someone said Ms. Scott is (soooooo boring), remember, angry people write reviews. I suppose if school shootings, alcohol laws, anorexia, and other controversial issues are boring to someone, then yeah don?t take the class. Ms. Scott directs every class in an engaging and thought provoking direction. She also writes more comments on my essays than any teacher i have ever had.

Workload:
The workload is perfect. The class is all essay writing. You should expect this, it is called Expository Writing.

review a class you took with Idelia Scott - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
I was actually not looking forward to this class because I never enjoyed writing and was slightly traumatized by the scary reviews here. But I've come to the conclusion that Dave actually is a good teacher. I find him funny and his class is interesting. As for his grading, he does have high standards, but he requires a rough draft before every paper we hand in, and gives us comments about what to change before we hand in the final draft. You're more or less guaranteed an A if you follow all of his suggestions.

Workload:
It was a very fair workload, at times I was stressed about getting papers in on time but never overwhelmed. Many of his assignments didn't interest me, however, because he sort of turned it into an ethics class, so there was an ethical theme in all the assignments.

review a class you took with David Valdes Greenwood - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Professor Scott is a pretty good professor. She is warm, friendly, and extremely understanding of how hard most students work at Tufts. She has a great deal of enthusiasm for the course and encourages everyone to get involved in class discussions. She is tolerant of alternate views and creates a positive learning atmosphere. I would be happy to take another class with her. I actually had a good time in class discussions and especially debating whether of not the legal age for purchasing alcohol should be 21 or 18.

Workload:
There was not a great deal of reading assigned. The readings that are assigned are pertinent issues that will be discussed in class and although you will not be tested on them, are worthwhile to read before class. The readings are not hard. There are about 5 papers, each one getting longer and more in depth. If you keep up with the due dates and don't try to do each paper an hour before class, you should be fine. She is not too hard of a grader, but I believe she is very fair. She also helps with the research for papers by giving you sources to use.

review a class you took with Idelia Scott - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Dave is the worst teacher I've had in my whole life. He is a harsh grader and does not help much at all. Repeatedly I went to his office hours, and he never gave me much feedback. I would not have passed this course if it hadn't been for the writing tutors in the Academic Resource Center.

Workload:
The assignments weren't that bad. About a 5 page paper every few weeks or so, but that's the way it was in every class. Class discussion and his "teaching" seemed pointless since I can truly say the one thing I learned from taking this class with Dave is to look up reviews of my teachers before I take their course.

review a class you took with David Valdes Greenwood - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Professor Scott is enthusiastic about both the course material and success of her students. She is always available for outside help, and makes an effort to write constructive suggestions and comments on our papers. She actively encourages class participation and is willing to listen to everyone's ideas and opinions.

Assignments are vague and allow you to explore a variety of topics you find interesting (which can be refreshing at times.)

Workload:
5 research papers and minimal reading.(Be prepared to familiarize yourself with Tisch Library). If you choose interesting topics for your essays, you will find this class rewarding.

review a class you took with Idelia Scott - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
While extremely nice and understanding, Professor Scott has NO personality. Sitting in class makes you want to die, she is SOooooooo boring. I often find myself wondering whether or not she even knows her class is there, she is in her own world. She treats you as if you are in elementary school, handing out fundamental grammar exercises to be completed in class along with her. I would say this class was a complete waste of my time. If you know how to write, even a little bit, this class will feel entirely unchallenging, unengaging, and utterly useless. I can't believe Tufts subjected me to this.

Workload:
There is no reading for this class. She hands out a bunch of useless papers on "how to write essays. No one does the reading, and she doesn't notice. She's an easy grader...so as long as you do the papers, you will do fine. There are about 6 papers, each one longer than the previous one. Every paper is a research paper on any topic you want so it's flexible.

review a class you took with Idelia Scott - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Boyd is a cool, but is all business. This is not an easy class, but it is completely doable even for an athlete as I am. If you request help from him, he will steer you to an 'A'. If you don't let him read over your essays before you turn them in, you could be surprised, with a low grade, but be happy, he allows re-writes, for full credit.

Workload:
N/A

review a class you took with Boyd Nielson - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
I learned a lot about writing in this class. In my opinion, Karlins is a complete weirdo and it shows in how he structures his class. The only work is 4 papers and a research paper in addition to portfolio assignments that are usually done in class. The text for the class is a reader he created that is an eclectic/strange/hilarious set of readings. The class discussions have nothing to do with what we read and we ended up discussing the most random/weird things. Some of the examples were Elvis's drug problem, eastern religions, and the symbolism of the things on the dollar bill. Karlins is so far out there, but he makes all his students meet with him after every paper where he talks to you about your paper. He teaches you how to make up 3-5 pages of words that can really please a professor which has turned into a really useful skill. If you're concerned about learning how to write, maybe you should pick another class, but if you like laughing at your professor after you leave class everyday, I recommend Karlins.

