David Kaplan - Loyola University Chicago

Professor: David Kaplan

Department: TBD

College: Loyola University Chicago

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ENGL398
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

DMK-- great writer, great teacher.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ENGL398
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I've taken this class twice now. There's almost always a new pool of students, so there's no lack of new insight during the workshops. Professor Kaplan knows how to extract the very best work from his students, and he never gives up on them. He is one of the few professors who genuinely cares about us.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ENGL398
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor M. Kaplan is not only a terrific writer and mentor, but also one of the few educators who desperately wants his students to succeed. His style is quirky, and often he goes off onto tangents, but his little anecdotes are poignant and relate to the greater picture of the course. He makes a difference to those willing to listen.

Rating # 4

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

I loved this professor SO much, I took THREE of his courses. He is very helpful and participation is very important for this class. This class made me realize what I need to pay attention to when I write, and the feedback from the entire class was always very interesting and helpful. He is very funny and he is very helpful. READ READ READ.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ENGL318
• 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:

I really enjoyed this class. The pedagogy section was a bit dry, but once we began workshopping, lots of fun. Dr. Kaplan isn't bad, just do all of the readings and follow his advice. He has a very specific style of writing he's looking for, so really try to emulate the authors you'll be reading. I feel my writing has improved because of this class.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ENGL218
• 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: Mandatory

Comment:

He's a nice guy but he's not super interesting.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CREATIVEWRITING
• 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:

If Kaplan likes your writing you will get an A, if he doesn't, you will not. Anyone who has given him a good rating has gotten his praise, the others did not. He is a kind and intelligent man, but he is not the best professor. If you do not write the way he wants, you will NOT get an A. It's as simple as that.

Rating # 8

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Took his class some years back and I have only good things to say about it. He IS a published author, and, yes, that gives him some authority. However, he did NOT impose his interests,his style, or his work on the class. He was articulate and fair, particularly sensitive to making sure the "workshopping" was cordial and productive.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ENGL357
• 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:

Read the books. Always read the books. No matter how boring, read them. Interesting discussions. Thought experiments are thought provoking.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENGL318
• 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:

Okay, okay. I admit it, the guy has some rough edges. I did not like him the first class I took with him. But, he really grows on you. He does care about the students and his expectations aren't ridiculous. Read the books, write the papers, listen to his comments, you will do fine.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ENG357
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I agree with a lot of comments up here. While he may be accessible outside of class, he isn't helpful. This class was 80% group work which can completely screw you. He provided no guidelines for papers, except for a page limit which I exceeded, and told us the grading criteria the day we turned in our papers. I am dropping my creative writing conce

Rating # 12

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

He's a great professor. I'm shocked his ratings aren't better because I've never met anyone with anything negative to say at him. And I agree with the lighter note in the comment below me.

Rating # 13

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

He's a great professor. Extremely intelligent, kind, and helpful. He's an amazing writer and will really help. On a lighter note, he is THE epitome of an attractive older guy.

Rating # 14

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

His critique can be helpful, but what he considers to be good fiction is so narrow that the class becomes an exercise in frustration if you have any interest beyond that. If you write what he wants, A, if not, no A. The majority of the reading is devoted solely to the one genre he endorses. Anything else is taboo. Nice guy, but not a good teacher.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENGL318
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Kaplan's critiques are not constructive and, worse still, he never considers authorial intent when critiquing a story. It doesn't matter what YOU were trying to do - Kaplan would rather rewrite your story. Learn this early to "earn" an A. "I'm not saying write like me (but write like me)." Prefers mediocrity to originality, with a massive ego.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ENGLSECT
• 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:

Good class and great guy. Don't know why others had problems with him. Everyone in my class liked him.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ENGL318
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

No real guidance indeed, wastes weeks on useless, unhelpful lectures. Everything talked about is usually painfully obvious. Grades extremely biased. Kaplan has a very set way of writing (he considers himself a "master") and any deviation will get lower grades. Has a limited perspective on literature. Nice guy at least.

Rating # 18

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

No real guidance, which works for some (detractors), but in my mind defeats the whole purpose of having a teacher. Why not make it a student run class then? He could have used class time better, rather than just reading stories, maybe practice exercises, beginners need that help,and input before you start writing the story, but no, average at best.

Rating # 19

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

I am now a college professor myself, and Mr. Kaplan was the best teacher I had in college or graduate school, tied with someone else at Loyola. He is a very decent person who gives objective critiques and I suspect that given he teaches creative writing, many of these other "evaluations" are merely sour grapes.

Rating # 20

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

He as a teacher contributes nothing to the class. That makes you wholly reliant on the quality of the classmates you work with. That means it's a hit or miss, but far more likely to be a miss. Insanely close minded as a teacher, not even worth being called a teacher. Students teach more than him.