Brilliant!

Great Prof. brilliant lecturer, but not for everyone.

Absolutely, hands-down, the most brilliant professor I ever had. I've graduated a while ago, and I still think about her lectures.

Professor Whittier is the most brilliant teacher I have had at Binghamton, and has openend my mind in ways I could have never imagined.

I have found that Professor Whittier is best for intellectually astute students. If you are simple-minded, you won't like her. If you are complicated and you actually care about expanding your mind and learning about the world and literature, you'll like.

It is scary how brilliant she is. I feel fortunate to have her as a professor.

can't say as i ever agreed with what she said, but she did present her ideas clearly. heh...does have a bit of a filthy mouth, offended an average of 5 students (maybe more) per lecture. it's shakespeare...just read the plays carefully and you'll be ok.

haha. she was over the top. one of the few professors who didn't botch up my love for literature

Excellent lecturer -- she's genuinely moved by her material, and keeps her perspectives churning. She's also arrogant and rude in her approach to her students during class -- only addresses perceived slights. She will talk to you about lit. one-on-one.

VERY INTELLIGENT PROFESSOR. DEFINATELY KNOWS HER SHAKESPEARE. SHE IS LENIENT WITH GRADES SO I WOULD RECOMMEND TAKING THIS CLASS ENG/NON ENG MAJORS ALIKE.

took this class and was pleasantly surprised. she does go off on tangents a lot but they are amusing and she does eventually return to the material. I honestly thoroughly enjoyed her class and hated leaving.

I came into this class thinking I would hate Shakespeare. But Prof Whittier is extremely smart and uncovers so much richness in the text. Sometimes you are sitting there in lecture and so many layers of meaning are flying at you at once that you dont know what to do with yourself, in a good way!!!

Whittier is a superb Shakespeare lecturer. She teaches an even better course called Literature and Medicine. If you have any interest in medicine or are an english major looking for an interesting class, take this. I left Bing as a philosophy major, and now i'm in med school. I blame her.

wick'd fun! lectures don't matter in grades, but prof has interesting, intelligent things to say. She's bold, crude, and absolutely honest. Don't be put off by her manner. Just sit there and listen to what she says... u can choose to believe it or not. she's definately deserving of respect.

The stupidity of some of these comments parallels declining literacy rates. I had Gayle in the late seventies and she was one of the best teachers I ever had (besides Gardner). Shameful Bush babies must not get her. What is the world coming to? Open your ears, people, and think about learning something.

Professor Whittier is witter than you. That being said....the reason people do not like her, is because they are used to being handed grades at this school. Professor Whittier is the only professor I have come across at this school who not only cares about her students, but who CHALLENGES them in ways that no other professors would even attempt.

Some people just don't understand. Prof. Whittier is one of the best English professors at BU. Her lectures provoke thought and she challenges you. If you are looking for a basket weaving course then don't take this. Not b/c it is hard but if you can't do anything but sleep in class, then this lecture is not for you.

Prof. Whittier offers rare and valuable insight on her subject(in this case Shakespeare)but doesn't stop there. She pushes past literature and creates the space for students to discuss real world issues that literature touches upon --the issues that concern us all. All points of view are welcome, especially those that are intelligently presented.

I'm a little offended that professor Whittier's hotness level is at zero. So, for that I shall give her a pepper. That being said...Binghamton students are for the most part...MORONS. Don't take a course with her if you can't handle a little bit of criticism, and if you're afraid to learn something new.

She's that typical quirky/eccentric English professor, for example she said something to the effect of "I refuse to learn CPR because I don't want to be responsible for saving a life." She's real strick in a lot of ways, but its not difficult to get an A. Attendance is important, she makes a big deal out of the text, but you can get by without it.

Great professor. Eccentric and all, but she really cares about the work and it comes out. I didn't care about Shakespeare beforehand, but I actually learned a lot and am glad that I took the course with her.

Professor Whittier is a great teacher. She tells great stories although sometimes not pertaining to the material. She shows great enthusiasm and is always willing to help.

The class is incredibly easy, but the classes themsleves are a bore. She has a tendency to be eccentric and somewhat enetertaing but a large amount of the class is spent sitting through lectures that are just simply unnecessary. If you really want to appreciate Shakespeare take this class with Vos. If you just want an easy A, then Whittier should b

If attendance were not taken at lectures I wouldn't recomend going. The most valuable information is learned in the discussion sections. The TAs make up the midterm and final so make sure you pay attention to them. The Proff. may have a tendanacy to tell the same story about her father over and over again.

Best Professor EVER!

I enjoyed Dr. Whittier's class thoroughly. However, I did not enjoy the incomplete I recieved for her course nor do I enjoy the fact she does not use an e-mail accoutn. I understand it's hard for her, but getting this matter settled is a bigger headache than necessary.

Phenomenal professor. Smartest person I have ever met in my life. Best in a small classroom setting. Deconstructs and reconstructs ideas in ways unimaginable. Borderline insane but not to a fault. Go to her lectures, you won't regret it.

