ENGL243 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Aaron Bartlett ENGL243 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/05/2023	The class is really easy as long as you show up and participate. Super low stress, the only thing that bothered me was that the professor would randomly take off points without explanation. You could do everything right as the assignment stated, but you're deducted points if you don't go above and beyond his expectations. Essentially, he compares your work to other students and even if you do the assignment correctly, if others went above his expectations, you're not getting a 100.
Vessela Valiavitcharska ENGL243 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 02/20/2023	Great professor, definitely recommend! Very kind and receptive to students' thoughts. Also is very open to helping students with editing/providing feedback. If you take 243, definitely go for her.
Vessela Valiavitcharska ENGL243 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/31/2023	Very kind professor and well-versed on content. Engaging as well, as long as you are willing to contribute to discussions. She is very open to new interpretations (as well as letting you know what the more likely interpretation is) and as long as you at least somewhat grasp the content, you should be able to make meaningful comments. A couple essays and shorter writing pieces, but she is a fair grader and open to helping review and improve your writing. As someone who isn't particularly interested in poetry specifically, her class was still super interesting and fun.
Vessela Valiavitcharska ENGL243 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/12/2023	She was such a kind professor. She seemed really interested in our success in her class. The class wasn’t hard, and was actually pretty interesting. Really enjoyed having this professor!
Samantha O'Connor ENGL243 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/18/2019	Great professor :) very open to any ideas. Pretty fair grader. Pop quizzes on readings sometimes. The final was tough but curved. I really liked this class
Michael Collier ENGL243 Expecting an A forrestgumb 12/21/2014	Great professor. Really nice, engaging (for a poetry professor), and never condescends to students. Made poetry bearable for me. As for the grades, discussion participation is worth 10%, the first exam 15%, midterm and final 30%, and an in-class writing makes up the final 15%. For my year the final was a joke (96% was the average), but the midterm and in-class writing was graded semi-harshly. Just make sure to go to class and take notes. Tyler, our T.A., was really cool too. Overall I liked the class and would recommend it to others.
Lindsay Bernal ENGL243 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 08/04/2013	Terrible professor. This is the one class that will waste your time. Lindsay gives a lot of assignments but doesn't provide feedback or grades in a timely matter so students aren't aware of the things they should be avoiding for future assignments. She isn't descriptive about any of her comments (when she finally grades an assignment) and shouldn't be qualified to even teach. Her interpretations of poems are 'superfluous' and she's the type of professor who likes to hear herself speak instead of teach. Don't take this class if you don't have the patience.
Lindsay Bernal ENGL243 Expecting a B Anonymous 07/09/2012	Quite possibly the most boring professor I have ever had while in college. We only made it through less than half the syllabus because she took 2-3 hours (literally) to explain and analyze the poems. For the dreaded close reading papers make sure you take in depth notes on what she drew from the poems because she does not appreciate your own original thoughts in the papers. You will do better if you repeat her ideas and images of the poems. The exams are knit-picky and detail oriented so be prepared to know the poems inside and out. She is a stickler about using a cell phone or laptop in class. I suggest you sit in the back of the class behind someone so you can at least be on your phone somewhat as to not stab your eyes out from the pure boredeom the class is.
Stanley Plumly ENGL243 Anonymous 05/13/2012	DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH HIM. It is not a poetry class where you analyze poems and actually think and learn. It is him ranting about a poem the whole lecture then taking a MULTIPLE CHOICE exam on HIS interpretation of the poem. Later in the semester the exams consist of FILLING IN THE BLANKS of random lines from poems that are over a page long. He is so narcissistic to think his opinion is the only accurate one on every poem and he even plays recording of HIM reading them. I have heard this is a good HL to take with other professors but if its Plumly DO NOT TAKE IT.
Michael Collier ENGL243 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/22/2011	Easy HL core. I seriously hate writing and reading, but in this class you only have one essay test and you just read short poems in class. The only bad thing about this class is that the lectures are boring and you have to pay attention and take notes to get a good grade in this class.
