This guy is lively and nice, though he marks pretty hard. Pay attention to class and you'll do well, I didn't even read some of the works but because I paid attention, I did well

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He's a GOOD teacher but marking is extremely tough. Classes can be funny at times. NOT AN EASY GRADE!

Even though I failed the course. I believe he's a good teacher. Would definately take a class with him again.

His exams are TOUGH!

If you can analyze literature and engage it maturely, and get into great stories and novels, then there is no reason to not get at least a B+. Totally personable teacher, and facilitates discussion expertly. Pleasant, fun, entertaining, important subject material, eye opening, worth the money.

George is a good professor. Learning about critical theory in general was tough, but all the authors we discussed came in handy with other courses. No exams just 2 quizzes and a massive seminar presentation with evaluation and questions. He is particular in what he wants. He enlightened topics and can create interesting discussions. Fair marker.

George is a great professor; he knows what he's talking about, and teaches with enthusiasm. If you do the readings before class, it is tremendously helpful, otherwise you have no idea what is going on. Listening, if not participating in discussions is key for exams and papers!

George is absolutely hilarious. A lot of the subject matter that we covered in his class could have been dry and completely boring, but he injects a great deal of interest into his lectures that actually makes you want to read more. Also: he is without a doubt the best lecturer I have ever heard speak. His class was a complete pleasure.

I absolutely loved George's Critical Theory class and would consider it to be one of those 'Aha moment' classes. The workload is intense, but worth every moment. Would recommend this class to any person who is passionate about literary theory and literature.

I loved George's class. It took a few assignments to get into the swing of things, but by the end of the semester I got an A on everything. He makes difficult theoretical concepts very clear and asks all the important questions. He is also a genius. I would take a hundred more classes with him if I could.

If you read and go to class you can do really well. He is very excited about the subject matter and it shows in the lecture!

George is very interested in what he's teaching and makes his lectures clear, but since the material isn't very difficult it's not really necessary to attend the lectures. Overall an easy GPA booster to choose for one of your first year english credits.

Best.

His lectures are rather useless and pointless. But, considering the marking system only consist of 3 essays, I would say his class is pretty easy. He also has an interesting choice in stories and focuses on the "evil" of the world. Very interesting guy.

Professor Grinnell often discusses interesting topics in his lectures. However, the marks come from the tutorials, and his lectures are often not very relevant to the assignments.

I <3 Grinnell. Wicked lectures, fair grading, decent readings..take advantage of his office hours even just to chat; he's such an awesome guy! Take any course with him; guarantee you will love it!!!

Great methods, lectures pretty useless concerning the actual course work, but fascinating teacher! Great class to go to! always very interesting and he loves his job. Recommend this course!

I love George! My second class with him and he is by far my favourite English prof at UBCO. Topics are always engaging, and the atmosphere is open to many different viewpoints. Don't be afraid of Critical Theory! Work hard and it will pay off.

Interesting class, somewhat difficult to complete all assigned readings due to their dark and gloomy themes, but still a good challenging class for a first year English student. Prof is young and enthusiastic.

Very smart, engaging man. I wish he would draw from a more varied pool of literature though. There's nothing wrong with dark socially relevant literature, but it's very hard to care after awhile. I'd like to have read something more constructive, but I think he really personally feels that these narratives are the only ones that matter.

He's a good professor but the lectures felt more like he was preaching to us about the ills of society. The subject material was all very dark and depressing so it was hard to pick out "what matters" in the works that we studied, but I blasted a novel we read in my final exam essay, and I got a really high mark, so he's fair in marking.

This course was dull. The novels we read were terrible! "Red Dog, Red Dog" and "From the Graveyard to the Arousal Industry." But the one thing I did like was "They Said, I Said" which teaches you how to write a nice essay. His lectures are boring but he posts everything needed on Vista. He doesn't mark too hard but that's really up to the TAs.

Coolest Cat! Lectures were helpful in understanding the narratives, lot's of writing during however. I thought the material was very useful and relevant to more than just the class. They Say/I Say helped me sooooo much everywhere and I would highly recommend this if you enjoy English, excellent prof.

Approachable prof, interesting lecturer, extremely intelligent, but seems a bit one-track-minded. If something's unclear in the lectures he'll do his best to clarify it and really takes students' opinions into account. Sometimes too heavy on the reading but I learned a lot from his classes. He's a bit too p.c. sometimes which really bugs me.

George is so invested in his teaching and really values the personal views and thoughts of his students.

Attending class will help give you insight to the texts which will boost your marks for assignments. Go to all tutorials as the TAs really help explain what they and what George expects on assignments and exams. Unfortunately, he does swear a lot which makes him seem unprofessional.