Workload:
4 Papers (on absolutely whatever you want) (3-5 pages), 1 research paper (on anything he deems as interesting to him) (5-7 pages), writings every once in a while, some random readings when he decides. A lot of time spent outside of class pondering how weird he and his class are.

Check out the Mark Karlins fan club: http://tufts.thefacebook.com/group_profile.php?gid=609

review a class you took with Mark Karlins - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
An OK guy but doesn't give out many A's. He doesn't give terribly helpful advice about how to improve your writing or your grade. His comments are always thoughtful, but not real helpful. He also claims he factors class participation into your grade. However, don't bother kissing up, partaking in class discussions, etc, because he doesn't.

Workload:
Six papers, a few small assignments (some in-class) that are also not worth you effort because they don't count towards your grade.

review a class you took with Randall Stiffler - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
This woman was awful! English was one of my favorite subjects...then I entered her "classroom". Her assignments could possibly have the potential of being interesting if she was at all interested in one's unique writing style or alternate views. Don't get me wrong, I'm not out for revenge. I got an A in the class, but I got that A by selling my soul. Throw interesting out the window and stick to the generic layout she gives you...that is if you can understand it.

Workload:
Not a lot of reading...interesting little short stories you've probably already read at one point in your life. There were a lot of papers--maybe one every week. The revision sessions with your peers in class are pretty pointless and used as a way to kill time.

review a class you took with Marta Paczynska - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Goodness... Mark Karlins is an enigma. He constantly urged students to participate in discussion, but never really got anywhere with it. I found him to be mysterious - a little too mysterious for my liking. Nice guy though, and really genuine. I felt that he wanted to get somewhere in the class and change people's lives, but he was unable to because the class lacked direction. A lot of reading on weird/specific topics (i.e. Elvis, Joseph Campbell) but he never really tied them in with one another. At the end of the class, he was open to criticism though.

Workload:
Not terrible. The workload consisted of 4 papers which were short analytical pieces (3 pages) and one final paper which was a research assignment (5-8 pages). He never handed out any guidelines and the assignments were often vague and difficult to write about. But, nonetheless, they were interesting!

review a class you took with Mark Karlins - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Professor Whitney is a very enthusiastic teacher who always tries to help students out with their papers. She genuinely cares about her students progress. She encourages students to go see her before a paper is due, and she quickly goes through it with you. She definitely likes it when people speak up in class. I feel like I've improved a lot in writing after taking her class, which would be very helpful in the future in terms of writing papers for classes. A class worth taking.

Workload:
There are 10 short response papers and 5 big papers that are about 6-8 pages. There isn't a lot of reading at all, just articles, short stories and movies. The response papers are all based on the things that we read, or is sometimes a preparation for the papers. If you hand them all in on time, you get an A. She tends to be A LOT stricter for papers, and she is definitely a VERY, VERY hard grader. But she allows you to rewrite your first four papers, so you can improve your grade. Definitely choose to rewrite all of them... it's worth it.. even though it's a lot of work.

review a class you took with Carol Whitney - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Dave is one of the best teachers I've had, though he's harder than my high school teachers. He grades hard but first he gives a grade outline so you know what to expect, then he writes a long comment on the paper. He allows you to challenge grades as well. He does conferences with you and lets you call him at home with questions. I got a D on my first paper and rose to an A- minus by my third, so I think his approach force me to grow up a little in my work. It was frustrating at first but I learned more in this class than in all my writing classes I had before college.

Workload:
There were sample essays to read early on, but later in the semester the focus was all writing. We have five papers for the class (one long one of 10 pages) which is what my roommate also has in her class.

review a class you took with David Valdes Greenwood - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Brian is wonderful! He is obviously passionate about what he does, and believes in sharing that with his students. Writing assignments are varied and interesting, and he has gone out of his way to meet with students that wish to have instruction outside of the classroom. He is innovative and hardworking. Very enjoyable.

Workload:
Very little reading necessary. There is always a writing assignment, but they are very manageable and usually fun to do. The class is not too consuming.

review a class you took with Brian Jordan - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Dave (as he would like you to call him) is the worst teacher I have ever had in my life. I felt he graded very harshly with hardly any reasoning backing up the grade he gave you. He is superficially there to help you at any time, but when you do go in for help, you'll find that no help was actually received. My advice is to not take any course taught by this teacher. In my opinion, the classes are worthless and you hardly learn anything at all.

Workload:
The workload is easy. The essays are spaced pretty far apart and for each class we just had to read an essay or two.

review a class you took with David Valdes Greenwood - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Karlins was very open to discussion and exceptionally tolerant of different views. Unfortunately, his class lacked any real direction.

Workload:
The workload was about average--5 Papers in all, each less than 8 pages.

review a class you took with Mark Karlins - help your classmates make informed decisions!