I've chosen to take 3 courses with Professor Macfadyen: Tolstoy, Literature of the Revolution, and Golden Age and Great Realists, and I would take another one of his classes in a heartbeat. Not only is he Chair of the Russian Department, he's amazingly knowledgeable not only about Russian Literature, but he specializes in contemporary Russian culture as well. His lectures are rich, engaging, and multi-faceted (both in terms of multimedia as well as humor and discourse.) He assigns thought-provoking literature (especially the absurdist and post-modern plays in Lit of the Revolution) and leads challenging discussions. Macfadyen is a diamond in the rough, and taking literature courses with him is a chance not to be missed. He's very approachable, and always available both in structured office hours, as well as just to chat about art, film, or music in his office.

Also, for all of the Russian speakers and learners out there, he only began his study of the Russian language in college and his pronunciation and vocabulary is sooo far ahead of many other professors in the department. His Russian is rhythmic and artful.