Duffy really tries to get to know everyone. Lectures can be a bit disorganized, just make sure to understand the main points and read the book. Come prepared for section, as he expects participation (discussion) from everyone in the class. The final project is really fun! If you don't mind some reading and writing I'd highly recommend.

I took Duffy's summer course, Detective Fiction, and it was amazing. You will have to read a bit but it is an english lit class so that's expected. He managed to make discussions interesting, and made a genuine effort to get to know every student. The exams were also pretty easy, and the final project was fun! Take him if you can!

I took this course Spring '22! It was not easy, but it was fun. For exams, I recommend going over the poems + readings and looking into the meaning behind each. Professor Duffy is kind, supportive, and funny. He offers extra cred for the memorization of poems or a performance. I highly recommend this course if you're interested in Irish literature!

Duffy is my favorite professor at UCSB! He approaches learning in a way that includes educating the "whole self," in other words, he emphasizes the importance of life experience and pushes you to be creative, interesting and ambitious in your thinking about yourself, school, the world and others. I took 2 classes with him and would take 100 more

Professor Duffy has been my favorite professor at ucsb! The way he thinks about writing is very interesting. You have to do the reading, but he chooses interesting and distinct (helps with IDs) writing. The tests are fair and he gives freedom with papers and projects. I'm already in another class of his and planning to do a third.

Horrible unrelated tangents about a random thing. tries to be funny but not my thing. I feel like he is wasting my time and exhausting me with every word he says. He always runs over time and acts like it's rude or people start leaving while he incessantly talking.

The best English professor at UCSB. No, he is not an easy A, but he makes you think in a completely different way. The rest of the English department could take a lesson or two from him. If you are actually looking to experience the beauty of literature, professor Duffy is a must. The best professor I had at UCSB.

Professor Duffy can be intimidating during lecture if you don't participate. The tests are essentially quotes taken from the books we've read and they are intended to be ID's. If you are not a heavy reader I would not recommend taking this class as Sparknotes would not be enough.

Favorite English professor at UCSB! Lectures were interesting--if you care about literature. He really cares about soliciting feedback and ideas from students. GO to his office hours, he's very easy to talk to, and he gives great life advice.

Professor Duffy is a really kind person but if you are the type of person who likes organization I would NOT recommend taking this course. His lecture style is disorganized and tangential which made the class really difficult to enjoy.

He was so smart. He was so wise. His "tangents'" --I've never met anyone smart who protests against tangents--he was an absolute delight to learn from, like having an extremely smart, talented friend talk to you for an hour and twenty minutes. He was a pure delight, a treat.

I heard so many good things prior to taking him but he was impossible to follow as he would go on such idiosyncratic tangents that only someone who was an expert in his field could follow along