2.3
Quality4.0
Difficulty22%
Would Retake113
Reviews22%
Would Retake
113
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
22
4
10
3
8
2
26
1
47
What Students Say
“I can't name one thing that I learned from his class”
ENG113 - 2.0 rating“Worst teacher I have ever had”
ENG112 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
93%
Textbook Required
48%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.47 avg changeRatings by Course
101
5.0
(1)23111
5.0
(1)ENG241
5.0
(1)113
4.0
(1)ENG116
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
232
5.0
23111
5.0
23201
5.0
ENG231
4.5
ENG242
4.5
Reviews (113)
great teacher...
CLARITY?! Um um um... what shall I say... um um um.... I guess you should T
I think he is very energetic and he is funny too. He has a lot of knowlege if you just make an effort to recieve it.
Pretty Good Teacher, not always clear though. But seems to grade tests pretty easy.
No Comments
The best!
HE ROCKS!!!
hes cool but he doesnt really teach
No Comments
He has a very good sense of humor. That usually keeps me interested in subject. He is very intelligent and knows a lot. I loved class with him and want to take another. He is helpful and friendly. He cares even after you are done with his class and will give give advices. Very friendly.
He is an easy teacher. You will have a 5-7 page paper due at the end of the term, but other than that you will just have some little worksheets. I would take again. Goodluck!
He is a good teacher. He does expect you to work hard and do your best, but he is helpful, understanding and friendly. He really makes you think, not just memorize a bunch of useless terms.
Considering that english is my major, I thought that I would really enjoy this class because it was relating to poetry and short stories. He is boring and his teaching style (did I say teaching) he doesn't do much of that. He finds a way to relate everything to sex which is offensive to me and extremely irrelevant.
he was flaky
One of my favorite teachers. English is my major, and I look up to him as a role model. His class is interesting and he lectures and if you listen and takes notes you will have exactley what he wants you to know for the tests. Take this class if you are intersted in literature and if you want to be taught by someone who shares your interest.
arrogant, relates everything to sex, apathetic towards student. by far, the worst teacher i have ever had.
Best English teacher I've ever had. He's funny and relaxed and is really good at explaining the stories and poems we read. There is a lot of homework, but it is easy and doesn't take a lot of time.
For me he is one of the worst professors at CPCC. Very hard to understand. I pass everything just because I'm lucky. lol
Worst teacher I've ever had. The subject was extremely boring. I lasted 2 days then dropped the class. The professor was weird, creepy, and did like others have said related everything to sex. It was awkward just being in his presence.
Honestly the worst teacher I've ever had. Told our class when a crazy comes to CP and starts shooting everyone that we would just lie down and die instead of trying to survive (trying to prove a point students dont ask for help anymore)- True story, also kicked a student out first day for turning off his phone before class (phone made alot of nois
First ENG class I ever liked. He expects you to be a college student so if you are lazy then you will not like the class. Great teacher. Wants you to think for yourself. You don't have to agree with him; if you can support your argument you can still get an A. He taught me to enjoy LIT. One of the best teachers I've had. Would highly recommend.
Sure he's funny and explains stories really well However I spent the entire class convinced I was going to fail because he gives low homework grades and doesn't explain how it will affect your final grade He's moody He relates everything to sex I could not understand his scribbles on my homework at all and when I asked him he told me not to worry
I agree with the last comment, he is extremely unhelpful and pretentious, there is little to no structure in the class as far as writing goes he does not teach any method to writing an effective paper- he relates everything to sex. He is not very easy to talk, no one talks in my class because of his condescending tone. Frankly a horrible teacher.
Worst teacher I've ever had. He's mean, boring, annoying, and doesn't know how to teach, and he doesn't even care about it. He sits on the desk wearing shorts with his legs open.. Not a good sight! Don't sign up for his class.
Don't take his class... You'll regret it. He's a horrible person. He doesn't know how to teach, and he doesn't even care about it. His class was a nightmare
He's a bad teacher, and an awful person. I can't understand why they don't fire him. During one class, he threatened to beat one student just because he didn't like an author we were studying.
I'll never take one of his classes again.
chosing his class was a big mistake. he says he will ask something in the exams, and then asks something completely different. don't disagree with him or he'll tell you "i'll see you in the parking lot". not kidding
the 2 best adjectives to describe this man are: arrogant and ignorant
Yeah he explains stories well, but as far as writing papers he's not helpful. We were told towards the end of the semester to write a paper on "Theme of Control". He basically just said "Write a really smart paper based on your experiences. Even though I did this I got a low grade and it ultimately failed me. If you can get another teacher, do so.
