Thomas Toon - University of Michigan

Professor: Thomas Toon

Department: English

College: University of Michigan

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ENG308
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I have never, and I mean never had such a terrible professor before. His lectures are disorganized, his explanations unclear, his terminology obtuse, his grading expectations unintelligible. And should a student dare to ask a question in the haze of confusion, he claims that they are NOT confused by his material, just "unfamiliar" with it.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ENG409
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

A lot of the harsher ratings are misleading. The problem is that Thomas's classes focus on linguistics but are marketed as English classes, which they aren't. He can be repetitive and dry at times, but he's not the terrible prof these make him out to be

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ENG125
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He's a really nice guy. He takes time to meet with you whenever you can. He's very unclear though. A lot of the papers didn't even have an official topic and it's hard to understand why he gives you the grade he does on papers.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ENGLISH409
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Tom is a saint. This is my second class with him, and he's proven to be a genuinely nice guy. Old English is challenging, but he makes it interesting and doable.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ENGLISH408
• 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:

I enjoyed taking this linguistics class with Thomas. He's funny, he's bright, and our class was a little more structured than these comments might lead you to believe. Just a little though. 3 essays, 1 weekly homework, and 1 weekly journal assignment. You'll write about 4-6 pages a week (easy stuff), and 4-6 pages per essay.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: LING408
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Thomas is really a sweet man. He does ramble a lot but if you are interested in the topic, his rambling are about linguistics. He really knows his stuff and wants everyone to do well. He is very helpful in office hours and so personable. This course was a bit work heavy, but it helped to understand and I actually DID the readings. Would recommend!

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ENGLI403
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Nice guy. Not the best professor. Unclear expectations. The homework isn't that bad. Again, his instructions aren't clear and he doesn't clarify things well when you ask questions. We watched a lot of superfluous movies in his class. Cracks a lot of jokes (or tries to, anyway). In my opinion, an easy A if you're okay with no class structure.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ENG409
• 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:

One of the best professors I ever had. One of the most rewarding classes.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ENG408
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

I've taken 3 classes with Toon--he's great! He's very enthusiastic about language, which will sometimes result in tangential class discussion, but all interesting for the most part. You have freedom to pursue your own interests for assignments. Lots of busy work, but it's easy and relevant to what he tests and quizzes on. Highly recommended!

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENG409
• 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:

Really good professor for Old English-teaches you how to read, translate, and understand. Not only do I have a better understanding of the roots of English, but I better understand basic phonology and morphology as well. Helpful during office hours, really friendly. Only thing to watch out for are the quizzes.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ENG305
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Tommy Toon cares about his students, but he is just an awful professor. His handwriting is terrible and his ability to explain the information is even worse. Don't take his class unless you have to.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ENGL305
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

The man will humiliate you in class. No one dares asks questions. Likes to punish his students and decides early on who the "good" students are. Does not teach the material in such a way as to facilitate your learning it--and it is intentional. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ENG308
• 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:

Toon's a bit difficult to understand. He's really a nice guy, and seems to want everyone to do well, but he's not the greatest instructor. He knows his stuff, but when he passes it along it tends to morph into something more complicated than it really needs to be. But, as long as you come to class every day and try hard on all the hw, you'll be ok.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ENG308
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Be careful with this class. It's more about linguistics than anything else, so VERY DRY. Nor is this an easy class. There is no textbook except for Baugh, so you'll learn everything straight from Toon. He's a very nice guy, but an AWEFUL teacher. Confusing and talks too fast for notetaking. No visuals or clear examples. & HW is VERY timeconsuming.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENG409
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

This is a small class, so Toon is very personable. I had this class at 8:30 in the morning, which was not fun, but I somehow made it through. Toon only allows one absence before you lose 5 points so beware if it's early. I actually learned a lot about OE but only how to read, not speak. I got a fairly easy A. (take home midterm and final)

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ENG308
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Loony Toony lives up to his name. He's super quirky and gets progressively easier as the class goes on. I'm also a linguistics major (the class is cross-listed), so I found the material interesting. His quizzes, tests, and hw is purely busy work. Nice easy A!

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ENG308
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

this class goes from hard to very easy. toon loves to ramble The first two weeks of the classes will be the hardest for you...then it's repititive and a breeze. Text= expensive and only helps you for the first part of class. The test is essentially a long quiz. Quizzes are given at least once a week HW= OED+Textbook BS Presentation- eh..not long

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ENG308
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

NO. Just NO. Do not take this class with Toon. It's a waste of time and you learn nothing. You spend money on the book, but then he contradicts everything in it and nothing from the book is ever on his exams. Lectures are incomprehensible. Take another class instead!!

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ENG308
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I'm having an awful time in this class... Everything that I'm learning is coming from my GSI, and I remain eternally confused during his lectures. Maybe he's better in his other lectures, but avoid English 308!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ENG308
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Worst class ever!