Professor
George Dutton
Most Helpful Review
SEAS 1: I have never read so much in my life. This guy requires you to do a TON of weekly readings (80-100 pages/week in pdf articles). We finished the entire textbook in like 3 weeks. There's also 2 papers that you have to do, one of which is an analysis of a novel (go figure). I've worked my ass off in this class and ended up with an A-. It seems like most students revert to a "pass or no pass" grading system halfway through the quarter. His exams aren't exactly easy either. There's a ton of fill ins, matching, and multiple choice questions and a couple essay questions at the end. What really pissed me off was the fact that he expects us to complete all of this in 50 minutes! If we had more time, I probably would have gotten an A in the class. Seriously, this guy is so inconsiderate and clueless about time. He also lectures really quickly to cram in as much material as he can so we'll be accountable for it on the exams. My TA Dahlia was great though. She was really helpful and gave good exam reviews.
SEAS 1: I have never read so much in my life. This guy requires you to do a TON of weekly readings (80-100 pages/week in pdf articles). We finished the entire textbook in like 3 weeks. There's also 2 papers that you have to do, one of which is an analysis of a novel (go figure). I've worked my ass off in this class and ended up with an A-. It seems like most students revert to a "pass or no pass" grading system halfway through the quarter. His exams aren't exactly easy either. There's a ton of fill ins, matching, and multiple choice questions and a couple essay questions at the end. What really pissed me off was the fact that he expects us to complete all of this in 50 minutes! If we had more time, I probably would have gotten an A in the class. Seriously, this guy is so inconsiderate and clueless about time. He also lectures really quickly to cram in as much material as he can so we'll be accountable for it on the exams. My TA Dahlia was great though. She was really helpful and gave good exam reviews.
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2019 - TL;DR: It was tough but definitely worth So we basically have to read a novel every week... its kinda a lot but the novels are all really enjoyable reads. It was nice to finally read fun books again since I haven't read novels since high school. For me, the toughest part of this class was the essays. We had 4 book reviews throughout the quarter (3 short ones, 1 long one) and we had 3 essays for a take home final. The take home final was rough esp cuz it was due in finals week
Winter 2019 - TL;DR: It was tough but definitely worth So we basically have to read a novel every week... its kinda a lot but the novels are all really enjoyable reads. It was nice to finally read fun books again since I haven't read novels since high school. For me, the toughest part of this class was the essays. We had 4 book reviews throughout the quarter (3 short ones, 1 long one) and we had 3 essays for a take home final. The take home final was rough esp cuz it was due in finals week
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Most Helpful Review
Review for Vietnamese 180A Professor Dutton is super amicable, helpful, and understanding. He always provides outlines for his lectures, and he stays on task really well. I usually write massively long reviews for mediocre to bad professors, but I really have nothing to say about Dutton except good things, which takes up less room than complaints. If there is confusion regarding due dates, he’ll send out a long, explanatory, and apologetic email and push the due date back. He stops frequently to ask if anyone has questions, and he appreciates any kind of input that you have. He actually knows your name (because he takes a picture of the class at the start of the quarter) and will say hi to you if he sees you wandering around campus. He canceled class once because his daughter was sick (he apologized a lot for that and bumped back our paper by a couple of days). He’s the most adorable dad-type professor I’ve ever had a class with. The one thing I didn’t like about this class, though, is that there is a long paper (10-12 pages) toward the end of the quarter AND a take-home final, which is essentially a series of short, 2-3 page essays. The questions for the final are based more on lecture than on the readings (though you are required to bring them in on some prompts), which is great if you pay attention in class but tend to skim the readings. You’re not graded on much in this class outside of three essays and the final, but at least in terms of the essays, if you improve over time, he’ll weigh the better essays more (otherwise they stay at a fixed percentage, IIRC). A long paper and a take-home essay final seem like overkill to me. But aside from that, and the sometimes long and boring readings (inevitable in any history class, probably), this class is totally chill, and Dutton is a great person and a great professor.
Review for Vietnamese 180A Professor Dutton is super amicable, helpful, and understanding. He always provides outlines for his lectures, and he stays on task really well. I usually write massively long reviews for mediocre to bad professors, but I really have nothing to say about Dutton except good things, which takes up less room than complaints. If there is confusion regarding due dates, he’ll send out a long, explanatory, and apologetic email and push the due date back. He stops frequently to ask if anyone has questions, and he appreciates any kind of input that you have. He actually knows your name (because he takes a picture of the class at the start of the quarter) and will say hi to you if he sees you wandering around campus. He canceled class once because his daughter was sick (he apologized a lot for that and bumped back our paper by a couple of days). He’s the most adorable dad-type professor I’ve ever had a class with. The one thing I didn’t like about this class, though, is that there is a long paper (10-12 pages) toward the end of the quarter AND a take-home final, which is essentially a series of short, 2-3 page essays. The questions for the final are based more on lecture than on the readings (though you are required to bring them in on some prompts), which is great if you pay attention in class but tend to skim the readings. You’re not graded on much in this class outside of three essays and the final, but at least in terms of the essays, if you improve over time, he’ll weigh the better essays more (otherwise they stay at a fixed percentage, IIRC). A long paper and a take-home essay final seem like overkill to me. But aside from that, and the sometimes long and boring readings (inevitable in any history class, probably), this class is totally chill, and Dutton is a great person and a great professor.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2024 - This class is very novel-based and essay-based. As long as you read the books and short stories and write the length-appropriate essay, you will get an A. Do not turn in work late. If you turn in 1 or 2 assignment late without an email letting him know, you will get a B/B+. Make sure you email him at least 12hrs if you are going to turn in late. Make sure you read the novel / stories because it is a discussion-based class and he will expect you to provide insight and specific plot information. Class was essentially 7 essays (1000 words), 1 final book review (1500-2000), and an evaluation with questions he ask you to answer. But, this was an easy class overall. He makes an effort to get to know you and understand where he can improve. He is funny with his comments and is quick to be devil advocate. he will also comment on all of your essays which was cute and informational. protip if you are taking this class, use goodreads for specific plot info and reviews.
Winter 2024 - This class is very novel-based and essay-based. As long as you read the books and short stories and write the length-appropriate essay, you will get an A. Do not turn in work late. If you turn in 1 or 2 assignment late without an email letting him know, you will get a B/B+. Make sure you email him at least 12hrs if you are going to turn in late. Make sure you read the novel / stories because it is a discussion-based class and he will expect you to provide insight and specific plot information. Class was essentially 7 essays (1000 words), 1 final book review (1500-2000), and an evaluation with questions he ask you to answer. But, this was an easy class overall. He makes an effort to get to know you and understand where he can improve. He is funny with his comments and is quick to be devil advocate. he will also comment on all of your essays which was cute and informational. protip if you are taking this class, use goodreads for specific plot info and reviews.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2023 - This was a great class where we got to explore different religions in Southeast Asia by country and by religious practice. Every week, we had to do four academic article readings and two reflections on said readings. It was pretty chill as long as you got these done. For the midterm and final, you also got the option to write a fictional story based on the course content or create a PowerPoint presentation if you didn't want to write an academic paper. Overall, it was a chill and informative class about Southeast Asia! Definitely would recommend it.
Winter 2023 - This was a great class where we got to explore different religions in Southeast Asia by country and by religious practice. Every week, we had to do four academic article readings and two reflections on said readings. It was pretty chill as long as you got these done. For the midterm and final, you also got the option to write a fictional story based on the course content or create a PowerPoint presentation if you didn't want to write an academic paper. Overall, it was a chill and informative class about Southeast Asia! Definitely would recommend it.