Aritha Van Herk - University of Calgary, Calgary, AB

Professor: Aritha Van Herk

Department: English

College: University of Calgary, Calgary, AB

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ENG335
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Her book choices are very strange and hard to talk about. Her first year class with the TA was amazing because they lead most of the class but for this class, she is teaching it alone and I am not a fan. Her descriptions of assignments are vague and confusing. I would not take her class again without a TA.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ENG335
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Loved this class!

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ENGL265
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

She is a brilliant writer that forces her students to grow. Her imaginative way of teaching creative writing is unprecedented in the university courses I've taken. She is the reason I'm in an English degree.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ENGL335
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I keep hoping she'll retire so we can get an interesting creative writing professor in her place.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ENGL265
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I was not especially impressed with her teaching method. She mentions how she has her own wikipedia page almost every lecture and is very pretentious and talks down to her students. She also does not allow "genre fiction" in her supposed creative writing class. I also didn't really learn much from her aside from avoiding cliches and abstractions.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ENGL265
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Aritha's clout precedes her, but she still cares about her students and brings in guest lecturers to add breadth. The CW requirements were substantial, but the workshop experience was great and through the completion of the course you will have an entire portfolio of revised material for further CW courses. Many hours well spent; enjoyable!

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ENGL265
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Fist lecture of the course Aritha WILL scare you, as she discusses that you can't write about certain topics that are common. But the assignments criteria steers you in the right direction. TA's do most of the work grading all assignments except the final portfolio worth 40%. Get tons of feedback from your TA's, they will help you tremendously!

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ENGL265
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I loved this class! Aretha is a super good prof, she is intimidating first lecture and kinda tries to scare you, but I enjoyed this class so much (you have to really like writing and be ready to participate in seminars though!) Tons of fun and Aritha only marks your last assignment your TA marks the rest

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ENGL496
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Aritha is the most influential, passionate and competent professor I have ever had. You're lucky to have her. She pushes you hard but only to make you better. She wants you to succeed but you have to earn it. She is absolutely bad-ass and wonderful. She will help you grow.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENGL509
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Aritha is the best Professor I've ever had. She is simply this: brilliant. If you want to learn how to write, and if you want to learn how to better explore and understand literature--take her classes. She's amazing.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ENGL366
• 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:

Great professor. A bit intimidating at first, but after a few classes you will love her. She marks... not hard... but honestly. And she will make you a better writer. She may also come across as hard to approach, but really is a very warm person who wants everyone to do as well as they can. I would recommend this class to everybody, writer or not.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ENG366
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Aretha is alternatively scathing, warm, dynamic, biting, and always honest. Not to mention, brilliant. I came away from her class looking at writing in a new way. Absolutely inspiring.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: FICT469
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Her tongue could cut the edge of a knife. Brilliant though, wouldn't have missed a day.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ENGL496
• 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've learned more from her in two years than in years of attending writing camps and workshops. She's tough, but not unnecessarily so. You might feel like crap after she critiques your story, but the comments will make your work better. She cares about improving your writing, and is a sensational editor. Banned words include like, it and whatever.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENGL366
• 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:

Aritha has the habit of thinking everything she says is clever, amusing, or insightful. But she's just pretentious, pedantic, and opinionated. She switched from being either antagonistic or cloying. Both her praise and criticism felt cheap ? they were tools that she used to bring a student in line with her understanding or writing.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CREATIVEWRITING
• 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:

She's herked her share of feelings. She babies the boys and is super harsh and tough on women. I recommend women take her classes, she knows her stuff, but expect to be herked. Men will just get their chauvanisms encouraged-- if you have none or think you can encourage a class climate of respect, good luck! She's the best editor in the department.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ENGLISH
• 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:

As a novelist, the literary hoax of the 20th century. Her lips are perpetually blue from the book a day that she reads. Never took a course from her but was subjected to her prose a time or two. She has a sharp eye and a ready smile for younger men I have noticed.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ENG498
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Evil yet irrestibly so. Like Eve's apple. If you want to learn anything about anything, you must learn from Van Herk. In Calgary, you're not a true emerging writer, unless you've been taught by Van Herk. She reads a novel a day. No joke. She's brilliant.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ENGL202
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

she yelled at me in first year because i asked if she had a stapler. and it was her fault i needed one. evil woman. talks about her porsche a lot.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ENGL
• 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:

Very strict, but still nice.