Joel Margulis

First of all, I am a weak writer and do not like English classes. He has a great sense of humor and I always looked forward to attending his class. Mr. Margulis is very approachable and helpful with any questions or fear you have about writing. Also, if you take the time to show him your rough draft, he will notice your extra effort!! If you need to take English 214 or 414, I highly recommend taking Mr. Margulis, you will have a great time!!

Joel is an amazing teacher. He pushed my writing skills and was brutally honest. I was really worried about this class in the beginning, and when I recieved a NP on my first essay I was really worried, but at the same time impressed that a teacher finally caught me procrastinating. His class is simple and straight forward: 7 essays (4 in take home, 3 in class) and you have to pass both to pass the class. He's not the easiest grader but if you keep away from wordiness and have a good sense of sentence structure you should be fine. I highly recomend this class to anyone. Oh just to warn you, he has a slight Napoleon complex, but he's harmless. He's pretty humorous too.

He is a funny guy, has tons of jokes. The class is enjoyable and fun. He is a hard grader but he is not mean. Besides that, he is so understanding, especially to foreign student. Even though I got C, I did not regret of taking his class.

Joel is great. He's nice, funny, and very helpful. He is the type of guy who wants to be your friend, not just some ordinary teacher. These are the traits a teacher needs. His class consisted of 4 out-of-class and 3 in-class essays. I found the in-class essays a killer because you're expected to write a good essay in a short amount of time, and I'm not a person who does well in this area. However, his only purpose for doing these is to prepare you for the JEPET test, so itz sort of good that he does that in a way. He is also not a teacher who would just give you an easy A. You have to work your butt off to pass the class. The class was well worth it though, even though it made me stress a lot.

I was really mad that I had to take 414, but Joel made it enjoyable. I had this class on Saturday mornings and believe me when I say that I didn't mind getting up for it. Rather than making 414 a chore, Joel made it fun and actually taught me how to be a better writer. We had three out of class essays and three in class essays. He walks you through the entire process, so that you have no trouble writing your essays. If you have to take this clas or any other English class and he is available...TAKE HIM. He is truly a wonderful teacher.

I have always hated my English classes, but Margulis made English 414 a blast! It was my only MWF class and I was not looking forward to taking a friday class; however, it was a fun class and Margulis is very entertaining. You should definitely sit in the front of the class and get to know him. He is a great teacher. He is also very understanding if you have a problem or need some extra help with a paper. He is definitely my favorite teacher at SFSU!

Awesome teacher! This guy is hilarious!! Gee, once you step into the door, you don't feel like this is a class at all. He doesn't make things too hard on the students. His jokes lightens up everyone. There's 6 essays overall to determine your grade. 3 in class essays, and 3 out of class essays. You must past both parts to past the class. This guy is easy going also! I would recommend this to anyone!!!!

Joel is a really funny guy and he keeps the class interested. He focuses a lot on style and how to improve your writing skills. The papers in this class are not that difficult and he gives a thorough explanation of each kind of essay. I definitely recommend him to anyone taking ENG 114.

Mr. Margulis is incredibly witty and humorous. His lectures were interesting and essay topics were inspirational. Despite the big age barrier (which he only knows too well), it is not difficult to connect with him and feel comfortable. He's made me a stronger writer without compromising too much of my own innate creativity. You will learn many things from this teacher, and you'll never be bored because he does crack jokes all throughout his lectures. However, be forewarned...despite his friendly nature, he's not a walk along the park. He's a tough grader, and if a challenge is what you sought out for, you'll get it. And one more thing, his handwriting is the best example of chicken scratch I've ever known. =P

Joel Margulis is a good teacher. He really helps those who hate writing..love it. Well..that's what happened with me. I'm usually always kinda a math person...and hated writing. So I weasled my way through 114 and 214. So ofcourse...I wasn't surprised when I failed the jepet. Though it truly sucked haing to take this course, I was amazed at how my writing improved. I used to write crappy essay and turn them in without rereading them..because they were so bad i didn't want to admit i wrote it. But professor Margulis taught me how to incorporate the little style i had into college level work. Also....he is soooo funny!!! I tool an 8 oclock morning class.....and he truly lighted up the rest of my day. He cracks jokes every like five minutes that for the old guy that he is....were really funny!!! I know taking eng 414 sucks but...at least you'll sore a little fun by getting Margulis.

Mr. Margulis is a REALLY nice teacher, and he does give credit to your nice learning attitude. When I took Eng114 with Mr. Margulis, my English was not too good. (I'm an international student.) I thought, "Well, I'll just try.", but he did make me feel more confident about my English, and he is always there when I had problems. And Mr. Margulis makes a lot of jokes, and he has a fast and humorous response to questions. Those facts make his class extra interesting and easy. However, it's true that he is a hard grader. But if you talk to him about your problems and ask him if your draft is ok, you will definitely get a passing grade. Mr. Margulis doesn't have any kids. Maybe for this reason, he treats students as his own childern. You can sometimes hear him call you "baby", "sweety", "honey", or "kid". That makes you feel close to him. Anyways, he is an excellent teacher, but if you are taking his class, be prepared to study hard!!

Margulis is a cool teacher. I took his Eng 114 class in the summer and it was fun. We had 4 essays and basically that was it. In class he crackes a lot of jokes which made it interesting. He is friendly to everyone and I'm glad I took his class...

He is a funny and nice teacher, but a very hard grader! He does not give you credit for even trying. If he does not like your essay for whatever reason, he will only give you NP. He does not realize that we are in the class to learn how to be a great writter.

This teacher is just great. Its true he treats you more like a friend not a student. He cracks a lot of jokes and honestly, I don't laugh much but he has quite a talent for them! I refered to him as "your majesty" as he liked to be called. But hes no slouch either, he will lecture in the most interesting way possible and you do really learn things. He grades hard but if you do all your assignments you will pass no sweat. He gave us 7 essays and that was almost all the homework he gave us. I looked forward to going to his class the most out of all my classes! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Thanks Joel er.. your majesty! One more thing, he has the most aweful handwriting...hahah!!

Joel is a great teacher. He makes the class fun. His is the only class in which I know all the other students names. He cracks a lot of jokes and doesn't mind if students do as well. No essays are longer than 5 pages, and all of them are simple topics. Make sure you incorporate the things that he teaches though, he will mark you down for it. My most enjoyable class this year. Thanks Joel!

Joel is one of the fun teachers. he doesnt treat you as a student, he treats you as a freind. many times he would joke around and he can take jokes. he grades on a hard level but his classes are fun. all my freinds that visited his classes liked it. he hardly gives out hw. there are 7 essays in this class. the topics are easy tho. and he is always in his office if you need any help. before or after class. i wouldnt mind taking him again. in fact, i'm hoping i get him for eng 214.

he's definitely one of the best english teacher i have. His way of presenting the class is interesting and i really learnt a lot in his class.

Mr. Margulis is a wonderful teacher! He gives his class interesting essay topics and he is available before class to discuss whatever questions you may have. His bright, funny personality keeps the class exciting and the students laughing. To get a good grade in the class you basically have to follow one rule: "Remove Wordiness in Your Essays"...learn how to master this and you'll do fine in the class. He gave us several essays throughout the semester and for our final, he gave us a practice JEPET test. I took this class my first semester of college and I absolutely loved it! I highly recommend Mr. Margulis' class to anyone who is about to take English 114.