This professor is AWSOME. i don't know what the hell you people are talking about. She's crazy, but in a good way. She makes shakespeare understandable and interesting, and all the stuff about sex is actually in the plays, so how could anyone complain about that being discussed?? I lucked out with my TA, he doesn't make us do anything.

Professor Whittier is pretentious, but she has every right to be because she knows what she's talking about. She's accomplished and knowledgable, and people begrudge her that because they don't understand her passion for her subject. Whittier grades fairly, is helpful in office hours, and is very interesting for those with a brain.

Whittier is incredibly smart, but as other people said she is very aware of her intelligence and may come across as overbearing. This is my most interesting class and she is an excellent professor

One of the most brilliant minds attuned to Shakespeare in the USA. Her teaching/ understanding of the sublime and not so sublime androgyne in Antony & Cleopatra has been as important as at least two of St. Paul's Epistles in my life and thought.

Amazing and brilliant. Lit and Med was very interesting. She is definitely a teacher that has impacted my life, and I will not forget her. There is a freedom and open mind about her that helps break the boring, systematic formality where I fear the English department is slowly heading toward.

Okay. Here's the deal. She is absolutely brilliant, and is clinically insane, but the best geniuses are. She is hysterical and knows her stuff. But, her lectures can drag. I did, however, meet her outside lecture, and she was great one-on-one. Which leads me to believe that she's great in an actual classroom. Lecture is just okay, though.

Took Shakespeare & Gender. Professor Whittier is a bit scatterbrained and rambling at her worst, but this is a kind, passionate and poignant woman with a lot to offer. Her tangents always have an eventual meaning and if you are intelligent and work hard you will find her class rewarding. Comes off a bit intimidating but cares about academia (& her students) very much. Is opinionated at times but never with animosity. Talented academics will feel enriched by her.

This is the type of Professor who will have mixed reviews. I will only commend her. As invested as she is scholastically in her class, she lives for Shakespeare, and has a beaming passion for this subject. She should be praised for her intelligence, and don't be afraid to approach her, she is actually a warm person. form your own opinion on her.

I had her for "Beauty and Power". She's definitely all over the place when she lectures but if you manage to follow along with her she really has interesting things to say about stuff, and i experienced many personal insights of my own while listening to her. Your entire grade is based on 3 papers, which means that if you can write you're golden

She's a genius. Although you may not keep up with everything she says, there's no way you won't learn something new in every one of her classes. Absolutely one of my favorite professors at Bing. I would strongly recommend taking a class from her -- She'll definitely change your perspective on things.

I love Gayle. She's honestly one of the most caring professors here. I took Beauty and Power through the Arts last fall and fell in love. There's so much to learn from Professor Whittier. She'll use the text as the foundation for making real and meaningful connection to the world. Hands down, one of the best class I took at Bing.

While sometimes a bit scatterbrained and rambling, her discussions are always interesting. People complaining about "irrelevance" seem not to understand how an English class works--she makes you think beyond the surface and challenges you intellectually. VERY compassionate and willing to help/get to know students.

She jumps around a bit, but if you can keep up, she is brilliant. I used to hate Shakespeare, not I actually understand why he is amazing.

Great professor. She really helped improve my writing.

Best professor I've had, potentially best teacher I've had. She is so engaging and interesting, I always looked forward to coming to class and I wish she could teach all my classes. Whittier makes her class feel like story time but her tangents are useful and I feel like I learned more valuable things than just the course material from her.

Professor Whittier really knows her Shakespeare. She is a wonderful lecturer and is brilliant. You have to do the readings in order to understand what she's talking about and to pass the exams, she supplement the materials and helps you understand it better. Made me appreciate Shakespeare a lot more. Would highly recommend.

The thing about Whittier is that if you honestly try, you will get an A every time. Really, she teaches because she loves teaching, and hence hates it when students are either looking for a grade, or not looking for anything at all. This is sometimes a problem as a lot of students need to take Shakespeare. Try and you will absolutely succeed.

Lectures were fine, but she did digress a lot. Questions on tests were hard, you definitely have to either know Shakespeare really well or make sure you attend every class. Whittier definitely knew Shakespeare and clearly loves it.

Literature and Medicine was a great class. The readings and lectures were all interesting. Readings weren't spaced appropriately, too much reading required and went over some readings much more than others that we barely discussed. This is partially due to the tangents of the professor, but the tangents are interesting anyways.I learned quite a bit

If you put in, you'll have an amazing time. If you slack, you'll have a terrible time. That's not on the professor, that's on you.

The complaint here is that she verges off topic too often and students are left confused; but the thing is, that's what the beauty of the course is. Shakespeare's timeless plays are open to an infinite variety and number of interpretations; she offers hers, with ample related personal anecdotes, and encourages you to develop your own. She is great.

Your grades are calculated through your TA. Although lecture is mandatory, the notes you take during lecture aren't relevant to the test or your grade at all to be honest. To succeed in this class, attend all lectures (purely to avoid the attendance punishment), go to discussion (once a week) and make a good impression on your TA.

This was def a random class but she was very entertaining and sweet and understanding. She has so much knowledge and is so wise and truly wants to reach out and make the connection if you try.