Susan Donaldson - College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA

Professor: Susan Donaldson

Department: English

College: College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ENGL364
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Easy & fun. You turn in an introductory paragraph before each paper, so you know if you're on the right track before you start, and redo each paper for the best grade. Take-home final. You technically only have to read the books you decide to write about, but Donaldson's clear & engaging lectures make you want to read. Great feminist perspectives!

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ENG364
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

far & away the best english professor at w&m. her lectures are always insightful and lively, the assigned readings are consistently interesting, and she's always willing to help with papers. extremely kind and really cares about her students. take every class you can with her!!!

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: AMST150W
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Reasonable amount of work for a freshman seminar. She was helpful throughout the writing process and if I listened to her feedback, I did well. You can skim sparknotes for the discussions. She's ALWAYS late which pissed me off. Was not expecting the final grade I got. All those check pluses and you hit me with that B+? Nah boo

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: AMST210
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Love this professor as a person, but would not take utopias again. It was a decent class, but readings were monotonous, and it was really just something that should have been a 50 minute class. Lectures were long and hard to follow, and nobody tried.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: AMST210
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

If you think you know what utopia means, don't take this class - all it'll do is confuse. Suzie is clearly intelligent, kind, and caring, but her lectures are monotonous, rambling, and disconnected. Nobody reads so discussion is painful. However if you manage to read and have your papers reviewed you'll do well. I didn't, but still floated on OK.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ENGL364
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

While some of her lectures can be dry, her lectures on William Faulkner are the most thought-provoking and enjoyable. Overall, Prof Donaldson is kind and understanding and is willing to give you extensions should you need it. She is always available to meet with you at any stage of your writing process when you are writing an essay. Recommended!

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ENGL364
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Great professor. Unlike others who expect re-write quality material without giving you the opportunity, Donaldson has a great method of breaking down the writing process that's helpful in any class. My only critique is that she sometimes seemed to focus so much on the historical context of the works that we didn't focus as much on the content.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ENG419
• 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:

Incredible professor. Her class on Faulkner will forever be my favorite class of my undergraduate career. Anyone and everyone should take a class with this professor.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ENGL417
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

love this professor

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENG419
• 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:

I LOVE DONALDSON. By all means, if you have the opportunity, take a class with her. She's incredibly knowledgeable, insightful, and a fantastic professor. She is more than willing to meet with students about papers and is always encouraging new and different ideas. My favorite professor at the College by far.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ENGL364
• 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:

Good class! She happens to be an american lit expert so lecture was really thoughtful and interesting (especially on Faulkner). Only low point was the group project. Attend lecture and see her about your papers BEFORE you turn them in. Take home final, no midterm, and she allows rewrites. Easy but rewarding class.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ENG364
• 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:

Great lecturer and discussion leader. VERY intelligent. She will improve your writing considerably.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ENGL419
• 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:

Prof. Donaldson was one of my favorite professors of all time. I loved her Faulkner class - she was always extremely enthusiastic about the material, and it was obvious that she really knew the subject. There was a lot of reading, but it was all interesting, and the many response papers were actually helpful in the end.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ENGL419
• 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:

Fantastic lectures with lots of energy every day. Always enthusiastic and very encouraging to students. Very eager to help in & outside of class. A tough grader, though, and the reading list is considerable. Highly recommended if you like the subject matter.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENG364
• 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:

She is highly perceptive with terrific insight on the works studied. Her lectures are profound. However, she tends to have demanding expectations on students' papers. It's a hit or a miss. Getting high remarks in the class is very challenging. The workload isn't terrible, but she's an unfair grader with unreachable standards.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ENGL414
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

i was excited about course material, discussions were fun. but she is VERY vague about grading criteria for papers. worse still, she offers conference sessions and feedback on drafts, but may punish you for following through on her advice! i wish she would stop and figure out what she wants instead of misguiding those willing to learn.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ENG150W
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I had Prof. Donaldson for my freshman seminar and at first I was incredibly intimidated by the work load and her high expectations. By the end of the semester, my writing improved immensely. She will challenge you to work hard and up to your potential, but she is also ALWAYS available for help because she is really big on rewriting.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ENGLISH
• 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:

I have had the pleasure of being in a couple of Prof. Donaldson's classes...although I can see how someone might not have the best experience with her. There is a lot of readion, but you will be surprised at how much you will learn (and retain) while sprinting at her pace. She is immensely helpful in coferences about papers. TAKE HER CLASSES!

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ENG364
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Helpful and intelligent. An easy class with good discussion.

Rating # 20

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Seemed stuffy and like she looked down on students, strict grader