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.

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Mark Karlins | ENG001 - EXPOSITORY WRITING | English

2005-01-18

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!

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Mark Karlins | DR050 - Introduction to Film Studies | Drama

2004-10-19

Review:
The class itself is interesting, and the material covers a great section of cinematic history (it's all the movies you should have seen), but unfortunately, Prof. Karlins' treatment of the material lacks focus. He was late to class almost every day, and it took him a large portion of the class to actually "get started" with the material for the day. It seemed that by the time he finished getting his papers in order, loading up the movie for the day, and taking attendance, the class was almost over. It's difficult to put a serious amount of effort into a class when the professor doesn't seem prepared. If you want to become more educated about film, I would suggest getting a copy of the syllabus and watching the movies on your own. Better yet, get a group of your friends to do the same thing, and talk about them together.

Workload:
Several short responses, a small number of longer papers, a few quizzes, and a take-home final. There is reading for every class, and there is one movie assigned to watch outside of class each week. It's not too bad, but sometimes it's hard to feel motivated to keep up with the work when the class itself is so far behind the syllabus.

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Mark Karlins | ENG001 - EXPOSITORY WRITING | English

2004-07-11

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.

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Mark Karlins | DR050 - Introduction to Film Studies | Drama

2004-05-12

Review:
Every week one class is used to show a long film. Before every film, the professor or TA will give a short lecture on things to look for or techniques that will be used in the film. The second class is used for open class discussion about the films. Often times there was not enough time to finish up class discussion, however, the class did not have a Blackboard site to continue discussion.

Workload:
Every week you are required to watch one film outside of class in Tisch AV in addition to occasionally reading an accompanying chapter pertaining to some aspect of the film you just saw. There are 3 quizzes, several short response papers, 2 long essays and a take home final. You must read to do well in this class in addition to coming to lecture to hear additional information.

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