Professor
Justin Torres
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2016 - 91C with Torres was a fantastic course. From day one, I found his lectures and the required readings to be very engaging. I must say, if you are not a fan of "dark" topics (murder, sex, crime), this class is likely not for you. Two essays + a final exam were the graded materials, and I must say, the essays are graded harshly. The final exam is incredibly easy, as long as you keep up with the readings (there are a lot of them). Torres is brilliant -- hilarious, intelligent, and immensely creative. I'd love to work with him again. Grade: A
Winter 2016 - 91C with Torres was a fantastic course. From day one, I found his lectures and the required readings to be very engaging. I must say, if you are not a fan of "dark" topics (murder, sex, crime), this class is likely not for you. Two essays + a final exam were the graded materials, and I must say, the essays are graded harshly. The final exam is incredibly easy, as long as you keep up with the readings (there are a lot of them). Torres is brilliant -- hilarious, intelligent, and immensely creative. I'd love to work with him again. Grade: A
AD
AD
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2021 - (Just a note: this class requires an application and acceptance with a PTE number.) The class size is very small to allow everyone to read each other's stories, and you get to know the other students' styles and chosen themes very well through their writing. 20% of our grade came from participation, 25% from written feedback for other students' stories, 25% from weekly 2-page prompts (you must complete at least 5), and 30% from two 10-page short stories that you write throughout the quarter. We read a few short stories by famous authors, but this class was overwhelmingly discussing our own stories (for a 3-hour class, we usually spent an hour per story, so authors get plenty of feedback. Be prepared to participate). I think the most valuable part of this class for me was writing the letters to the other authors - I learned how to critically analyze other students' work and (hopefully) give helpful suggestions, which in turn helped me improve my own work. That being said, reading 3 10-page stories and writing 2-4-page letters for each one every week does take some time, so I recommend starting the letters earlier than the day before to lessen the workload and give yourself time to absorb the stories. I was definitely exposed to a wide variety of writing genres, and overall the class was really interesting and fun. I would wholeheartedly recommend this class if you're interested in writing - you'll receive a lot of encouragement and quality advice.
Spring 2021 - (Just a note: this class requires an application and acceptance with a PTE number.) The class size is very small to allow everyone to read each other's stories, and you get to know the other students' styles and chosen themes very well through their writing. 20% of our grade came from participation, 25% from written feedback for other students' stories, 25% from weekly 2-page prompts (you must complete at least 5), and 30% from two 10-page short stories that you write throughout the quarter. We read a few short stories by famous authors, but this class was overwhelmingly discussing our own stories (for a 3-hour class, we usually spent an hour per story, so authors get plenty of feedback. Be prepared to participate). I think the most valuable part of this class for me was writing the letters to the other authors - I learned how to critically analyze other students' work and (hopefully) give helpful suggestions, which in turn helped me improve my own work. That being said, reading 3 10-page stories and writing 2-4-page letters for each one every week does take some time, so I recommend starting the letters earlier than the day before to lessen the workload and give yourself time to absorb the stories. I was definitely exposed to a wide variety of writing genres, and overall the class was really interesting and fun. I would wholeheartedly recommend this class if you're interested in writing - you'll receive a lot of encouragement and quality advice.
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