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Wonderful teacher. You'll get out of the class what you put in. And his book is pretty damn good too.

He's great. Best English professor ever. made me love writing. Funny guy. You have to do lots of reading, but its worth it.

I only regret not putting in enough effort in his class. He's very intelligent, very cool, and has great philosophies. However, he's a very tough grader, especially on writing. MAKE SURE you go to his office hours if you have any questions or need help.

He was a very good teacher in my mind. He was not mean but was not one of the ones who tries to get into your business. He askes that you write truthfully. I got a B in the class but I was new to college at the time and I missed class.

Great teacher a little vague between a A paper and a B paper but if you show him that you are trying he will give you an A. You have to do a lot of reading and writing but this is college..what do you expect?

There are pretensions of "literary fiction" in the class; even so, you'll become a better writer and a more observant reader, if you put in the effort

Krusoe is awesome! He's amusing, intelligent, and caring. He's there whenever you need him. His personality is very chill also. He has a good perspective on life. It's just good to know him as a person.

Brilliant teacher. He doesn't spoon feed, he doesn't encourage cliché, so for those who want to just repeat everything they've heard before and be comforted in the familiar, i wouldn't advise this class. For those who want to improve their writing and learn something he's one of the best teachers I've had, and I've had some very good teachers.

this guy is so cool, poeple need to back on up. hes a little odd, but hes eccentric in a good way. makes you think differently, but a little unprepared for next english classes

Mr. Krusoe was a really great professor. He really oppened my eyes to a world of knowledge I've never know about. Some people think he's lame cause he digresses and is unorganized. But he's an easy grader, a funny goofy dude and will love you if you show any interesat at all in his subject. Highly recommened (if you like learning but dont like work

I took both his classes, and he's very hard to please. But he's awesome, definately worth my time! He'll be missed in my class schedule, that's for sure...

His class is hard b/c it's challenging. Intellects only* Not too hard to get a B, just takes time. A, must be gifted. He'll give you great life advice and wisdom. He's a very nice man. As far as appearance, he looks like Magneto in X-Men. - DANN

A little hard because getting an A on an essay is extremely difficult. Very insightful, but probably not a good class for most people. This is a learning class so if you want an easy A dont even think about it.

He isn't for those who don't want to be intelectully challenged. aka the ones who gave him a bad review. He isn't intersted in teaching you what you can learn from a book he teaches from personal experience as a published writer.

i found his class interesting & sometimes even engrossing! idk why people were disappointed. 1ce in a while it moved a little slowly-but the stories he gave us were great! i bet i wouldn't have read any of those stories outside his class. it's great if you like writing. a lot of great writing is analyzed with the right amount of time spent on each.

What an awesome class!! He's really interested in having you take risks as a writer. If you like writing action, beware...you may be discouraged in writing genres which conflict with his own taste.

well.. what can i say, i worked my ** off, reading eight essays every week, writing two pages about each essay, and wrote about 8 essays in class, plus we get the subject the moment before we have to write. and the research paper, oh god! we had to come up with 15 topics, and he eliminated all of them, it was a living hell doing that research paper

Wonderful! He's brilliant. And a damn good writer. I'm surprised his reviews fall short of that.

Interesting class, interesting teacher. All essays are in class so never sweat one at home, but the topics in class are very challenging and he likes a very strange style. You get to read amazing essays by fantastic authors (most of the time) but you have to read alot and do many pages of anaylasis. Good teacher if you dig his style, I surely did.

A lot of reading with this guy. Probably between 30-80 pages every week (sometimes every 2 weeks) But some of them are interesting. And a lot of analysis of those readings. Is hard to please in the essay writting, as well with the research paper. Mean grader! Hard class!! although final is optional.

No idea why all of these reviewers have to dis the guy's eyebrows, aside from a desperate need to feel superior to a professor. If your idea of great literature is Stephen King or J.R.R. Tolkien, stay away from this class(please). He's great. An interesting guy to bounce ideas off of, very nice, and helpful if you're dedicated and have a brain.

He's a sweetheart. Extremely gifted, devoted, and inspirational. If all aspiring writers could take his class, they would be better for it.

No better teacher for creative writing!

Jim is exceptional. He is truly one of the most wonderful people I've had the pleasure of knowing. It would do all writers (and readers) good to enroll in his courses. He is a gift to the literary community of Los Angeles.

Jim Krusoe is the best creative writing teacher I've ever had. He's wise and has a deep understanding of human nature.

