This guy is a great teacher. Gives lectures that provide a lot of insight into the books, and also gives hilarious comments throughout the course. Grading is doable, take his class, you wont regret it.

I loved this class. He really makes you think about what your reading and gives great insights into the books and the time period they came from, and these insights are easily applicable to numerous things. He is also very funny and not that hard a grader

I loved the books that we read for this class and professor dobbins is very passionate about the work. He's helpful and friendly in office hours

Loved it. Great books, great teacher. Funny. Not difficult if you keep up with the readings. Recommend.

BEST PROFESSOR EVER. started the quarter out enthusiastically and kept it up. I will DEFINITELY take him again in the future, and I recommend him with fervor. :)

I must say that Dobbins is definitely one of the most interesting English professors. Though he is not difficult with grading, this substandard comportment doesn't detract students from learning the necessary materials.

Ah,yes, Prof. Dobbins... At first, didn't know what to make of him- looks like a cross between a politcian and a barfighter. Knew we were in for a great quarter when he showed us what the Starry Plough looks like- by rolling up his sleeve to show a tattoo

great lecturer, funny guy, helpful in office hours, and how can you not love a professor who claims to have gotten a tattoo of James Joyce on the first day of grad school to keep himself from dropping out of the PhD program to become a lawyer?

Funny, super smart, great communicator and all around supurb professor. He plays music (usually 80's new wave or punk) to relate texts. Obviously loves Irish culture and has put a lot of time and thought into his ideas about texts. You won't find a better professor anywhere at Davis.

Yea, this guys knows his stuff and is entertaining. What I didn't like was how he spoke really fast and tried to cram so much info in-- that made it hard to take notes. Also, all he does is lecture, lecture, and lecture, so sitting in class can be a little tedious. Still a good guy who's helpful, though.

I think if you can write and you like to read, this class is for you. But it is not one of those classes that you can repeat what the professor says in the class. You have to think for yourself. Those who think will get As and those who don't just don't. LOL. I personally got 2 A+ and 1 A on the papers and midterms. But I haven't got back my final.

Great Guy. Helpful...really make use of the office hours, because he will help you get a good grade on your paper with the advice he gives you. You must have your own ideas and come up with your own paper topics to suceed with him. His lectures are awesome and worth attending every single one. Very animated and entertaining

Fantastic professor

Funny professor, hes like a comic character. Drinks a dozen energy drinks every lecture, and looks like he never showers. He talks like a machine gun, and dwells on isolation, loneliness, and the world not making sense. I like him because its very amusing to have a hyper english professor.

I LOVED THIS CLASS AND THIS PROFESSOR! TAKE HIM TAKE HIM TAKE HIM. HE'S SO GREAT!

he's just great.. he has an electric teaching style (you'll never fall asleep), well-prepared lectures evenly balanced with some discussion (but not so much that it drags on), and a pretty straightforward and very manageable grading style. AND he loves Joyce. :)

The only criticism I have is that he was noticeably late quite frequently, which is excusable, but he was pretty appalled when 2 cell phones accidentally went off over the course of the quarter. I guess I just expected that if he had so many unfortunate mishaps, he'd understand. He was very passionate, making for an extremely riveting 50 minutes.

Dobbins is an awesome guy. He knows how to entertain, and lecture with charisma and passion. I had a great time learning from him. Go to his office hours! They help A LOT. He is very dedicated to helping students so don't be afraid to talk to him. The last half of the quarter however, was more difficult which made the essay harder to write.

Good class, good professor

Dobbins is one of the better professors that I've had; he is very enthusiastic and helpful when it comes to understanding literature and improving your writing. It could just be that I am a fan of modernism, but I can honestly say that I enjoyed this class and learned a lot from it.

Great class. I think a lot of times people don't care about the background and history of literature, but that's what helps me understand literature the most. Professor Dobbins spends time telling us the history behind the story, and how to interpret literature with the knowledge we have. Very interesting class.

My 2nd quarter with Prof Dobbins. I love this professor. He can usually keep things interesting, even though it's a long class; his class is challenging and really helped me to develop my writing skills (Jessica, the TA, was great as well). He can get frustrated sometimes, but he seems genuinely interested in teaching/ helping students

I love this dude. He is so smart and hilarious. He talks so fast that lecture never drags on or gets unbearably boring. He is engaging, gives great background on the literature, and pulls all the themes together deftly. He is not an easy grader; he wants you to really push your writing. Go to office hours because he's super friendly and helpful.

