2.7
Quality3.4
Difficulty32%
Would Retake134
Reviews32%
Would Retake
134
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
27
4
26
3
16
2
24
1
41
What Students Say
“Try to avoid him at any cost”
ENG235 - 1.0 rating“It is amazing that U of T keeps him employed”
SDS370 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
69%
Textbook Required
13%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.87 avg changeRatings by Course
ENG267
5.0
(2)ENG216Y
5.0
(2)ENG252ENG356
5.0
(1)ENG349
5.0
(1)CCR199
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ENG210
5.0
SHORTSTORIES
5.0
UNI375
5.0
SDS370
5.0
ENGB06H3
5.0
Reviews (134)
Brilliant lit & crit summary course taught by a brilliant man. Difficult material, but interestingly taught. Lesk comes highly recommended.
I had Lesk for Can Lit, and would not take it again. He lectured endlessly and provided few opportunities for participation (yet graded us on it). His lectures were dull, uninspiring, unhelpful, and they often provided questions than answers.
Were we in the same class? It was a Lecture class, not Tutorial, with lots of time for discussion as Lesk asked the class many questions. Solid course, plenty of variety, interesting, helpful. He even made the effort to know all the students' names!
He never met a theory he didn't like. If you enjoy politicized litcrit (e.g postcolonial, feminist, queer theory) this is your man, and admittedly he's great at what he does. If you prefer a traditional approach to the study of literature, look elsewhere.
No Comments
Very helpful and compassionate teacher, smart, there for you if you are willing to do the work. Lots of reading but worth it.
Professor Lesk is incredibly intelligent and his lectures are very well organized and explained. I would love to take another one of his classes.
Eye opening course and lecture that deviates so much that I would like to take the course again with another professor to learn about Canadian Literature.
i'm a science student. By the end of the course my essay marks were 20% higher, and not just in his course. the feedback he provided on the essays was more indepth than and of my high schools teachers. Amazing prof for people wanting to improve.
His lectures were disorganized and wasted time on unrelated theories. His interpretations of the readings were weakly backed by little/no evidence from the books and any attempt to provide an alternate interpretation was discredited without consideration. Feedback on essays was unhelpful (ie. a mere "you could have explained it better"). AVOID!!!
hostile to dissenting opinions, rewards only those with PC-views like his, discriminates against anyone of an individualist bent (theory-based teaching which allows no room for deviation or originality), resents students with high IQ hence his methods of evaluation are designed to put them at a disadvantage
No Comments
No Comments
Pretty solid porfessor who is, despite what many student believe, there to help and teach. Seems genuinly interested in helping students improve grades. Does discuss a lot of social issues, usually related to the text, and is willing to discuss them further should any student feel the need.
great insight and a real fan of Can Lit. although his lectures are useful and somewhat interesting, he dislikes deviation from his ideas, so keep your thoughts to yourself. the books he hated he ruined for me by insulting them and misinterpreted most of the class' comments into his own opinions. a really nice guy though with good, noble intentions.
Despite his, seemingly, indifferent (and formal) attitude in class, he is, in fact, helpful and friendly. As above, deviation from his ideas is not recommended. He does, however, welcome further discussion at his office hours; and, I would definitely take another class of his.
Lesk’s incredible enthusiasm for Canadian Lit is contagious. I really enjoyed the class.
Most of the comments, as mentioned are quite true. I did notice that when he would make a point, he would ask the class for the answer, and in return, it would never be answered. He would go off topic or just change the subject, so I was left with an unanswered question in my notebook. He does have his own views and tends to stick with them.
Despite his own ideas of grandeur professor Lesk is just a minor undergraduate prof. at the U of T. He doesn’t even teach 400 level English courses, has no position as a permanent member of the Faculty of English and doesn’t even have tenure. The comments that many students have sent are true in regards to how he treats the opinions of others. Don’
I'd advise people serious about English to stay away. He's not a very quick on the uptake & his analysis of texts is often strained. A tense, bitter guy who wears a suit every day (making up for his academic inadequacy?) There's something I like about him, but his "interpretations" & lack of listening skills drive me (& most of the class) insane.
