David Gewanter - Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Professor: David Gewanter

Department: English

College: Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: WRIT015
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Only 4 essays during the semester, leaves alot of space for writting about what you want, but this can be harder at times.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ENGL280
• 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:

Engaging, entertaining professor, but not the most helpful. A tough grader, he focuses creative assignments around revision, often based on his vague feedback. Gives a lot of analytical assignments on books you barely discuss. Don't always expect him to reply to your emails. I enjoyed the class but would've preferred less analysismore feedback.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ENGL324
• 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:

A very entertaining and interesting man, but an extremely unhelpful teacher. Creative assignments are unfocused, and feedback is a very vague paragraph via email. It's very hard to know how to improve the piece and figure out what he's looking for. I've taken a lot of creative writing courses and recommend looking elsewhere.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: INTROCRWR
• 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:

Funny guy but rather tough and subjective grader. Daily analytical pieces were a pain but ultimately helped my writing greatly. Creative writing projects were fun but feedback was occasionally too vague to be helpful. Glad I took the class overall :)

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: GTWYMDRN
• 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:

Not an easy A, but not as much work and readng that you would get in other English classes. He has funny jokes and stories, he is incredibly smart....do agree that he is awful with answering emails and responses on work are very vague and not very helpful. I would recommend him.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ENGL324
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I disagree with most comments on here-but really agree with some. His comments on drafts are pretty vague, and he's not great at responding to emails. We did a TON of short critical pieces that actually did help my writing-creative and critical. A different approach to cw than i've seen, but I enjoyed it. Class is never boring. David is hysterical.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ENGL043
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

A bit eccentric and his comments on your papers as well as his prompts are very vague. Lots and lots of writing. He is pretty funny and entertaining though. Not that easy but not too bad.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ENGL375
• 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:

I took Intro to Creative Writing with Gewanter. He's pretty much the best. If you're looking for someone who'll tell you what to do, don't take this class. Basically, you have space to create and an expert to consult. This is what creative writing should be. Don't take this class for an easy A.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ENGL324
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Got an okay grade, but it was a complete waste of time. Will not help you at all with craft and won't improve your creative writing. Sounds like he's an okay academic writing teacher, but perhaps you can get someone else to teach creative writing if you're at all serious about it and don't want to waste time on a joke of a creative writing class.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENG324
• 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:

Gewanter is funny, but this is not a good creative writing class (an introductory one at that!) There are no writing exercises in class. Most of your homework is reading responses- the link between the readings and writing techniques is a mystery. He is an extremely harsh grader, beware, and is pretty unhelpful in his comments.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: HMW011
• 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:

gewanter is a nice guy who is willing to help if you have questions but i found his class to be very frustrating. he always wants you to "push further" in your writing no matter what.good class for someone who is interested in writing he will make you work and will improve your skills. 4 big papers and lots of short writing assignments. not easy A

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: HUMW011
• 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:

He's witty, engaging, VERY helpful, willing to discuss problems outside class and stuff. You're allowed rewrites for all papers; he also brought popcorn for a movie. However, the work assigned was tedious, and I didn't understand the grading. But then this was the only class I didn't get an A my 1st semester, so I may just be bitter.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ENG040
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Great professor, very interesting, witty. You end up doing a good amount of writing and don't really get it back with comments and such, but he's reading it. He is a poet too.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: MODPOSTMOD
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

I was really excited to take a class that'd devlp my writing, but the assignments were frivolous and unhelpful--lots of 1 pg reactions to readings. Also he revealed towards the end of class that he never had a lesson plan, which explained a lot. Classes were disorganized and pointless, very little accomplished in them, even if he's VERY easy & nice

Rating # 15

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

David is a fantastic prof and helped me a ton with my writing skills. Don't take him seriously - a huge joker, very random, and goes off on tangents all the time. Very much like Seinfeld. Sometimes it's hard to know what he wants, but talk to him and he'll help. If you get past his quirkiness and want to improve your writing, this is the class.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ENG042
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Extremely entertaining man who will teach you absolutely nothing. Bears a disturbing resemblance to Jerry Seinfeld. Wrote countlesss busy-work papers that were never graded. His feedback on writing was both rare and useless. Fun easyish class that was ultimately a waste of time.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ENG101
• 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:

David is the man. My writing improved immensely over the course. The books aren’t that exciting, and the papers are very tough, but looking bad on the class, David helped my writing so much. Don’t take this class if you are looking for an easy A. David will work you hard, but it will be worth it.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: HUMW022
• 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:

I had him for the writing seminar and he improved my writing 1000%. He's a tough grader, so don't take the class for an easy 'A' because you'll be disappointed. He's a very sophisticated writer though, work hard and your writing will be the better for it. Very funny, doesn't take himself seriously. An enjoyable class.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ENG101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

A communist hippie. So-so professor.

Rating # 20

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Nice, very respectful of student work, and a funny guy. Doesn't take himself that seriously, which is refreshing. And he's HOT in that rumpled healthy older man sort of way.