Mr. Krusoe's class wasn't easy. I LOVE to write and I love a challenge.He gave me that.After a struggle and effort in my work all semester I got an A, and it has been, by far, one of the grandest satisfactions of my life.I learned alot.I wouldn't recommend this class if you don't enjoy writing and analyziong hard literature.Helps alot in office hrs

One of the single most intelligent, lucid individuals I have ever had the distinct satisfaction of learning from.

Advanced fiction is a great class full of wonderful writers. Relaxed and enlightening. Added plus: has the most lively eyebrows you may ever encounter.

If we are lucky we have had at least one teacher who has changed our life. Jim Krusoe changed mine. I continue to be challenged by the high bar he sets for what writing can be.

He is by far one of the best professors I have had so far at smc. He is passionate and genuine- not to mention he has a keen sense of humor and animated eyebrows. He is not however the easiest A- he is challenging. The readings are mostly very interesting- lots of classics. I highly recommend him!

Hard class to get an A in because of vague grading techniques. Pretty simple class structure, there are reading notes and an in class essay weekly. He is pretty lax on attendance, but obviously the more you show up, the better you'll do. Overall, interesting man and a decent class but you might have to accept getting a B at best.

I'm glad I found this site. Krusoe is one of my most favorite people in the world. He's generous, smart, thoughtful, light-hearted, and well read. After a series of misfires in searching for a creative community in poetry, I appreciate his class, and his wisdom, that much more. Still unsure? Read his work.

Doesn't let you know that he drops x number of tests until semester is almost over. Class is centered exclusively on discussions -- not on teaching you how to write. Weekly in-class essays on obscure concepts such as, "theft," "captivity" or "coldness." Kind, generous personality. Great writer, was never meant to teach entry level English courses.

I've been attending Krusoe's class for many, many years. Nearly a decade. There is a certain pretention now I've never seen before. It would be nice to see Jim more enthusiastic. It would be nice to see a class more enthusiastic which may be why Krusoe is not. It's zombie land.

This guy is one great professor. Classes revolve around discussions which at the end aid you on your writing. Very nice and easy to talk to. Would highly recommend to those that are active listeners and looking for a "chill" class that isn't dull.

Jim Krusoe is an excellent mentor for writers, his ability to see the writer you can become is a priceless gift to his students. He understands the struggle that creative writing can be and sympathizes without coddling. A fine teacher and wonderful writer.

Krusoe is the best creative writing teacher I have ever had the privilege of having. He is phenomenal. I have never met someone who understands writing more. The class was life-changing. Honestly.

Pretty good teacher, class consists of a lot of notes from the book as homework due once a week, essays, and a research paper. If you do the notes consistently, write good essays and find a good partner for the research paper, you'll have a guaranteed A or B and he wont make u do the final if ur grade is high enough to not be affected.

Very interesting discussions during class. Minimal homework. He is a very difficult grader and seems really unpredictable. I went to his office hours regularly to get help. Always ask him what you did wrong on your essays, otherwise you'll be extremely lost. Participate in class and show him you care. He drops a few essays so don't stress too much.

Excellent teacher, esp. for writers. You'll write notes on essays, a weekly essay in class and one report. Discussions on book essays were interesting and all the writing invaluable. At my age (50's) I was ready for a waste of time. Quite frankly, I feel that I have improved as a writer thanks to this class and Prof's comments and attention.

Krusoe is very passionate about English and insightful with the readings. Many questions and discussions will be held. You are to do about twenty essays and a research paper. The hardest part of the class will be the research paper and his grading, which is reasonable but still a little tough. Great class.

AMAZING! Write your essays with a lot of description and take risks. Don't be afraid to get strange or personal in them or be somewhat poetic. If you are a good writer and enjoy writing, I am sure you will enjoy and get an A. Took so much from this class. Krusoe is also the perfect mixture of hilarious, laid back, and 100% knowing his stuff.

Really funny guy. Makes you think outside the box when it comes to classroom discussions. You'll have to write essays about sadness, insanity, and other random topics. Make sure you're really descriptive when you write.

Genius. Teaches with style and ease and a great understanding of Literature and the mysteries of life, without appearing entitled/annoying like many Eng proffesors do. Great sense of humor. Be HIGHLY descriptive, take risks in your writing, and go to him for advice and you will see your writing bloom as well as your grade.

Awesome professor, probably my favorite yet.

Take Krusoe if you are truly passionate about writing and want to become a better writer. Took him for English !, which was actually kind of a lot of work and I also took him for creative writing, which I strongly recommend. Great man and teacher with a dark sense of humor!