Helpful, friendly, open to discussion
No Comments
I started enjoying class two months after it began. At the beginning he's very intimidating but also very easy on the eyes.
I participated in Lesk's Short Story Collection class, and was surprised by the formality of his opening lectures. It seemed quite clear that any communication with him was to be strictly via ccnet, email, or excellent MLA formatting. This first impression was wrong...he's thorough, helpful (office hours) engaging, and an excellent professor.
No Comments
Lesk is a good speaker and brings precise critical analysis to the texts he chooses. He is approachable, effective and really knows his stuff. His use of theory (where applicable) was appreciated. There is no need to feel any trepidation towards taking his class; he is, for me, the best professor of my undergrad years.
Very approachable and easy to communicate with. His lectures are clear and extrememly organized.
I agree with comments that he does tend to stick to a single interpretation of a literary work. This makes his lectures so dry you could start a fire with it. He also tends to pick on really minute details of a particular quote especially if it will reinforce his quote even if it has been beaten to death. But he seems nice as a person.
Great teacher. Uses the word "ostensibly" like it is going out of style.
Although I was sometimes unsure where Lesk was going with his lectures, his class is one that comes together for me the more I think back on it. I think that he chose great novels and drew them together with valuable themes. I could do without some of his sexual anecdotes however. And... Lindy is one of the best TAs ever.
since he is so young he's very up to date with his methods and contexts. he makes sure to compliment lectures with media that reflect our perspectives as students.
Careerist garbage. Final essays were universally marked down according to arbitrary criteria not discernible from previous assignments, resulting in a low, bell-curved class average that could not be appealed. Religiously PC, hostile to independence and originality. Deliberately places intelligent students at a disadvantage. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
Lectures were very interesting and he was very personable. The lectures were fun! Buuuut it was very difficult. The expectations for our first 50 minute test were way higher than the class expected, given the number of questions we had to answer in such a short amount of time. Be prepared to really be challenged! Tough marker!
straight forward communicator
Brilliant Professor! Incredibly insightful and an english genius. My fave prof by far. Really nice, witty, but be careful of making stupid comments, he will question you. I didn't like some of his texts (nearly 500 pg book on prairie life, snore) but his other selections are bang on. Be prepared to pay attention but SO worth it.
His midterm & exams require alot of writing (at least 3 essays)but he's one of the only profs who sticks to the text & dissects it for you. Extremely intelligent & enthusiastic. I usually skip most of my classes but never his, he's brilliant. If you really pay attention & read the text, you should do fine. Not a class for slacker thinkers though.
Best Prof by far. Nice, smart, caring, despite what ppl are saying, he does listen to you & really encourages you to think critically. He is difficult but you are in university are you not? Listen to him, you are bound to benefit. ENG students especially, what he teaches you will help you in your approach in other ENG courses. BEST PROF EVER!
I had a hard time with this man. He leaves a lot to be desired. Not someone who teaches but rather lectures. There is a big difference. I would not have taken his class knowing what I know now.
took short story with him, found him obscure and boring and looking only for you to write down what he wants. has favorites, lets brown nosers take 10 minutes to say something they could say in 15 seconds.
Assessment techniques lack professionalism and are void of valid feedback. Comments are demeaning and hostile.
This Professor, while may have teaching skills, is one of the most biased and demeaning men I have ever met in my life. Not only does he cater towards those students that sit in the front that eagerly raise their hands every 5 five minutes )..but is very hard to deal with in regard to assignments. I wish I had not taken his class, he has ruined it.
do not fall for his nice, humorous exterior! he marks impossibly. if you want to get by in class, use my advice: ...do not let him know you have a cell phone; do NOT come late; always talk in class. he is very bias, AND contrary to what he says, always regurgitate what he lectured about when it comes to the tests, it's the only thing he believes.
Lesk is a refreshing a lively prof. Material covered in class was delightful, i still reread the stories. He is an insightful and intelligent man and i would highly reccommend both his short story collection courses.
