Mark Best - University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Professor: Mark Best

Department: Literature

College: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ENGFLM0540
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Hilarious dude, but crazy hard stuff. Learned SO much about film from him, gotta say this man opened a whole new world to me. Hard tests, a lot of writing and not a easy gen ed, but if you really wanna love film, this is your man. Embodiment of what a college professor should be.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: RELGST0115
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The class was wildly interesting, but it's entirely focused on the readings. If you do not actually read them, you will do poorly. (This is coming from someone who received a C). Mark was interesting to listen to and very passionate about the topic, but he is a very hard grader.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ENGLIT0637
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Best was awesome. I took the class with staff listed, and he ended up teaching it. So glad I took it. I never used to like English lit, but horror is the first genre I actually enjoyed because of this class. He gives weekly quizzes but if you read youll pass. Really good feedback on essays and you can revise. Hes also really nice. Take him.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ENGLIT0637
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

This class was very interesting, and Professor Best made each lecture engaging with the material taught. The novels were (for the most part) really interesting and fun to read. There are discussions each class, but participation does not count toward your grade. You have to write two papers and either a final essay or test. GREAT feedback.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: RELGST0115
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Nice professor, not a fan of the class. Weekly quizzes were a bit hard and detail oriented. A lot of reading from the Bible and assigned textbook. Lectures were very long-winded and there was never a time we got out early (it was a night class). Many people left early or fell asleep. Essays and quotes section on exams were hard. Not an easy class.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: RELGST0115
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

There's a quiz every week, and because it's on all the readings for that week (from the Bible and the textbook) plus lecture from the previous week, it's hard to feel prepared for it. Some questions are obvious, but you have to know everything. He's funny, and leaves time for a good discussion, but the quizzes are the worst part.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ENGFLM1688
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I took Marks class on Film Westerns. Great class, his lectures are entertaining, encourages participation and he is hilarious. Big fan and a great class to take if you are in the need of an elective.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ENGFLM0540
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Attendance is highly recommended since so much material is covered in a single class. While Mark's powerpoints are not interesting, the lectures aren't too bad. He does what he can to make the topics exciting with his fun attitude (and love of cats). Mark really knows what he teaches and I would definitely take another one of his classes.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ENGLIT1350
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I had Professor Best for Postmodern Lit and he was easily one of my favorite professors at Pitt. He gives weekly 5-point reading quizzes so make sure you keep up with the books, he drops your two lowest. Other than that we had two short papers (4-5 pages) and one long one for our final (8-10 pages). Easy grader, great lectures, definitely recommend

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENGFLM0540
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The best thing about Professor Best is that everything is crystal clear in his class. He implements a clear grading criteria, he's clear and effective in teaching during lectures, and he's very clear on what you need to gain from each film we watch and on what we need to know for each exam. Great guy. Really comfortable in lectures & funny too.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ENGFLM0400
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Mark is a really fair grader and definitely makes it possible to do well. There are 8 short papers but he'll only count 4 into your grade so you can replace low grades. The take home exams and essay are more work than I expected for a film class but he grades pretty easily. If you're willing to put in the work, Mark will help you out.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ENGFLM0400
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Interesting films and interesting discussion for class. Best is a super cool guy and has a dry sense of humor that's pretty cool. Very knowledgeable and passionate about film. Good grades are easy as long as you actually put forth effort to discuss the films.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ENGLIT0597
• 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:

Professor Best is a great teacher and really passionate about the subject. He is very knowledgable and teaches the material well. You have a lot of reading to do, and if you skip it your grade will suffer. He is funny too which can break up some dense subjects. Hint: find a bible audiobook on youtube and put it on 2x speed to power through readings

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ENGLIT0620
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Gave hilarious, memorable lectures. Took him for graphic novel and actually enjoyed writing the assignments. An interesting and fun class to take for a literature requirement.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: INTROPOPCULT
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Favorite professor at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the man.

Rating # 16

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Mark Best is the man

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ENGLIT0620
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Mark Best is one of the best professors here at Pitt, hands down. Class was easy but interesting (mandatory attendance but that's not a huge deal), and you practically had to put effort into getting anything lower than an A. Fantastic class, would absolutely recommend it.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ENGFLM0540104
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Doesn't use slides, has bad handwriting. exam is hard, not enough if you already read whole book!

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ENGLIT0597
• 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:

Great class, I would take more of his classes if I needed more electives. Like most classes, read the book do the reports and you will do fine.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: FILM530
• 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:

Essays and quizzes need to be taken seriously in order to do well. Tests were part take home and part in class, relatively easy if you've done readings and payed attention in class. Much more difficult than expected for a film course but I learned more about the film analysis process and how to interpret the director's ideas.