I hate him... And it's a shame, because CPCC is a great school... Hope he'll be fired soon, he deserves it.
he is not a good instructor...
After reading all the comments on him I was relived that I wasn't the only one who thought he was rude and abrasive. He said the N word on the first day of class. that sure did make an awkward class considering the white population is outnumbered. uncomfortable was the only word I could think of when it came to Brian Anderson and this class.
well he is boring. doesnt have a good style of teaching at. he very opinionated, he will tell your opinion is wrong basically. very hard grader. not good at all
wrost teacher ever. very opinionated, he is right and your not. bad style of teaching. makes me dislike english even more now. dont take him if u can help it
Those who say he is very opionated and relates things to sex frequently I agree with 100%. He was difficult to get a good grade from and on top of that I could barely read his scribbles on my homework. He did however tell us from the beginning we didnt need the book so I didnt have to waste money on that. Still though, this class was disappointing.
Just awful! He was so hard to understand when it came to directions on papers. There was a due date but if you weren't ready then don't hand it in (what?!) and also no set amount for how many pgs. When we did poetry it was his view and that's it. The only good thing that came out of this was a passing grade, which only happened with tons of hard work!
I tried giving this guy the benefit of the doubt when I read the comments about him but after the first month it was all coming together. He's good at explaining stories but not good at explaining what he wants in assignments. He says one thing but means something different. Some of what he assigned made no sense to anyone. Good luck with him.
If you're willing to try, he's willing to help. Some controversial subject material, yes; but it came from the stories. Accepts other opinions IF you can support them (not unreasonable). Classmates upset because he wouldn't bend his rules on late work. An entertaining and intelligent teacher, just expects his students to act like college students.
Mr Anderson is a really smart guy and he will work with you if you need the help. But let me say THIS IS NOT A CLASS TO FALL ASLEEP IN. Do the work, you have an opinion don't be afraid to voice it but be prepared to back it up. Funny Guy to boot.
Mr. Anderson is not the teacher for everyone, but if you show up on time and do your work he will help you in anyway he can. On the other hand if you are lazy and except to just show up to class and pass you will be FAIL.
He's one of those people who thinks they are smarter than everyone else because they have read a lot of books. Relates all aspects of the story to sex, I think he is possibly frustrated. His shirts are all 4 sizes too big, not sure that matters but is a funny thing to note. To put it simply I wouldn't recommend, very difficult, and not friendly.
Anderson does not mess around. If you want to succeed in the class come to class on time, provide required homework, and share during class. He will help you if you ask for it. Overall, great teacher if you are willing to attend class and participate.
He quickly became one of my favorite teachers & classes. You must show up, do the work, & have an adult attitude. Be prepared to think a little. The students that don't like him are the ones that don't want to work for their grade, & don't have an adult mentality. Some subjects are controversial, that's life. Be prepared to defend your answer.
There is not a good thing I can say about this man. Not helpful at all, full of himself, doesn't care about his job.. He only cares about his paycheck. Shame on CPCC for keeping him!
Assigns homework every night and will not except it if you come in late. Be prepared to think because he goes in dept when analyzing stories. He is not very helful when it comes to critisizing your work. He expects to much from people at a community college.
Really did not learn anything in his class. He is being so tough with attendance. (He will not receive any work if you are late to class.)
I don't understand why everyone is so hard on him. He expects you to act like a college student- turn your assignments in on time and come to class. If you actually try, he'll help you. He has a dry humor that isn't for everyone and I enjoyed his class.
The material was fun to read. I put a lot of time and effort into my assgnmnts. If you don't have the same opinion as him, you'll most likely make a bad grade (I'd made As w/ all other Eng. I'd taken). I was never late, turned my assgnmnts in on time, and payed attention in class. He's a funny guy but can be very abrasive. I wouldn't recommend him.
He is tough, but I learned a LOT. In my class there were lots of slackers--usually only about 2 others people really did the reading and work so lots of times we would have a VERY lively discussion with just 3 of us talking. I disagreed with him constantly about many interpretations but he never held it against me in when grading.
Absolutely the worst english teacher. How he has the test and the homework tied together. If you miss homework assignments that takes points off of your test grade. If your falling behind and trying to pick the pace back up. He'll knock you down again and punish you for not keeping up.