Michael Collier ENGL243 Anonymous 12/21/2011	I hate this class so much. I dread going to class. Although he is really nice, I just hate everything about the humanities field. I have absolutely no time to waste in this class, because I have to focus on my sciences, but in the end, I am getting an A in this class. I hope that the final isn't difficult. You have two poems to memorize for this course, which I personally think is bs. I am glad I can get my core over with after this. I can definitely say that this is the easiest HL core, if you are a busy science major like I am. Also, if your TA is Amy Katzel, run for your life. Get a MALE TA. You will not regret this.
Michael Collier ENGL243 yumyumshisha 12/02/2011	Check him out online. He's an award-winning poet! So he's an actual poet, not only a teacher. Great class, real engaging.
Stanley Plumly ENGL243 Expecting an A- Anonymous 06/16/2011	Dr. Plumly is the most rude and pompous professor in the CORE department. AVOID this dumb class. I took it because I hate reading, and in poetry well you should know if you're even reading this review...that you won't have any outside reading to do, which is great since I am a BIO major with a ton of reading already to do. Anywho, he doesn't make it clear what to expect on the exams, and his style is too all over the place. I tried to meet with him once and he did not make himself readily available. THE TA'S ARE SO IMPORTANT, FREAKING AVOID JAMISON CANTOR. I am a senior at UMD, and honestly from all the TA's and professors I've had Jamison is a name and a face I will NEVER be able to forget. This a-hole ruined my experience. He is too intense, requires extra work (like recitation of a poem at the end of the semester in front of your class), and he grades harder on your exams, and he NEVER gives you hints on what to expect while the other TA's do. he thinks he's to good for maryland, so avoid him, avoid Plumly...avoid ENGL243.
Stanley Plumly ENGL243 Anonymous 05/24/2011	I didnt think this class was easy. i got a 68 the first test. if you do not study you wont do well and although people think it will be easy, its far from that. sometimes he gives you breaks on tests which is nice. i got an A- because i started working to bring my grade up. just study and knowwwww your poems. youll be okay.
Stanley Plumly ENGL243 Anonymous 03/02/2011	Awful professor, could put an insomniac to sleep. Tests involve recognizing lines from poems and matching them to the correct author. TAs suck at preparing you for exams.
Michael Collier ENGL243 Expecting an A thewit691 12/20/2010	Cool dude. You don't really have to do anything outside of class because no matter what he tells you to read (1-2 poems) you will go over it in class the next day in depth. Solid B-A if you go to class, which isn't tough to do.
Stanley Plumly ENGL243 Expecting an A samhallen 06/01/2010	A lot of students don't like Professor Plumly's style of teaching; they claim he's old-fashioned, dry, and soporific. These things may be true, but if you try even the slightest bit in this class its not hard to do well. There is no reading or work aside from the 3 tests. Go to lecture. Write down whatever is on the board. More importantly, GO TO DISCUSSION. Your TA grades your tests, so as long as you write on the exams what they tell you in discussion, your golden (you also get 50 points for attendance in discussion, so you should go either way). Don't be shy to switch TAs mid semester if your initial one is too hard or too unwavering in discussion. If you can get Shenandoah, she's awesome and really wants you to do well. This class is easy enough, and definitely a good one to take to fulfill your HL core.
Stanley Plumly ENGL243 Expecting an A Phoenix_ourumd 05/24/2010	Go to every lecture and write down whatever is on the chalkboard. Make sure to copy down places but don't pay too much attention to dates (they don't really matter unless it relates to the season). Three exams 100 pts each, discussion (mandatory) 50 pts, final 150 pts. Multiple choice, matching (author to poem) and short answers. It's NOT difficult to get an A. It all depends on how hard your TA grades. (Avoid Jamison - all the other TAs are good though).
Lindsay Bernal ENGL243 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/04/2009	This class doesn't have a lot of reading. You probably waste 90% of your ink in your printer when you have to print out poems and letters. Your quizzes, memorization "exercises", and event participation, all go to your class participation. So basically your grade consists of 2 papers, participation, and your midterm and final...so you need to do well on all of them to get an A. She takes 10 years to explain one poem that could be 7 lines..which may get annoying but sometimes its great when you want to zone out. You have to go to class!...all the exams are from the notes in class. This class requires average memorization skills..and thats about it...you don't need to know how to analyze poems for the exams. If u haven't taken poetry before..you'll still be okay. EASy to get a B...harder to get an A
Stanley Plumly ENGL243 Expecting a B amehta 05/13/2008	show up to every class!! about 60% of the exams are based on things he said in lecture. if you dont have lecture notes you're basically screwed. easy to get a B, hard to get an A. if you get Laura as a TA, she's amazing.
Michael Collier ENGL243 Expecting an A blf123 04/15/2008	He is so nice and such an interesting professor. The course is great and actually fun to go to.
Michael Collier ENGL243 Expecting an A- OneManArmy 01/22/2008	Really good professor. His clarity is unmatched as is his persona. Must go to lecture if you have any chance of passing the exams. All the questions come from lecture. Also, I recommend reading the poems daily. But it was a little more work than expected for a CORE.

