Mark Calkins

If you don't mind reading about philosophical theory and listening to dry humor, take Calkins. His subject material was pretty boring, but his teaching style made it much more enjoyable. This class isn't difficult if you just do the group work (about two pages a week). He gives you every opportunity to do well in the class if you just try (unless you're an awful writer). I would recommend this teacher if you need to take HUM302. Good guy -J

Dr. Calkins is a highly intelligent individual, a very efficient lecturer and he is very responsive to in-class questions, after hours questions or emails. He is also very interesting and witty. It's funny. Does he budget his words? To get to the point more quickly is probably one of the most valuable takaways for me, not only in terms of writing, but in life in general.

There is a lot of reading in the class, but you can get by not reading every little detail, as long as you read what's important and efficiently skim the rest. I would recommend to come to class regularly since his lectures tell you what the important concepts and passages are. In your reading, just focus on that if you don't have time to read everything. His choice of literature is excellent though, so if you have time, it's worth reading all of it.

Yes, the grading for papers is a little tough, but you can make up for that with group work. I have become a much better writer thanks to his class and willingness to talk about my paper and thesis outside of class. I really appreciate that.

The time commitment required is a little above average if you want to get a good grade (not if all you want is a passing grade).

Dr. Calkins found a way to encourage group work and yet individually grade people, and I think this is great because usually the drawback of group work is to have one or two work horses and the rest spectators. It would be perfect if he could think of a way to keep people from simply reading off their work and instead freely speak about it.

The only reason I am giving this instructor an A- and not an A is because at times his sarcasm can be a little cutting, and maybe I am too sensitive. But a couple of times it came across a little abrupt. But when it comes down to it, he can be understanding and easy to talk to, and overall I really like him. Everyone has room for improvement, so it's not a big deal, but it is the catalyst for the littel minus blemish on an otherwise perfect score.

Dr. Calkins is far better than most of the instructors I have had. I have learned a lot and would highly recommend his class. I will probably take another class with him if he starts teaching grad. school.

Calkin's class is not for slackers or people who don't like group work. He's a good professor who has the clearest lectures due largely to the fact that he gives you guided notes to them! This man knows what he wants to get across in his lectures and he delivers well.

He does have a very sardonic sense of humor and that makes him great. Some people may feel that he's kind of cold at times but he can be really nice and understanding.

His group-orientated classes are perfect for people who are new to the classics or just have a hard time understanding them. Every class you have tons of time to get your questions answered by your group or you can always pull aside Professor C as he walks around the class.

I gave his assignments a "B" because I felt that his grading was a bit hard. However, this is college and we should be graded according to the standards of the professor. For his class it would be good to know your MLA style down to the last period, indendation and works cited list.

His final is extremely easy if you've been paying attention to him throughout the semester. He gives you the final in advance and lets you have a cheat sheet on it. The in-class quizzes that are given every Thursday shouldn't be that scary as you are allowed to correct the ones you got wrong.

If you can't ask him questions during class then e-mails are a good way of getting hold of him. I found Calkins to be incredibly prompt in his e-mail responses.

I would recommend taking this class with Calkins as he is a nice addition to the Classics department.

Dr. Calkins is a good instructor and pushes his students to do well. There are 4 writing assignments. Quizzes are given on a regular basis. And group work is required to be successful in this class. Dr. Calkins has a great personality and a sardonic sense of humor, so I guarantee that you will enjoy the instruction. However, his ot of class writing assignments are difficult, and it is easy to get sidetracked when you are doing them. However, as difficult as they are, they will help you to become a more efficient writer, and thinker. I mentioned that group work was a large part of this course. You need to be on top of the reading as well as prepared to do at least a couple hours of preparation to achieve high marks on these assignments. The good part is that the group work allows you to share ideas that help in the learning process of others as well as yourself and you will have the opportunity to discuss the readings and talk about unfamiliar subjects in an intellectual sense. Overall, I would recommend Dr. Calkins for anyone intersted in the Classics or familiar with them.