The most banal insight imaginable on every text studied, and tests that rewarded only reiteration of dull, obvious lecture material. Brutal; avoid, avoid, avoid.
I had taken a class 2 years ago and it was fantastic... great lecturer and I learned a lot. This year I intentionally hunted down a course he was teaching and it was awful. He seemed miserable lecturing and the material tested on was not well covered and seemed random. Wish I had not taken the course.
Although I did not take his short story or can fic class (where the majority of comments come from) I did take his Graphic Novel class in the summer. It was bloody brilliant. He is a nice guy, tough exterior, very clever- i got an A, and i dissented from his interpretations many times- although if you are conservative probably don't take it!
Prof. Lesk is a great teacher. He expects you to read the text, attend class and to participate (hence the reason why there are participation marks). If you like doing those things, you'll likely enjoy the class. If you don't, don't bother.
I've taken Lesk's classes for years, and I don't know what's happened with him. Maybe U of T has eaten his soul? He's not the same prof as he used to be. He's gotten grouchy and dry. I miss the early days; he used to be my favourite prof at this school.
Honestly, didn't like him. He was very unwilling to allow for alternative explanations/ideas about symbols, and all-too-often completely dropped passages from the texts that could undermine his ideas. He was often cranky and short with students who simply had a different opinion than him. His book choices were pretty good and reasonable.
i could have just as easily read academic essays online (from which he seemed to borrow liberally). wildly unhelpful and condescending.
Lesk often raised interesting points in lectures. However, he raised numerous open-ended questions and often provided very little answers. Some information in lectures was repeated from essays I had seen online. He was difficult to approach; he often made me feel stupid and continued with the open-ended questions that didn't help very much.
I do not know what some of these reviewers are thinking! Lesk was a thought-provoking lecturer - why would any student not come to expect open-ended questions in a university English course?! I highly recommend Lesk: he encourages class participation, and his sense of humor permeates his articulate lectures. Look forward to learning from him again!
if you have any ideas or opinions different from him, it is most likely that you'll get bad marks on everything. he's short-tempered and cranky. waste of my time. didn't like him at all. he teaches some courses that can be fun (ex. graphic novel) but he ruins it all!
He was a pretty interesting lecturer. Not boring. Provided extra help (tutorials) but they weren't mandatory which was nice. Favours those who talk in class, but sometimes he will just plain shut you down if he doesn't really agree with your point(s). Can feel degrading but how big of a deal that is depends on you.
I don't see what all the hype is about. His insights are that of a middle schooler and he wastes a ton of class time on "class discussion" which is neither helpful or constructive. Whenever he gets CLOSE to a salient point he seems to skirt around it. Also, his exams have nothing to do with what we spoke about in class (at length, anyway.)
Super nice and laid back, easy class (guaranteed b at least).
Extremely unhelpful and even rude at times. I did not feel like he cared at all about the students. His insights and analysis are extremely shallow, and he does not go into depth on any specific points. Everything he says, you can basically find online. I feel like I learned nothing from his class.
I also found his insights to be shallow. I found he made a number of points, but rarely went into any deep analysis of those points, which left much to be desired. It was quantity of over quality with this guy, and a lot of questions he brought up seemed to go unanswered. He also seemed somewhat unwelcoming of novel ideas brought up by students.
It's not a bad class, but certainly not one of my favourites. Lesk's insights were fine, but I didn't think they were novel. I found his lecture style brusque, but I liked the syllabus. It's easy to do well if you use his ideas in the assignments. So overall, a good class for enthusiasts of graphic novels, but Lesk could've been better.
He is not kind to his students. He only takes his own opinion into account and ignores everyone else. I dropped the course because I couldn't handle his ego.
I agree, he does ignore you if your ideas don't align if his. However, He chooses material and structures the course in such a way, that a good grade is not hard to achieve. This year he gave a "take-home" test, extended deadlines, used good texts and gave fair questions for the exam. Take him if you want a solid GPA or a flexible course.
