Just after the Spring Break reading week, I asked students at the beginning of class to get into groups of three and come up with three comments or observations on the course and how things were going. At least one of these comments had to be positive, and one negative.
I’m interested in getting midterm feedback in part because it can help guide the second half of the semester: if necessary we can make changes or follow up on the feedback given.
But I am also very interested in feedback because I recognize that this is an unconventional course in many ways (in terms of its structure and grading, for instance), and I am keen to know how it is seen and experienced by students themselves.
Summary
Mostly, comments were positive, which is great. Almost everyone liked both the flexibility of the course, the choice, responsibility, and autonomy students have, and the class discussions, which were seen as both productive and fun. There were lots of you who liked the music in particular!
The texts divided opinion somewhat. While plenty of you said you liked the diversity, the fact that you were reading books you would otherwise probably not encounter, and the topics they raised and their relevance today, others thought (at least some of) them too long and repetitive. Proust was especially seen as a hurdle.
Response
I have written individual responses below. I do feel I need to remind you, however, that what you do in this course is very much up to you: you can read less or more, and almost every week you get a choice of readings. If you are contracted for a high grade, then, yes, there is indeed a lot of reading. But this is a course structure that quite transparently rewards the time you put into it.
As for the selection of texts: I think many of you may think differently once we’ve come to the end of the semester. But I do try to ensure that there’s at least something for everyone, though as I say in the introductory lecture, “each of these books, one way or another, has been judged noteworthy or influential. That does not mean you will always enjoy them, but they will be worth reading. Each text provides food for thought and analysis.” And I should add that the book that has been judged (not by me, but by others) the most noteworthy or influential is, by quite some distance, Proust’s. Well done for reading it: that’s an achievement!
Regarding the many books on growing up, this is largely an accident, but I discuss it in the concluding lecture. There are reasons, I think, why authors are attracted to a child’s perspective.
| Positive | Negative | Other | Jon’s comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| We can choose which books we want to read. Course load is not heavy |
Reading a new book every week is definitely interesting, but in the long run we feel like our overall understanding of the book is not as insightful as it should be. | Note that as well as class discussions there are the lectures, to add to your understanding of the books! | |
| The group discussion is fun and meaningful. The commenting part on blogs is engaging and reflectful. |
Outside of the discussion groups, it’s a bit isolating. | Hmm. I am always up for facilitating more interaction between students. Suggestions? | |
| Good book selection. We like the contract system. |
Talks a bit slow during video lectures. | Ha! OK. But I’m trying to be clear above all. | |
| Lots of opportunities for collaboration, participation, and sharing ideas. | Set a schedule and start reading books more in advance. (Some books are longer than others.) | Reading books, lots of opportunity to read. Not a lot of grading on how well we understand the book, more discussion based. | As with so much in this course, in large part the schedule is up to you: I encourage you to read books in advance when you can! |
| Flexibility and contract commitment. Light discussion and variation of text. |
Constant reading and writing = burn-out | Again, it’s up to you (and the contract you choose) whether or not you are constantly reading and writing. If you have contracted for an A or A+, then yes (as I warned you), it should be lot of work. | |
| We enjoy the conversational aspect of class and the go with the flow nature: semi STUDENT-led. We enjoy the conversation videos: there’s something unfiltered about that unlocks new perspectives and ideas. |
Maybe a happy/funny book, something crazy/absurd. | We may be getting into crazy/absurd with Calvino, Agualusa, and Saramago… so it’s coming! And there is humour in several texts, but perhaps I should be looking for a straight-out comedy to add to the list? | |
| Course is engaging and interactive. Professor is very responsive and has good humour |
Have a larger, dedicated room for discussions (i.e. Friday classes) | True, the classrooms are not the best. | |
| Like how we can pick our grade and have full responsibility in how we do. The music (playlist) and drinks pairing = fun! |
The books are long, but some are also short. | Yes, you get to choose whether you read long or short books! | |
| Really like the discussion aspect in class. | Some of the readings can be long and a lot to handle. If lectures are mandatory, maybe have smaller books. | There’s quite a range in length, and you get to choose which you read. But in fact they do tend (deliberately so) to be on the shorter side. | |
| Level of engagement in the class is super nice! From the blogs to the comments o the blogs and even the profs. The learning style with the course structure is super unique and appreciated! |
