Donald V. Doub, Jr.

ahh -- Professor Doub. As several other reviews have mentioned, Prof Doub is extremely intelligent, a bit of a drama queen, and expects a LOT of his students. Our reading list for this class was HUGE. Five lengthy plays (and accompanying criticism), the majority of the NAE Restoration and 18th Century volume, Austen's "Sense and Sensibility", and 4 to 5 movies of the period. So much reading in fact, he had to trim a substantial portion at the end. This plus 3 mid-terms (10-12 objective questions and an essay), and two term papers, one 5 to 6 pages and the last a 12-pager.

That said, this was a rewarding class. There is no doubt that Doub knows this stuff cold -- and his often highly amusing performances during class (imagine Karl Lagerfeld with John Malchovich's voice doing a Robin Williams stand up) brought a life to what could at first blush seem dull material indeed.

He is a bastard for the first few weeks to scare away anyone who isn't willing to work -- after that trial by fire, you can relax -- just a little. If you voice your opinions and look for a fresh way of saying them, you will do fine. Remember, this man has been teaching and/or studying this material for over 40 years. Things like snappy and irreverent titles for term papers make a huge difference. Avoid this class if you are offended by obscenity or lewdness -- part of the fun of this class (and of the 18th century) was the careful balancing between intellectualism and debauchery. Doub has 'em both.

This guy is wonderful! I had him for three courses but the hours just flew on by. He has high expectations which seem very hard to meet but if you push yourself you just might be able to get there. His classes are not for the faint of heart and if you cant handle grown up stuff I dont reccomend this professor. If you want a thouroughly interesting time however go for it.

All I can say is that Professor Doub is INCREDIBLE!! Yes, he's a bit on the blunt side but he's telling you how it is. He doesn't beat around the bush, and he doesn't BS you. If you're not ready for this then don't take his classes! He treats you like a professional and he expects you to treat him the same.

I took two classes with him and found him to be extremely sweet and caring. I saw him during his office hours (which he was always very prompt with) and he was extremely encouraging. This man wants you to succeed. He'll push you till your hair falls out but it will be worth it.

Plus he's a riot. My classmates and I took down "doubisms" throughout class and trust me, the stuff he says is hilarious. My favorite comment from him was that he felt like Martha Stewart in drag.

I do have to say, if you're not open-minded and liberal, you probably shouldn't take his class. He's a bit of a dirty-old queen and he's proud of it. :)

Taking one of his classes is just such an experience. Taking two of his classes at the same time was just plain crazy.

Doub is going to push you. He's gonna start off mean (he likes to get rid of the wimps in the first couple of weeks) but trust me, he's just a softie underneath it all. He's dedicated to the students, he's EXTREMELY INTELLEGENT, and he's fun. What more could you want??

I took two classes with Doub this semester, but Junior Seminar was the best of the two. Most people in the class seemed to have a good rapport, and I'm sure this was partially due to Doub's influence. He will not hesitate to tell you when you've made a mistake, but he encourages students to work hard and do their best. While his lectures were somewhat meandering, he always managed to keep the class entertained, which is why I rated his lectures a B+ but his speaking skills an A+. For example, one minute he would be talking about Gerard Manley Hopkins and the next minute he would say something about Martha Stewart or the Rocky Horror Picture Show and rattle off bizarre literary terms for our amusement. While there were times I would like to have had a more concrete lecture, in the end, I always felt like there WAS a connection between Hopkins' poetry and the Rocky Horror Picture Show, no matter how farfetched it sounded to begin with. In addition, while he fusses about his class being the most important thing in the world, he is fully aware that students have lives outside of school. He does not encourage late work, but he understands that sometimes it is unavoidable. (He once even commented that sometimes the best work is turned in late; however, I wouldn't advise students to turn in late work based on this principle...) Overall, Doub is a fascinating person and an excellent instructor. I would highly recommend that students take this class (or Shakespeare) with him.

Regardless of what another student said, Doub does not discriminate against women. He is a little intimidating the first couple of class sessions and even ordered people to leave the classroom because they weren't enrolled in the class. (He hates to be harrassed by students before and after the lectures.) After the first couple of classes though, he is a pleasure to work with.