Aaron Bartlett
ENGL243

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/05/2023

The class is really easy as long as you show up and participate. Super low stress, the only thing that bothered me was that the professor would randomly take off points without explanation. You could do everything right as the assignment stated, but you're deducted points if you don't go above and beyond his expectations. Essentially, he compares your work to other students and even if you do the assignment correctly, if others went above his expectations, you're not getting a 100.

Vessela Valiavitcharska
ENGL243

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
02/20/2023

Great professor, definitely recommend! Very kind and receptive to students' thoughts. Also is very open to helping students with editing/providing feedback. If you take 243, definitely go for her.

Vessela Valiavitcharska
ENGL243

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
01/31/2023

Very kind professor and well-versed on content. Engaging as well, as long as you are willing to contribute to discussions. She is very open to new interpretations (as well as letting you know what the more likely interpretation is) and as long as you at least somewhat grasp the content, you should be able to make meaningful comments. A couple essays and shorter writing pieces, but she is a fair grader and open to helping review and improve your writing. As someone who isn't particularly interested in poetry specifically, her class was still super interesting and fun.

Vessela Valiavitcharska
ENGL243

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/12/2023

She was such a kind professor. She seemed really interested in our success in her class. The class wasn’t hard, and was actually pretty interesting. Really enjoyed having this professor!

Samantha O'Connor
ENGL243

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/18/2019

Great professor :) very open to any ideas. Pretty fair grader. Pop quizzes on readings sometimes. The final was tough but curved. I really liked this class

Michael Collier
ENGL243

Expecting an A
forrestgumb
12/21/2014

Great professor. Really nice, engaging (for a poetry professor), and never condescends to students. Made poetry bearable for me. As for the grades, discussion participation is worth 10%, the first exam 15%, midterm and final 30%, and an in-class writing makes up the final 15%. For my year the final was a joke (96% was the average), but the midterm and in-class writing was graded semi-harshly. Just make sure to go to class and take notes. Tyler, our T.A., was really cool too. Overall I liked the class and would recommend it to others.

Lindsay Bernal
ENGL243

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
08/04/2013

Terrible professor. This is the one class that will waste your time. Lindsay gives a lot of assignments but doesn't provide feedback or grades in a timely matter so students aren't aware of the things they should be avoiding for future assignments. She isn't descriptive about any of her comments (when she finally grades an assignment) and shouldn't be qualified to even teach. Her interpretations of poems are 'superfluous' and she's the type of professor who likes to hear herself speak instead of teach. Don't take this class if you don't have the patience.

Lindsay Bernal
ENGL243

Expecting a B
Anonymous
07/09/2012

Quite possibly the most boring professor I have ever had while in college. We only made it through less than half the syllabus because she took 2-3 hours (literally) to explain and analyze the poems. For the dreaded close reading papers make sure you take in depth notes on what she drew from the poems because she does not appreciate your own original thoughts in the papers. You will do better if you repeat her ideas and images of the poems. The exams are knit-picky and detail oriented so be prepared to know the poems inside and out. She is a stickler about using a cell phone or laptop in class. I suggest you sit in the back of the class behind someone so you can at least be on your phone somewhat as to not stab your eyes out from the pure boredeom the class is.

Stanley Plumly
ENGL243

Anonymous
05/13/2012

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH HIM. It is not a poetry class where you analyze poems and actually think and learn. It is him ranting about a poem the whole lecture then taking a MULTIPLE CHOICE exam on HIS interpretation of the poem. Later in the semester the exams consist of FILLING IN THE BLANKS of random lines from poems that are over a page long. He is so narcissistic to think his opinion is the only accurate one on every poem and he even plays recording of HIM reading them. I have heard this is a good HL to take with other professors but if its Plumly DO NOT TAKE IT.

Michael Collier
ENGL243

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/22/2011

Easy HL core. I seriously hate writing and reading, but in this class you only have one essay test and you just read short poems in class. The only bad thing about this class is that the lectures are boring and you have to pay attention and take notes to get a good grade in this class.

Michael Collier
ENGL243

Anonymous
12/21/2011

I hate this class so much. I dread going to class. Although he is really nice, I just hate everything about the humanities field. I have absolutely no time to waste in this class, because I have to focus on my sciences, but in the end, I am getting an A in this class. I hope that the final isn't difficult. You have two poems to memorize for this course, which I personally think is bs. I am glad I can get my core over with after this. I can definitely say that this is the easiest HL core, if you are a busy science major like I am. Also, if your TA is Amy Katzel, run for your life. Get a MALE TA. You will not regret this.