Dobbins is by far the coolest teacher I've ever had at Davis. He isn't really strict about missing class but his classes are so interesting, you won't want to skip. This class confirmed why I want to be an English major. He has a tattoo of James Joyce and speaks with a little bit of an Irish accent!You'd be crazy not to take his class! GREAT PROF!

This guy is one of the coolest professor I've ever had. He's hilarious but is a bit of a tough grader. He has high expectations for papers but he knows what he's doing. His final includes a multiple choice test so be sure not to miss his rather entertaining lectures.

Dobbins begins each lecture by chugging a huge energy drink, and after that he hardly stops for breath! His classes are extremely interesting and you'll find your hand hurting from writing notes at the end, but it's the kind of class where you don't really care. Really friendly prof, not a big fan of the authors (Joyce/Yates) but Dobbins made it ok

Dobbins is beyond cool. He is a moody and hilarious Irishman. He demands respect from his class and will return it to you. I always learn so much from him, and though he can be a tough grader, he is always more than willing to help you out. He's extremely committed to helping students improve their writing. Take him and learn and appreciate it.

Really tough grader! And no matter how specific you get in your essays, it is never specific enough for him. He's still going to say 'too general'. OH was very helpful. He talks way to fast, you barely catch what he's saying. I wouldn't take a class from him again. We had a new essay due right after one has just been turned in!

Great class. Great reading. Really enjoyable. A very nice, funny guy. The writing was pretty extensive, but worth it for the quality of the class.

He was easily the best teacher I had in the 10 series and one of the best in the English Department. If you have a chance to take any class from him, DO IT! He is extremely clear when going over material and makes the class really enjoyable. Put actual time into your essays and you'll do well. The final was straight-forward and his quizzes are easy

I love Professor Dobbins! He is by far one of the best english professors I've ever had! He is enthused about what he is teaching and is a really entertaining lecturer. I would definitely take another class with him in a heartbeat.

Professor Dobbins is a smart, kind, funny, and down-to-earth instructor. He demands your best work. You won't regret taking a class with him.

Great lecturer, has incredible bank of knowledge, encourages student participation, humorous, well-spoken. Overall a positive experience, worth the time.

I learned more about how to read English literature from Dobbins than I did from anyone else (except Levin) in the English department. He's an engaging speaker, and the best part of the class is the selection of readings-- great modernist poetry, for the most part. Yeats was my fav. Take it, pay attention, get an A, get an education.

Yes, Dobbins was late and missed class a lot. However, he was an enthusiastic teacher that made the subject interesting. His essays were tough, but going to office hours (sometimes an hour early!) will help you a lot. The reading was intensive and must be kept up on due to the final being based on the books and lecture. Overall, I liked the class.

Dobbins is a brilliant lecturer. I learned so much in such a short amount of time. People complain that he's sometimes late, but at least his lectures are always inspiring, and he really care about his students. I'd take that over a punctual, boring prof any day.

Dobbins is a great lecturer! He truly cares about what you have to say and respects it. He praises effort in coming to office hours and is helpful. His comments are harsh, but only to make you a better critical thinker. I learned so much about Irish lit and would definitely take him again! Focus on the essays and do the readings.

The hardest, most demanding, toughest professor in the English department at UC Davis. I hated his class absolutely and he assigned mountains of reading (2000+ pages) in a summer school 6-week class. Hated it. This is the class I have learned the most in of all my classes combined. What he teaches sinks in, and he CARES ABSOLUTELY about us. Wow!

I loved Dobbins. I took him for Irish Lit as well as a class on Virginia Woolf and he is so passionate about what he teaches. I thought he was a very fair grader, on the tougher side, but if you try hard, he gives credit for effort. He is my favorite teacher on campus.

The best professor I've ever had... He is clear about his expectations and provides clear guidelines for each assignment, as well as additional materials to help students succeed. He gives honest, critical feedback and makes himself available both in and out of class. He is an expert in what he teaches and takes a holistic approach to the subject.