Very good teacher! If you're interested in being a writer, take this class. He makes you think and gives really good advice as far as writing goes. He's a little bit kooky and weird, but overall a good guy. His class made me want to go back to school, if only to take more of his classes.

Prof. Krusoe is an amazing creative writing teacher! He helped me expand my writing skills drastically. Because of this class, I now really enjoy writing and I highly recommend him!!

GREAT PROFESSOR... Definitely one of my favorite at SMC. Incredibly thought provoking and he really pushes you to write creatively. His lectures are amazing. Take his class if your interested in improving your writing technique.

I took Krusoe for English 1. I love to write, so I thought the class was great. You can tell he really likes good writing, and the discussions are fun. But beware, the workload is big. You write four 1-3 page essays every week. Also, there's a "surprise" partner research paper. Krusoe as a teacher makes up for that. Would take his class again.

Its a lot of writing but not very difficult. His readings are usually interesting. Be prepared to write in-class-essays EXACTLY how he tells you too, and there are some odd essay topics. The final is optional and he gives extra credit. The best thing about this class is that he drops your 5 lowest grades, which I though was very generous of him.

This class can be very time consuming(Can be both easy and hard). The homework for each week is 4 or 5 analyses in essay-format (2-3pgs each) on essays in the textbook. These are due on the first class of the week, the second class is an in-class timed writing (Not graded until last couple weeks). Research Paper is done with a partner.

Me and other friends in the class started off not being a huge fan, but by the end absolutely loved him Don't talk in class, do your work, participate. You have reading responses every week for homework, and in class essays every week No final required if your grade is solid One research paper with partner, show it to him before it is due often

great teacher

Great Teacher, who actually makes a lot of sense

The textbook is actually a collection of essays. There's no boring lectures on grammar and sentence structure. He does make you read and write but its totally doable. If you do all your reading assignments, get a good grade on your research paper, and show up for the in class essays then you probably won't have to take the final. I loved him!

Every time Jim opens his mouth he adds to the sum of human knowledge. Deeply thoughtful, remarkably well read, and above all an earnest human being. You'll rarely find a professor so generous with his space and consideration.

Amazing teacher, and even better human being. Truly a pleasure to go to his class. Be ready to read and write though. It's really only worth it if you put in the time!

truly an amazing teacher. very inspirational. lots of reading & journals to accompany it. lots of in class essays too with random topics (which could end up being a good or bad thing) he gives great feedback on the essays as well. I didn't turn in any of the reading journals but still passed the class! definitely recommend taking Krusoe

get ready to write the most craziest topics ever. He's super chill, doesn't accept late work attendance isn't that mandatory even though he says it is as long as you participate.

I have never in my life felt so inspired and respected by a person. This man pushed me so hard in my first English class, and now I'm taking another with him to continue learning how to become a better writer. He is interesting, intelligent, super fun to listen to, and wants nothing more than to help you succeed and come out of your skin. Take Him

Prof. Krusoe is truly an inspiring professor. He cares for and shows a lot of interest in the individual student, and if you show interest and will to improve he will gladly help you. The only downside would be that you have to write the research paper with a partner and there is a lot of reading and writing essays, so be prepared for that!

Jim is one of the most inspiring professors I studied with. Before his class, English was my weakest subject. After his class, I LOVE writing, and got A's in all my subsequent English classes (I was an international student). He encouraged me to take an art appreciation writing class (I had no interest in art), and guess what, I'm now an artist!

Honestly the best class I've ever taken. He cares about the work and actually reads all of it. His feedback is very helpful for college essays in the future and he sets you up with a brand new way of thinking. I feel awaken to be able to create a short film from the essays we wrote in class. VERY Inspiring class overall, Favorite professor by far!

Before taking this class, I used to loath English and writing essays, but Professor Krusoe gave me inspiration to find a love in the topic. He makes essay writing a fun and creative experience. If you want to master essay writing, take his class. It is hard, but you will learn something from it that'll stay with you forever.

Professor Krusoe is definitely worth your time and effort. He makes you work for it because he wants to see that you are genuinely interested. He is the most inspiring person I have ever met, whatever he taught me has changed my life! NO BS! With a professor like that, you'll not go down to the wrong path in life. Took the leap of faith, no regrets

Professor Krusoe has already retired, however he's that great that I want to comeback and leave a comment. His lectures are absolutely amazing, you can tell he's actually passionate about his job and he makes literature as enjoyable as it should be. Very caring and super patient, definitely one of the most respectful professors I've ever taken :)