ENGL 10B
Literatures in English, 1700 to 1850
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced requisites: English Composition 3 or 3H, English 4W or 4HW, 10A. Survey of major writers and genres, with emphasis on tools for literary analysis such as close reading, argumentation, historical and social context, and critical writing. Minimum of three papers (three to five pages each) or equivalent required. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2024 - While I enjoyed this class more than English 10A, it still wasn't very engaging and I ended up switching my major halfway through the quarter from English because I realized I didn't enjoy it enough. The readings were often long and boring (though some were quite good), and Professor Cohen's lectures weren't usually much better. Lectures also aren't recorded and the slides posted aren't helpful, he mostly just talks. It felt a lot like a history class as opposed to English because we didn't talk much about the actual text, usually more of the historical background. Other than the reading, the work was easy. Just a couple of essays, a project which you're basically guaranteed an A on, and a take-home final. This does mean that if you get a B on one of the essays, however, you probably can't get an A (this happened to me so I ended with an A-). Cohen seems like a cool dude, I just didn't match his style. Not a horrible class to take, though.
Fall 2024 - While I enjoyed this class more than English 10A, it still wasn't very engaging and I ended up switching my major halfway through the quarter from English because I realized I didn't enjoy it enough. The readings were often long and boring (though some were quite good), and Professor Cohen's lectures weren't usually much better. Lectures also aren't recorded and the slides posted aren't helpful, he mostly just talks. It felt a lot like a history class as opposed to English because we didn't talk much about the actual text, usually more of the historical background. Other than the reading, the work was easy. Just a couple of essays, a project which you're basically guaranteed an A on, and a take-home final. This does mean that if you get a B on one of the essays, however, you probably can't get an A (this happened to me so I ended with an A-). Cohen seems like a cool dude, I just didn't match his style. Not a horrible class to take, though.
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2025 - I found this class to be pretty boring but what I expected from it. Kareem’s lectures weren’t particularly engaging but they weren’t boring either and the workload was very light. My biggest complaint was how many things I had to print unnecessarily which in my opinion was a waste of my time, money, and paper. The readings weren’t particularly interesting but Kareem’s lectures were well organized and sometimes intriguing. She was strictly against computers for note taking in lecture which I find to be a bit excessive and at times counterproductive. She also had notebook checks and did one collecting notebooks right before the final which meant we didn’t have access to our notes for studying unless we took pictures of all of them which felt ridiculous to me. I think she is a good lecturer and communicator though and I would recommend her overall. I had Jesus Diaz as a TA and he was alright but I wouldn't recommend him, his sections felt like they were going by in slow motion.
Winter 2025 - I found this class to be pretty boring but what I expected from it. Kareem’s lectures weren’t particularly engaging but they weren’t boring either and the workload was very light. My biggest complaint was how many things I had to print unnecessarily which in my opinion was a waste of my time, money, and paper. The readings weren’t particularly interesting but Kareem’s lectures were well organized and sometimes intriguing. She was strictly against computers for note taking in lecture which I find to be a bit excessive and at times counterproductive. She also had notebook checks and did one collecting notebooks right before the final which meant we didn’t have access to our notes for studying unless we took pictures of all of them which felt ridiculous to me. I think she is a good lecturer and communicator though and I would recommend her overall. I had Jesus Diaz as a TA and he was alright but I wouldn't recommend him, his sections felt like they were going by in slow motion.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2021 - Although all my classes were prerecorded because of COVID, he was by far my best English Professor. He made me see the beauty in texts that I hated (like Samuel Johnson's preface to the dictionary or Elegy in a Church Courtyard.) While many professors (like my English 10C) professor only summarize the readings during lecture, Makdisi actually takes specific examples, quotes, and art from the time period to make powerful and nonintuitive statements about a piece. There was not a single lecture I didn't like. The only complaint I knew of were that he sometimes uploaded his lectures late or he wasn't entirely organized. But the quality of his lectures I think more than made of for that. He deserves to be a distinguished professor.
Fall 2021 - Although all my classes were prerecorded because of COVID, he was by far my best English Professor. He made me see the beauty in texts that I hated (like Samuel Johnson's preface to the dictionary or Elegy in a Church Courtyard.) While many professors (like my English 10C) professor only summarize the readings during lecture, Makdisi actually takes specific examples, quotes, and art from the time period to make powerful and nonintuitive statements about a piece. There was not a single lecture I didn't like. The only complaint I knew of were that he sometimes uploaded his lectures late or he wasn't entirely organized. But the quality of his lectures I think more than made of for that. He deserves to be a distinguished professor.
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