boring lectures, doesn't give you any idea of what will be on the midterm or final. Tells you to study the differences between texts, but brings up random scenes and asks you to say what gospel it is from and what the significance is. Worst class, don't take it. Horrible. That's all I have to say.
Really nice guy and eager to help if you ask him for it, but lecture slides are EXTREMELY dull. Tests are also very difficult and call for unnecessarily specific details. If you are just taking the class for the GEs, take a different one.
Prof O'Connell and his Chaucer class are the bomb. He's genuinely interested in the material and connected it to modern day examples to offset the difficulty of reading middle english (ex. Hugh Hefner and Fabio). He's really willing to help you with anything if you go in to office hours or hang around after class. CCS kids: take Chaucer with him.
Good man. His pedagogic skills are excellent.
He is very nice and knows a lot about the subject matter but his are some of the most boring lectures I have ever experienced. I do appreciate however that he really concentrated on teaching the Bible as literature, despite some students' attempts to turn class into a Bible study. He remained fair and unbiased despite his personal religious beliefs
His lectures can be dry (powerpoint based), but a lot of the material is actually quite interesting and gives a lot of insight to the plays. Quizzes were pretty easy, final wasn't too bad -- only if you read the plays, of course. He's also friendly and enthusiastic.
the good things about him i guess are his enthusiasm and willingness to listen to the students...otherwise he is very boring and doesn't really give any fresh insight on the subject matter...only plot summary and some historical background...stupid mandatory quizzes
No way, he's a great guy! An itty bit boring and tends to not stop talking even after class ended...but he gets very excited about his work!
I've never in my life seen so many people get up and leave a lecture hall at the same time when there is no fire or earthquake. In short, the man butchered my enjoyment of Shakespeare in this course however his effect was not lasting enough to deter me for life, but I avoid O'Connell's classes like the plague and tell everyone I know to do the sam
I like him! You guys are weird.
Essay questions are easy and what you'd expect, but the IDs for the midterm and final were ridiculous, especially since this is an English course, not religious studies or history. He'll post the powerpoints a few days before the exams, but your best bet is to focus on minor characters as you're reading. Sections are worthless.
don't take this if you're not interested in the new testament. The lectures consist of him telling you what is in his powerpoints. They are very, very boring. Actually, I revise my original statement. Don't take this. At all. For any reason.
Do not take this professor. He is egotistical and unfair. He made us hand back in all our midterms to be regraded, to the disadvantage of many of the students. I have never ever had a professor who has done that before. His lectures are boring and he tests on memorization rather than understanding. This is the worst class I have ever taken here.
Wow, I'm surprised by the negative reviews. I can't think of anything negative to say about this guy. I thought he was fascinating and very fair and clear in his lecture material.
O'Connell has a tendency to not really explain anything. He made some valid points but the TA's are the ones who saved me. He posted the lectures online 2 days before the final (ugh) and THEN on the final he expects you to remember what year Shakespeare was born! Read the plays, watch the movies, and try to pay attention in lecture.
Yes, O'Connell is nice. But he offered NOTHING interesting in his lectures. Sparknotes would be equally insightful. He uses Powerpoint slides that he's probably been using for years. They could have benefited from editing, as there were grammar and factual errors. I read the plays; don't summarize them in bullet points for 1.25 hours. What a waste.
Professor O'Connell is cool, he has a genuine interest in students opinions and is very knowlegable.
Aawww... I love Prof. O'Connell. I was in his honors section and he was very personable and made an effort to really know each of us. He's jocular and approachable and I highly recommend his class.
Seems genuinely interested in what the students think, which is rare. He engages students in interpretation and analysis more than memorization and is always open to new points of view.
Very helpful and funny. He knows EVERYTHING about the subject matter. He's really nice in office hours too. Take this class! One of my fave professors!
Dear god... the WORST prof I had here. Boring, unoriginal, monotone. Not to mention I didn't like either of the subjects, but all English majors have to drag through 101, and the only reason I took 114A is because it was my last quarter and 4 units short.
The lectures were menial yet 'mandatory' due to "pop quizzes." I never got much out of the lectures that I couldn't have read on sparknotes. The essay topics were vague, unnecessarially verbose, and not incredibly original. I thankfully had an amazing TA who made my time in section worthwhile
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earlier lectures very interesting, begins to slow down, has a very friendly approach to teaching really wants to discuss how the students interpret things