Professor
David Shorter
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2022 - I truly liked my class with Shorter and recommend him, but some people didn't jive with him. He's the classic archetype of a university professor but funnier and looser. Just participate in the discussions, do the readings, and attend office hours, and you will be on his good side and do fine. Also, he will make you a better writer. The readings/texts/films were exciting and changed my perspective on many areas of life.
Fall 2022 - I truly liked my class with Shorter and recommend him, but some people didn't jive with him. He's the classic archetype of a university professor but funnier and looser. Just participate in the discussions, do the readings, and attend office hours, and you will be on his good side and do fine. Also, he will make you a better writer. The readings/texts/films were exciting and changed my perspective on many areas of life.
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Most Helpful Review
The title of Prof. Shorter's fiat lux is "Aliens and Ghosts." It seemed like more work than a 1-unit class is worth (there were two books to read, and something like 4-5 papers to write), but overall it wasn't too bad. I really enjoyed the material and always looked forward to his lectures. In class, he got to know everybody's name, brought his dog to class, and often gave us food. Though he made it relaxing to be in class, he made us think. Like other people have posted, his lecture style seems condescending at first, but that's just because he's making you think twice about what you're saying. He's open to all beliefs and doesn't try to change your mind about anything through his class.
The title of Prof. Shorter's fiat lux is "Aliens and Ghosts." It seemed like more work than a 1-unit class is worth (there were two books to read, and something like 4-5 papers to write), but overall it wasn't too bad. I really enjoyed the material and always looked forward to his lectures. In class, he got to know everybody's name, brought his dog to class, and often gave us food. Though he made it relaxing to be in class, he made us think. Like other people have posted, his lecture style seems condescending at first, but that's just because he's making you think twice about what you're saying. He's open to all beliefs and doesn't try to change your mind about anything through his class.
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Most Helpful Review
Incredibly arrogant and hateful of students; This professor uses fear tactics to call on students; I don't know why he is a faculty member considering how much he hates students; On the first day of class, he gave a whole speech of how he doesn't care if students don't come prepared to class or do the reading and yet he'll scold the students who try to leave (I thought he didn't care); He is a a very unusual WAC professor because most WAC professors are nice and enjoys interacting with students, he does not.
Incredibly arrogant and hateful of students; This professor uses fear tactics to call on students; I don't know why he is a faculty member considering how much he hates students; On the first day of class, he gave a whole speech of how he doesn't care if students don't come prepared to class or do the reading and yet he'll scold the students who try to leave (I thought he didn't care); He is a a very unusual WAC professor because most WAC professors are nice and enjoys interacting with students, he does not.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2024 - The premise of this class is so interesting, and decolonization is such an important topic that should absolutely be taught in more classes here. However, while the materials and assignments of this class were certainly valuable, the structure of the class was extremely stressful and often intimidating. While socratic seminar-style learning is rigorous for a reason, the cold-calling (and participation point policy) in this class felt extreme. The professor would go down a list of names and randomly call on students in class to ask a question about the readings--and if a student didn't respond to the professor's satisfaction, their participation points for the entire quarter were automatically cut in half. Especially with such a sensitive topic (most readings went extremely in-depth when discussing colonization, imperialism, and genocide), this kind of atmosphere made it even more intimidating for students to share their thoughts. Moreover, it forced students to study the material out of fear or stress, rather than allowing them to engage with the material in more personal or productive ways.
Winter 2024 - The premise of this class is so interesting, and decolonization is such an important topic that should absolutely be taught in more classes here. However, while the materials and assignments of this class were certainly valuable, the structure of the class was extremely stressful and often intimidating. While socratic seminar-style learning is rigorous for a reason, the cold-calling (and participation point policy) in this class felt extreme. The professor would go down a list of names and randomly call on students in class to ask a question about the readings--and if a student didn't respond to the professor's satisfaction, their participation points for the entire quarter were automatically cut in half. Especially with such a sensitive topic (most readings went extremely in-depth when discussing colonization, imperialism, and genocide), this kind of atmosphere made it even more intimidating for students to share their thoughts. Moreover, it forced students to study the material out of fear or stress, rather than allowing them to engage with the material in more personal or productive ways.
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