Jesse Swan - University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA

Professor: Jesse Swan

Department: English

College: University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: SHAKE1120
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Loved Swan's Shakespeare 1120 class. Such a great professor who is very passionate about what he teaches. Learned a lot and will definitely miss it---everyone should take a class with Swan for the awesome time it really was.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ENG2320
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I've had two of Dr. Swan's classes recently. Is he knowledgeable about his subject? Yes. However, his scoring requirements are ridiculous. (I spent hours writing 1,000 words to get 10 points.) He mostly lectures, and you'll struggle to understand what he's saying. If you can, don't take any of his classes.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: HUM1022
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I am a student who receives mostly A's in each of my classes, however this class with Swan was one of the hardest I have ever taken. Assigning 5-10 writing assignments a night at 800 words each is almost impossible to complete. He also does not grade based on the content of the paper, but solely the word count. Never take this class!!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: HUM1022
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

This online course has to be a joke. He assigns journals for his Humanities course. He requires them to be 800 words for full credit, but the prompts for the journals makes it impossible to reach that length. The second week of class he assigned 19 journals. 800 words is equivalent to a 4 paged double spaced paper, so that is equivalent to 76 pages

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ENGLISH2320
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Dr Swan is highly intelligent, and though I was intimidated at first, I am now in my fourth class with him. He has a very eccentric way about him, which I love! He does lecture until the very end, and if you don't read he has short end-of-class assignments that he has you write. Read as much as possible (sparknotes helps!) and don't skip class!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: HUM1022
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Most boring class ever. This is supposed to be a history class and all we talked about was framing and linear thinking. Grades hard on participation. Would not recommend.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: HUM1022
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Really don't understand why they have him teaching this class. It is a four week summer class and that is supposed to span from 1300 to 1879 after a week and a half we were still talking about framing and linear thinking. Professor talks down to students and will argue with students that have experience. Avoid at all costs.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: HUMIII
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

This class was by far the worst class I have ever taken. Avoid! The professor is a lazy pompous "intellectual" who is more concerned with POINTLESS assignments rather than teaching, there was nothing learned. He will assign up to FIVE 10,000 word papers a night. Professors like this are the embodiment of what is wrong with our educational system

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: SURVEYOFENG1
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Have you ever had a professor that lectures for an hour and fifteen minutes and you want to die? Not here, Dr. Swan takes literature and concepts and makes them interesting and easy to understand. He seems intimidating the first day, but he's really approachable if you need him. Grades papers for effort and length. Go long on everything for him! A+

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENG2320
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He was extremely helpful to me when I was struggling, He makes a serious effort to understand students' ideas. His communication style is strange, but he's saying reasonable things. He obviously cares a lot his subject and his students, and my understanding of literature and the way it was intended and interpreted in its time greatly improved.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ENGLISH2320
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He does not give clear instructions for papers and grades harshly for not meeting expectations. Make sure to talk over paper topics with him!

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: SHAKESPEARE
• 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:

I think every English major should have a classroom experience with Swan. My first class that I took with him, I found him very confusing and frustrating at times but once I got use to him some of the things he said started to make sense. Yes he is not a perfect teacher but this is college and you are expected to think for yourself.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: HUM1022
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

This teacher is crazy. To begin with, I am an honors student, and I am very open to learning a variety of subjects. I have never in my life hated a class so much. He has no idea what he is talking about! He uses completely inaccurate information, and he has no grasp of reality. I have learned absolutely nothing. Avoid like the plague.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ENGREN
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

To image Dr. Swan using a textbook is humorous, but first we must understand what one means by textbook. In this case, for this class, one might assume the writer was flippant with words and interpret textbook to mean "material assigned" and in that case, Dr. Swan would receive high marks. If you don't read the material, you will be lost.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENG620
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Incomprehensible is an understatment! I'm not saying he isn't intelligent or intellectual, but understanding his point of view is difficult. He strays from the text or rarely focuses on it and somehow goes on an existential tangent that gets incredibly ridiculous.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ENGL2340
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He rambles through the whole class. He tends to bring his "view" on religion and history into his rambles, and is actually factually incorrect a lot of the time. Don't try telling him that though because he will snap at you and tell you that you are wrong and others "just want you to believe that."

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ENG043
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

You really have to pay attention and go to every class. Dr. Swan focuses on the historical context and the biographies of the authors themselves. He is very tough, but I learned so much from him. If you don't like to write a lot then I wouldn't take him, but then why are you an English major?

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ENG201
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

What you learn will depend on how much you're paying attention. He'll go right over your head if you don't. One of the most insightful professors I've ever had, he teaches the philosophies of the times as well as their literature. He'll make you think of things you never would have considered. I'm taking him again next semester.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ALL6
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Swan is the best prof you can have! He knows his stuff and teaches you to "think" as well as what is on the syllabus! Love this prof!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: DRAMA113
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Swan is both interesting and brilliant. He wants students to think on their own. If you can't do that, if you just want an easy A, what are you doing in the English department?