With regards to other reviewers' claims about his personal life: Yes, he's gay. He's the gayest instructor I've ever had. However, I can't imagine that there are students at San Francisco State who have a problem with this. Why would anyone come to this city if they had a problem with homosexuals? Such students might be better suited to a conservative campus somewhere in the midwest. (Just a thought...)

Overall, his class was wonderful. He's extremely passionate about the material, and it shows. I would highly encourage others to take this class with him.

I think the problem that most people have with Dr.Doub is that he's not a good teacher. He covers interesting material, sometimes says interesting things, and tries to be a good professor, but it just doesn't work. I'm not going to tear him down, but the truth is that he just doesn't know how to teach. Half the time I listened to his tangents, unable to take notes because he hardly ever finished a complete thought. The other half of my time in class was spent wishing that I could just taks the tests and not come to class. His tests aren't difficult because you can write about interesting things, but you better know what you're talking about. If you read the material you'll be fine. Don't count on lectures to help you out though. I'm sure there are people who really liked him, but I think that had more to do with his personal interests (which you WILL hear about) than his teaching style. He is very proud of his accomplishments and won't let you forget that.

Dr. Doub has a huge brain and he uses it. He knows his stuff but his expectations are that you know what he knows which circumvents the teaching process. His lectures consists of free form associative literary critic of poetry. He is humorous in a "queenly" way. His axe to grind is that he was not the belle of the ball, so if you are a white, attractive female from the burbs you are enemy #1. If you're sycophantic or gay you're golden. He only teaches in the fall semester.

Thanks to Prof. Doub, I can now read Shakespeare and Chaucer without once using the footnotes. Who needs lectures that constantly cater to a student's laziness -- that does the reading for you? Without this man's spell-bindingly intricate classes, my entire experience as an English major would have been as dull as dirt. He is what college prep has prepared me for...sharpen your wits indeed.

This man is a pretentious,pompous pedophiliac fool. He insults diabled people, is condescending to minorites and women and demonstrates a general contempt for the majority of his sudents.

I suspect that the favorable reviews of Doub were written by him! Several students who dropped and who stuck it out, have complained about him. The content of his class is interesting, but he nearly ruined Eng.lit. for me, by his negative association.

Steer clear of this guy!

Dr. Doub is a saint! He is the most brutal, demanding, sassy, fun, hilarious, fountain of Shakespearean knowledge on campus. He is the toughest professor I've ever had but his inane projects, quizzes and strenuous lectures resulted in the most rewarding lit. class I took at State. Half the time I wanted to strangle him but the other half I sat, exhausted, in my chair with my head swimming from the long distance, no bullshit drama fest. He made _Twelfth Night_ seem profound! I also took him for "Gay Love in Literature," in which he was a completely mellowed prof. We watched movies, drank sherry at his house, and cracked jokes. He's fabulous and I miss him dearly.

I learned more in Dr. Doub's 583 course than in any other English course. Granted, he is not for the timid at heart. Anyone interested in taking a course of his should be prepared for a challenge. I remember hearing some of my classmates complain bitterly about his quizzes, exams, papers, and so forth ; however, one must remember that this is college. If you're not interested in hard work and its rewards, you should probably reevaluate your reasons for entering the university setting.

This is a very difficult professor. His classes are difficult, but that is not the problem. It would be okay to work three times as hard in a class than you'd have to work in other classes in that section (or course desc.) if he wasn't so completely awful. He is a misogynist, he focuses far too heavily on the homoerotic in Shakespeare, at, I believe, the expense of the text. He's nit-picky, he yells and berates, and is overall quite a dilletante. Arrogance aside, his assignments are tedious- ask anyone around about his penache for torturous final projects. His little quizzes seem designed less to test the reading comprehension of the student and more to trumpet his own mastery of Elizebeathan trivia- which he then taunts his students with at every opportunity. You do learn literary terms and some new insights into Shakespeare in his class, but the education comes at the cost of spending a semester feeling as if at any moment he could turn on you. Sometimes he's funny and he loves dirty little details of works, which are always enjoyable to catch on to, but really, it's not worth the stress to take his class.