The selection of books is sometimes not the best, whether it’s length, style, or just appeal. | You’re not necessarily going to like all the books (though I hope you learn to appreciate why others do like them). I do try to provide a mix, so that there’s something for everyone. | |
| We like the high degree of personal choice in this class–from choosing the books we want to read to the amount of effort/grade. We like that both the lecture (in-person) and blogposts doesn’t restrict us to talk only about specific literary elements etc., but a more general discussion into ideas and contexts of novels. |
The amount of books to read for a higher grade is a little much: the effort may not be consistent (e.g. different number of pages per week etc.) | The idea is that it should still be difficult to get an A+ or A, but perhaps a different kind of difficulty than in other classes. And you can choose how to spread out your work over the semester. | |
| The contract is a plus, self-directed course is nice. | Re-order the books maybe. Swann’s Way was hard to start with (why??). | There’s a lot of reading (both good and bad). | We start with Proust in part because we are going chronologically. And I know it’s a tough text, but I think it brings up some useful themes and ideas that continue on for the rest of the semester: non-linear writing; an attention to reading; themes of memory and childhood; making us read closely and carefully. |
| Get to read different literature that we may not be exposed to in other courses. We enjoy the workload as it is quite manageable, and we enjoy the flexibility. |
The length of the blog posts: sometimes want to write more or less than the word limit. | In fact, you’re not penalized for going over the word limit in your blog posts. As for writing less… I think it’s an important challenge to be able to say at least 400-words’ worth of commentary/reaction on any text. | |
| Song before class (kind of brings me joy). Blogs and the contract: kind of a self-assessment. |
Heavy readings: sad, depressing sometimes, not what I expected. | Some of the readings in the second half of the course may be less “heavy”? But these are all texts that in one way or another try to approach serious themes, yes. | |
| Engaging and inclusive class (insightful group discussions). | Books are too long. Turn up the music volume. |
See above: There’s quite a range in length, and you get to choose which you read. But in fact they do tend (deliberately so) to be on the shorter side. And usually I turn up the music as high as it can go! |
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| The flexibility is awesome!!! Good variety of books and nice that we can choose our books. |
The blog posts sometimes feel too long: we find ourselves forcing ourselves to write meaningless extra pieces to get to the world count: 300 words might be better. Clarification on concessional warnings would be useful. |
See above: As for writing less… I think it’s an important challenge to be able to say at least 400-words’ worth of commentary/reaction on any text. On requirements/concessions: we try to be as transparent as possible, but sometimes are still figuring things out as to how they play out in a contract system. |
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| Exposure to books we wouldn’t normally choose. “Choose your course load,” we love it! |
We would like more assortment when it comes to themes. | I think you’ll find that new themes emerge in the second half of the semester. But also that there are a variety of themes and ideas in all of the texts. | |
| What you get out of the course is based on your responsibility, which we like. | We wish we read books with more happier circumstances and at least one more modern book. We wish we got more historical context about the circumstances present in the book: e.g. more context about the Spanish Civil War. |
See above: Some of the readings in the second half of the course may be less “heavy”? But these are all texts that in one way or another try to approach serious themes, yes. We are also going in chronological order, so the books are more “modern” in the second half of the course. My view on context is that it can be over-rated. Though I try to give as much context is necessary, it’s no substitute for engaging with the text itself. |
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| Flexible. Good book choice. | Not enough time to read books closely. | I’m not sure if you mean time in class, or time more generally. If the latter, that’s in part in your hands (depending on your contract, and how many books you have chosen to read). If the latter, see above: Note that as well as class discussions there are the lectures, to add to your understanding of the books! But yes, in some ways this is a course that stresses quantity and breadth, but I think there are good reasons for that. | |
| Choose your own grade and work towards it. Choose your own books. Flexibility and freedom. Generality of the prompts in class. |
The comments structure. No conversation or discussion. Repetition of growing up / gender books. |
I very much encourage people to respond to comments on their blog posts (but can’t really force them to do so). I think that you will find increasing range of topics and themes in the second half of the course (though, yes, gender remains important throughout… and I do think it’s important!). |
