Professor
Karen Cunningham
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Most Helpful Review
I took English 110T with Professor Cunningham and it was a bit of a disappointment by the end when we had to submit a portfolio and a final paper on Twelfth Night by Shakespeare. I kept waiting to discover some aspect about my writing that could help me for future quarters at UCLA. All I learned was that there isn't a formula to writing an essay, it all depends on yourself and what you consider interesting because that's the only way the paper you write is going to sound interesting. Professor Cunningham was excellent at providing us with different ways to approach a text, even though all we really needed was the book and not necessarily the class. She has a warm personality, but she spends a lot of the time just talking about the exciting things she did over the weekend. If this type of small talk appeals to you, than by all means spend your money on it. If you want a professor that is serious about making use of class time instead of gushing about all the years they've spent studying Shakespeare, than I suggest looking for another professor. She is approachable in office hours even though her desire to talk to you on a personal level can seem a little invasive. The class was helpful as a basic introduction to writing about different genres in literature.
I took English 110T with Professor Cunningham and it was a bit of a disappointment by the end when we had to submit a portfolio and a final paper on Twelfth Night by Shakespeare. I kept waiting to discover some aspect about my writing that could help me for future quarters at UCLA. All I learned was that there isn't a formula to writing an essay, it all depends on yourself and what you consider interesting because that's the only way the paper you write is going to sound interesting. Professor Cunningham was excellent at providing us with different ways to approach a text, even though all we really needed was the book and not necessarily the class. She has a warm personality, but she spends a lot of the time just talking about the exciting things she did over the weekend. If this type of small talk appeals to you, than by all means spend your money on it. If you want a professor that is serious about making use of class time instead of gushing about all the years they've spent studying Shakespeare, than I suggest looking for another professor. She is approachable in office hours even though her desire to talk to you on a personal level can seem a little invasive. The class was helpful as a basic introduction to writing about different genres in literature.
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Most Helpful Review
I heard from some friends that Professor Cunningham was an excellent prof (for Milton), so I signed up for her [Shakespeare] class. Her knowledge of Shakespeare was unimpressive, even though all she did was brag about all of the years of research she performed. She didn't bring any value to the class. Lectures were a complete waste of time. Although she seemed personable and approachable during lecture, the content of the lectures themselves was lackluster--her analysis of Romeo & Juliet was barely surface-level, hardly touching on any themes. Instead, she simply skimmed along, relating personal experiences and feelings to Romeo's longing for Juliet, rather than examining the language at a closer level. Like many professors, her syllabus was far too ambitious, and we did not read through the plays that she had laid out for us--those that we did not read were bought back from the bookstore at 10 cents each, and they were only available in Ackerman new.
I heard from some friends that Professor Cunningham was an excellent prof (for Milton), so I signed up for her [Shakespeare] class. Her knowledge of Shakespeare was unimpressive, even though all she did was brag about all of the years of research she performed. She didn't bring any value to the class. Lectures were a complete waste of time. Although she seemed personable and approachable during lecture, the content of the lectures themselves was lackluster--her analysis of Romeo & Juliet was barely surface-level, hardly touching on any themes. Instead, she simply skimmed along, relating personal experiences and feelings to Romeo's longing for Juliet, rather than examining the language at a closer level. Like many professors, her syllabus was far too ambitious, and we did not read through the plays that she had laid out for us--those that we did not read were bought back from the bookstore at 10 cents each, and they were only available in Ackerman new.
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Most Helpful Review
To put it simply, Cunningham is brilliant and knows what she is talking about and she knows how to teach it so you will understand Milton, which is better than what i can say about alot of profs who teach paradise lost. I actually learned to enjoy Milton and found myself (near the middle of the quarter) looking forward to reading it because I actually understood what was going on. However, she does not give you a study guide for the midterm and the Final and pretty much says "study everything, cheers!" I received an A on the midterm because I studied my BUTT off for it and it paid off in the end, so getting an is not impossible in this class but just really difficult to do. Be prepared to study hard but also to learn alot.
To put it simply, Cunningham is brilliant and knows what she is talking about and she knows how to teach it so you will understand Milton, which is better than what i can say about alot of profs who teach paradise lost. I actually learned to enjoy Milton and found myself (near the middle of the quarter) looking forward to reading it because I actually understood what was going on. However, she does not give you a study guide for the midterm and the Final and pretty much says "study everything, cheers!" I received an A on the midterm because I studied my BUTT off for it and it paid off in the end, so getting an is not impossible in this class but just really difficult to do. Be prepared to study hard but also to learn alot.
Most Helpful Review
I'm looking for classes to enroll in this upcoming quarter and I realized the first thing I did was to check if Professor Cunningham is teaching a class I had yet to fulfill. She is (: Hands down, my favorite professor in the English Department at UCLA. Pros: -Extremely knowledgeable -Great lecturer -Approachable -Funny -Reasonable in her expectations of the students Just take a class with her, you won't regret it.
I'm looking for classes to enroll in this upcoming quarter and I realized the first thing I did was to check if Professor Cunningham is teaching a class I had yet to fulfill. She is (: Hands down, my favorite professor in the English Department at UCLA. Pros: -Extremely knowledgeable -Great lecturer -Approachable -Funny -Reasonable in her expectations of the students Just take a class with her, you won't regret it.
Most Helpful Review
She lectures really fast, but they're really detailed and helpful for the midterm and final, so go to class (attendance is usually mandatory anyway) and pay attention. She's a sweet lady, even though sometimes she can come off a little arrogant. Very concerned and open to discussion. She'll learn your name if you speak up enough, which helps you out during grading. She tends to favor people she knows. Only one midterm and final + an optional paper. She's not the easiest grader, so you do have to read and work for your grade, but it's not too difficult. I've taken her a few times and she's the best professor for Milton and Chaucer by far. She expects more discussion in Chaucer and 152B since they're smaller settings, so sometimes you can't slide by. She's prone to randomly questioning people in her 152 classes, so make sure you read. If you don't want to talk in class, take her for Milton.
She lectures really fast, but they're really detailed and helpful for the midterm and final, so go to class (attendance is usually mandatory anyway) and pay attention. She's a sweet lady, even though sometimes she can come off a little arrogant. Very concerned and open to discussion. She'll learn your name if you speak up enough, which helps you out during grading. She tends to favor people she knows. Only one midterm and final + an optional paper. She's not the easiest grader, so you do have to read and work for your grade, but it's not too difficult. I've taken her a few times and she's the best professor for Milton and Chaucer by far. She expects more discussion in Chaucer and 152B since they're smaller settings, so sometimes you can't slide by. She's prone to randomly questioning people in her 152 classes, so make sure you read. If you don't want to talk in class, take her for Milton.
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