He is great teacher.
Funny sense of humor. Most of the material we covered was interesting. I see people on here bashing him. I'm sure these are 20 year old kids who didn't come to class or do their homework. The rules he tells you the first day stick till the end, even if he likes you. Overall, a very good teacher who made this an enjoyable class to go to!
Actually I am a 20 year old student that attended the class and did all of my work. Did not enjoy the class. Attendance policy sucks, I'm a good writer and still was making low 70's. To top it off, the class was 3 hours. It would be my last option to take his class, although you can pass if you do the reading and hw assignments.
I have been at CPCC for 3 years and have never experienced a teacher like him. I had never missed a class and even went to his office multiple times for help and still received low grades. I did all of the homework and ...well, that's all you can do. At the end of the year you will only have 4 grades in the gradebook. Goodluck!
very hard grader
Mr. Anderson is a great teacher. He has a dry sense of humor, which I loved, and he made the class very much bearable. He is a real university style professor. He is NOT a teacher you want IF you're looking for an easy A. If you're looking for a teacher that will challenge you (you're in college, you should want that), he is a great teacher.
Absolutely the WORST ENGLISH TEACHER EVER!!!I really didn't learn anything in this class. We did the same thing over and over again. He eats everyday in the classroom and chews with his mouth open. He's Great at criticizing others all the time. He takes months to give assignments back and so much more.Don't recommend him at all. Safe The headache!
I loved Mr. Anderson. At first he comes off as intimidating and as a bad teacher, but once you get used to his sense of humor he's great! He can be a tough grader, but is willing to help students out if you approach him. You definitely have to work to get an A though.
Absolute worst instructor I have ever had. I maintain all A's for my first three semesters and his class is the only exception. All exams are hand written essays on a strict time limit. You are also not allowed to refer to your books at all. but expected to remember multiple stories to write these essays. He will not help or clarify anything.
He is by far the worst Instructor at cpcc!! Not very helpful and has a horrible attitude. lectures are boring and confusing. harsh grader on paper and assignments. If it's not his way, it's the high way.
This is a 200 level course. Mr. Anderson makes you work for your grades, but he is always willing to help. You have to approach him. I spent two semesters in his classes. I am now going to university for English. He prepared me for my major and helped me understand symbolism, literary styles, and how to write specifically and clearly.
I've been in college for three years. And he is horrible. I've never had a professor so unclear with the activities. There's only 4 grades the entire semester. Do NOT take him unless you're willing and ready to teach yourself.
Literally the worst professor I have ever had. Took his class at night once a week; 2.5 hours is long enough but Anderson made it feel even longer. Half of the class was a complete waste of time and the other half consisted of his opinion. Tests were all essay-based. Late absentno credit. Egotistical. Absolutely awful. Avoid at all costs.
Horrible instructor not very helpful and very rude wouldn't recommend anyone to take his class!
Great teacher and very easy to talk to. Cares about students and tries to engage with lectures and lessons.
I had a feeling people's reviews would be harsh. He is certainly a tough grader & with so few tests there isn't much room to make up for low grades. However, he is obviously very passionate about literature and literary history as he spends a decent amount of time trying to get students to analyze various works from every angle. He's effective.
He is the most horrible teacher I ever had in my 22 years. He kills you for every little thing. He doesn't give notes. He talks all day long which makes you fall asleep. He makes noises that annoys the hell out of everyone. All the test are essay. I don't recommend you take this teacher.
He is by far the worst professor I have EVER had in my 15 years of school. He doesn't teach, he eats all class long and drinks his soda so loud every single class. His lectures are boring and bland. His grading scale is completely messed up so you'll never know what your grade is in the class. He doesn't care about his students so AVOID this class!
I can't name one thing that I learned from his class. If your opinion is different from his opinion, you will get a low grade. Also, you won't know where you stand in the class until the semester is over. Probably had a total of 2 "tests" (essays are what they really were). Hardly any grades in the grade book.
He is smart, nice & has a dry sense of humor. You either get it or you dont. The only thing is that his instructions were unclear. He is super approachable but vague with answers. Try your best to do what he wants in your papers to get a good grade. Discussed a lot of poems during class in order to prepare us for American Literature.