I took this course this summer even after reading most of these negative reviews and found none of them to be true. Prof. Lesk provoked class discussions where he was very receptive to every student's input - he had no ego, nor any sign of a temper. I thoroughly enjoyed the insights he gave for each graphic novel and found the exam to be fair.
Most people didn't do well in this class. Topics are definitely interesting. He's a really hard marker. I really regret taking this class.
I like that the course doesn't entirely focus on superheroes; I really enjoyed the pulp-type comics like Incognito. Also he's a total babe.
Found him to be unnecessarily rude. His comments on my essay had spelling errors. It is amazing that U of T keeps him employed. He provided no useful comments to me, and I am truly disappointed I selected his class. If it was not a requirement for me, I would have dropped the course. I advise all to stay away. Wish I could get a refund.
He is unbearably condescending and unhelpful. At first I thought I was misreading him because sometimes people just sound dry over email, but nope! I took my concerns to him in person but he was just as rude. I did not enjoy being talked down to as if I were an idiot. Way to ruin an okay class.
Completely arrogant, does not show any kind of care for his students, and gets upset when a student has an opinion that differs from his. I had high hopes for this course (graphic novels!) but he just made everything unpleasant. Try to avoid him at any cost.
Prof Lesk is an amazing speaker. His lectures are clear, concise, and very interesting. He grades fairly, but not too rough. I think the negative feedback for him on here must mostly be from people who didn't do their readings and consequently got poor marks. He doesn't put up with offensive opinions, but encourages discussion.
Hes boring
The only way the professor grades you is essays, A LOT OF ESSAYS. Write 3 essays in two hours in class...
The worst! Anything that contradicts his argument he dismisses as "it doesn't matter cause it's just comics" THEN WHY ARE YOU TEACHING A COURSE ON THEM? In one class a girl called him out on taking a quote out of context, his response: "I know but it's so much more delicious this way." Great reading list but that's all. AVOID HIM LIKE THE PLAGUE!!
I was very excited to take this course, as I'm new to the city and very interested in Sexual Diversity Studies. However, I find the course to often be a waste of time, unless we are on a field trip or there is a guest speaker. The assignments feel like busywork, and I find Prof. Lesk comes off as very arrogant, especially towards guests.
He is very opinionated and arrogant. His ego is through the roof.
A few of us are currently having a study group for this class right now for the final exam. The problem we've noticed in the midterm is that even though our arguments are fully supported, which fulfills the requirement of a good essay/short answer, as long as he doesn't agree with your opinion, he will dispute the answer and give it a bad grade.
I LOVED Lesk's sex in the city class- would highly recommend this first year seminar. The material and field trips were very interesting and Lesk clearly knew a lot about the subject matter and added a lot to the overall experience. Sometimes it was hard to tell what kind of mood he was in which was scary, but for the most part he's a fun prof.
Really open to student's ideas, even when he didn't agree with them he accepted their merit. Really funny and used real world connections to make class interesting.
Really arrogant, and just annoying. Really easy to get a good grade even though he's nit-picky.
The 199 courses are great for breath requirements, and this course was no exception. It was a very fun course. There were only a few papers and one take home test. As long as you gave a solid effort on each assignment it was not hard to get a high mark. The material of the course is also very eye opening.
The worst professor I've ever come across in my years at U of T. I would give him a 0/5 but it is not possible. Right from the get go, his ego is apparent. He does what suits him, and to heck about anyone else because of course the universe revolves around him. He's sad and I pity him. Save your money and time, and take a course with a better prof.
I was excited to take his Sex in the City one program, and the first term was okay, but the second he just piggy backed off of the other one program profs, and had very little to do with sexual diversity. He doesn't care for his students' opinions or mental health, and though some of the readings and trips were good, an overall disappointment.
Very very specific about what he wants out of your assignments. Needs you to pander to his own views to do well in the class, leaving not much room for originality and outside perspectives.
Prof. Lesk is the most uncaring, arrogant prof I have ever encountered. He ALWAYS thinks he is right, and will give you a bad grade if you disagree with his opinions on assignments/tests no matter how well supported. His lectures are banal and insights shallow. His classes are a waste of time and money.