Great prof!! He was very down to earth and made things interesting. The novel choices were brutal and felt like a punishment as he warned that we wouldnt like them. I also felt like he was a rough marker as I felt I had done very well on the final but came out drastically lower than expected.

I wish he would swear more, someone else in the comments mentioned that he swore too much, and this semester he acknowledged to the class that he had received that comment from the previous year. Now I want to know what the pre-comment Grinnell swore like. I can only imagine how awesome that would be. Anyway, His lectures are really interestin

George is one of the best lecturers I have had, and he truly cares about his students. Though the course was challenging and the TA's are tough markers, the class is definitely rewarding. If you want to push yourself to examine the world in new ways, are willing to work hard and question your previously held assumptions, this class is for you.

Dr. Grinnell one of the best profs I've had at UBCO. This course is quite difficult but Dr. Grinnell is always kind and respectful to students and takes the time to give good feedback. His lectures are interesting and he's a very engaging speaker. He's also a very prompt marker, which is always appreciated!

George really challenges the prescribed norms found in the typical first year culture. His course is designed to get you thinking for yourself, which created a very enjoyable environment to learn. Do, however, follow the essay patterns and methods to the tee! Marked not necessarily on material but on understanding of the "moves".

Grinnell's lectures were unlike any English lecture I'd attended before, but in a good way. Lectures consist of him giving extravagant, emotionally charged speeches which I think had little connection to the midterms, but were interesting nonetheless. Midterms are in-class essays, which I like, but not everyone does. Lots of short story reading.

I highly highly highly recommend taking a class with Grinnell. The readings can seem a little dull, but he gives such a unique perspective during lectures. There are 2 essays, 1 midterm, and 1 quiz, but as long as you understand the readings, it's no problem (the final is also easy). All in all, very intelligent and by far my favorite prof at ubco.

one of the best professors

Extremely kind and respectful to all of his students. Always willing to help, excellent professor.

He is very inspirational, one of those professors who can bring out the interest for the subject from the students. Reachable outside of classes and can give very interesting outlooks to whatever topics brought out by the books we studied. There are a lot of readings but if you know the gist that's good enough, excluding the main novels of course.

This professor is an absolute masterpiece of a human being. I took this course as an elective and his brilliant techniques, along with his delightfully captivating way of offering new perspectives, was applied to many other aspects of my academic life. Be prepared to work, but highly recommend!

George is one of the best professors I've had. He is funny, engaging and insightful. He acknowledges what you say without ever making you feel dumb. I found George a fair marker with fair assignments. He gives so much feedback and he marks assignments so fast, he is a machine. I learned so much from this course and I have so much respect for George

George is the sweetest man in all of existence. He marks extremely fast, giving lots of useful feedback, and is a very fair grader. He gave us the entire final before the exam. His lectures are amazing and engaging. Hands down the best prof I have ever had.

George is an amazing lecturer. He keeps his classes engaged throughout. Make sure you do the readings and you'll be fine!

Inspirational prof. Loved taking his classes. He was a true gem!

George Grinnell was my favorite professor this term. Not only is he interesting but also are the stories he picks for his students to read. The book he assigned for us to read, titled They Say/I Say, helped me so much with essay writing in all of my classes this term. He is also great at answering emails and office hours.

This course was a great one to take as it gave me a great understanding on how to write an essay and enter into a "critical conversation". This class is based on narratives, but it is a great way to learn how to write an essay. George is a very caring professor who genuinely wants his students to succeed. I highly recommend this class with George.

George is by far my favorite prof of my first year. I really recommend going to his office hours!

Pretty average and fair marking for a university-levelled English course. Very respectful and allows for personal expression. I learned more about writing in this course than of all my high school English classes combined. I appreciated his discussions that integrated real-world issues and enjoyed the novels (and I don't read).

Amazing guy, entertaining class. The thing he teaches remain useful even outside of this class. He taught us to use template and formatting from the book They say I say and it is still relevant in most of my class that I'm taking right now. Just be sure to attend class because there will be pop quiz.

This class is fantastic! Coming straight out of high school, I was absolutely NOT looking forward to having to take yet another mandatory English class. However, Dr. Grinnell's ENGL153 class made it bearable, and might I even add, enjoyable? Dr. Grinnell bases his class around engaging narratives like black mirror & parasite which made writing fun!

Professor Grinnell is an amazing human being and a very caring professor. Being an international student, he extended a deadline for a midterm paper by a week, an impressive feat not achieved by others. Although I failed his course, I am immensely grateful to have observed so many methods through which narratives can be examined. Would recommend!

George is so funny. I love his classroom environment, and he's one of the only teachers I have ever enjoyed having for English. Bravo.