Worst teacher I have ever had. All instructions were unclear and when you would ask him what he wanted in a paper he would just say " I want a good paper". He doesn't give a lot of work so your grade isn't based off much. Avoid this teacher if at all possible.
I agree what last guy has said. I have no issue with him during the entire semester. He seemed scare the heck out of me when I first met him; but when you get used to know him, he's an extremely good/amazing professor. Hilarious and very insightful. He's always there to help u with your works. Get out of your baby shell and show him some respects.
I don't compliment him because he gave me a good grade, but because I actually worked hard for my grade and that he was truly an amazing professor. I don't understand all the hates for him. Y don't y'all stop disrespecting him and just sit tight, pay attention to him, and be serious in doing your assignments.
Amazing teacher. Simple and straight to the point. Take his class at all cause.
The worst teacher ever. Avoid taking his class. Will make you non sense research papers.
Avoid this class. When it comes to actually answering questions he's not helpful. I was told not to take this class by a few peers but I did anyway. I made a real effort and still got low grades for no good reason. When I gave detail he would tell me to get to the point and when I was straight forward, I lacked detail.
Love Him
Even if you attend class every day and are punctual, you still have to decipher WHAT he says because he will just mumble to himself and then randomly shout to get the class attention. He cannot elaborate on assignments and topics since his opinion is the correct one. Instead, he will just repeat for 3 days "I want to see good papers"
Tough Grader but you can expect to write at a college level when it comes to his English classes. Goes off topic at times with jokes and all. But you definetely gotta work your butt off for a good grade in his class. Just barely got a B and every assignment in his class counts a lot. Gotta work really hard for an A in his class.
I love English, literature has always been my thing. Um, not anymore. Never has a class ever made me want to end it for myself like his. Only he can understand himself. Lectures were really tangents about his personal life and I could hardly stay awake. All of his tests are essay based and don't bother with having your own opinion. Run far, ok?
You have to work hard for the grade that you want. Tough grader but you will learn a lot with him.
He is the worst teacher that i ever had in CPCC.
A good person does not make you a good teacher. He was nice, but he was one of the hardest teachers I've ever had in my life. He wasn't a hard teacher because he challenged you and made you think critically. He was a hard teacher because if you didn't have the same opinion as him, you were wrong. I recommend looking for a different instructor.
There's a simple solution to every individual who has garnered resentment for this professor. Understand the social contract of professor and student. You are not there to teach him. Instead be humbled enough to understand that your professor has an in-depth understanding of the curriculum, historical context, & it's significance. Listen & Observe.
I loved this class so much I took the other section he teaches the next semester. This is the first class I've taken at CPCC that felt like a university level class. He is a hard teacher & you have to work for your grade, but you will learn a lot! And isn't that the whole point of college? He has a great sense of humor & is very helpful when asked.
Prof. Anderson would make us write papers on the symbolism and themes in poems, as professors do. HOWEVER, if he saw a symbol that meant something different than what you thought, he would count off points. He also never explained how to do anything. On top of everything else, he mumbles. So good luck ever understanding what to do in that class.
Theres a simple reason why students tend to not like this professor. Cpcc students are conditioned to uneventful, show up-and-pass classes. Students become angry with the professor when they actually have to think outside of the box. If you actually want to learn and enhance yourself, you should take one of his classes.
First day of class, he told us to drop this class. He never helped the students who were genuinely trying in the class. When your opinion differed from his, you were always wrong. I wanted to not only beat his ass, but my own. Takes forever to answer questions, crazy notes, mumbles, makes you feel bad for asking questions. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS.
Everything other people have said before me is true, good and bad. If you have the chance to take a class other than his, DO IT. If he's your only option, its not the end of the world and you CAN pass. Expect lots of reading, pop quizzes almost every class and essay tests. This class is extremely boring if you don't participate.
Mr. Anderson is easily the most caring professor ive had at CPCC. At the time I took his class I was struggling badly. He went above and beyond to help me do better in his class, and see how I was doing. He took time outside of class to help me, and it was so appreciated. He truly cares about the wellbeing and success of his students.
Dropped this class first week in. His lectures consist of him talking and only talking. All you will do in class is listen to him, for hours. Not only was it boring but it was long and he provided so much information in the time frame of one class, you'll get a headache. Homework is ridiculous and tests are even worse. Does not grade fairly.
The teacher does not know how to teach he only rumbles about random things. He gives us pop quizes and essay test he does not give out a helpful study guide. When u take to the teacher he is not helpful at all I recommend u that you should get a another teacher.
