Donelan was a really great professor. He made the class go smoothly and quickly. This was not one of those courses where you are constantly fighting your sleep. He is a fairly tough grader, but the review process leading up to the submission should be enough to get you a good grade. Definitely recommend the course.
Professor Donelan is an Incredible lecturer and surely one of my favorite professors Ive had at UCSB. Overall my experience in Writ 2 was amazing and would 100% recommend taking his class! :)
Definitely aloof in understanding that students are busy. Very annoying because slides are not detailed and he obviously doesn't spend that much time on the class. That being said, the lectures are pretty chill... that being said, the midterm and final involve memorization of knowledge I deem unnecessary to memorize. God, the calamity...
The course material is boring and out-dated, the professor is old school. There is an overwhelming focus of anything that's not literature, which is funny because I took 101 & 103 and those courses bothered to actually talk about literature analysis. Not a bad guy but the reading material is r***st and s***st, and he spent time justifying them.
There r 2 essays and the 2 tests aren't hard if you do the reading. However it is very obvious that the guy has a huge ego and he only likes people who are willing to entertain his personal stories. This doesn't feel like a literature course but an author's autobiography course. The guy's anti-tech and I'm stupid to have done my notes by hand.
From the comments it seems like all the positive comments are from his writing course but i took an english literature course with him. The course material is more theology than literature and he does not encourage debate or alternative interpretations. I wouldn't have survived this course full of puritan old white guys if it weren't for my TA.
This prof seems to think that assigning hundreds of pages of reading a week is normal. And that everyone should be able to easily comprehend the subject that's being discussed. He seems to think that this is the only class you are taking and that you have no life, so you can fully dedicate yourself to his class. Do not take if you don't have to.
Would recommend the law class and Donelan as a teacher. Assignments were difficult but he gives extremely clear instructions and offers support to students. He's smart, articulate, and knows what he's talking about. Get ahead of reading and assignments or you will fall behind. Learned a lot!
Worst professor I've had at UCSB. He's overly critical and wants you to conform to his way of thinking and doing things instead of inspiring you to be creative and learn in a way that's best for you. He's negative, boring and unapproachable and makes things more difficult than they need to be. This class was a chore and I'm glad it's over
His lectures don't add anything to the material. Talks about himself a lot. Difficult to communicate with. Boring class. 2 tests and 2 essays, unnecessary amount of reading/work. Old school in approach to teaching
I never thought that I would enjoy a writing course, but Prof. Donelan really made WRIT2 an enjoyable experience! You have to do all the work he assigned to get a high score, but I really feel like that I have learned something. He is kind of a tough grader if you are aiming for an A, but I think that this applies to all writing course at UCSB.
A great professor! He is funny and kind, and his lectures are interesting though they don't add much to the reading material. He is a very fair grader and he wants you to succeed in his class, so do read!
(I took 105R which wasn't an option for some reason on here) Prof Donelan is amazing, he is so kind, funny, and understanding. the class was really easy as well, i got excellent feedback on my writing and it was so entertaining to take! i love this professor!!
Professor Donelan is a super caring guy and truly wants all of his students to become better writers. However, he does not really offer a lot of writing feedback and just leaves us to do it ourselves. His grading on the 3 essays were pretty tough. He also values the Eli Review a lot so actually do it early on to get a high participation grade.
The assignments are not difficult and if you do all of them, you will be more than prepared for the 3 essays. Professor Donelan is available after class and through email, and he responds within a reasonable time frame. I genuinely believe that he helped improve my writing. Note: I took the class during FSSP and it was held online (pandemic).
Definitely knows his stuff and will improve most students' writing if his teaching style works for you; also teaches how to manage one's responsibilities during hardships which is great. Unfortunately has an ego and seems to let his emotions get the best of him at times (often passive aggressive; sometimes unresponsive, kinda like an angry kid lol)
I took his class during FSSP. It was challenging to finish 3 papers in 6 weeks, but he guides you through each step of the process. He's picky with style, but as long as you avoid overuse of the verb "to be," you'll be fine. Very rewarding class and I felt that my writing improved. He also responds to emails very quickly.
Donelan is a really good writing professor. You will definitely learn a lot. However, he is a tough grader and pays attention to every detail. There are 3 papers you must complete during the quarter and you are expected to give detailed and helpful feedback to your class mates. Definitely do not skip class because attendance is mandatory.
Took class online (COVID.) Absolutely the worst professor I have had at UCSB/for English. We had a group chat to talk about the class and EVERYONE got an A- on every assignment regardless of the effort you put. He is unavailable outside class, does not respond to anyone's emails. The essays are turned in stages like we are babies. Avoid.
What a lovely guy!! He helps you develop your writing and is really passionate about what he teaches. It's a good class if you like writing from the Romantic Era and he teaches it really well. If I were a law student I would take his legal class just to take another class with him!
Donelan is a solid professor. He is a nice guy but he had his moments in which he was passive-aggressive or seemed annoyed. He has great insight into the legal profession since his father was a lawyer. He is well versed in the principles of legal writing. I also highly recommend reading the textbook, the class will be way easier if you do.
Donelans a great professor who cares about his students. Just remember to proofread and youll be fine.
Unorthodox teaching style; amazing professor who wanted us to learn through trial and error, so he wouldn't let you off the hook and was often vague because he wanted you to come up with your own ideas and develop your voice. Had to put in a lot of effort (5 unit class), but everyone's writing improved and get ready to get called on every lecture
Amazing professor who has great experience and knowledge of the legal field. Definitely take this course with this professor if you want to glean insight into how lawyers think and speak.