Michael Collier
ENGL243

yumyumshisha
12/02/2011

Check him out online. He's an award-winning poet! So he's an actual poet, not only a teacher. Great class, real engaging.

Stanley Plumly
ENGL243

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
06/16/2011

Dr. Plumly is the most rude and pompous professor in the CORE department. AVOID this dumb class. I took it because I hate reading, and in poetry well you should know if you're even reading this review...that you won't have any outside reading to do, which is great since I am a BIO major with a ton of reading already to do. Anywho, he doesn't make it clear what to expect on the exams, and his style is too all over the place. I tried to meet with him once and he did not make himself readily available. THE TA'S ARE SO IMPORTANT, FREAKING AVOID JAMISON CANTOR. I am a senior at UMD, and honestly from all the TA's and professors I've had Jamison is a name and a face I will NEVER be able to forget. This a-hole ruined my experience. He is too intense, requires extra work (like recitation of a poem at the end of the semester in front of your class), and he grades harder on your exams, and he NEVER gives you hints on what to expect while the other TA's do. he thinks he's to good for maryland, so avoid him, avoid Plumly...avoid ENGL243.

Stanley Plumly
ENGL243

Anonymous
05/24/2011

I didnt think this class was easy. i got a 68 the first test. if you do not study you wont do well and although people think it will be easy, its far from that. sometimes he gives you breaks on tests which is nice. i got an A- because i started working to bring my grade up. just study and knowwwww your poems. youll be okay.

Stanley Plumly
ENGL243

Anonymous
03/02/2011

Awful professor, could put an insomniac to sleep. Tests involve recognizing lines from poems and matching them to the correct author. TAs suck at preparing you for exams.

Michael Collier
ENGL243

Expecting an A
thewit691
12/20/2010

Cool dude. You don't really have to do anything outside of class because no matter what he tells you to read (1-2 poems) you will go over it in class the next day in depth. Solid B-A if you go to class, which isn't tough to do.

Stanley Plumly
ENGL243

Expecting an A
samhallen
06/01/2010

A lot of students don't like Professor Plumly's style of teaching; they claim he's old-fashioned, dry, and soporific. These things may be true, but if you try even the slightest bit in this class its not hard to do well. There is no reading or work aside from the 3 tests. Go to lecture. Write down whatever is on the board. More importantly, GO TO DISCUSSION. Your TA grades your tests, so as long as you write on the exams what they tell you in discussion, your golden (you also get 50 points for attendance in discussion, so you should go either way). Don't be shy to switch TAs mid semester if your initial one is too hard or too unwavering in discussion. If you can get Shenandoah, she's awesome and really wants you to do well. This class is easy enough, and definitely a good one to take to fulfill your HL core.

Stanley Plumly
ENGL243

Expecting an A
Phoenix_ourumd
05/24/2010

Go to every lecture and write down whatever is on the chalkboard. Make sure to copy down places but don't pay too much attention to dates (they don't really matter unless it relates to the season). Three exams 100 pts each, discussion (mandatory) 50 pts, final 150 pts. Multiple choice, matching (author to poem) and short answers. It's NOT difficult to get an A. It all depends on how hard your TA grades. (Avoid Jamison - all the other TAs are good though).

Lindsay Bernal
ENGL243

Expecting an A
Anonymous
11/04/2009

This class doesn't have a lot of reading. You probably waste 90% of your ink in your printer when you have to print out poems and letters. Your quizzes, memorization "exercises", and event participation, all go to your class participation. So basically your grade consists of 2 papers, participation, and your midterm and final...so you need to do well on all of them to get an A. She takes 10 years to explain one poem that could be 7 lines..which may get annoying but sometimes its great when you want to zone out. You have to go to class!...all the exams are from the notes in class. This class requires average memorization skills..and thats about it...you don't need to know how to analyze poems for the exams. If u haven't taken poetry before..you'll still be okay. EASy to get a B...harder to get an A

Stanley Plumly
ENGL243

Expecting a B
amehta
05/13/2008

show up to every class!! about 60% of the exams are based on things he said in lecture. if you dont have lecture notes you're basically screwed. easy to get a B, hard to get an A. if you get Laura as a TA, she's amazing.

Michael Collier
ENGL243

Expecting an A
blf123
04/15/2008

He is so nice and such an interesting professor. The course is great and actually fun to go to.

Michael Collier
ENGL243

Expecting an A-
OneManArmy
01/22/2008

Really good professor. His clarity is unmatched as is his persona. Must go to lecture if you have any chance of passing the exams. All the questions come from lecture. Also, I recommend reading the poems daily. But it was a little more work than expected for a CORE.

Reviews for ENGL243