Stephen Scully - Boston University, Boston, MA

Professor: Stephen Scully

Department: Humanities

College: Boston University, Boston, MA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CL161
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Scully really knows how to make a language dull and uninspiring. He reduced Greek to memorizing meaningless, repetitive forms and did not emphasize how to make good, logical translations from Greek to English and vice versa. When it came to actually translating Greek, the whole class struggled.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: HC301
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

A good teacher, very smart yet personable. Enthusiastic about both his subject and teaching. The material is interesting, and the papers were not too bad, though having three in five weeks was a lot.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CL213
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I LOVED THIS CLASS!! I am not at all a classics major, but Scully is adorable, and really helpful if you go visit him during office hours. The material is interesting, the essay isn't that difficult (you get to pick your topic), and the exam is pretty straight forward...he even gives you a pretty good idea about what the exam question will be

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CL224
• 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 class is definitely for classics majors. DO NOT TAKE FOR A LIBERAL ARTS REQUIREMENT! His senility definitely showed when he would go on tangents and ramble instead of talking about the subject. He is a VERY tough grader on papers. I never went to office hours, because based on how he spoke in class, I probably wouldn't understand him anyway.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CL161
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Scully is an encyclopedia of Classical Greek knowledge. I found his tangents about Greek history and linguistics very interesting. I think for an intro greek class however he would have done better to have us just drill fundamentals more. However, I loved his class and recognized that if you want to learn a classical greek it is going to be hard

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CL324
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Overall, worth it. Class discussion was really interesting. Read the plays!! As for papers--I really learned to write focusing on the text. Quizzes were unnecessarily hard. Passage identification. At first I thought I was the only one failing them until I talked to everyone else in the class and even the classics majors thought they were unfair.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CL112
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Prof. Scully is the most encouraging teacher. He is obviously very knowledgeable but also genuinely wants YOU to learn and enjoy the subject. Latin is hard, but he makes it much better!

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CL111
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Extremely knowledgeable. Helpful and clear when explaining language. Systematic. The material is difficult, but he does everything he can to make it easier. Definitely see him during office hours if you need help. He is sincere and encouraging.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CL324
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The tragic Greeks... Scully is god -- infinitely knowledgable, infinitely kind, infinitely nice to talk to. We are SOOO glad to have him heading the Classics department! Take any class taught by Scully! The only tragedy is that I cannot take third semester Greek with him...

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CC101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Good prof Could have added more insight to texts as he was very knowlegable of all. Paper topics were largely unfocused. I think Scully's discussion section should have been more structured. I transferred to SJC in part because of my experiences with BU's Core Program, which is great, but a good discussion section def makes the experience better

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CL324
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Good god, did we all have the same professor? Scully is easily the worst professor i've had at BU...he rambles endlessly and pointnessly, seems to have no lesson plan at all..always late to class and holds us late.He is easy, but I sit in class and just want to die, and I'M A CLASSICS MAJOR! I love this stuff! I love greek drama, and he ruins it.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CL101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

The BEST professor I've had at BU thus far. Scully is amazing in the classroom-very energetic and open to discussions. Notes are key to doing well, b/c that's what he bases exams/quizzes on. There is a lot of reading, but it's all relevant and interesting, plus he goes over the important things in class.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CL101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Scully is very passionate with what he teaches. He tries to make the class interesting, but the topic isn't interesting at all. The exams are too long. We cover and read so much in class and we are tested on so little.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CL101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

WONDERFUL TEACHER. He's passionate about what he teaches. To do well, you can't miss lectures. The quizzes are fairly easy, but the tests are detailed and difficult. As said previously, you'll be speaking either Greek or Latin by the end of his class.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CL326
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

really cool guy, very devoted to what he teaches. i'm really enjoying his class.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CL326
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

the guy is great. sure, the lecture randomly jumps, but its really funny when he disagrees with someones opinion and then just says, "NO, NO, YOU'RE WRONG, I CAN SEE IT THAT WAY, BUT NO!" I should also mention the class is easy.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CL101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

DO NOT take this class. Trust me...you will spend the class (which always runs long since the guy just rambles on and on) watching dry paint dry. Following the man's lecture is like going on a scavenger hunt with Hunter Thompson. I've had less painful root canals. If Greek Civ is your major, switch.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CL326
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Scully's insane. Knows everything Greek very well, but his lectures are hard to follow because he's very sporadic & unorganized. Class is fine, if not pretty damn easy (Anc. Epic) - he's an easy & fair grader. Very strange but nice man.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CC101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Great guy, very intelligent and articulate, especially for a freshman professor. Can be tough at times, but totally worth it considering how much you learn.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CC101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Not an easy prof. Weekly papers on sometimes difficult/narrow topics. Understanding with deadlines. Grades fairly and knows the topic incredibly well (hes even mentioned in the footnote of texts read), approachable and easy going, very interesting to talk to and willing to take the time to help you.