Challenging professor who gives very personable, humorous lectures.

He tried to arrange a corpse to be brought into class while we were reading Frankenstein so we would understand the monster's hideousness and how our sympathy towards it is unrealistic...he is passionate about his subject

Difficult class, but the professor has very interesting lectures. It is enjoyable, but hard.

Amazing prof who really cares about his subjects and makes an effort to maintain the interest of the class!!

Totally committed to improving students' writing styles and abilities. Great class for English majors who want to perfect their skills.

loved english a lot, enjoyable prof and class... kinda out there but he makes english so much better to study

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Interesting class, he really loves the subject material and helping to students to understand and relate to it. A lot of the grading depends on your TA

Puts a lot of work into the class. Brings up interesting points. Funny. Genuine guy.

he's a nice guy and he really gets into the class. If you read the books, the lectures are really not necessary, however he takes random attendance.

He's a very enthusiastic and kind professor. I just really hated the class because I don't agree with all the hidden meanings he finds.

Interseting lectures, fun and upbeat, picks interesting books. Good overall.

I thought overall the class was pretty good. It was good to have a professor who truly enjoyed his job and took interest in his students. His meanings weren't all that weird and I found the lectures definitely helped with the final. Having a good TA is also key though since they do the grading.

Prof Zimmerman is awsome. He encourages you to come in and talk to him. He truly has a passion for his work and it is shown in his lectures. It is interesting, funny, and well structured.

I lived for this class! I thought the texts were interesting and the lectures were well structured and interesting. He is really passionate about the material. If you read the books, the class is pretty easy. You only have 3 pretty small essays to write and then the final. GET A GOOD TA! I got an A.

Prof. Zimmerman was fantastic. He's incredibly passionate about the material and his job in general. He comes into class everyday smiling and makes you want to get into the material as much as he is. A more dedicated, accessible teacher you cannot find. A+

Professor Zimmerman is a good kid. His method of taking role is different, but fun i guess. He often opens the floor for ideas and debates and is accepting of any arguement, just as long as you support it well.

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I had him in fall, enjoyed his lectures so much that I took another class of his in spring, then declared my major as English! he has some bizzare ways of looking at things but always makes lecture interesting, the texts & movies he picks are good- who doesn't enjoy Brad Pitt ("Fight Club")?!

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If you are mildly interested in literature, Zimmerman is wonderful. As he lectures, it is obvious that he is passionate about teaching students not only how to analyze, but also how to appreciate literature.

He is passionate and energetic. But it can get somewhat old. I had him for two semesters, but only really appreciated him for Mod. Lit. The lectures are kind of unneccessary if you are good at english (just get someone to tell you if he said your name). Definitely get a good TA though - they completely dictate your grade.

He takes random attendance. He makes lecture really fun and great. He tries really hard to engage with students. The material is very interesting. He is by far one of my favorite professors. Work load is not bad at all.

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Professor Zimmerman is SO nice! He is always open to listening to comments and questions brought up in lecture. He is by far the most approachable professor I have had. He picks out really interesting books too- one is now one of my favorite books!

Overall a very good prof, he def. chooses interesting novels to read. He tends to repeat what he says 4 or 5 times which can get quite annoying. Lecture is completely unnecessary but he takes a random attendace, without that, I never wouldve gone and still gotten an AB. If you want an interesting, breezy, low-intensity English class, this is for u.

Unbelieveably dedicated and engaging teacher, easily the best I've ever had at any level. He makes the most boring material seem fascinating and I find myself reading the books he assigns out of curiosity and a desire to learn rather than for a good grade. On top of that, he's not too tough if you try hard. Take him at least once!

The papers were hard for me, but there are only three. The reading is interesting, and his lectures are interesting. He takes spot attendence, so you have to go and gets mad if people sleep or read the paper in his class. Seems like a nice guy otherwise. Blue book exam as final.

Zimmerman is a good guy, really fun to listen to because you can tell he actually cares about what he is teaching which seems rare in my other classes. My only criticism is his choise of TA's. Samaa needs to leave, she made my semster hell. Your grade in the class is a lot up to the TA so make sure you aren't with her.

Zimmerman is a great guy that really cares. I like how you can email him about books and he will discuss them with you. He spends a huge amount of time on this class and it really shows. The readings were good as well, and he does not demand that much. If you get the chance take a class from him.

