Absolutely loved this professor! The class was "graded" by the work you completed and you had an A, B, and C option. The tests were open book and he made sure you were plenty prepared for the type of questions to expect on them. All the assignments were really interesting and I learned a lot about Shakespeare in this class!
Fascinating class! Professor Kearney is a very passionate and knowledgeable lecturer. The class is extremely transparent on grading practices which I appreciated. I would recommend this class to anyone.
He was an amazing professor! Very accesible outside of class and super understanding about things that come up if you need an extension. He has a hierarchy sort of grading system where he tells you exactly how many assignments you need to do to get an A, B, or C. Assignments can be done very quickly (usually a 500 word write up). Love this class!
He's awesome. Makes very clear what assignments will be given throughout the course. All are very simple but still manage to help reflect on what was learned. He's so passionate about the material and every lecture is engaging. Online open-note midterm and final. Attendance not mandatory. Highly recommend. He's one of the best in the department.
Very caring and passionate professor that cares about his students. Overall, very manageable and easy course load if you stay on top of assignments. Also, some fun movies to watch for writing assignments. Definitely recommend.
I loved this guy. He was very passionate about what he taught. Two essays, two quizzes, and a few mini assignments.
This guy is such a sweetheart, it's very clear he's passionate about the content and wants everyone to do their best. The biggest components of the grade are two papers, which aren't hard if you do the readings and pay attention to lectures. Very easy GE lit class, definitely take this!
I'm an English Major so I may be biased but he was a fun and entertaining professor. He put videos that relate to the plays being discussed and is very clear on his agenda at the beginning of class. He's super open to talking and grade is based off of midterm and final paper which are just literary analysis. Just ask your TA questions & you're good
lectures were easy to follow. had to read a play outside class every two weeks. there were a couple of writing assignments, two papers, and two quizzes/tests that lectures prepare you for.
Professor Kearney is an absolute sweetheart and his love for Shakespeare shows every time he talks! His smile will light up your world, seriously. This class was the absolute best way to be introduced to UCSB, and I know for certain my classmates can say the same!
I took him in person and class was a dreadful bore. He just liked performing the Shakespeare monologues and we did no kind of literary analysis, minus the extremely basic thematic elements, which were redundant in section. Don't recommend.
This class is fast-paced, you read 4 plays in 8 weeks and have 2 big tough papers & two important (but kinda easy) quizzes. The asynchronous lectures were hard to follow; they went on for too long and I barely took any notes over the course of a 30 minute video. If you read the plays carefully and participate in section you'll be fine.
Took this class Fall2020 (during COVID) - NOT worth it. He never responded to emails, used lectures to hear himself read Shakespeare, had this course as a webinar tied w/ a THTR class, so (kinda) mand. attend. to virtual performances & students are forced to listen to him + his buddy compare plays to current events and wrongly explain anti-racism.
He's such a sweetheart, loved the class and he did a great job of working with covid struggles.
Grades: 50% 2 essays (no rubric), 20% 2 quizzes, 20% section participation, 10% event response. Lectures are ok (I watch them on 2x speed) but slides are boring and don't have any info so visual learners beware. Class is zoom webinar instead of meeting so it doesn't feel like he wants to engage. Plays are good but it moves fast- 4 plays in 10 weeks
He's quite enthusiastic and interested in his class and it shows as his lectures are very engaging and fun. He's very nice and helpful. He's not intimidating and creates an environment where you can interact with him freely.
Prof. Kearney is so kind, he really shows he cares for his students. I enjoyed Shakespeare. 5 plays, 2 essays, 2 exams. His lectures can be a little heavy, but they are intriguing. Non mandatory lectures, but it definitely helps to go, just reading the slides isn't enough to pass the tests. READ THE BOOKS, sparknoting won't help u in this class.
if you love shakespeare and are a fan of writing this class is for you. I didnt read the books but skim the plays to know who said what and use sparknotes. your section will most likely go over the small details that are important. lecture will summarize the play so I recommend going. tests were fairly easy.
I note that many other students really enjoyed this class, however, I found this class to be frustratingly uninteresting. 30% of the grade was based off of Scantron exams in which we had to identify who said quotes and about whom the quotes were said, which is such a shortsighted way to teach an English class. He didn't help us better any skills
Far and above my absolute favorite professor at UCSB. I've taken multiple classes from Professor Kearney and have seriously enjoyed every single one. He makes his courses super engaging and entertaining and unique. Even if you aren't an English major, you'll leave his class as a better reader, writer, thinker, and human.
Professor Kearney was such a pleasure! He made me love Shakespeare and being an English major. He posts his lecture slides online but if you show up to every lecture and take notes, read all 5 plays THOROUGHLY (do not skim), and are good at writing papers, it is an easy A. His passion for Shakespeare makes the course fun. 10/10.
Professor Kearney was one of my all-time favorite professors. His lectures are always interesting and never repetitive and while he doesn't do any sort of iClicker or attendance check, it's a good idea to go to lecture. Exams are basically quizzes and mostly based off his slides, which he always posts. Challenging but not difficult.
kearney is a really good professor, I definitely recommend taking a class with him. we read 5 shakespeare plays and wrote 2 essays (fairly graded). he is really enthusiastic in lecture and makes the content interesting to listen to. if you follow instructions in assignments and take notes in lecture, you should get an A
Professor Kearney is one of the most charismatic people you will ever meet, and he gives captivating lectures. The course may seem daunting but is really a breeze if you read the plays and pay attention in class. The structure of the class is clean and straightforward, with two essays and two exams. Would definitely take a class with him again!