David Halperin - University of Michigan

Professor: David Halperin

Department: TBD

College: University of Michigan

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: WS431AND313
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I took David for 2 classes (WS/ENG313 and WS431/ENG407or8). He will definitely make you work for it, and he will challenge you every lecture. However, he knows when you come in with an open mind and are growing. He cares about quality over quantity, and if you genuinely want to learn you'll be fine. I learned a lot from him!

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ENG407
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

David gave little to no structure on what he expected from students and then just gave final grades at the end of the course that was completely subjective. I was not expecting to get a low grade as I participated in every class discussion and wrote a good paper. Told me I was too political when discussing queer love.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ENGLISH314
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

David is intimidatingly intelligent and his class was fantastic.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ENG407
• 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:

David's intellect is astonishing, and taking a class with him is a rewarding experience. He definitely tries to steer you toward what he thinks is the "right" answer, but he does a good job prompting discussion. Reading load is fairly heavy, but no essays (just blog posts). Class was always interesting and very weird but fun.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ENG407
• 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:

A wonderful professor and an interesting man. The reading load can be a little heavy, but it's not too much and he wants his students to do well. David was also nice enough to take our entire class of about 15 students to a very nice restaurant. One of my most memorable professors.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ENG313
• 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:

Can't deny his intellect, he is a top scholar in his field. HOWEVER, very disorganized class, paper topics are vague and ambiguous and if you're a heterosexual you will probably receive biased and unfair treatment when it comes to grading. He also doesn't allow you to use other scholar's work that contradicts his. Kind of self-glorifying.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ENG313
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He is a GREAT professor! He is really smart and very modest about it. He loves to challenge his own ideas (and loves it when you challenge his own ideas), but he also challenges your own ideas as well. He's very kind and office hours are very helpful. He is a really nice professor, just talk to him and help warm up to you.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ENG317
• 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:

David is a phenomenal teacher and scholar. It may be true that he plays "favorites" in class sometimes, but his favorites are the ones that do the work and contribute meaningfully to class discussions. Shocking, I know. His courses have been some of the most difficult but most rewarding I took at U of M.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ENG313
• 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:

One of the most fun and interesting classes I have taken at the University. Professor Halperin is an extremely nice guy if you take the time to go to office hours and he clearly knows his stuff. He encourages his students to be creative and allows free and open dialogue in the classroom. Not an easy A but definitely worth the time and effort.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENGL800
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

You'll hear a lot about how disappointed he is that you don't know some ridiculous and obscure factoid. He is tremendously partial to certain students. It helps if you socialize with him. Wretched class! I regret taking it.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: WMSTD531
• 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:

Professor cannot or is not willing to control the flow of class discussions. Is glaringly partial, which disrupts the atmosphere of the classroom. He doesn't hesitate to insist that one 'bs' answers rather than admit ignorance, which I am sure is a tough-love pedagogical technique in his mind. Is well versed on the subject/field, and well connec

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ENG313
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He believes that he shows wit and dry humor when really he invests himself in a system of systematically humiliating and insulting his students as a way to coerce them to learn. Technically good scholar in his field, and he'll let you know it. Horrendous pedagogy. Made several people cry.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ENG300
• 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:

Pathetic

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ENG317
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

very interesteing topic, but hard grading and assignments that aren't explained well hurt this class greatly. i expected greatness, but left this class angry and bitter. David is very qualified to teach this class, and discussions are interesting. Overall, too much work and not enough pay off

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENG317
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

David refigures academic learning by taking scholarship about the gay bar into the gay bar! His class is a social event. Students have livelier and more intellectually productive discussions after having endured the humiliation and thrill of getting trashed together on bar night. The walls of vulnerability and suspicion become porous.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ENGLISH317
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I took How to Be Gay this past semester and it turned out to be the worst English class I've ever taken here. He's really great if you are a gay man, but his coursework is biased against heterosexual people. Extremely hard grading, overall I really don't recommend him becuase he plays favorites.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ENG317
• 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:

The best papers I have written at this University have been for David. He is a smarty and he chooses the most salacious (usually sexual) material. Sometimes you wish that he would take more control over class discussions, but only because you want to hear him speak more. The class requires some work but I definitely felt that it was worth it. Plus,

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ENGLISH317313
• 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've taken every course I can with Halperin, and his classes have been both stimulating and worthwhile. David is not only a genious, but takes time to make sure concepts are clear and always has time to help. If you are looking a great time, interesting course material, and don't mind opening your mind and a book to do reading, take his classes.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ENGLISH313
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

David is a genius and you're lucky to be near him. Class is mind-bending (more on the whole than day-to-day) if you're willing to bend that way. Completing the Greeks syllabus you find cultural constructivism has been clarified, exemplified, and proven to you; meanwhile you have envisioned classic antiquity, read queer lit, gotten ****, and questioned your sexuality. Dig it.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ENG313
• 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:

Very Good class. A definte smarty that gets you to think. One of the best classes I have ever taken.