Awful professor. He uses his lectures as a soapbox for his political views which have nothing to do with the course. His expectations on tests/assignments are very unclear, and he offers no help whatsoever. His essay questions are impossibly hard, and when you ask for help he rolls his eyes at you like he can't be bothered. Worst prof ever!
Really disengaged prof. He's got high regard for his own ideas, but little time and patience for anyone who disagrees with him. Shows very little interest in student success, and does not make himself (or his TA's) accessible for any kind of assistance outside of lecture. Acts like he doesn't want to be there, and really couldn't care less.
Found this professor to be pretty mediocre. Lectures were a sleep fest consisting mostly of the prof ranting about irrelevant things. Watch out if you disagree with his opinions cause it will cost you.
Was pretty psyched to take a class on comics, and although the material was cool and interesting, the experience overall was destroyed by the prof's arrogance. He needs to turn down the bravado big time, and come down to earth with the rest of us--he is such a turn off OMG!
He's certainly got little patience outside of class and isn't very accessible in general, but if you do the readings and come to class you can get by easily.
Worst prof at U of T
Thumbs down
Terrible Lecture
He put us into groups for a class discussion and whether or not he knew it, he put all the Asian students together and spoke to me as if I didn't know how to speak or write English... like bruh I am an English major even though my legal name is not in English. And if you don't have the same ideas as him, good luck trying to get a decent mark.
I think everyone is writing about him rn. But heres the deets: this is not an English class but he treats it like it is one. Literature can be interpreted differently but if you dont agree with him haha good luckkkkk. and pls, he is disrepectful to people who live in the field trips we go to. fully saying how unkept a house is when the guy is there
One sentence: Hides his inability to teach behind big "university" level words. Read his paper on Girls Fall Down (can be found on the uoft library page) and you can see he can't even compose a coherent argument.
Prof Lesk managed a tremendous feat; his reading list was rough and I didn't enjoy reading most of the assigned texts, but boy oh BOY did his lectures transform them. Such a cool guy, such a solid teacher. One of the best English classes I've taken. I highly recommend.
Andy Lesk is a great English professor. He makes everything absolutely clear as to what he expects in our essays. The essays we write are very short (300-500 words max) as he pushes us to be concise and to the point with his "no bulls*it" policy, making us better writers. Overall, great professor to actually improve your English and communication.
He's quite opinionated about how the graphic novels should be interpreted. His lectures and the explanations he gives are mediocre at best. The choice of graphic novels was pretty decent, but he'll certainly make you dislike them. The course wasn't difficult as long as you did your readings.
I personally think Andrew Lesk is a really under rater prof, he's really funny and despite what I've heard in my experience he is very accommodating as long as you go through him personally. I found the graphic novel really interesting the only thing is he changes the content every year, so it's hard to get cheap books.
Prof. Lesk is underrated. I reckon the low scores come from the fact that he is not one of those happy-go-lucky professors; which, as far as I am concerned, is for the best. I learned a great deal from Prof. Lesk and his diverse selection of novels. I would wholly recommend him to anyone who isn't too squirmish and want's some new perspectives!
Solid prof. His lectures contain everything you need to do well in the course, gives you plenty of time for tests and essays. Course is probably better suited for someone looking to get an easy A than someone who wants to offer their own opinions, but he's generally accepting of different perspectives. Uses crude language often lol.
Worst professor ever. Unrespectful, whenever you ask questions after class, he is so impatient. Very tough and negative grader. Sense of superiority.
I don't know what's up with all the hate against Professor Lesk. I took his Short Story course last semester. Great and chill professor. Gave lots of time to complete the essay assignment. He has very clear writing criteria, make sure to follow them. Very accessible outside of class and overall just a really nice and cool guy.
Andrew Lesk is a stellar professor. While he does have weekly essays they are only 500 words maximum. If you spend any time on these assignments you will get an A. You go on field trips around the city and discover a part of Toronto's history that all too many are unfamiliar with. I strongly recommend this as a breadth requirement course.