So Im just about to finish this class but I couldnt hold off leaving a positive review for this prof. Im not the greatest English writer ever but Ive thoroughly enjoyed this class and all of the lecture components. While he does grade tough on the few assignments you have, what you get feels accurate, and he makes it clear what went wrong. :)

George is the best prof ever! He's seriously an amazing lecturer, making difficult content accessible and engaging. Best English lecturer at UBCO that I've had. Every class is interesting and you end up retaining a ton of what he teaches. He is very respectful and good at valuing contributions. Super encouraging in his feedback and an easy marker.

George was an amazing prof, by far my favourite this semester. I was not excited to take another English class after high school but he actually made it super enjoyable and I was always excited to go. He's very receptive to different ideas and always listens to what you have to say and cares about it a lot. He's also absolutely hilarious. 10/10

George was an all around amazing professor who made english actually enjoyable. If you have the opportunity I would absolutely recommend taking his class.

Dr. Grinnell is AMAZING. He is caring and hilarious during lectures. He assigns really good reading material though I admit I haven't done everything yet. He is a really fast grader-he graded my term essay within 24 hours of the deadline. I don't really like English courses but I definitely make sure not to miss his class. Put in effort and pass!

Professor Grinnell is amazing. 110% recommend.

Do yourself a favor by taking his class. One of the best teachers any one can ask for. Very flexible with deadlines. He knows what he is doing. No extra work is given but the basics. 2 essay, 1 midterm, 1 final and participation.

George is a great guy that is very passionate about english. He cares a lot about his content and wants you to succeed. There is a whole lot of reading but he gives you all the tools you need and more to succeed, and if you keep up to date with readings every week it won't feel like too much. Lectures were boring but so is english in general to me.

He is very big on thinking for yourself and has a lot of inclusive sources. He seems to be a very understanding and empathetic individual. Definitely more concerned about the contents of essays rather than the overall structure.

I enjoyed his lectures and all the readings he assigned were actually pretty good. My only complaint is how incredibly wordy all of his PowerPoints and assignment instructions were. I had to reread everything multiple times to try to get to the point of what he was saying, but maybe that was an intentional tactic!

George is obviously very passionate about what he teaches, although the lectures can be a bit difficult to get through, seeing as they're 2 hours long, but he's doing the best he can. I found the marking to be overall easy, and he was very clear on his expectations. The readings were interesting, and I overall enjoyed the course.

Even though the two hour lectures were a challenge, but if you pushed through them there were lots of interesting things to learn from the lectures. Professor Grinnell is very obviously passionate about English and the narratives we read/discussed in class and that was reflected in the lectures. The midterms and final were very fair.

english has always been my absolute worst subject -- it's very hard for me to pass, but George gives incredibly detailed instructions on how he wants his essays formatted. I've never enjoyed an english class as much as his. his lectures are INCREDIBLE and the discussions had during them were also a breath of fresh air.

Hes a super cool guy ;)

loved George, talented and passionate professor. the readings he chooses are a bit dull sometimes but aside from that he's one of the best. Clear on rubrics and feedback, Genuinely cares about having you succeed, doesn't make it easy, but makes sure you benefit from it. The gold standard of English classes that other profs should aspire to meet.

Dr. Grinnell is so passionate for what he teaches. As a science student who HATES English, he made this class so enjoyable, despite the 2 hour lectures on Friday afternoon. I took this as an upper year student and I can tell why first years find it difficult, but for a university level English class, Dr. Grinnell made this class so interesting.

George is amazing and takes so much time to offer help. Incredibly engaging & very clear. You will read a few short stories, a couple novels and a couple movies. 2 midterms and participation for discussions. Take your time with the term essay and show up to lectures and you'll be fine. Also gives a 3 day extension for any 1 of the 3 essays to use!

Well chosen course materials and cares about his students. Great, no complaint.

Funny, interesting lectures. Good at making content engaging despite 2hr 8am timeslot. Really cool guy, great to talk to out of class for help/feedback. Textbook is boring but necessary, and a little frustrating to learn how to grasp the way he wants you to write your essays. Grades can depend on how good of a TA you get, but George is great

Doesn't use slides, has a focus on class participation. Second half of class was student-led. Passionate and fun. One of the best profs. Lenient. Many readings though. Often ended class with deep topic, causing an existential crisis (lol). Theory is difficult, yet he made it easier to understand.

His material is so interesting and he gives you the ability to apply that material to subjects you are actually interested in. I typically don't do all the readings for courses like this, but every reading was so insightful, I didn't skip any. He's also really understanding, It's clear he wants his students to succeed.

Really enjoyed the Prof! He made it super engaging despite the 8 am class time. He was very helpful with questions and office hours are very helpful!

Passionate, amazing, and a really great prof. I found this class to have WAY too much reading, and extremely tough grading. You really have to grind and reach out to TA's for a good grade. Learned some really cool things, and I believe I have come out of this class a better debater and critical thinker. As a STEM student-take a easier English.