Russell Burrows - Weber State University, Ogden, UT

Professor: Russell Burrows

Department: English

College: Weber State University, Ogden, UT

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ENG2220
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This class took up a lot of my time, which was frustrating. I would definitely recommend doing all the assigned readings because he does quiz you on them IN DETAIL. You get to read a lot of really amazing books in this class. Some of the short stories are really inappropriate. He forces participation and he is a bit condescending.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ENGL3500
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Burrows made me grow as a writer. He gave great feedback and was willing to let anyone in the class redo assignments or papers. He gave us lots of practice with creating different theses based off of each play we read. His assignments were easy to understand, but harder to do in practice. His words are well crafted in writing and speaking.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ENG2200
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Crappy teacher, do yourself a favor and don't take a class by him.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ENG3040
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He's nice to listen to. Just go to class and skim read. You just need to know Spark Notes summary of the books and read the online assignments because they're not too long, and the specifics matter on pop quizzes. He doesn't take attendance, but he will notice if you're not there. I thought he was funny and charming. Gives great paper feedback.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ENG6010
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

We did a ton of reading and papers, but it turns out he only grades you on the long paper and final exam at the end of the class. The exam is ridiculous--full of obscure references from books and readings. You could do all of the readings and papers and still not pass the final.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ENG4550
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Meh. Wouldn't go out of my way to take a class from him but wouldn't go out of my way to avoid it either. There is lots of reading, but it isn't horrible because of the excellent choice of books. He only grades you on a paper, a (take home) final, and quizzes. I don't think he graded them too hard though. Get ready to listen to listen to him ramble

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ENG3510
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

No grading criteria for papers. You will write two 8-12 pages papers. You will read over 2000 pages. Like 8 different books. He gives the best feed back on your papers. His ego gets in the way sometimes. He'll ask you to analyze readings and when you do he'll tell you your answer is wrong 99.9% of the time. Gets off topic every class.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ENGL4520
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The professor is fairly unorganized and his syllabus isn't specific enough to really tell you what's going on. He isn't the biggest fan of most literary theories so avoid those. He wants discourse but due to his distaste of theory it's rather difficult to discourse cause you'll have to guess what he wants to hear.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ENG4520
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I appreciate Professor Burrows as a person, but I'll be avoiding future classes from him. He has very interesting things to say and I enjoy his lectures, but they rarely have anything to do with the topic at hand. Lots of required reading but only about 1/6 of it is covered in class- don't be afraid to skip something if you don't have the time.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENG4520
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

If you are not taking any other classes, this class is for you. The romantic lack of structure is fine if you don't need to maintain a productive schedule with your other classwork, and the reading is great if you lounge freely in the sun and have picnics. Otherwise, the lack of structure and cookie-hiding questions are beyond frustrating.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ENG4540
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

While this is a literature class, I felt the amount of reading we had to do was ridiculous. We were supposed to read 200+ pages per week, which wouldn't be bad if I didn't have other classes. Burrows is a really nice guy, and he is a fair grader, but if you don't have time to do a lot of reading, then don't take this class!

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ENG3500
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

He doesn't use canvas, which I don't like, but his class is really easy. There are a couple longer (5 pages for midterm, 10 pages for final) papers that have to be done, but he gives you feedback on the first one and lets you turn it in again. The book is nuisance and you are supposed to read, but I never have. All you do is watch movies.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ENG4520
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Burrows is an excellent teacher--for some students. His classes are conversational and less structured, which for me created a thoughtful learning environment. His essay instructions are to "Have a good read and tell me about it." Frustrating for those who want structure, but he's always willing to give detailed feedback. He made me *think*.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ENG 4540
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

His intent is good. He's passionate about the subject. He knows a lot! He also needs teaching lessons. He goes off on tangents that don't supplement the reading very well. He asks "read my mind" questions. He asks for participation, then interrupts students and implies that his answer is always the best. Grade based off of one paper and one exam.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENGL4540
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

If you like lectures, his classes are great. He expects a lot of reading (6+ novels). He has an exploratory method to his lectures, and so there are a lot of tangential conversations; however, I found them entertaining and educational. I would recommend his class if you enjoy a literary book club experience, but be ready to earn your grade.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: 4540
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Really nice guy, just a little vague on exactly what he wants in papers which drove me crazy. There were also too many books on the syllabus alongside other material. Take a deep breath and be patient. He lets you turn in your essay early for his feedback and you will get a good grade.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: 5550
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Burrows knows what he is talking about, and his insights about literature are very inspirational. He is an easygoing professor, yet you need to communicate with him. Final paper is a very fun assignment if you submit an early draft(s) and listen to Dr. Burrows feedback. I have taken more than one class from Dr. Burrows and I learned a lot.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: 4530
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He is condescending, with a god-complex he loves to lord over his inferiors. He struggles to stay on topic and your class will be filled with ramblings and opinions that rarely have anything to do with course matter. Is willing to review your papers before they are due which is nice but you will spend the whole semester stressed out.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ENGL4540
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

This class was super easy, but you are stressed out the whole semester because he doesn't give you any idea about what your test or paper should be like.

Rating # 20

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Burrows knows his stuff. However, he can't communicate correctly. He rarely talks about the material. He picks AMAZING books to read, but they are never discussed. His tests are difficult. Identifying passages from 5 books that are 200-500 pages each? You can't memorize everything. LOTS of reading. 150+ pages a week. I couldn't keep up.