Good professor who is really passionate about his material and loves to help students. Lectures can sometimes get boring, but I blame that more on the subject in general. Random attendance kinda sucks, so make sure you go to lecture.

Interesting

i very strongly disliked his reading list choice but he is an extremely committed professor and seemingly truly loves teaching and is always available as well as open to your comments and criticism. i questioned a major point of some of his lecturing and he emailed the entire class admitting a change in perspective...that's a good professor.

Really passionate and entertaining.

He is a really nice professor, super friendly and passionate. He taught me so much about how to read a piece of literature and how much you can look into something. I DEFINITELY recomend him, although I don't know if I would take two semesters with him....

His lectures are enjoyable.

Lectures were interesting. He really gets into his books and if you like/appreciate literature he'd be a great professor for you. Good for freshmen too because he does really TEACH.

Really loves the course material, but the difficulty of the course lies entirely upon which TA you get. If he hadn't taken lecture attendance I could have skipped each lecture and done equally as well.

Aggravatingly disingenuous. INCREDIBLY self infatuated. Really needs to shut up about sitting close. Deceptively approachable: will hiss about "inappropriateness" if you even politely call him out on something.

A good professor but he takes random attendance and tries to emphasize a smaller class size way to much. He gets into the material and tries his best to get everyone involved. Most of the time interesting but go to lecture/discussion.

He's a great professor who is down to earth. The essays sucked and he over-analyzed everything but that's his job (being an english professor).

I really have no complaints about this guy. He's slightly arrogant which can get annoying, but overall, he makes his expectations very clear at the beginning. 3 papers and a final (for which he gives you a clear prep sheet). Overall, a good prof.

An ok professor. Lectures are moderatley interesting and he knows what he's talking about. Takes random attendance probably cause literature lectures are kind of pointless and nobody would go if he didn't. Grades way to hard considering he teaches as if no one knows how to write a paragraph.

Awesome english professor! Really interesting lectures that made me see the books differently. I also got really lucky with my TA which can make or break the class since the professor just lectures while the TA grades everything! But I really enjoyed his class...the downfall is that attendance is mandatory and he takes random attendance!

Zimmerman's a great professor. He takes random attendance, so lecture is mandatory. He gives good insight into the works you read. Make sure you TAKE NOTES during lecture, they'll help you a ton on the final. The key is to get a good TA, b/c the TA's grade everything. Tough grading on papers, but show improvement and you'll be fine.

This guy has been my favorite teacher so far, but he is extremely difficult in his grading. Be prepared to invest the majority of your time in the class he teaches.

Good professor. Very enthusiastic. Funny and interesting. Grading is hard and done entirely by TA's. The essays assigned were difficult. The attendance policy is annoying because he calls out like 5 names every class. Good singer also... he likes to play songs during class.

The Tricky thing about the papers is that you are required to write on things that he DOESN'T lecture on. Don't get tricked into not taking notes, as your notes will come back to help you immensely in studying for the final. Very enthusiastic. Random attendance makes it necessary to attend.

His lectures were pretty boring, but they cleared much of the confusing material up. Sections are useless, but mandatory. Its an easy class to slack off in if you're a skilled writer. Work hard on your papers, and you should do fine. TA's do all of the grading

the best professor i have had at the UW so far

Zimmerman is an excellent professor. He claims to do 10 hours of prep for each lecture, and it shows - his lectures are interesting and engaging. He is also pretty approachable, even if you don't have a specific question. At some point we got into a conversation about interpreting Radiohead lyrics. It was pretty awesome.

Great professor, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. He is very engaging and encourages students to participate even in the large lecture hall. Tries to make it feel like a small seminar, and if you're in the front it works. Highly recommend, whether an english major or not

The class is engaging enough but it's pretty apparent halfway through the semester that he repeats himself...A LOT. If random attendance wasn't being taken, I wouldn't have come to half of the lectures. Discussions range from good to torturous depending on your TA.

awesome professor

This is an awesome course. The literature is engaging and professor Z. is a great instructor. He is very enthusiastic about his work and tries to get the class engaged as much as possible in lecture. The papers are not difficult, but they do improve writing skills greatly.

I didn't like any of the books he picked, but at least you can see a theme recurring through them, which makes it easier to write essays. He never said anything in lecture that I couldn't figure out myself. Lecture is mandatory, but he is enthusiastic and it will help with the final. Definitely need to read all texts.

