ENGL255 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
John Rendeiro ENGL255 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/21/2024	Genuinely the kindest teacher I have ever had at this school!!!!!!!! I'm generally pretty shy and hesitant to speak in class but Professor Rendeiro created such a relaxed and welcoming environment that I had no problem sharing my thoughts on the books we were reading. He is an extremely fair grader and is very understanding of the fact that we have lives outside of the classroom so asking for extensions and extra support on assignments was never a large hassle. The books are super interesting, and I did not find the workload to be overwhelming in any way. TAKE THIS CLASS!
Annemarie Ewing ENGL255 Expecting an A- Anonymous 04/09/2024	Professor Ewing is so kind and is one of the nicest professors I have ever had. She is an easy grader and this class is probably the easiest English literature class you could take at UMD. There is little to no work and you can get by just skimming the books or reading summaries. Just make sure you participate in class discussions once in a while because she said that she was not grading on participation, but ended up doing so.
Jeannette Schollaert ENGL255 Expecting an A- Anonymous 06/08/2023	Loved Jenny's ENGL255 (Sci-Fi Literature) course. I get very invested in such reading material, so I stayed up to speed with our books and article assignments. If you don't like reading or can't manage to listen to audiobooks to prepare for class, you probably shouldn't take this course at all. The subject matter of 255 is very interesting and Jenny facilitates good, meaningful discussions in her class. She is very understanding and forgiving, but as always, communicate your needs early. Glhf
John Rendeiro ENGL255 Expecting an A kathleenMiles 05/20/2023	This class was so easy, I actually felt bad. I almost wished it was more of a challenge! This isn't me bragging. Rendeiro is almost afraid of giving you a bad grade. He is lenient and understanding, almost to a fault. If you want, you can even show him rough drafts of your work before submission. By then incorporating his suggestions, you will end up with a great essay because he himself saw and evaluated it beforehand. Attendance is worth 20 + 20 + 20 = 60 points. You can get an almost unlimited number of excused absences from class. Even racking up a lot of unexcused absence will only cost you four or five points. It's crazy. Rendeiro often would say in class, "I believe there is value in coming to class". Almost like he was trying to convince himself that there is value in attending his own class. As it is, every five or six classes there will be a class where attendance isn't even mandatory. So the workload is reduced even further. Overall, I don't really think I really learnt anything of value. The workload was extremely little. This class was an easy, easy, one of the easiest As I've ever seen at UMD.
Elizabeth Catchmark ENGL255 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/15/2022	Elizabeth is my favorite professor, take any of her classes. She lays out the grading scale on the first day and tells you exactly what you need to accomplish to get an A or a B. She creates an extremely welcoming environment and honestly her minor assignments are enjoyable and the major assignments aren't bad either. The workload is what you make of it, and she's always willing to consider if you have need for an extension and will help you if you have any questions or issues with an assignment. Elizabeth takes the time to get to know each of her students, and will connect the class to new releases and pop culture if she can (examples for this semester: press surrounding midterm elections + the new Wednesday show). As for ENGL255 in general- I found that it was extremely engaging and fostered deep thought. It wasn't too much work, and was actually interesting material. In addition to science and tech in literature, you get to explore race, gender, and sexuality as technologies (it makes sense after you take it), and disability/accessible technologies.
Elizabeth Catchmark ENGL255 Expecting an A dldbdms0630 10/27/2022	Elizabeth is extremely passionate and informative. Honestly, I joined because I thought the course description seemed interesting enough but halfway into the course, I am getting more than just interesting content. The discussions we have in class are applicable to our world today. As per the assignments, as long as you plan them out you'll have no problem getting them done. If you have any questions, reach out to Elizabeth and she will help you out with anything! Plus, she is empathetic to her students and allows extensions for minor/major assignments if you have valid reasons. The topics covered in this class are not only just "science and technology in literature" but also sociocultural topics such as race, gender, disability, feminism, monstrosity(!), and related studies. You get to watch movies as part of the homework so be excited about that :)) (But! If you aren't very good with gory stuff, maybe think about that before registering!!!!)
Melanie Rio ENGL255 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/17/2021	It is truly criminal that she has no reviews. I swear I am not one to exaggerate, but this class changed my entire outlook on life. I forgot that academics were supposed to be fun, and fulfilling, and professor rio helped remind me of that. I really hope that if you are considering taking her class, you do. I am a senior graduating this December, and I wish I could go back and sign up for one more class of hers. Professor rio struck a perfect balance between stimulating interesting discussions and allowing us to talk about the topics we found most interesting in the books we were reading. She has a real gift for teaching, and I promise you won't regret signing up for one of her classes.
William Gonch ENGL255 Anonymous 05/08/2019	Bill is a great professor. He genuinely cares about each of his students. 5 books and a few short stories to read for discussion/assignments. 4 papers: 1. 500 word article summary 2. 2-3 page close reading paper 3. 4-5 page analytical paper 4. Final: choice between a 10 page sci-fi story or 10 page research paper Bit of a tough grader, but if you talk to him about your papers beforehand, he helps out a lot. Participation is important. He wants to see that you've done the readings, so be prepared for cold calls. Easy B, but you have to work a little harder for the A. Highly recommend.
Konstantinos Pozoukidis ENGL255 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/13/2018	Really helpful teacher. Helped me improve a lot. Gives extension for deadlines if asked for. Awesome feedback. Funny during classes. Some online classes which aren't too easy
Emilee Durand ENGL255 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/02/2018	I really enjoy the way she teaches a class, it feels a lot like book club. As long as your willing to do the readings and participate in class you should get a good grade.

