While the premise of this class is very good, Samolsky is a VERY difficult lecturer to follow. He is looking for the "right" answer in a discussion-sized class, which is frustrating and can make the class hard to participate in. This course was frustrating, with only 2/3 graded items (participation + final paper (or a midterm/final paper combo)).

It's stressful that the class is just two papers and participation, but I loved Samolsky as an introduction to upper division English. He's really knowledgeable and I swear he improved my vocabulary. I really like that he is a professor who seems genuinely interested and excited by what you have to say, he never cuts you off when you're talking.

Good seminar. Lot of reading but the books are all short. Felt like a good capstone to my degree. One 15 page paper like any seminar but numerous prompts were given with the option to choose our own as well. Graded fairly, you'll get the grade you deserve. Take if you want a seminar with a great author handled by a great prof

One midterm, one final. takes attendance but wasnt transparent with our participation grades. Some of the books seemed outside of the scope of the class. don't give away all ur good ideas in class bc he requires new, original, unheard of ideas for your paper so u can't repeat what u said in class even if it was YOU who brought it up initially.

I absolutely loved having Professor Samolsky; he definitely changed the ball game in terms of class-taking and being an English major for me. For the first time I've decided to take classes based on brilliance of the professor, more than an easy A. Professor Samolsky was inspirational, brilliant, eloquent, and extremely chill. I love him!

Outstanding professor. Samolsky's seminar was by far the best led seminar I have taken at UCSB. He really sharpens your analytical abilities and gives you all the tools you need to be a better writer. By the end of this class, you will appreciate the work of Coetzee, no matter how you feel when the course starts.