Awesome prof. Very excited. Teaches you EXACTLY how to write your essays and the essays werent bad. final exam was hard

I once sent him an email asking for help on an essay and he sent back a detailed full page analysis of what I had so far within a few hours. GREAT professor. One of the reasons I decided to major in English.

He is an ok teacher

Awesome professor who knows literature and does a fantastic job displaying overarching class themes. Overall a great class and great professor

I took intro modern lit with him during the 3 week interim session at the beginning of summer. This man is a caring, thoughtful, and passionate professor. His articulation and diction will help you gain "traction" (to use his favorite word) as a speaker and writer of english. He also wrote a song based on one of the books! nerdy but awesome

Really loves teaching. Spends a lot of time putting thought into his lectures. Sometimes, he's a little too happy, which can be annoying if you have an 8:50 lecture with him. Mandatory attendance is annoying. And he sends out an excessive amount of emails that really aren't that necessary to read. I believe that he digs too deeply into his points.

Professor Zimmerman is completely awesome. He makes the class really fun, cracking jokes and singing/playing guitar for us. I definitely recommend taking one of his classes!

If you got a bad grade from him then you will obviously hate him. He is an extremely difficult professor and his standards for his students are impossibly high. That being said I am a significantly better writer after taking a class with him. Hands down he has been the best English professor I've had at UW-Madison.

Pretty damn awesome teacher.

Fantastic professor. Incredible insight. Keeps students attention well. Trys to keep the class involved even in a lecture of 200+. Funny and clearly very intelligent. Makes even the most boring material interesting. Not exactly an easy course, but well worth it.

Zimmerman was a good professor. I find that English can be a bit dry and only took his class for my lit credits, and I'm very glad I got him as a Professor. Your grade will depend on your TA. Read the books, go to lectures, and get help on your papers -- easy A.

Very good class. Books were really interesting, kept lectures interesting also. Grade was basically decided by TA though, but overall not a difficult class.

Great teacher, very interesting lectures. Would definitely recommend the class if you want an english class, because he is one of the best english professors on campus. He also plays guitar and sings during lecture! downside is your grade depends on your TA and not him, so the quality of this class may depend on your ta. would reccomend

If you're looking for a course you'll never forget, take one with this guy. A semester with him will do wonders for your writing, and you'll never be bored. He's basically the [Zimmer]man.

Zimmerman is definitely an entertainer. Definitely one of the most lively, engaging profs on campus. Make sure you show up to lecture though-he calls out random names for attendance every session.

Prof. Zimmerman is very passionate but I found him extremely arrogant. I don't think I would take a class from him again.

Fantastic professor. Often accused of being a bit conceited. He is a bit full of himself, but is still very inticing. Makes you dig deep into the text without killing it. I would love to take a class with him again.

He is an awesome professor who really has a passion for literature. He makes books seem very interesting. I will never look at literature the same way ever again. Oh yeah, he makes up songs and brings in a guitar and sings!!!

Comes off arrogantly a lot and tends to treat class like he's teaching middle school. Attendance is mandatory even though grades depend on the TA. However, he seems to care about getting to know students and is available for and helpful in office hours. The essays are not fun to write unless you love literary analysis and the final is way too long.

Very entertaining lecturer! Take at least one of his classes before graduating! He made me look at literature in a different way. He makes songs about the readings and sings with a guitar sometimes. My TA wasn't the greatest but I think the papers were tough for some because of the urge to write summaries. I will admit the final was rather long.

Good Prof. Does everything he can to keep lectures entertaining. Class can get a bit boring at times. 3 papers and a final for the grade. Just make sure you take notes in lectures and the final is cake.

One of the best professors I've ever had. He may come off as arrogant to some, but I never noticed it. He knows SO MUCH about every book. If you aren't an English major I highly recommend this class because it's not too hard, but you'll learn so much. He's a cool guy and always kept the class interesting. I never skipped!

He is an alright professor. Very passionate about his work but something about him just doesn't sit well with me. He can be entertaining at times and boring at others. I think it's stupid of him to require attenance and that people can't surf the web on their computers. We are not children, we can take care of ourselves!

Hands down best professor I've had in college so far. He is hilarious and lectures are always entertaining. I definitely recommend taking a class of his!

Prof Zimmerman is great. His lectures are funny, entertaining, and engaging and he genuinely cares about his students. The texts are alright, be prepared to endure some readings that you don't necessarily like. Essays are graded hard, but go to office hours and get help and you'll do just fine. Study for the final and it's a grade-booster.