He knows his stuff and makes lectures pretty interesting. I think the TA's do a large portion of the grading, so hopefully you get one who's fairly lenient; I seemed to

Dobbins is so knowledgable and entertaining. You aren't require to attend lecture, but he's super interesting and occasionally throws out a pop quiz, so it's probably best to be there. He had a couple pretty abstract short paper prompts, but I think TA's were lenient with grading because the instructions were so abstruse. Overall, a good class

Professor Dobbins' class was highly entertaining. Our class discussions were lively and thought provoking. He is very opinionated, but, one should expect that from any university professor; they are published minds. That said, don't get your feelings hurt when he lets loose some criticism on you, just keep at it. He's not so bad.

Dobbins is certainly a character. His lectures are really interesting, but not always clearly related to the material. He usually teaches upper div classes, so this one was weird because there was a book every week, but they didn't grade the essays as harshly. Pop quizzes were just three easy questions to make sure you read.

Prof. Dobbins is great - every lecture is mind-blowing. Don't take a class with him until you're confident in your reading and writing ability otherwise you'll likely have a hard time keeping up.

Dobbins is super nice and funny. Every, what seems like a rant, he is able to connect to the class or what we're reading in some way. He gives quizzes that are no brainers if you just do the reading. The feedback he gives on the homework is helpful. I suggest going to lecture though because it helps. He lectures on the reading in a refreshing way.

Professor Dobbins is amazing, really funny and great lectures. Even if it seems like he's going on a rant, he always brings it back to the subject matter and provides more information than any professor I've had. Gives really easy quizzes, you just have to do the reading. Homework assignments are a bit tough but he gives really extensive feedback.

Although he may not always seem like it, he is really considerate when it comes to how the outside world is impacting students. At times lectures can be a bit dense. Essay prompts are daunting because they are long and you have to come up with your own question topic, but if you go to office hours he will help you figure things out.

Interesting lectures but more importantly, he's a great guy. Super accomodating and understanding given the issues we all faced this quarter. Definitely one of the few profs who actually seemed to understand what students were going through. Always put us ahead of himself despite his own personal struggles.

1st professor I want to actually write a review about. he is funny & speaks fast in lectors, you have to remind him to slow down a little. He does give pop quizzes instead of attendance but he makes them super easy, you're good as long as you read the books. winter quarter 2020 with COVID he was so understanding and did the best for the students.

He says a lot without saying much, very considerate tho especially with the pandemic. very clear grading style. Nice person and the book is intresting but I wouldn't take him again he too hard to follow.

My class really loved this guy, but he's definitely an upper-division kind of English professor. Come prepared to work hard and engage critically with the material. He's kind but will expect high performance from his students.

ENL 157- loved every second in this class, extremely passionate and knowledgeable about the topics he teaches. Hard essays but worth it, learned so much about my own writing. Don't take if you want an easy A, you will be put to work and forced to read a lot. Little discussion in class, if you need to talk-go to office hours.

His essay grading his tough, and I mean VERY tough. But as a result my essay writing has become far better than what it used to me and I'm not even an English major. Furthermore he's just an all around nice guy who gets what it's like to be a student. Has amazing stories about Ireland too, its a shame to miss his lectures since they arent mandatory

Dobbins is my favorite English prof. But, his teaching/feedback style is polarizing. He's passionate but lectures can be disorganized. To succeed: go w/ the flow, challenge yourself, go to OH, and prepare for some criticism. Writing papers for him required me to push myself, but he's also given me the kindest and most useful feedback on my work

This professor is one of the best in the English department, and it was a pleasure having him for ENL10C. 10C is a class with all different types of materials and content, but Professor Dobbins chose interesting books, poems, and plays that captured modernism well. He is a tough grader, but he is fair. Gives amazing feedback. Would take again!

Straightforward class. Gives detailed instructions and feedback too. I actually used one of his Thesis instructions to craft my thesis for another class, and I ended up getting an even better score than before. Informative and interesting class.

Great lectures, talks a little fast but at a comprehensible speed. His assignment instructions are SUPER detailed, making it very clear what's expected of you. Definitely recommend going to his office hours, he gives really great advice.

This class was A LOT of reading and lectures are mandatory. The lecture material is difficult to follow(no class engagement and meandering), so it is crucial to go to office hours! He is empathetic to his students and values communication. Essays are difficult because he has VERY precise criteria. Nonetheless, I recommend. The texts were fun reads.

This class is on the novel Ulysses, a difficult work which Dobbins clearly has a great appreciation for and understanding of. It is essentially ten weeks of building towards a final paper, and attending office hours is almost mandatory, both because of the difficulty of the book and his rambling style of pedagogy. More lecture than seminar.