David Urban - Calvin University

Professor: David Urban

Department: TBD

College: Calvin University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ENGL299
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Do not listen to the good reviews about Professor Urban, I took him because of those good reviews and I got screwed. Good guy who has a good sense of humor but is not personal or easy to speak with. He believes that his opinion is the right one. Way too much required for a 200 level core class. Papers will break your GPA. Not good.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ENG213
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

great person- bad prof. A LOT of reading in this class with a lot of writing. tough grader who expects a lot from students. this was too heavy for a 200 level class. would not recommend if you want your gpa to stay afloat

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ENGL213
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Very, very eccentric but cares a lot about his students and is passionate about the material. You definitely need to buy the correct edition of the books because they have extra material in the back that he uses quite a bit, but I usually just read SparkNotes for the actual books and got a pretty good idea of the plot. Definitely would take again.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ENG221
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Professor Urban is a great man and Professor. His classes are all great.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ENGL214
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I took this prof last year and he was awesome.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ENG101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Urban may be a weird dude I've only completed 1 semester at Calvin, but he is probably my favorite professor thus far. He is quirky, but really funny. Easily accessible with plenty of open house hours. He is pretty knit picky, but he lets you know exactly how you need to improve and what you need to do better.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ENGL299
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Urban is one of the most Christ-centered faculty members at Calvin College. He can be quirky, insightful and pastoral when he is teaching. I would highly recommend that you take his "Reading the Bible as Literature" class if you have the chance. Format (classes): Participation Pop quizzes Short Written Assignments Long Paper Midterm Final

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ENGL337
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Urban is a very solid person and professor. He has published over 20 articles and co-authored and edited several books. He is well-versed in his field and takes his classes very seriously. When I go to Urban's classes I know that I will be challenged and that I will learn a great deal. His classes are scholarly but rooted in faith.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ENGL214
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Great professor in class, keeps things interesting. Can be picky with paper grading. Has quizzes on reading material, sometimes announced, sometimes not. Requires using full 3 hours for final exam, and preparing for essays on final by bringing along a sheet of paper with specific textual evidence.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENGL213
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

AN AMAZING PERSON AND AN AMAZING PERSONALITY. WHAT A GUY. PASSIONATE. LOVES SHAKESPEARE, RAD BRO 13/10

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ENGL213
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He knows what he is teaching, but he does not post our grade on moodle, which we don't know if we should be doing better or not. If you are not majoring in Brit Lit or English, I am not recommending this prof to you. Final assessments include Final Essay and Final Test, which altogether its 45% of the grade of the course. Just do better on Finals.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ENGL337
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

guy was preachy. yes, this is a christian college, but take it down a notch. too much lecturing but he does know his stuff.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ENG337
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This is Urban at his most passionate. The Milton texts are a bit heady, but Dr. Urban is extremely helpful in making sense of what's going on/being said. I've taken quite a few classes with Urban, and I can honestly say this may be his finest. In any class you take with him, you will grow spiritually, but this class is an especial blessing.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ENG299
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This class is one of his best. This class engages the texts in a fresh and honest way, and I highly recommend it (even if you're not a Lit. major). Urban is an excellent, honest, and good-humored professor. You can't go wrong with pretty much anything he teaches.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENG334
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This class is an excellent class if you like discussing plays. Dr. Urban is quite a talented dramatist himself, and he infuses a good amount of humor into what's read. I've found that classes with Urban are often quite helpful in application of text to life, so take good notes!

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ENG213
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This a great class to take (especially with Urban). He will show you the connection between many of the "others" in British Literature, as well as draw many great life applications for students from the texts read. This class is a must-take.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ENGL200
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This is an awesome class if you want to take a step toward knowing a little bit of everything. You'll learn quite a bit under Dr. Urban. He's actually studied a couple of these works in their original languages, and he has great insight with regard to sympathy for dramatic characters.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ENGL213
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He is very knowledgeable about the subject, but isn't the best at teaching itself. All his classes were lecture based, and I found it difficult to pay attention in class. Often his lectures were unfocused and I would walk out realizing I had learned nothing. However, I still did well despite not having learned that much. I don't recommend him.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ENGL213
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Puts on music at the start of every class. Passionate on the subject he's teaching, can be dramatic in class. Small quizzes in almost every class to make sure we keep up with the reading, usually circulating around the name of characters in the book. Will write a lot of papers, both long and short. Read and dissect the books, and you'll get an A.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ENGL200
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Love Professor Urban. Am in no means an English major or someone who reads world literature for fun but Urban made it really entertaining. He's definitely a tough grader on papers and expects you to read (gives quizzes), but it's an english class so that should be expected. He made a fairly boring topic extremely funny and interesting. Take him!