John Rendeiro
ENGL255

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/21/2024

Genuinely the kindest teacher I have ever had at this school!!!!!!!! I'm generally pretty shy and hesitant to speak in class but Professor Rendeiro created such a relaxed and welcoming environment that I had no problem sharing my thoughts on the books we were reading. He is an extremely fair grader and is very understanding of the fact that we have lives outside of the classroom so asking for extensions and extra support on assignments was never a large hassle. The books are super interesting, and I did not find the workload to be overwhelming in any way. TAKE THIS CLASS!

Annemarie Ewing
ENGL255

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
04/09/2024

Professor Ewing is so kind and is one of the nicest professors I have ever had. She is an easy grader and this class is probably the easiest English literature class you could take at UMD. There is little to no work and you can get by just skimming the books or reading summaries. Just make sure you participate in class discussions once in a while because she said that she was not grading on participation, but ended up doing so.

Jeannette Schollaert
ENGL255

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
06/08/2023

Loved Jenny's ENGL255 (Sci-Fi Literature) course. I get very invested in such reading material, so I stayed up to speed with our books and article assignments. If you don't like reading or can't manage to listen to audiobooks to prepare for class, you probably shouldn't take this course at all. The subject matter of 255 is very interesting and Jenny facilitates good, meaningful discussions in her class. She is very understanding and forgiving, but as always, communicate your needs early. Glhf

John Rendeiro
ENGL255

Expecting an A
kathleenMiles
05/20/2023

This class was so easy, I actually felt bad. I almost wished it was more of a challenge! This isn't me bragging. Rendeiro is almost afraid of giving you a bad grade. He is lenient and understanding, almost to a fault. If you want, you can even show him rough drafts of your work before submission. By then incorporating his suggestions, you will end up with a great essay because he himself saw and evaluated it beforehand. Attendance is worth 20 + 20 + 20 = 60 points. You can get an almost unlimited number of excused absences from class. Even racking up a lot of unexcused absence will only cost you four or five points. It's crazy. Rendeiro often would say in class, "I believe there is value in coming to class". Almost like he was trying to convince himself that there is value in attending his own class. As it is, every five or six classes there will be a class where attendance isn't even mandatory. So the workload is reduced even further. Overall, I don't really think I really learnt anything of value. The workload was extremely little. This class was an easy, easy, one of the easiest As I've ever seen at UMD.

Elizabeth Catchmark
ENGL255

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/15/2022

Elizabeth is my favorite professor, take any of her classes. She lays out the grading scale on the first day and tells you exactly what you need to accomplish to get an A or a B. She creates an extremely welcoming environment and honestly her minor assignments are enjoyable and the major assignments aren't bad either. The workload is what you make of it, and she's always willing to consider if you have need for an extension and will help you if you have any questions or issues with an assignment. Elizabeth takes the time to get to know each of her students, and will connect the class to new releases and pop culture if she can (examples for this semester: press surrounding midterm elections + the new Wednesday show). As for ENGL255 in general- I found that it was extremely engaging and fostered deep thought. It wasn't too much work, and was actually interesting material. In addition to science and tech in literature, you get to explore race, gender, and sexuality as technologies (it makes sense after you take it), and disability/accessible technologies.

Elizabeth Catchmark
ENGL255

Expecting an A
dldbdms0630
10/27/2022

Elizabeth is extremely passionate and informative. Honestly, I joined because I thought the course description seemed interesting enough but halfway into the course, I am getting more than just interesting content. The discussions we have in class are applicable to our world today. As per the assignments, as long as you plan them out you'll have no problem getting them done. If you have any questions, reach out to Elizabeth and she will help you out with anything! Plus, she is empathetic to her students and allows extensions for minor/major assignments if you have valid reasons. The topics covered in this class are not only just "science and technology in literature" but also sociocultural topics such as race, gender, disability, feminism, monstrosity(!), and related studies. You get to watch movies as part of the homework so be excited about that :)) (But! If you aren't very good with gory stuff, maybe think about that before registering!!!!)

Melanie Rio
ENGL255

Expecting an A
Anonymous
11/17/2021

It is truly criminal that she has no reviews. I swear I am not one to exaggerate, but this class changed my entire outlook on life. I forgot that academics were supposed to be fun, and fulfilling, and professor rio helped remind me of that. I really hope that if you are considering taking her class, you do. I am a senior graduating this December, and I wish I could go back and sign up for one more class of hers. Professor rio struck a perfect balance between stimulating interesting discussions and allowing us to talk about the topics we found most interesting in the books we were reading. She has a real gift for teaching, and I promise you won't regret signing up for one of her classes.

William Gonch
ENGL255

Anonymous
05/08/2019

Bill is a great professor. He genuinely cares about each of his students. 5 books and a few short stories to read for discussion/assignments. 4 papers: 1. 500 word article summary 2. 2-3 page close reading paper 3. 4-5 page analytical paper 4. Final: choice between a 10 page sci-fi story or 10 page research paper Bit of a tough grader, but if you talk to him about your papers beforehand, he helps out a lot. Participation is important. He wants to see that you've done the readings, so be prepared for cold calls. Easy B, but you have to work a little harder for the A. Highly recommend.

Konstantinos Pozoukidis
ENGL255

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/13/2018

Really helpful teacher. Helped me improve a lot. Gives extension for deadlines if asked for. Awesome feedback. Funny during classes. Some online classes which aren't too easy

Emilee Durand
ENGL255

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/02/2018

I really enjoy the way she teaches a class, it feels a lot like book club. As long as your willing to do the readings and participate in class you should get a good grade.

Reviews for ENGL255