Prof Z is AWESOME! He is so passionate about the readings and his lectures that it makes YOU passionate about it. He's funny and quirky but the papers are tough! He does tell you exactly what he is looking for though. I liked that the percentage of each paper goes up with each paper, 1st starting at 15%, second 20%... etc) so u have time to adjust

Zimmerman is AWESOME. He has crystal clear lectures that are insightful and help clarify what's happening in the books. He is entertaining and definitely the best lecturer I've had. He has the TAs grade papers hard at first, but then get easier as the semester goes on. Final was incredibly easy. Attendance mandatory. Once again, GREAT prof.

Zimmerman's a great guy! Really engaging and entertaining in lectures. There's 3 papers graded by the TAs (I had a pretty hard TA but heard that some were pretty easy. It's all up to the TA, really), but the final is a grade booster. I highly suggest going to his office hours, even if it's just to chat about Vonnegut and used books like I did.

Fabulous professor!! He's super passionate about the material and he picks great books. Lectures are a treat and I learned so much from him. I'm taking another class with him even though I'm not an English major, he's that good.

Awesome lecturer, one of my favorite professors I've had at UW. Problem is TA's grade everything. TA graded too hard for a 100 level English class. Regardless, great professor.

Such a great guy. SO passionate and it makes the entire lecture interested in the material. It's was a huge lecture but he knew most people by name and was always the most considerate person. Loved the material and it could not have been a better experience. I wish he taught more classes!

Very engaging in lectures and will interest you even if you despise literature, but alot of reading

Professor Zimmerman is great! He is very intelligent and even though class is mandatory, he definitely makes it worth while to attend. However, the grading is pretty difficult for a 100 level class. This should not deter you from taking his class. Go to office hours and learn what he expects- you'll get a good grade and have a fantastic experience.

I found Prof. Zimmerman to be truly enthusiastic and energetic about lectures. His interest in the course material made attendance fun. I found the TAs to be fair but critical. The readings were a little too race based for a white professor and white students to be constantly talking about. My TA SUCKED don't take Frances Laskey is possible.

I thought Professor Zimmerman was engaging and passionate. The class was somewhat challenging in that it was a lot of work and required effort, but I believe that we learned very useful skills.

He is a great professor and I enjoyed going to lecture. But the class is a lot of fast paced reading that I would not recommend for those who are taking heavy course loads or other reading intensive classes because once you get behind it is hard to catch up.

Professor Zimmerman is great! He is really engaging in lectures. However, there is a lot of reading involved, so if you don't like that, this is not the class for you.

I loved Professor Zimmerman. His lecture style is captivating and interesting. However, if you're looking for an easy literature credit, DON'T take this class. Grades are based on 3 essays and a final and the essays are graded pretty tough. It's important to note, however, that the bulk of your grade is determined by your TA.

The grading is very difficult, but his enthusiasm for the subject is very apparent. Some of the most rewarding lectures you'll attend. He really makes you think, but be prepared for him to give away the endings to a lot of the books.

One of the best, most engaging professors in English. Makes you work to engage with the material and become a better writer-seems tough at first but not difficult to do well if you try. Cares a lot about students and the material and is always helpful. Would take all of his classes.

Prof. Zimmerman is brilliant. His discussions are incredibly insightful and well done, and his passion for the material is infectious. He cares about his students more than any prof. I have had: he will give 3 pages of detailed feedback on a 2 page essay. HOWEVER: his class is HARD. You will have your essays torn to shreds, but it WILL improve you.

The class is lecture-heavy, so it's important to attend class. If you miss one reading (there are many), you'll fall completely behind. Lectures are engaging and give perspective that students might not recognize upon a first reading, but that sometimes makes lecture hard to follow. Overall, Prof. Zimmerman genuinely cares about students, though.

Professor Zimmerman is awesome. However, this class is not the easiest if you are looking for an intro level lit credit. It is really hard to get an A on a paper in this class but the class is interesting

Be prepared to work, but if youre engaged with the material and listen to lectures youll be fine. Definitely not an easy A.

If you are taking this class just to get by with an easy A, low stress, and you don't have to do work, Professor Zimmerman is not a good choice. He is a great and engaging lecturer and if you read the books and take notes on the lectures, you should do fine although that is still a ton of work. He is really responsive and readily available.