The worst professor I've had my entire life. I understand how he has such bad reviews since 2014 and he is still around. He literally takes points off assignments if he doesn't like what he is reading or if he doesn't find it "interesting" for him to read. DROP HIS CLASS as soon as you see him in person. Change yourself to a different professor.
do not take his class, he is not worth the headache.
Worst teacher ever. Dont ever have him as your professor seriously.
This class was challenging but if you pay attention and really try to interact it will leave a lasting impact on you.
clearly failed me on purpose. had to write a paper and was given a rubric that had a title of "Comparison Paper" and then we were told that we would have points taken away if we were t compare. My father is an english major and could not understand one thing that I would tell him about this class. DO NOT USE THIS PROFESSOR!!!
One of the worst teachers I've ever had at CPCC. The most boring class EVER and he is so awkward. He will chew his peanuts and drink his soda so loudly while taking exams. I wouldn't recommend him to anyone. The directions he gives are unclear and he is unapproachable.
This was a short session. And thanks to corona I actually never attended this class. (I'm glad I didn't after reading these reviews.) So the class was online. But anyways he is a tough grader and doesn't offer ANY help. His feedback on papers was trash, for example on one assignment he just wrote 'dissappointment". So i learned nothing.
TRASH all I can say his lectures made no sense and his grading was even worse. He is such a tough grader and his lectures had nothing to do with the papers. I learned nothing
Prof. Anderson does not give good feed back and will low-key insult your intelligence. The papers i wrote in his class should have been scored a 90 or better, according to a different professor i am acquainted with at a university. He scored every single paper i wrote a 65 without being clear on the grading criteria.
Listen, To be honest I have no idea on what these people are talking about. I am taking this class during the coronavirus, so everything is different, I assume. That being said. We have very few assignments (more specifically one per week)(and its short) besides our three major papers. He hypes me up too when I do good on a assignment. Super chill
Assignment instructions made no sense and were very sparse in detail. This is ironic considering he is a writing instructor. Gives out zeros for not completing assignments they way he specified. Also, he is condescending in his responses.
Doesn't actually teach - just provides vague examples. Assignments are impossible to interpret. Feedback is often discourteous or just an empty rubric. Does not respond to requests for help. Takes excessive points off. Not clear on what he's actually looking for. Seems to enjoy taking points off. Should not be teaching.
Professor Anderson is absolutely horrible! It is so hard to figure out what he is wanting you to say. So far we had 2 assignments on Confirmation Bias (aka Racism). The first one we had to read an article and the second one we had to watch a movie clip. Both assignments were about pointing out the racism. Nothing to do with English at all!
I dont understand what he wants from me on the assignments. Doesnt specify what he wants, and is such a tough grader. Terrible
I was warned that some professors will not care, but he doesn't even try. I showed up to everyday in hopes that he would start to teach but nothing. There's no point in asking questions as well because he's not specific. His assignment is impossible because the assignment instructions make no sense. But even so, he grades harshly with no helpful FB
I do not recommend taking this course with him. I didn't withdraw early to complete this course this year. But honestly don't waste your time. Basically what everyone else mentions is true sadly.
He's absolutely terrible at lectures. He mumbles a lot and says the most random and nonsensical things ever. He's not mean or a bad guy. He just takes HW (even the easy short hw) way too seriously. He is a HEAVY and STRICT grader. It seemed like no matter how I changed my essay, it was never good enough. I BARELY passed.
teacher rambles, not clear on what we were even studying, assignments unclear complete waste of time. worst prof I've ever had
Prof. Anderson, rants and rambles incoherently, making him nearly impossible to track and follow. He is very prone to tangents as a professor, for example on the first day of class he rambled about some Qanon guy who hated Democrats or something. There is nothing on brightspace. The website is next to no help at all. Straight up do not take him.
He is not evil however not a good professor to be honest. His rubrics don't make sense and takes many points off for tiny mistakes. His feedback is sometimes just rude and isn't constructive criticism. I recommend just taking another English professor unless you're extremely good at writing papers even then I don't recommend.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
93%
Textbook Required
48%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.47 avg changeRatings by Course
101
5.0
(1)23111
5.0
(1)ENG241
5.0
(1)113
4.0
(1)ENG116
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
232
5.0
23111
5.0
23201
5.0
ENG231
4.5
ENG242
4.5