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| Flexibility of the course. Engagement in class. | Some texts are long and lengthy. More diverse novels (many books are similar in theme). |
On length and diversity of books, see responses above. But also remember that you get a choice, and get to pick both which weeks you read (beyond the obligatory weeks), and which text you read on those weeks. | |
| Chatty/discussion. Very flexible. Creative outlet. Music. |
Don’t get to see the same people each class. Calvino book too long. |
The changing mix of people in specific classes is, I think, both a weakness and a strength, but for better or worse is an inevitable consequence of giving you guys so much choice. As for the length of the books, see comments above… and remember that you chose Calvino, for instance (and that the alternative, Lispector’s book, is only 70 pages long). |
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| We like the structure of the course, being able to choose our own grade, the autonomy, and knowing what our grade is going to be throughout the course. One of us enjoys the content. I enjoy how much all of the books have to say and how relevant the themes are today. |
How easy it is to break the contract is stressful. How it’s not on Canvas, no digital to do list/reminders. |
I’m sorry you find the contract stressful. Most people find it reduces stress. There are many reasons why I choose not to use Canvas, but note that a digital to do list or reminders wouldn’t be possible, as everyone is doing different things… it all depends on what/when you have chosen to read. Hence (again) for better or worse this is another example of your own autonomy and taking responsibility for your learning. |
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| We like that this course is very flexible in terms of the workload. We also like how instead of lectures we have discussions, and we really appreciate the music. We like that we can be unhinged in the blogs as well as during the discussions. We like that there is a drink per week that relates to the novel. |
We don’t like the building (Maths Annex). | I don’t like the building, either! | |
| Class interactions. We have the freedom of choice over the course. | Some of the readings sometimes are heavy, and the bookstore doesn’t have the books. Drinks suggestions can also be non-alcoholic, for students who don’t drink, they can drink along with you. Could provide PDFs for all the books on the website. |
See above on heavy readings: Some of the readings in the second half of the course may be less “heavy”? But these are all texts that in one way or another try to approach serious themes, yes. I think there are two (perhaps three?) texts that the bookstore couldn’t get, but we made available PDFs for those, as well as for many others. But again, we still strongly recommend you get hold of physical copies where possible. There are many non-alcoholic drink pairings! (E.g. tea for Proust, water for Laforet, chicha morada for Arguedas, and others coming up.) |
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| Format is flexible. Lectures add fun and joyful. |
Some of the books are a bit slow and long, i.e. Combray. | See above on length: There’s quite a range in length, and you get to choose which you read. But in fact they do tend (deliberately so) to be on the shorter side. Also see above on Proust: I know it’s a tough text, but I think it brings up some useful themes and ideas that continue on for the rest of the semester: non-linear writing; an attention to reading; themes of memory and childhood; making us read closely and carefully. But beyond that, remember that you have plenty of choice as to what you read! |
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| We like the flexible schedule where you can choose to come either on Wednesday or Friday. We like how we choose the book we want to read, good diversity for options. |
One week isn’t very long to read a book and take your time. | On the time to read a book, see above: that’s in part in your hands (depending on your contract, and how many books you have chosen to read). If you have chosen to read fewer books, then you can take more time. | |
| Blog posts. Music in beginning of class. We can comment on people’s blogs. |
Calling on students! | This is a participatory class, and I will call on students, especially to summarize the results of group discussion. But everything is also designed to make participation possible, easy, and productive: the flipped classroom, the blog posts before. | |
| Straightforward, flexible, many choices (we can decide our own). Flipped classroom very good. Discussion good. |
Get separated, sometimes less classmates to discuss. A bit dry lecture video. |
See above: The changing mix of people in specific classes is, I think, both a weakness and a strength, but for better or worse is an inevitable consequence of giving you guys so much choice. I do my best with the lecture videos, but it’s true that I’m more animated in class… so you get both styles! |
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| The book selection is diverse. The contract we love. You get the grade you want. |
Compulsory books: Proust. | I think it’s important to make some books compulsory, and that there are some that everyone has read. Specifically on Proust, see above: I know it’s a tough text, but I think it brings up some useful themes and ideas that continue on for the rest of the semester: non-linear writing; an attention to reading; themes of memory and childhood; making us read closely and carefully. |
