Shocked by the reviews. I had an awful experience in this course. Prepare for weekly quizzes, lots of work, lack of communication and a lack of organization. I felt good taking this class based off of the reviews, however after completing this course I’m utterly shocked by these reviews.

One of the best classes I've taken at UCLA!
I went on to take two more classes with Dickey. He is so genuinely passionate about what he is teaching. He offers such a rich, unique perspective. For an older person, he also really seems to understand young people in a way that isn't elitist or patronizing. His personality is really great. I never even really took notes in his class, it was more of a place where you could just come to listen to him talk about Shakespeare. Just read the plays, remember some of the concepts and apply them to the final. The final is just passage identification and close reading. All you need to do is say which play its from and then talk about some of the interesting aspects of the play, such as the names, characters or themes. Really rewarding class!

PSA - Don't spend a lot of money on the book or buying the plays individually. He has a couple of versions he approves of (I think Folger is one of them). Just find the Folger version of the text online and print it out, it should be much cheaper!

I am a biology major with only little interest in Shakespeare, but Dickey made this subject exciting. He is engaging, insightful, and hilarious. You can participate if you want, but I was pretty lazy and never did and I did well in the class. The workload can be a lot if you're slow at reading; you have about a week or two to read a whole play, and it's not super helpful to read SparkNotes to do well on the quizzes since they can be pretty specific (although I'm not entirely sure how much these quizzes actually affect your final grade). Other than that, you have one paper and a final, and that's it. Would highly recommend.

I really liked this class. Only homework is to read Shakespeare plays, but you can get by on sparknotes. I liked my TA and I thought lecture was really interesting. Fave class at UCLA so far. No midterm; one or two papers; easy enough final.

This class is an excellent GE. Professor Dickey is an incredible lecturer who has a real interest in his students. My TA Rhonda was also great. At times, the reading in this class can be a bit burdensome, but overall the workload in this class is very manageable.

Shakespeare with Dickey consisted of reading about one play per week over the quarter (7 total), with very low-stress in class quizzes on each play, a final essay and a final exam. If you put in even a little effort to participate, an A is extremely attainable in this class. Not only that, but you get the privilege to attend lectures with Dickey, who is as clear, insightful and engaging a professor as any other at UCLA. He will take unorthodox approaches to analyzing plays, and find depth and meaning that you never thought was possible. Dickey is hilarious, but not in a "trying to be funny" way. His humor not only is effortless, but almost always carries with it some significance to the play being covered. Overall, this remains my favorite class that I have taken at UCLA or anywhere for that matter. Going to class felt like an escape from all the insane stress and pressures of South Campus.
Dickey is one of the best professors at UCLA, hands down. Even if you have no interest in Shakespeare, TAKE ENGLISH 90 WITH HIM! It will be one of your best experiences at UCLA.
TIP: Don't buy the textbook, it's a waste of $100+. Just go to YRL and check out the plays that are listed on the syllabus, that's the only reading material you need.

OVERALL: Professor Dickey’s Introduction to Poetry (ENGL 91A) was an enjoyable, rewarding class. The course overviewed various forms, functions, and techniques of English poetry. Course readings range from poems many centuries old to contemporary poetry. The class is not hard, but it takes some work.

STRUCTURE: The lectures were roughly structured as follows. Professor Dickey provided a list with assigned readings for each class, organized by themes (e.g., sonnets, elegies, or love poetry). The reading was not long—maybe ten to fifteen poems per class—and the time it takes to complete them depends on how much one would like to analyze the poems. In class, Professor Dickey would typically begin with a introduction to the day’s theme and then go on to create a class discussion in analyzing one or a few poems. His introductions were insightful, organized, and well thought out. The discussions were a pretty interesting experience. The room is filled with about one-hundred fifty smart people and anyone can raise a hand and contribute an understanding to the poem under discussion, which was deconstructed line by line. In my experience, sometimes this was fun and sometimes it was dragged out.

GRADES: Midterm, essay, discussion, and final.
- Discussion work is not stressful. My TA, Miss Tally Ravid, was an incredible person and teacher. Her sections were enjoyable. Both the TA’s for this class were great people.
- The midterm was pretty similar to what was in the test bank—includes some vocabulary, scansion for two poems, and a free response essay. Makes up a nice chunk of your grade, so do or die. It’s not hard if you put in an adequate amount of work.
- The essay was pretty open to however you approached it. Professor Dickey gave a couple of topics and you can choose to write about any poem in the Norton Anthology of Poetry (the class text).
If you are a good writer and put in the time, you will do well.
-The final was similar to the midterm, but with two free-response questions.
-There were two ungraded assignments: a poetry reading in front of the class by heart and a poem that you write yourself. Could be horrible or wonderful. It’s truly ungraded.

ADVICE:
- Go to the test bank and get the old tests.
- The class textbook is available as a torrent if you’re into thievery.
- Do the readings to make the most of the class. Try to engage with them when you have free time. The texts are popular and you’ll encounter them later in life. If you want to really walk out of this class gaining a lot, you will have to be proactive.
- Know how to write before you take this class.
- Use Quizlet to learn the poem identifications he puts on the exams. Just search for his class and there are a bunch of sets already made.
- Consider taking this class during your freshman year, especially if you are a premed student. Getting the A is not difficult, and the style of the class is conducive to making new friends. I took it as a freshman in fall of 2013 and it definitely helped me transition into college. The instructors were really nice, too, and will give you good feedback if you pursue it.

Had him for English 91 (intro to poetry) but it wasn't available on the drop down menu

Dickey is a pretty solid professor. I'm not a fan of poetry for starters but I did find his class to be of at least some enjoyment. Did I walk out with a profound appreciation for poetry? No but I do give him credit for being a decent lecturer.

The class consists of two sets of reading per week. I found them to be dry but again, personal preference. Make sure you are in fact reading these texts closely. There's not much to read but you are tested on the details of these poems on the midterms and finals.

Aside from the midterm and final (consists primarily of timed essays), you are asked to write a poem of your own and to recite a poem to the class. Both aren't graded but are necessary to pass the course. There's also a paper that you're required to do as well.

Took Shakespeare with Dickey last year and this class was awesome! Dickey is super funny and a great lecturer. I still remember all the fun we had in lecture each day. The graders can be a little rough on the paper, but the tests/quizzes were very straightforward. I learned a lot and appreciate Shakespeare much more. A fun G.E. and a good way to break from your major.

One of the best professors I've ever had. His lectures were a real treat and I looked forward to going to class every time. Your grade is largely dependent on the TA, however, and I felt that the essays were graded a bit harshly. Although I am a south campus major, I do feel that writing is my strong suit, so I was a bit disappointed with my grades on the writing assignments and the paper. Admittedly, I did write most of them rather last minute, so maybe that's why I got the grades that I did. The final is pretty straightforward: you get about 10 passages and you analyze about 8 of them. If you've never taken Professor Dickey before though, I highly recommend taking him for this class. It's super fun and even though I've read some of the works before in high school, I learned so much more about them than I ever did then.