Ronna Johnson - Tufts University, Medford, MA

Professor: Ronna Johnson

Department: English

College: Tufts University, Medford, MA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ENG59
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

She's awesome -- as an English have taken classes with everyone, she's the best.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ENG64
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Johnson is a nice person, but a mediocre professor. The lectures only focus on her own interpretation of a novel, which doesn't let students to analyze on their own. Her prompts are also VERY vague and she doesn't give you the grading criteria. Instead of helping you write/giving feedback on drafts, she sends you to ARC, which is unhelpful!

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: AMER172
• 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 can't say enough good things about Professor Johnson. I have learned so much from her about how to read, write, and think. She is opinionated, incredibly intelligent, and super funny. I loved the course selection and recommend her to anyone who wants to take a seminar. I'm taking another class with her next semester and I can't wait!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ENG92
• 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 her!

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ENG92
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Ronna is the best professor I've had at Tufts. (4 classes with her) She is relatable and fills her curriculum with interesting and relevant information. Her classes and comments on papers are clear and helpful. Her post-modern fiction classes and feminism lit class are particularly good. She is liberal and opinionated. Very intelligent and fun.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ENG0063
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Prof. Johnson is an outstanding English professor. She is approachable, hilarious and incredibly intelligent. She has an immense amount of passion for what she teaches, and that rubs off. While some may find her class disorganized, she is very easy to follow if you read the books and participate/attend class. AmFic 1900-1950 was great

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ENG0063
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Definitely need to go to class for the notes, but don't necessarily need to read the books. Her ideas are novel, and she's open to discussing new interpretations of the text. I could listen to her wax poetic for hours. Totally understands what it's like to be a student, so her stuff's not overwhelming. Generally 3 essays, midterm and a final

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: AMER194
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I took American 60s Art and Culture with Professor Johnson. She is extremely knowledgeable, has a great sense of humor, and makes discussions very interesting. I would gladly take another class with her! She is a hard essay grader, though!

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ENG83
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Johnson was very thought provoking. Yes, she is liberal, but it's not in a vacuum. What she's teaching about (women's rights) tend to be mostly a liberally backed issue. I took her On the Road course, which had great books and great conversation. Meet with her before doing a paper because she can help you get to the point faster.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENG63
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Excellent books, for each of which she has a single central point which is pretty easy to grasp. You can do well in her class by regurgitating her ideas. Because of her unilateral readings class was dull except when she decided to rip into some poor student who had the gall to say something. Also very rude in email, which was weird and unexpected.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ENG0063
• 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:

BEST PROFESSOR EVER. I took both of her American Fiction courses. She's spunky but extremely intelligent. Her classes are enjoyable and she isn't a tough grader if you take her class seriously and make an effort to speak out during discussions.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ENG63
• 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:

Ronna is not a bad professor. The books that we read in this class are generally excellent and she does a good job at explaining them. She is strange and extremely liberal, but I didn't feel that she wasn't approachable. I found the class a little frustrating because there were so few grades, but the structure of the class was consistent.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ENG63
• 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:

She's interesting to listen to, has good insights, chooses good novels. But i felt the class was unfocused. There were a few odd concepts she held onto, but I don't feel I really got a thorough understanding of the period, and when it came to the final, I felt pretty underprepared. Plus, she hated when people asked her questions about it!

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ENG63
• 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:

Ronna is a great English professor. We go through books quickly but the discussions are often thorough and involve lots of student participation. She's funny and cool but I could imagine that more sensitive students might find her a little abrasive. Great if you're not afraid to here some strong views, but she's always tolerant of opposition.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENG63
• 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:

Prof. Johnson is awesome! I took PoMo Lit and loved coming to class every week. Although the lecture was large, Ronna made it feel like a book club, constantly seeking input from students and fostering a conversation that was always upbeat and interesting. Besides her teaching ability, Ronna is an eccentric, funny woman who keeps class lively.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: WS72
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

She is absolutely the worst professor (and and a person) at Tufts. I have to give it to her for having so much passion for feminism, but she is very biased and irrational. She reads into everything too much, and she is closed from alternate views (not to mention very critical of them). She is oddly harsh about extensions and is VERY rude about it.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: AMER01
• 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:

I have no idea where these negative comments are coming from. Ronna is, without a doubt, my favorite professor at Tufts. She has a fantastically sarcastic sense of humor, which makes class fun. She puts a lot of thought into course material & debunks it very well. Her writing standards are fairly high but I became a better writer. Takes liberal POV

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ENG91
• 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:

Beat Lit was AMAZING with Ronna. The woman knew these writers, hung out with them, and really understands the whole culture and essence of "beat". If you have any interest, I strongly recommend, as she's both highly knowledgeable and insightful on the subject. Not to be missed.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ENG64
• 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:

interesting class, though the prof is a bit eccentric. readings are fairly interesting, prepare to read a book a week. only one paper, and the midterm was pretty straightforward. overall, a pretty laidback interesting class with a character of a prof

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: AMER83
• 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:

LOVED her class. very approachable, kind of eccentric but definitely a person worth knowing