Alan Ackerman - University of Toronto - St. George Campus

Professor: Alan Ackerman
Department: Literature
College: University of Toronto - St. George Campus
Rating # 1
Overview:
  • Course: ENG250
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 5.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
I echo what the person below me said. This guy simply does not know how to teach. His lectures are so disorganized and you get nothing out of them. He is condescending and dismissive as well. Overall, just an atrocious prof.
Rating # 2
Overview:
  • Course: ENG250
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 5.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
An hour in his lecture feels like 5 hours, and they are so disorganized that it's nearly impossible to take notes effectively. He simply doesn't know how to teach.
Rating # 3
Overview:
  • Course: ENG250
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 4.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Ackerman provided really easy to follow and thorough lectures that were interesting and didn't just simply go over discussing every part of a text (that was done in tutorial, which was nice because it is smaller), he grouped together similar readings and historical points that provide context for the text.
Rating # 4
Overview:
  • Course: ENG250
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
The course was about American literature, but the lectures focused almost entirely on American history and very little on the texts. The choice of books was also more in regards to history; only a few were chosen because they have literary value.
Rating # 5
Overview:
  • Course: ENG250
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 5.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
Professor Ackerman is great. His lectures can seem convoluted, but that's only because they deal with complicated and interesting ideas. He connects texts' well, but to do well you should attend lectures, as topics/quotes from the essays are directly mentioned. Always friendly, always has office hours. Smart and passionate man.
Rating # 6
Overview:
  • Course: ENG250
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
The syllabus was great! The course was heavier in terms of reading apart from assignments. Assignments for this year included a close-reading, midterm exam, final essay and final exam. His lectures are very history based which I personally didn't find useful at all. However, he does reiterate important themes and concepts for the exam.
Rating # 7
Overview:
  • Course: ENG250
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 4.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
The readings were HEAVY and the lectures were not the most exciting but I did like this course. His lectures are history based so it may seem confusing but he reiterates a lot of important themes and topics for exams. Workload in terms of assignments is low, but attending lectures & tutorials were really useful. I definitely recommend his class.
Rating # 8
Overview:
  • Course: ENG250
  • Grade Received: A-
  • Overall Rating: 4.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
The lectures were fun and easy to follow. He had interesting insights about the books that I really enjoyed listening to. Best English class I've taken so far.
Rating # 9
Overview:
  • Course: ENG250Y1Y
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
Terrible lecturer and dreadfully boring. His lectures are incoherent and is essentially 2 hours of rambling. About 15% of what he says is useful information in relation to the novels he assigns. You essentially can pass the course by reading the novels and making your own interpretations.
Rating # 10
Overview:
  • Course: ENG250
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
Lots of people don't like him because his lectures can be confusing. He clearly likes to hear himself talk, but all his commentary is useful and often profound if you can piece it together. The connections he draws are also super helpful for exam and midterm.
Rating # 11
Overview:
  • Course: ENG250
  • Grade Received: B-
  • Overall Rating: 3.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
Lots of reading material but the books were excellent - my fave part. He is a good prof and he knows his material. Always relates other books to each other, which is great for the midterm and final. He likes to talk... rambles quite a bit, but he is passionate about literature. Uses PowerPoint A LOT to cite passages from books.
Rating # 12
Overview:
  • Course: ENG250
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 1.5
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
His lectures are unclear, hard to follow, and verbose. If you have any concerns of accessibility, good luck because he will NOT help you, and he will condescend.
Rating # 13
Overview:
  • Course: DRM100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 1.5
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Very confusing. Goes on lots of rants that don't have to do with the topic and then expects you to know material he never got around to covering. Not supportive of individual interpretation or differing opinions. Expects you to repeat what he says. The worst grade I got in 3 years of university was in this class and material-wise it should be easy.
Rating # 14
Overview:
  • Course: ENG340
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Ackerman is a very passionate prof, but he really expects you to regurgitate what he has to say. His tests are aimed to trick you; in a third year level English course, you should be evaluated more on essays, not on your ability to memorize and identify passages. I've taken multiple courses with him. Be careful before you take any of his classes.
Rating # 15
Overview:
  • Course: DRM100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Just terrible at communicating. He rambles from point to point without making a clear argument so your notes wind up like "A ghost is the ultimate symbol of crossing boundaries. How do you represent the invisible when the theatre is a place of seeing? Hamlet deals with the issues of self." He's like if Tobias Fünke was a professor.
Rating # 16
Overview:
  • Course: ENG250
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 1.5
  • Course Difficulty: 5.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
The syllabus is great. I went into every lecture with high expectations, but his are ideas are too convoluted. He offers plenty of subjective interpretation, sprinkled with ~5 mins of facts. Although I do enjoy hearing his interpretation, I find he often misses the mark. (Relating Huck Finn to existentialism?!) I learned more during tutorials.
Rating # 17
Overview:
  • Course: ENG240
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 3.5
  • Course Difficulty: 2.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
He talks a lot without saying much at all. He usually emphasizes one key point and the rest of the lecture is all fluff. With that being said, he tends to say one thing and then meander off topic halfway through his sentence. It's easier to just listen than to take notes. His book list for American Lit is fantastic - full of easy, quick reads.
Rating # 18
Overview:
  • Course: DRM100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 1.5
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
I didn't mind Ackerman at first; he is at least enthusiastic about his subject. However, by the end of the year he came off as so arrogant and unapproachable. The reading list was fantastic, but lectures were disorganized, his points were unclear and scattered, and the outline for the assignment was disorganized. Wouldn't take the course again.
Rating # 19
Overview:
  • Course: ENG250
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
A terrible professor. Loves the material (especially Huck Finn), but comes across as arrogant and incomprehensible. Lectures are repetitive and hard to follow, assignment guidelines aren't laid out clearly, and the reading list is far too heavy for a 200 lvl course. If you have any accessibility issues at all be warned, he is a condescending ass.
Rating # 20
Overview:
  • Course: ENG250
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 3.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Professor Ackerman is passionate and knowledgeable about the material but it is incredibly difficult to follow his lectures. The assignment marks were too low. It is impossible to get an A.
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