Modernist Singularities

Professor Mary Ann Caws

Fall 2014

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Number of Respondents: 8

Effectiveness of Course

How would you rate the organization of the course?

0 Below Average

0 Average

5 Good

3 Excellent

0 Other

To whom would you recommend this course?

3 Everyone

5 Any student curious about this topic

0 Students specializing in this area

0 Students preparing for comps

0 No one

How well did the course match your expectations from the description and follow the syllabus? explain if needed.

Respondent   1: “matched & exceeded”

Respondent   2: “The course very much took off from the point of singularities. It depended upon a good deal of prior knowledge, but weekly readings were in keeping with the tenor of the syllabus/course description.”

Respondent   3: “The course met my expectations almost completely based on both the course description and the syllabus”

Respondent   4: “very well”

Respondent   5: “The syllabus formed (?) over the course of the semester. The course went on those lines (?)”

Respondent   6: “very well”

Respondent   7: “I had taken a class w/ Professor Caws before and so knew what to expect”

Respondent   8: “It exceeded my expectations”

 

Use of Class Time

On average, the instructor spent most time on:

1 Lecture

6 Class discussion

1 Student presentations

(Add-in) Respondent 6: “an excellent mix of all three”

On average, the instructor spent most time on:

4 Lecture

0 Class discussion

1 Student presentations

2 Circle here if course time was evenly distributed among the previous choices.

How would you rate the professor’s ability to use class time in an interesting and generative manner?

0 Below Average

0 Average

1 Good

5 Excellent

0 Other

2 no response

Comment on the use of class time in this course.

Respondent   1: “Great”

Respondent   2: “Professor Caws very much follows the connection as it organically arises”

Respondent   3: “The professor equally divided her time between lecture and class discussion, usually by opening the conversation to students after her lecture”

Respondent   4: no response

Respondent   5: “ Very varied and fruitful with diverse in-class activities”

Respondent   6: “Prof. Caws is brilliant and I enjoy learning from her lectures”

Respondent   7: “Awesome as always”

Respondent   8: “very well balanced”

Scholarship

Describe the professor’s methodological, theoretical, or critical approaches emphasized in the course:

Respondent   1: “Great”

Respondent   2: “Professor Caws uses a lot of biographical and social considerations of the authors/artists in discussion”

Respondent   3: “The professor biographical and theoretical scholarship on every topic/author, but encouraged students to approach the material however they felt fit.”

Respondent   4: “everything”

Respondent   5: “combination of image and text; questioning the sufficiency of the text itself; biographical sometimes”

Respondent   6: “Excellent – actually exceptional. Prof. Caws is like an encyclopedia of knowledge”

Respondent   7: “seriously?”

Respondent   8: “Lots of visuals. Lots of off the beaten path theoreticals in addition to the usual suspects”

Rate the professor’s ability to alert students to developments in recent scholarship and refer them to unexplored areas of research:

0 Below Average

0 Average

1 Good

7 Excellent

0 Other

Availability and Evaluation

How responsive was the instructor to course work and conferences:

0 Not very

0 Acceptably

8 Very

(Add-in) Respondent 6: “Prof. Caws is also very prompt in returning essays/assignments”

Comment on the professor’s ability to include the perspectives or achievements of people traditionally excluded from the canon (e.g. racial minorities, ethnic minorities, women, disabled people, those who challenge heteronormativity and gender conformity):

Respondent   1: “Basically what this class was about -> finding singularities. Maybe not the heteronormative ones”

Respondent   2: “Professor Caws draws on such breadth of knowledge that she includes an impressive breadth of examples. She responds very well to any suggestions from the class.”

Respondent   3: “The professor included many female and non-normative artists and writers in her discussions and coursework.”

Respondent   4: “Many of the authors studied were non-canonical”

Respondent   5: “Very inclusive. A number of authors usually excluded from the canon”

Respondent   6: no response

Respondent   7: “Hard to take this questions seriously given the word “canon” is mispelled in it”

Respondent   8: “This course focused on singularities. Do I need to say more?”

Please use the space below to give further written evaluation of the course or to expand on any of the comments above:

Respondent   1: “Great!”

Respondent   2: no response

Respondent   3: no response

Respondent   4: no response

Respondent   5: no response

Respondent   6: “I’m glad I was finally able to take a class with Professor Caws. I’ve heard so many good things about her and am really enjoying this class!”

Respondent   7: no response

Respondent   8: “This course embraces student participation. The material calls forth participation.”