Such a funny and kind professor. Really enjoyed learning from him and contrary to what other reviews say he is accepting of other opinions and open to interpretations he just maintains his own views. Amazing class!!!
His lectures are pretty fun but I do notice that he sometimes goes off on a tangent, but do pay attention since the material does appear on the quizzes and assignments. He's also accepted alternated interpretations raised by the class and has raised our marks accordingly, despite what some of the past reviewers saying he's uncompromising.
Very vague with the way he explains mistakes. For an English professor he does not know how to speak in a polite way to students. Would not take a class again from him and would not recommend. You cannot be a professor just with a PhD ; people skills are needed too!
His lectures were interesting, but disorganized. I enjoyed the content a lot. The whole grade depended on a few papers, one test, and a presentation. For all the assignments, his instructions were painfully vague. He would leave time at the end of class for clarifying questions, but when people asked he'd just say "read the assignment outline"
Huge ego and no respect for students. Will not even try to care about what you have to say and will not care to learn who you are. Hated every second of class. Not open to students' opinions at all. Changed syllabus twice in 3 months, changed midterm time, changed final time, change everything. Good thing? He grades easily. Can write well Easy A.
Most of his lectures are extremely dry, but worst off he seems to not really know the material. Everything is conjecture, he is condescending, and his marking is haphazard.
His lectures were dry, inconsistent, and most of the times, not helpful. Although I did enjoy the content and (half) of the reading list, it was necessarily harder than it should be for a graphic novel course. your grade is only determined by 3 things, and i think that's pretty unfair since tests/essays are worth so much.
He is rude and unaccommodating towards students. He dismisses our questions and refuses to answer us?? I certainly felt too intimidated to ever participate in class lectures and email him. His essay/test prompts are very difficult as well, I'm glad it's over
Although the reading material was fascinating, he somehow made it boring. Online class was extremely inaccessible as he refused to record lectures so if you missed a class you were screwed. Also had no slides or notes and seemed to just say what came to his mind. He was genuinely rude to students and acted as if we were stupid when asking questions
He did the bare minimum. In class, he did a great job at creating an open space for discussion and considering opinions that differed from his own. The class would have been better if we were taught how to come up with our own analysis of the text instead of just listening to his. His essay outlines were vague and minimal, as was his marking.
He is a good editor, but not a good professor. If you have good writing skills, you will get good marks. If you attend the class with the expectation of expressing your opinion. Dont take it! His words contains a lots of implications and sense of ego. I am doubting that he values the writing skills so much because he cant generate solid argument.
I thought the reviews on here were exaggerating how bad he is, but I was wrong. I love comics and absolutely hated this course. The grading criteria was so unclear and made it difficult to do well. He also had no problem ridiculing students for asking simple questions? Rudest professor I have ever hadhe was nice at the start though. Please avoid!
I really like Lesk! He's a funny guy, super passionate about graphic novels, and he knows his stuff. He can be pretty blunt, and I can see why some people dislike him. But he DOES consider and encourage other opinions. I'm docking a point because I heard he doesn't honour accessibility requests. But would definitely take his class again!
He was okay. It was a seminar course on graphic novels so he didn't lecture and wanted us to lead the discussion. I didn't find him terrible but not amazing either. I was super bored every class and he didn't garner enough enthusiasm for the course. Some of the readings were questionable too (clearly sexualized women, rape implications, etc)
i didn't have him but i was in another ucONE class (UNI101) so when we had our ucONE postering project in which all 4 classes participate, all he did was critique the presentations of the kids in the other classes?? such a pompous as*hole, just let people have fun presenting a project they worked hard on. can't imagine actually having him as a prof
Overall I enjoyed this course and I thought prof Lesk did a good job. He is very passionate about graphic novels and clearly knows what he's talking about. He's super respectful when a student brings up something he didn't notice or think of or if they disagree with him. However, he's very difficult to get in touch with outside of class.
The hardest part of this class is the grading scheme which consists of a few components (1 midterm, 1 essay, 1 exam) which determines your grade for the semester. HOWEVER, the hardest part of this is that instructions and prompts were relatively broad and confusing at times.
in-class analysis of assigned readings is pitiful (at certain points i wonder if he's read the books he assigns). wish this meant lectures were skippable but exams hinge on recalling minutiae. HORRIBLE with accommodations and marking is super harsh, esp. relative to how little he says in lecture.
not accessible outside of class, does not give you rubric, hard marker
Prof. Lesk gets a bad rapport on here and I'm not sure why. ENG235 was an amazing class and one of the only ones I was excited to show up to every week. Although I can understand his marking scheme is vague, if you show up to lecture and read the material you will do just fine. He made 3-hour lectures very interesting, would totally recommend!
funny guy. really comprehensive and well thought out lectures. i hardly had to do any further explicating to write essays on the material - lesk gives you the information he wants you to write about. to be fair, he didn't provide rubrics and his essay criteria was often quite vague, so i think it was a bit lucky that my work was well received lol.
Was a fun professor! This was my favourite class this term. Would've preferred if it were in-person but he made the best of a bad deal
I found Lesk to have a pretentious nature about his class. His essay grading criteria are by far the weirdest I've seen from any of my classes, and I'm an English major. He has an attitude about all his lectures and thoughts of "it's my way or the highway" and no basis for his absurd ideas that are so stretched out that they are almost comical.
He gives multiple choice quizzes but many of the options could be considered correct but if you don't pick the one he chose then you're considered incorrect even if you give an explanation and show why your option was correct he won't care. He's not open to alternative views that differ from his own. This is difficult in an english class.
Of my 4 years at uoft I have never met a ruder professor, his comments in essays are insane and completely uncalled for. Beware of his quizzes because there will be multiple right answers but if you don't pick what he would then too bad so sad. Also he is super unsupportive and does not respond to emails.
Professor Lesk is quite engaging in lectures, but his grading rubrics can be vague. Staying on top of the readings and attending class is key. For study help, I found unstuckstudy and ChatGPT to be useful supplements alongside the textbook.
Lesk isn't reachable by email. He posts incorrect deadlines, and doesn't provide accomodation. Course materials are chosen very unprofessionally, mostly poorly crafted works badly written by under-qualified authors that provides low academic or entertaining value (with a few exceptions), one of them containing very strong pornographic contents.
Course material is enjoyable and definitely unique, but quiz and test expectations are a bit vague, making the course more difficult than it should be. Attending and listening to lectures is crucial. Essay and exam are more open-ended and can boost your mark. Prof isn't always accessible through email but is open to talk after lecture/in office hrs
DO NOT TAKE A CLASS WITH LESK OH MY GOD!!!!!! His grading criteria is the worst I've ever seen, no rubric, no outline and incredibly vague. Every lecture was baffling as he would base the entire thing on a "stretch" that he could barely back up. Quizzes always had multiple correct answers and there was minimal opportunity for feedback on writing
Gives very vague feedback; not easy to communicate with him and when you do he answers your questions very vaguely or dodges them; very very strict marker; quizzes make absolutely no sense (you can't even study for them since multiple answers are right); I really like comics and I thought to give this course a shot but… DO NOT TAKE THIS COURSE
One of the worst English professors at UofT. He is incredibly uninspired and formulaic in his lectures and assigns the most obscure, questionable texts that have dubious literary merit. He even admitted to having not read some of the books before he assigned them, which makes a lot of sense. It's astounding to me that he's still able to teach.
DO NOT TAKE A CLASS WITH THIS MAN!! He is so dry during lectures, shows up late half the time, and gives very vague and unhelpful feedback on tests and essays. Only do a class with him as a sure fire way to kill any remaining passions you had for the subject matter he covers.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
69%
Textbook Required
13%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.87 avg changeRatings by Course
ENG267
5.0
(2)ENG216Y
5.0
(2)ENG252ENG356
5.0
(1)ENG349
5.0
(1)CCR199
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ENG210
5.0
SHORTSTORIES
5.0
UNI375
5.0
SDS370
5.0
ENGB06H3
5.0